Help on College Essays

Hi! I’m graduating in 2020 and i’m starting to think about my college essays. I know that most essays ask about you interests, but i don’t have many. The only interest i have is music, specifically broadway musicals and pop music. I also really love musical theatre, but not actually performing, i’m just obsessed with watching and learning about musical theatre. However, I don’t know if that’s good to write about since i want to be a science major. Should i write about music/musical theatre because it’s one of my interests, but doesn’t relate to major? Or should I just write about something else?

The essay is a chance to show who you really are, to write about yourself in a way that allows admissions readers to picture how you would fit into and help create a cohort of interesting young people at the college(s) of your choice. Grades and test scores simply can’t do that.

Your abiding interest in musical theatre sounds like just the ticket… assuming, of course, that the rest of your application emphasizes your interest and preparation for study in the sciences.

I take AP classes in science and i’m planning to shadow a pharmacist during the summer. Do you think i’m showing enough interest?

I say you present the best possible picture of the real you-- and that sounds like music should be a big part of your essay.

College essays are not really about what you write about as much as they are about how you write about your topic.

Your interest in listening to music wont be an “it.” It’s not a factor top colleges look for, is reactive. The app essay isn’t “open topic.” They want to see traits they want in the class.

But that’s the bigger issue here. You dont seem to have much for activities to show colleges like USC, UCLA, or NYU that you’re active and engaged, willing to get involved in various things.

At one point, you said an interest in stage mgt. What do you DO with theater now? And you’ll need some rounding.

Shadowing, as a hs kid isn’t same as actually volunteering in the health field, working in the environment and with those in need. It’s a med school bullet, not for undergrad apps.You also need comm service, and not just at the library.

As a 2020 applicant, you have time. But get started.