<p>My essays had no wit, in them but they were pretty meaty, information wise. I spoke about a couple projects I've worked on, all relating to my prospective major. However, they were not creative, witty, or syntactically-elegant. Do you think colleges really give a ****? I mean MIT isn't looking for writers, their looking for engineers.</p>
<p>Given a choice between an engineer who can’t write and and engineer who can, wouldn’t they rather have the latter?</p>
<p>Chances are, no two people are the same, and even if they were, if one person writes a literary masterpiece full of fluff, wit and “cultural challenges”, compared to someone who actually wrote about a project they’ve worked on, in depth, I think the person that actually wrote about doing something would get the advantage.</p>
<p>The thing is, these top institutions like MIT have seen plenty of people like you. They know what projects you’ve done, and they know how it is. You don’t need to say anything further than a basic description of what you did. What they want to see is your reflection, the impact such projects had on you, and your passion to pursue it further. You should express yourself through your essay, instead of making it another medium to show what you’re capable of. Your GPA/SAT/ACT/EC/Resume/Etc should have done more than enough of a job at that.</p>
<p>They need to see who you are. They can tell writing ability from letters of recommendation. They get to know you from the essay.</p>
<p>Let me rephrase: Candidate A is an engineer who can write a meaty essay, and Candidate B is an engineer who can write a meaty essay that is also creative, witty and elegant. Who do you think they’d choose?</p>
<p>Content is a part of excellent writing - I even think it’s the most important part. But it isn’t the only part.</p>
<p>Everything adds up. An essay like yours certainly fits the requirements and probably provides the information you were looking for. Now, had you been witty or creative, you would have gained favor in the mind of the reader, whether or not that favor is technically documented. </p>
<p>I think they certainly need to be well-written though. Whether or not the essay is creative and witty, the mechanics should be there. Writing is one of the most important skills in college, even at MIT. Many students head off to college after taking AP Lit and AP Lang and find they were still drastically unprepared for the level of writing demanded by colleges. Thus, the admission essay should be well written.</p>
<p>Absolutely perfect answer from the fella of answer #4.</p>
<p>The essay is a vehicle for you to show your personality to the colleges, one of the few if not the only place for you to do so. Don’t waste time going through your achievements. Tell a story, paint a picture, do something interesting that ONLY YOU would do. My essay was not an essay, but a poem. I was applying mainly to very liberal colleges, (NYU, Emerson, Carnegie, etc.) so I don’t necessarily recommend doing something so whacky as writing a poem if you’re applying to more standard colleges/ivies, but do something creative and inventive with your writing.</p>
<p>Hmmmm… I would say your question calls into question your analytical skills. Auto reject for MIT!!!</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>Just kidding. Best of luck regardless</p>
<p>Here’s the thing: don’t write the same kind of BS you would for an English AP essay. You don’t need to use big words, you don’t need to have complex syntax. What you need is an essay which will give the most amount of true, meaningful information within the word limit. It should be concise, the sentences short. If you as a student are able to meaningfully reflect on the true nature of the topic, and can clearly write about your meaning, then the stylisms are moot. That being said, a “meaty” description of what you <em>did</em> is not enough. You must be able to clearly connect that to your values and your growth. Colleges don’t want the same high school BS that gets most kids an A+ in English, they want truth and actual personal insight.</p>
<p>Let’s hope they are not looking for a conservative use of the comma.</p>