<p>^^ cross posted while you were editing, psych.</p>
<p>“The kind of “intellect” the author displayed through it is something I expected of the vast majority of applicants to top schools, not just Chicago applicants and certainly not just the admissible lot of Chicago applicants. So why was it singled out?”</p>
<p>Because the writer had the guts to take creative risk. The writer also demonstrated their own personality and sense of humor, and the writer demonstrated a deep knowledge and appreciation about how Chicago regards itself and what makes it special. The essay also was very well written and funny. It’s very hard to write good parody. </p>
<p>The writer wasn’t among the thousands who have submitted the kind of essay that was described like this on U Va’s site:</p>
<p>""Ninety percent of the applications I read contain what I call McEssays - usually five-paragraph essays that consist primarily of abstractions and unsupported generalization. They are technically correct in that they are organized and have the correct sentence structure and spelling, but they are boring. Sort of like a Big Mac. "</p>
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<p>Who are you to judge the authors like that? That’s like some person saying you’re not Harvard material based strictly on your posts here.</p>
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The essays on Tufts’ website show a great deal of diversity. If these sample essays are any indication of an institution’s character (I’m not so convinced), in Tufts’ case, it’s that the college doesn’t limit itself to one particular type of student.</p>
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I’ve read better essays showing wit, humor, appreciation for a school, and writing talent all at once. These traits are pretty common to applicants to top schools.</p>
<p>“Who are you to judge the authors like that? That’s like some person saying you’re not Harvard material based strictly on your posts here.”</p>
<p>I’m just as welcome as is anyone to have an opinion of what those essays reflect about the writers’ characters. There’s no rule saying that one has to have a favorable opinion of someone based on their writing. </p>
<p>Obviously, the admissions committees at Tufts liked the window that those essays gave them into the writers’ characters. For the writers, the Tufts’ adcoms’ opinions – not my opinions – are what mattered.</p>
<p>" That’s like some person saying you’re not Harvard material based strictly on your posts here."</p>
<p>Such a person would be welcome to their opinion, too, but that still wouldn’t take away the fact that I went to Harvard, a school known for having very opinionated students and alum. :)</p>
<p>I thought the two Tufts essays were very similar, though the Hana one was written better. Tufts appears to appreciate students whose essays say – here are a bunch of ordinary things that I do, am interested in, and like to do.</p>
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No, nobody on this forum is entitled to judge their characters unless they’ve read their full applications. We can only judge their writing.</p>
<p>The Hana essay made me smile.</p>
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What do you mean that doesn’t “take away from the fact that [you] went to Harvard”? Of course not-- that’s an unchangeable fact. What does matter is what you did with that education.</p>
<p>“No, nobody on this forum is entitled to judge their characters unless they’ve read their full applications. We can only judge their writing.”</p>
<p>We’ll have to disagree. I believe that one can tell a great deal about a person’s character by their writing, and having taught writing – including personal essay writing, I’ve seen lots of examples of how one’s writing can reflect one’s character.</p>
<p>“It was much much easier for you to get in during your day. You should have some humility.”</p>
<p>I applied as the original baby boomers were applying, and the year I got in was the most competitive up to that time for college admissions.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the bottom line is that someone’s saying that I don’t sound like Harvard material would be just as meaningless as my saying that because I don’t like the Tufts’ students’ essays, the students weren’t Tufts material. Obviously, Tufts admissions officers were impressed by those essays, and their opinions are what counts. </p>
<p>That’s what’s important about all of these essays: How the admissions officers viewed them.</p>
<p>“What do you mean that doesn’t “take away from the fact that [you] went to Harvard”? Of course not-- that’s an unchangeable fact. What does matter is what you did with that education.”</p>
<p>Of course that’s important, but that’s not what was under discussion. I was responding to your suggestion that someone might say that my posts don’t sound like a Harvard quality person. They’d be entitled to their opinion, but that wouldn’t take away the fact that I have a Harvard education any more than my disliking the Tufts’ applicants’ essays takes away the fact that those applicants got accepted to Tufts.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, though, when it comes to what I did with my education, among the things that I did was win national awards for newspaper columns that I wrote, and for feature writing. Later some of the students whom I taught won national awards for their personal essays, so I know a great deal about this subject.</p>
<p>FWIW: My S wrote an essay for Tufts. Then at the last minute, he decided to apply to Chicago. He basically used the Tufts essay for one of the Chicago prompts. He was rejected at Tufts (one of only two schools he was outright rejected at), and accepted at Chicago. Go figure!</p>
<p>As someone else said, I think it’s basically serendipity whether or not the application readers like a student’s essay. For that reason alone, I wonder how there is such a thing as a “Chicago-esque” essay, unless all the readers are clones of one another.</p>
<p>"He was rejected at Tufts (one of only two schools he was outright rejected at), and accepted at Chicago. Go figure!</p>
<p>As someone else said, I think it’s basically serendipity whether or not the application readers like a student’s essay. For that reason alone, I wonder how there is such a thing as a “Chicago-esque” essay, unless all the readers are clones of one another."</p>
<p>Based on the essay examples we’ve seen here, what happened to your son makes perfect sense to me. It seems that Chicago and Tufts – both of which regard fit very highly-- are seeking very different types of students. </p>
<p>An essay that Tufts adcoms would love would be one that Chicago adcoms would hate and the reverse also would be true.</p>
<p>You have shown little respect for other people’s negative opinions of the essay by defending it to an extreme degree, flaunting your Harvard degree in the process to suggest your opinion is somehow more valuable. You would do better to establish credence by showing examples of your own superior writing.</p>
<p>He never let me see his essays–I would certainly have loved to read them. I am tempted to have him read this Chicago essay and ask him what he thinks of it. I tend to agree, though, that bright kids in general are going to exhibit a large variation in the character of their essays. I just can’t get my mind around the idea that based on the kind of essay a kid writes he belongs at such-and-such a school. Just doesn’t compute for me.</p>
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<p>As evidenced by numerous cross-admits at both institutions, I can imagine officers at both institutions liking a similar type of student. I believe Tufts accepts a wide range of students, not sure about Chicago.</p>
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mmmkay, some of us here who gained admission to top schools and are critiquing this essay got national awards in writing as well.</p>
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<p>What I’m saying is when it comes to judging “fitness” for a particular school, an essay alone is not enough. Making reckless conclusions about a student’s fit for a particular school without seeing their applications as a whole is irresponsible.</p>
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<p>Yes. NSM, I greatly respect your posts, but you really aren’t the only–or the most-- talented, accomplished writer on CC, and acting like it comes across as EXTREMELY arrogant. Surely, if you’ve been published, then you’ve been “taken down a [few] notches” by co-authors, reviewers, editors, etc.? (I have, and I don’t know of one single published author who hasn’t). If you truly haven’t, well, I’m utterly amazed and awed. Because then you’re really one of a kind. ;)</p>
<p>The first Tufts’ applicant took the risk in submitting an essay in a different format, so probably would have called my attention to continue evaluating the EC, statistics, and full application…The second essay in an informative style would have called my attention only if the rest of the applicants essays were not better than that one. However, the difference is not only in the writing or style, but how strong the message is conveyed. </p>
<p>Now on the other hand: Oh Rohan…Oh Rohan, whose creativity and bravery in submitting a superbly essay, have moved every single fiber of my soul to the point that my blood boil of happiness in imagining such love for a University even before he could experience the real deal. The passion Rohan’s placed in his words is without equal. Rohan’s essay reflects real passion and like a good piece of music or art it provoke the most irresistible, overwhelming, and overpowering feelings. In reading Rohans’s essay I felt his passion and could understand his love and feel it! </p>
<p>It even provoked my rage and wrath with the Dean for having sharing it with other “applicants;” Rohan’s essay is a beautiful an intimate proclamation of love to UC and that’s the way it should have kept.
Rohan’s is just a high school student and here we are evaluating him and his wonderful “Art” as if he is a poet, author, or philosopher…Best wishes for “Rohan”. Hope that one day we can hear Rohan’s wonderful contributions to society. I wonder what “Major” he will be pursuing in UC.</p>
<p>Good one, Greenery!</p>
<p>“Yes. NSM, I greatly respect your posts, but you really aren’t the only–or the most-- talented, accomplished writer on CC, and acting like it comes across as EXTREMELY arrogant.”</p>
<p>Psych, you’re reading far more into my words than what I said. I have the experience – as an educator and writer – to evaluate personal essays in terms of how they are written and how they can reflect a writer’s character. I’ve also been in the position of evaluating young people’s personal essays for things like scholarship and internship programs.</p>
<p>Given the size and scope of CC’s membership, I’d be surprised if I were the most talented, accomplished writer on CC, so I’d never claim to be that.</p>