<p>How important are the essays? I have a 33 on my ACT, a lot of AP classes and I've only gotten one B in HS. But I am far from a brilliant writer. How closely will they look?</p>
<p>Essays are an important part of the admissions process. You don't have to be perfect in your writing to be accepted, at <em>any</em> university. Show strong ideas, a passion for the school, talk about something you love either academically or otherwise. </p>
<p>Have an English teacher or two read over it, talk to your parents for ideas, have your parents revise.</p>
<p>You'll do fine :)</p>
<p>I would not worry too much. You are in.</p>
<p>I'd still submit one to show that you're motivated. It might matter for scholarships. But considering how strong your stats are, I wouldn't stress yourself over it. Just write about your passions and ambitions. The pressure is off.</p>
<p>Besides, aren't you applying to other schools? You can use the same essay for more than one school application.</p>
<p>yeah i'm applying to others and thats what i'll do, i was just wondering how much i needed to sweat it and work to cater it to wisconsin's standards</p>
<p>I used my same essay for UM and UW and was accepted at both places. </p>
<p>There were some pretty key differences though. I took the essay, which was about a page in length (single-spaced I think... right up to the word limit) and had a very unique opening paragraph to each essay. The first paragraph was very specifically catered toward each school and listed genuine reasons why I wanted to attend. Within the body of the essay they were more or less the same because they talked about my ambitions and what I hoped to achieve in going to their specific college.</p>
<p>Often, what you hope to achieve at <em>a</em> college can be accomplished at... well almost any college, you know?</p>
<p>I'll send you the essay I used if you like, but I strongly recommend coming up with your own unique formula that you feel comfortable with. Don't write now or whenever you feel stressed. I guarantee that you'll have an inspired moment and write a powerful essay. </p>
<p>Good luck and have fun!</p>
<p>okay here's what i don't understand...the essay question is
The University of Wisconsin values an educational environment that provides all members of the campus community with opportunities to grow and develop intellectually, personally, culturally, and socially. In order to give us a more complete picture of you as an individual, please tell us about the particular life experiences, perspectives, talents, commitments and/or interests you will bring to our campus. In other words, how will your presence enrich our community?</p>
<p>I thought it was asking about my previous experience...am I supposed to talk about my ambitions and stuff too? I'm such a bad writer....</p>
<p>Really, all they're trying to get at is a better understanding of you. They want to see that you are a coherent writer and that you would make a positive impact on the school. So just be real and tell them about yourself. The essay question is more of a starter or guideline to help you commence your writing, but as long as you write about what makes you you, then it's a good essay.</p>
<p>There are also organizations within the U.W. system that will help you get admitted if you meet their requirements. It may be worth looking into!</p>
<p>^ Can you elaborate on that Megan?</p>
<p>Norms39, where did you get that prompt for the essay. On the application itself it says:</p>
<p>Write a concise statement with any additional information that is important to convey to the admissions committee. Information that may be important might include your aspirations, work experience, creative talents, factors
affecting your academic record, or why you are applying to UWMadison. You may wish to attach a separate page for your statement. This is an important part of your application.</p>
<p>From the website:</p>
<p>Personal Statement. The personal statement is a crucial part of your application. Its your chance to tell us things about yourself that arent revealed throughout the rest of your application, such as character-defining moments, academic or personal challenges faced, hardships overcome, or a cultural awareness developed. Ultimately, youll want to provide us with all the details you would like us to know before we make a decision on your application. We do not impose a word-count limit; however most statements are 250500 words in length. You should use as many words as necessary to tell us what we need to know while still submitting a concise and focused statement.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure essays aren't required for UW. The admissions counselor who came to my school said that they'll read them if you send one but they don't like receiving them. But I guess it's up to you!</p>
<p>^^^ That's not true, you are required to submit essays and they DO read them.</p>
<p>a personal statement, not essays, is required</p>
<p>I guess I didn't really consider them different. But the "personal statement" is certainly required and very important.</p>
<p>I don't think the personal statement is very important with those kinds of great stats. Madison, in my experience, is a pretty stat-oriented school, if only because its size forces it to be that way. So don't completely blow the essay off, but don't worry about it.</p>
<p>Hi fndrplayer8 i am also applying to Wisconsin this year. Would you mind if you can also send me a copy of your essay? I am felt I really got stuck for the personal statements. So I want to see what does a good essay look like. Thank you~</p>
<p>Above- that's NOT a reasonable request, don't comply fnd... Read the admissions info and hints. Good statements will be as diverse as the students are, trying to emulate someone else's will come off as all wrong/fake coming from you. They want to know a bit about you, there is no formula for success in a response.</p>
<p>Im wondering how long of an essay is too long? :/ mine is around 700 words. I can still edit it but I feel like everything I have incorporated into it is pretty important information.</p>
<p>Read the UW admissions info for the best response, sounds good to me.</p>