So this essay stuff you may have heard of that is kind of a big deal. Go conservative? Go bold? Answer the question? Dont make it boring? I find this tougher to prepare for than the SAT.
The question is, how “essay” should the essay be? I have written and formatted each and every essay for each school, based on the need to impress scale, and still find each essay generic and boring. I truly feel sorry for the admission officers having to go thru 10s of thousands of these boring prompt asnwers. I think schools should charge 2x for submitting boring essays.
Here is the kicker, how bold and interesting should we go without going too far off the “essay format?” Wouldnt a short story do a much better job? Wouldn’t a play better represent you? How creative shall we be without worrying about the boundaries of being an essay answering a question?
Its a tie game with a minute left. Do you call the same plays to not lose? Or do you go for the kill and win it?
Write the essay(s) only you could write. My daughter wrote about circles, others have written about the smell of a bookstore or simply repeated “Black Lives Matter.” It doesn’t have to be generic and boring, just be sure its something that reflects positively on you.
I don’t think a short story or play does it. The AO is then looking harder to find you in the essay. Format or gimmicks aren’t what make a great essay.
You write the “need to impress”. This is the wrong approach and will make a boring essay. Don’t write what you “think” they want to hear. They need to quickly learn about who you are and how you will contribute to their community. Yes, becoming interesting is key. What is unique about you? Sometimes looking at the schools mission statement can be helpful.
It should reveal who you are. Make sure it has your voice. In that sense, maybe not as traditionally essay as you’d think. (And that is the hardest part.) But clever for clever’s sake isn’t it either.
You have a limited number of words to show adcoms something about you. I’d be careful not to waste any of them. I think if colleges were looking for “bold” or “impressive” they’d want it to be the life lived by the applicant, not a gimmicky presentation of it.
In your other thread you mentioned that your parents’ income is less than $80k/year and that you need financial aid for school. Does PA offer any need based aid to state residents? Are you running the Net Price Calculators for the colleges you’re interested in? Make sure your list has financial safeties on it. An acceptance doesn’t matter if it’s unaffordable.
A couple of years ago here, a girl started her essay with “Every time I go to Starbucks, I give them a different name” and she then explored all the ways she was experimenting with the person she was going to become. As I recall, she got into a number of stellar places and I believe her honest essay helped her.
First, can I say it is evident you have personality and it just shows in the format of your question? Thus, I would say that any essay you write will be entertaining. Write for your audience. It is not a US Supreme Court opinion. I just told another poster that my daughter wrote for Dartmouth an essay that described a "wedgy incident’ on the playground in 2nd grade. It was hilarious and showed her passion, kindness, and determination. For Standford, she had short answers, and one was a letter to a future roommate (a format they asked to follow). She got in both schools. For a scholarship competition, she wrote about The West Wing (the importance of art in life). My husband thought it was a bad idea, but she was passionate about the show, and it was all the interviewers wanted to talk about. Good luck!
I am applying to a few schools where I do not quite measure up on paper, so I am hoping to sell myself creatively and unconventional.
I am on my 9th edition why Northwestern and 5th edition why Michigan. Those 300 words essays are challenging because i can barely explain fit within the limi, let alone make it readable.
Don’t be weird. It’s writing for your college admit review.
And yes, your editing skills are critical here. Cut the excess.
I often say, write as if you’re writing to one of us adults here, You wouldn’t recreate every line of a conversation, drown in details, or go for a level of bold that might backfire or embarrass you. You’d be you, a good representation of you.
Try to know what qualities your targets look for. Show those. A nice narrative is fine. Make them like you.
Why do you want Northwestern? That’s not prestige or career prep or dreams. Sit back and think about what you do like about your targets. Sometimes, taking that pause is key.