<p>I know an essay is required with the application, but how can you really cram an interesting, different Essay for the application in 500 or so words? Other than the typical BS (I am a hard worker, have potential, overcame odds, blah-blah-blah), what can an applicant really write about? Sugegstions?</p>
<p>Take a look at the prompts that come with the Common Application. </p>
<p>They will probably be the same next year as they were this year. Even colleges that don't use the Common Application often use essay questions that are similar to these.</p>
<p>Some of these questions don't call for the sort of general, all-purpose responses that you were talking about. In fact, some are quite focused. My daughter chose the one about the local issue of importance to her. It wasn't a repetition of general information about her that was also presented in other places on the application. It was quite a separate item.</p>
<p>See which question appeals to you the most. You may find that you can write an essay that isn't generic or dull at all.</p>
<p>Interesting has nothing to do with length. You can say something that's interesting or creative or different in any number of words. It's not the topic that makes an essay interesting, usually, but the way you go about writing and presenting it. I'm afriad I can't really give you any specific topic suggestions. Just keep your eyes and mind open, and hopefully you'll come across something that will give you an idea about what you can write about. </p>
<p>If it's your personality, you can also put an intellectual spin on your essay. One of my essays sounded like a typical essay-story, but the essay also posed questions about what truth was and what the value of truth was. If it's your personality, it can be done very easily, and I think that an essay that makes the admissions officer think for a minute or two would make more of an impression than one that doesn't.</p>
<p>You need to take an essay and make it special through its writing, ideas, connections, and reflections. You can also do this by taking an atypical view of what the prompt asks. For one of my essays--the one I mentioned above--I focued on a very specific aspect of the prompt. For another, I turned the question to probably the opposite of what it intended (the JHU question to take a day's adventure with $10). Read the question carefully and consider the different ways you could go about answering it. Look at what the inspiration for the question was, ideas it implies, or specific words that are intriguing.</p>
<p>I suggested Mario submit this question in the Parents Forum when I saw it in another forum, because some years back so many parents here were so helpful to ME in helping my son formulate a plan for his essays.</p>
<p>Mario, it might be helpful to say what the prompt is, and throw some ideas you might have had out there. Maybe some people here can help you brainstorm a little. THE BIGGEST thing to do is brainstorm, come up with some good ideas, think of ways to expand on them. Do a lot of thinking first. Go for a walk or run, "rehearse" how you might open up the essay.</p>
<p>If it's an "experience" essay, I'd suggest thinking of several experiences you've had during high school (ex in my sons case- umpiring, a camping trip, a particular class where they had some sort of epiphany...). If it's a "why us?" essay, I'd suggest getting onto their website and looking up programs that interest you and possible activities that you might be interested in getting involved in there. Those are some starting points.</p>
<p>Maybe you need to look at some examples that others have written.</p>
<p>Ideally, your essay will be so personal, specific, honest and revealing that few, if any, other people could write it. What things come to mind that set you apart from others?</p>
<p>You can get some good essay advice from UVa at:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Go for a walk or run, "rehearse" how you might open up the essay.
[/quote]
This is a great idea. A lot of people get nervous when it comes to writing but speak very easily. If you talk yourself through ideas, thoughts, and experiences you may come across something.</p>
<p>Our son wrote about his less than perfect teeth and got a reply complimenting him on his humorous essay from an adcom member.</p>
<p>Think outside the box which exists between your ears.</p>
<p>Think of a small incident that captures something about you, a small trait (like imperfect teeth). The Stanford prompt asked about a picture. My S chose a picture of friends of his and himself performing a skit in summer camp. He was able to talk about his love of the subject, how his group of friends had formed over the course of several summers, how they organized and rehearsed the skit. The overall message was how much fun everybody had had at this academic boot camp. And how much he liked the subject.
A young woman posted her essay written in response to the JHU prompt asking how applicants would spend $10. She used the essay to talk about her difficult relationship with her immigrant father. It brought tears to my eyes (and of other CC posters, if I remember right). A Chicago prompt asked what one would do with a giant bottle of mustard. Some used the prompt to talk about which individuals they might invited at a giant barbecue. And so on.
The worst thing one could do is to write an essay about what a great student one is, how hard-working, etc... All tell and no show.</p>
<p>My son started his essay with the results of a program he wrote that combined phrases from sample essays he'd downloaded from the web. He went on to write about how while he'd much rather have a computer write his essay, obviously his programming skills weren't quite up to it. Then he went on to write about what he loves about computer programming. I thought it was too much of a list of things he'd done. It was a pretty left brain essay, however it got him into half the schools he applied to. A reachy-match, a match and two safeties. :)</p>
<p>My oldest wrote about punk rock and philosophy. My second wrote about political satire. They chose the "topic of your choice" on the common app, and took the advice that the admissions committee is already very aware of all the data you put in the boxes and lines, and they would like to know something more about what makes you tick that they may not glean from all the attachments and lists.</p>