Different Approaches to Essays and "Short" Questions?

College Essays
1

Hi all,

I am applying to several universities through the Common App. I’m a “flowery” writer (I don’t know how else to describe it), so open ended questions come easy to me. This means that prompts such as the ones provided in the Personal Essay are my favorite. Furthermore, it is sort of expected that there is some embellishment and deep thought, so it works out! On the other hand, there are a variety of specific university questions that throw me in for a loop. Here are some examples:

1.What single activity listed in the activity section of your Common Application are you most proud of and why? (150 words or less)
2.We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you. (100 word limit)
3.Please tell us what you find most appealing about ________ and why. (300 words or less)
4.Our students can pursue a multi-dimensional undergraduate experience both in and outside of the classroom. Given the opportunities at __________ please discuss your current interests (academic, extracurricular, personal passions, summer experiences, etc.) and how you will build upon them here.  (300-500)

Now, it is not the content that is bothering me- it is the approach. Are all these types questions supposed to be straight to the punch? Just flat out, direct answers? Or are they still expecting some of the embellished, developed writing seen in the essays? (because then word count is in issue, at least for the first three). Thanks for your input.

Cheers!
photoshooterotw

P.S What if there is the choice for an additional essay on any topic? (examples given are unusual circumstances in your life, a letter to your future roomate, etc.) What approach of the two outlined above do I take? (or a third one)

2

I say that for shorter essays like #1-2, you probably shouldn’t waste words on embellishment or jokes; just get to the point. For essays that are longer but still asking for a direct answer like #4 (or #3 if the blank is referring to a college), you need to answer the question, but it’s certainly open for a creative delivery. I’d imagine it as the intermediate between the most straightforward short ones and the most flowery long ones. For a pretty open-ended question (one that could have several answers like the additional essay, and maybe #3), feel free to write it whatever way works; here, I’d imagine that adcoms are more likely to appreciate a good, interesting story. You’ll probably want to use more than one type of writing for each school. All straightforward can get boring, and all flowery can be annoying after a while.

3

Okay! Thank you!