<p>Hey everyone,
I have a pretty solid background and not too worried about grades..but would like a little push to make myself stand out! Any one that has been accepted into Notre Dame, William and Mary, or UVA would be great but any others and greatly appreciated too! What I am looking for is maybe some examples of essays that got them into the college, some tips and hints to what they look for, and how to take the experiences and really elaborate on it! Also, I tend to think I am strong in interviews but for a safety, would not mind hearing how you prepared or what specifically helped, in your opinion, (i.e cracked a joke, dress up in a sports jacket, apparel for the school...i dont know just rambling now cause I am hitting a blank) Anyways. Thanks for any help in advance! Any comments are truly valued!</p>
<p>I’m a junior in high school, but one thing that I’ve heard like no other is that it’s not what you write/talk (in the case of interviews) about, but how you write/talk about it.</p>
<p>When I visited Georgia Tech, the admissions officer told us the best essay she’s ever read–about a girl who loved to dance. Seems like a cliche topic, right? She talked about how confident she felt on a stage vs. how insecure she felt when she wasn’t on it. She wrote about it in a way that (apparently) made the admissions officer bawl like a baby.</p>
<p>Admissions officers have read a lot of generic sounding essays. Find something that has truly affected your life in some way, and you’ll be able to pull a great essay out of it (it’s just innate–if you’re writing about something you truly care about, it will show). The admissions officer wants to know about who you are and what makes you tick. Don’t write about something that you think they “want to hear”.</p>
<p>Also, don’t just list your EC’s. I think you might have heard that advice before, but with good reason.</p>
<p>Well, this sounds really cliche, but the trick to a good admission essay is to be unique and personal. Like sciencefrenchie said, the topic does not have to be unique, only the way you approach it and relate it to yourself. With that said, it would do more harm than good to read others’ essay in order to formulate your own writing based on what others write, because, after all, you trying to find a way to NOT sound like the other thousands of applicants.</p>