<p>Has anyone written a comical college essay? I incorporated humor into my essay, and it got shafted by my AP Lang teacher (my AP Lit teacher loved it). So I "cut out all the crap" as my Lang teacher advised, and the resulting product is a dull, cliche essay. AHH, how can I effectively use comical elements in my essay?</p>
<p>listen to the Lit teacher... and ask some other trusted adult to read it.</p>
<p>If the lit teacher loved it, it couldn't have been bad or anything...I'd say go with your funny version. Or, maybe have another English teacher look at it and give their opinion.</p>
<p>you can't force humor. get another opinion and if they think it sounds forced, cut it.</p>
<p>definitely humour in writing has no protocols or tips or tricks or any strategies either. it is an inherent quality of writing... i suggest not to be directly comical as that is what may make it forced. try alluding comic. like using more idiomatic phrases ..more of simple vocab and not high profile words...Using direct tone 1st person. . using strong emotion based words. etc.... slight hyperbole also helps.....</p>
<p>LIke "" i had the hunger of a horse but still survived with the tit-bits,screaming, shouting,thinking. Oh! If only this earth was a land of chocolates."".. this though is not comical but gives teh message across</p>
<p>Don't deliberately set out to write something funny - that's where forced humor comes from. If something funny occurs to you while you're writing an essay, hone it, polish it, and consider using it, keeping in mind at all times that brevity is the soul of wit.</p>
<p>PR: College essays that made a difference. Page:243</p>
<p>It was the most memorable essay I have ever read. I read almost the entire book, and when I looked in the index to find the page number, I remembered the authors name. It is original and beautifully written with humor and wit. lt is short and sweet, and I aspire to write something that will compare to it. </p>
<p>You should check it out.</p>
<p>A little unforced humor would be great if you can pull it off. But remember that what seems incredibly funny or witty to to teenagers may strike many adults (such as adcoms) as dumb. </p>
<p>Also remember that the goal of the essay should be to reveal something important about yourself. So being funny should serve that goal and not be the goal itself. Get the opinions of several adults before you send in your comedy act.</p>
<p>don't be funny if you're not normally funny.</p>
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don't be funny if you're not normally funny.
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<p>Absolutely well said banedon. that is the answer to the question u raised in the simplest manner coz when u r not funny humor in ur essay is forced and when humor is forced it is no humor at all</p>
<p>Humour doesn't have to be jokes or something that makes an adcom laugh as if they just watched Mr. Bean or Monty Python or George Bush pronouncing Nuclear. It can just be slightly funny that it'll bring a smile to face of a reader. A bit of humour however small or humungus can give your application to a reader who's read hundreds and thousands of boring files a positive attitude which could help you in the process.</p>
<p>Good luck with your essays!</p>
<p>imagine what happens if everyone started putting humor. then the adcom comes across and essay with a solemn serious tone. they say to each other, "wow this is the first essay that actually don make me luagh. I'll remeber that"</p>
<p>But chances are that you'd have more serious and heartbreaking stories of facing great adversity and how you raised your family of 100 kids and with parents earning 2 dorra a month sortta thingy (no offence to real applicants raising a family of 100 or less kids with parents earning less than 40k a year or if you really faced adversity).</p>
<p>I think most people would serious or at least objective essays.</p>
<p>Perhaps incorporate a bit of Dave Chappelle humor and I think we have got ourselves a Harvard book award winner.</p>
<p>Nice freudian slip there smartmind...wouldn't that be tid-bits? lol...</p>
<p>maverach .... The English do say tit-bits. And apparently smartmind, being from India, has not surprisingly learned that version.</p>
<p>Whoops, sorry :) My humblest apologies sir.</p>
<p>my Uchicago essay is rather humorous (hopefully; I mean everyone who has read it found it mildly entertaining)..I dunno..I tried to transfer my thoughts directly onto the paper without making the language flowery. It happened to turn out funny. I think the only way I can be funny is to do that - if I try to make the words/language sophisticated, the essay turns serious. I guess it's tit for tat.</p>
<p>don't be like the guy who wrote, as his favorite EC, "beating my grandmother with an iron rod." he was trying to be funnY, and you fill in the blanks.</p>
<p>HAHAHAHA. Thats actually really funny cauz just imagine reading through an application thats perfect with a great personality and stuff and all of a sudden you see that line " beating up my granny with an iron rod". It would have been funny- but its just not the sort of humour you want to portray!</p>