So for this essay question about what unique perspective/cultural traditions I will bring to Rice, I took a little different approach. Instead of detailing my culture-filled childhood, I outright stated that my upbringing did not acknowledge my black culture (which is the honest truth). I wrote about how I lived most of my life without the knowledge or pride of this culture, and it wasn’t until recently that I developed an interest in it, and have been voraciously seeking to learn everything about it. I realize that it’s a little risky to say that I was not raised with any cultural traditions, but I focused on in the essay that I would bring my new knowledge of my culture, and also the knowledge that my learning will never end. I personally really enjoy the essay, and the people that have read it have also liked it. I thought about searching for some life-long tradition I had, but I felt that my perspective was unique because I didn’t have any traditions, and really had to figure everything out on my own. What do you guys think - is this kind of topic okay, or does Rice want more of a list of what traditions one will bring?
sorry, is this question on CommApp? Why I cannot find it?
What about incorporating how being Black is, for you, less an acknowledgement of unification under the umbrella of color and shade, certainly outside of, and therefore more than, a collective traditional practice, and more a nascent and evolving state of consciousness?
Your familiarity and experience within the range of Black life as shared with others, where you decompress, digest and deconstruct some of the insanity and the inexplicable, some of the funny and quite frankly delicious aspects of walking through life Black, are aspects of life to which you are newly attuned, and to which you are everyday awakening. It is possible to convey ideas of both Joy and Pain. (In case you are not familiar, that is a reference to a song by a group called Frankie Beverly and Maze.)
Incorporate information about what was present in your life, even if that did not represent tradition in any conventional way, but merely as demonstration of the cultural norms which were present in your everyday life.
While I think your essay topic may not actually be a brand new topic to the admissions officers, I do think you can make it your own by being genuine, and using your true voice.
Success to you.
@lrcc55 It is in the Rice Supplement. The full question is: "The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective (viewpoint, outlook, view) do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice? (500 word limit)
@Waiting2exhale Thank you for such an eloquent answer! I have put in little anecdotes about the culture (focusing on hip-hop culture and my love for Harlem Renaissance Lit) yet the word limit keeps getting in the way! :(( I like the idea for placing in bits of the traditions I did experience…if only I can keep it under that dreadful 500 words!
@lrcc55 I had the same question last month when another poster was asking how to reply to the prompt. I didn’t see the prompt. I did contact Rice admissions and learned that you first need to select which school you are applying to and then the prompt pops up. It’s a 500 word essay so it’s good to know ahead of time that it exists! 