<p>Would traveling with family abroad, or inside US be something that I would want to put on a college application? I've been to places in Europe, and since my family travels a lot, we are planning to go to more European countries as well as Mexico and locations in the U.S. as well.</p>
<p>“Never write about travel in your college essays.”<br>
[Travel</a> in College Essays | The Ivy Coach College Admissions Blog](<a href=“http://theivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/college-essays/travel-college-essays/]Travel”>Travel in College Essays | Ivy Coach College Admissions Blog)</p>
<p>“Colleges like students who have traveled, and travel can lead to a life-changing experience that could make a great college essay. However, travel is a remarkably common topic for college essays, and it often isn’t handled well. You need to do more than highlight the fact that you have traveled. A travel essay should be an analysis of a single and meaningful experience, not a summary of your trip to France or South America.”
[Bad</a> Essay Topics for College Admissions - Avoid These Bad Topics in Your College Admission Essay](<a href=“http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/tp/bad-essay-topics.htm]Bad”>Bad College Admissions Essay Topics)</p>
<p>Now, I agree with the second resource; I read an essay that worked for Hopkins that talked about this kid’s travels to a Buddhist monastery in Indonesia, culminating in a life changing experience. </p>
<p>Here it is:</p>
<p>“I sat nervously in the plastic chair, my cotton chupa tied a bit too tightly. A few robed monks sat quietly by a water cooler. After a short wait, a guide led my group through the palace gardens into the Karmapa’s office. The room was 1970s inspired: paneled oak walls, Venetian blinds, and a plaid couch atop an Oriental rug. Seemingly out of place, the Karmapa sat gloomily, dressed in a traditional vermillion robe.
My fixation with India began with a paperback copy of Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God. The book depicted India as a blend of modernism and tradition; a country illustrated in Vedic literature as utopian and mystic, yet today a fusion of Hinduism and urban development. My love of India stems from its multifaceted personalities, its ability to function as a center of religious fervor, a backdrop for historical events of great import, and a cosmopolitan nation of both metropolises and pastoral communities. I envisioned glass cities laced with smog, burlap bags of spices, crumbling shrines coughing undulating incense rather than the monochromic lifestyle of the Main Line. Readily submitting to India’s allure, I signed up for a service trip to explore the cultures of India by teaching English in a small village. Travel, especially for service, propels me to journey beyond suburbia and to explore the world, whether it is as a student ambassador in China or an English teacher in Tanzania. However, an itinerary mix-up landed me in the foothills of the Himalayas, far from the India I had read about.
The community was Dharamsala, a Buddhist enclave home to the exiled Tibetan government. With little knowledge regarding Buddhism, I was initially dismayed with the hushed village. I vowed to learn, though. I attended Buddhist lectures at the headquarters of the Tibetan government, received a Tibetan name, Tenzin Thegchog, from the Dalai Lama, and taught English to refugees. Then came the audience with the Karmapa Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s leader. The naturally reserved Tibetans would vivaciously discuss with me his future as Tibet’s leader and enthuse about his looks; the Tibetans agreed that the Karmapa was attractive. However, sitting on the office floor, I felt little inspiration. Then the Karmapa allowed us to ask questions. Spontaneously, I asked, “Have you ever loved someone?”
The Karmapa answered immediately: “No, I never had the chance.”
Where service is, for me, intrinsically personal, it isolates the Karmapa. Required to lead his people, the Karmapa is unable to establish the personal relationships that make service enjoyable and define “normal” life. Whether it is pouring tea at a soup kitchen, creating Valentine’s Day cards with children at the Domestic Abuse Center, or planting oak tree saplings with the Willistown Conservation Trust, I find pleasure in serving others and also in the relationships formed while doing so. I realized the Karmapa’s answer was truthful and inspiring. Through his blunt response, I was able to comprehend both my passion for community service, my independence, and understand what makes the Karmapa so attractive.”
-<a href=“http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays/2016/”>http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays/2016/</a> (Essay #2, Dharamsala)</p>
<p>“John’s essay conveyed a lot about his personality and made me want see him on our campus. At first, I was drawn to John’s sense of adventure and imagination. I liked that reading this book lead John to volunteer in a small Indian village. What was more impressive, however, was his ability to “roll with the punches” and see the change in location as an opportunity to learn and explore a different part of India. Asking the Karmapa whether he’s ever loved someone took a lot of courage, but it also suggested John has an interest in some of the world’s great philosophical and moral questions. I liked that Karmapa’s response made John reflect on his own interests and commitment to service. This essay made me think John would be very involved on our campus—in community service, in other clubs and organizations, as a roommate, and in the classroom.”
—Dana Messinger, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions (On the above essay)</p>
<p>TL;DR: It’s extremely difficult to pull off, but if you can show how one experience changed your life, then go for it.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that out of the 3,000 or so 4-year colleges in the US EC’s are important for admission at only a small fraction. Perhaps the most selective 100 or so. You can see what factors matter in admission at schools you are considering by looking at their Common Data Set filings. Most students worry needlessly about EC’s when they’ll play only a small factor or not even be considered!</p>
<p>The question about impressive EC’s comes up regularly on the forum. There is a thread with several posts by Northstarmom, a Ivy alum interviewer, about what constitutes impressive ECs from the point of view of the most selective colleges. The post is at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/210497-those-ecs-weak-so-what-s-good.html</a></p>
<p>As you will see from that link, at the most selective colleges they are looking for depth more than just participation. Stanford, for example, says
Travel-based essays seem a step below the “my parents sent me to do volunteer work in some miserable country” essays, and even those are typically of little value.</p>