<p>originally, i wrote an essay based on/about harry potter. i thought it was good b/c i love imagination and fantasy...but people smashed the essay down.</p>
<p>from verbatim: "i read it and i had no idea what was going on. what if the adcom doesn't know what harry potter is?" (coming from a friend who barely heard of harry potter)</p>
<p>i don't know if i should use it for anything or not. i think it's creative and reflects myself, but then again...</p>
<p>There's no such thing as a topic that's "too odd" as long as it's appropriate. If you preface the essay with a little Harry Potter mention, or at least a title, and make it clear what you're doing, I think it would be charming.</p>
<p>Depending on how you write it, the essay could be a wonderful way to give adcoms insight into your personality and what you have to offer the college. My advice is to take the risk. If the adcoms don't get it, then that's probably not the right college for you. Adcoms get very sick of reading hundreds of bland essays because applicants don't have the guts to show their real personalities.</p>
<p>It's not odd, trust me. My why Penn essay is FREAKISLHY odd. I just hope they don't think I hear voices in my head or something. But sometimes I do see things....</p>
<p>You can't get any weirder than my personal statement essay. If the adcoms understand it, it will be a miracle. But then again, if the adcoms understand it, they WILL remember it. I'm willing to take that risk. It's either that or the classic run-of-the-mill captain-of-a-sport essay, which i am avoiding at all costs.</p>
<p>Harry Potter is a semi-lighthearted subject, unless you're paralleling to Christianity or something. It doesn't do to go my route, but I'm doing it anyway because I'm nuts. My essay is on my bout with an eating disorder. It is very straightforward, but disturbing just because of that. There's nothing like writing about insanity as if you're sane.</p>
<p>Your "Why Penn" essay is odd? From what I've gathered, they take your interest in Penn pretty seriosuly. It seems like essay #6 is the one they'd want you to get creative on (certainly not on the one explaining what sets their school apart for you)</p>
<p>that's the good thing. it shows interest in penn without sounding like the viewbook. it's pretty straightforward and effective in answering the questions, i just used very odd reasons for why i like penn. the autobiography isn't insane but it's really funny. not forced humor at all.</p>
<p>Hey, thisSHHHisBANANAs, do you mind if I read it? I won't steal it, promise. I'm not applying to UPenn. But you've sparked my interest :)</p>
<p>i'm a quirky person, so i like being myself, but i'm just afraid of being soo weird that it's a major turn off. it's really hard to be noticed, and i guess you have to do something really daring sometimes.</p>
<p>my harry potter essay was about me in hogwarts. yep. i guess fiction doesn't bode too well?</p>
<p>Is this for Yale or Harvard? Very Hogwarts-like schools. But fiction only bodes ill if you live in a fantasy world. Presumably, you are flesh and blood. So if you make connections to the real world, compare the ideal to the actual and show that you blend the two in your positive perception of reality, it will #1 freak them out and #2 make them take notice.</p>
<p>Final word, just be you. Oh, that's just great, you mumble, just be myself. Like that's going to get me into HYPS. I assure you, if you are otherwise HYPS material, being yourself is a good thing.</p>
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Hey, thisSHHHisBANANAs, do you mind if I read it? I won't steal it, promise. I'm not applying to UPenn. But you've sparked my interest
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<p>HOW DARE YOU!!!!!! lol I'm guarding my essays like the last krispy kreme in the box. No one sees them until I'm either accepted or flat out REJECTED. I might consider revealing them if I'm waitlisted lol.</p>
<p>Harry Potter for college? No, simply no.</p>
<p>TSB- Okey dokey. I was just trying to weasel my way out of spending time on my own essays by reading others' :p</p>