<p>I've got a quick question about the dreaded college essays (which is probably a moot point now that I've submitted half of my apps. Oh well.)</p>
<p>I've got a teensy, little problem: I have a super distinct writing voice. Informal on the verge of quirky. Well, really quirky. </p>
<p>I can be serious, yes, but what's the fun in that? I don't think that I've ever approached a topic head-on; I usually find the one creative loophole and run with it.</p>
<p>Now, places like UChicago will probably appreciate my slightly off-the-wall essays, but I'm not entirely convinced that other schools (Georgetown, WashU, Columbia...take your pick) will be quite as charmed by my attempt at wittiness.</p>
<p>My Common App essay/personal statement is extremely untraditional. If schools had supplements, I tried to make them a bit more formal (but not anywhere near as stuffy as most others I've read). </p>
<p>So...how much quirk is too much? Different is good, right? </p>
<p>(Note: So far I've written about windmills, zombies, my burning contempt for football, Virginia Woolf's response to Fight Club, bubbles (which is also written partly in Spanish), and other such topics.)</p>
<p>hmm some of these seem kind of risky. especially the spanish one- if your adcom doesn’t read spanish, and its important to your essay, that’ll throw off the whole tone of your essay. ditto on the football- what if he/she is a huge football fan? otherwise, the others seem quirky but doable</p>
<p>I’m not qualified to “guide” you, but here’s my take anyway.</p>
<p>I’m actually TRYING to get my witty D to use MORE wit. She’s been writing VERY dry essays. But, as you note, there is a fine line between wit and irreverence.</p>
<p>I recently attended a VERY informative admissions function held jointly by Duke, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, and Penn. The presenters were admissions reps; these people ARE your audience. I felt their attitudes paralleled the schools they represented (at least from my viewpoint). All were, of course, intellegent and well spoken. Penn was a bit “fast talking and silly”. Georgetown was All Business and shot down a few frivolous questions. Duke was affable. Harvard was…hmmm…hard to put words to this one…“alert!”, always ready with an answer, always “engaged”. Stanford was more laid back but still serious. </p>
<p>So…HOW far can one go with their essay? Surely one can never know who will read it. Many different types of books become best sellers. If I was the one reading your essay…you could go crazy. Alas, I’m not. </p>
<p>But while you CAN gear your essay differently toward each school to which you’re applying…you risk spending 4 years at a school that may not actually be a good “fit” for the REAL you. All reps repeat the advice “Be Yourself”…and they mean it. They really do want to see what makes you tick. Then, if they reject you, there is a reason. YOU wouldn’t have been happy at their school. If a farm boy from Iowa has stellar stats and is admitted to HYP…but his only dream is to stay in a rural area and study at a school that will provide excellent Animal Husbandry…he is NOT going to be happy in the Ivy League. </p>
<p>Extreme ends of the spectrum just to show that it’s surely best to write something YOU are proud of. I know, easy for me to say…but it’s what I’m preaching to my D.</p>
<p>I’ve already submitted my UChicago app, so my essays there are a done deal. I’m still working on writing my Georgetown ones (and so far they’re a bit more restrained). </p>
<p>And I completely understand what you’re saying, R124687. I had a few teachers/counselors give me feedback on my essays. The reactions were mainly positive, but one teacher in particular took issue with the essay (and English teacher that thought my essay focused too much on purpose and content and not enough on language…which is not what I was going for anyway). I told her that I was determined to show my personality in my essays, and if a school denied me because of that, it wasn’t where I wanted to go anyway! </p>
<p>I went to a WashU presentation, and the admissions officer said something along the lines of, “I want to hear the student’s voice talking to me, not some English teacher, not some other admissions officer. I want to hear YOU in your essays. The essays I read with a distinct student’s voice in my head are the ones that I remember and like the best.” </p>
<p>And I did consider NYU. I visited last year. I love the city. I love many things about the school. I didn’t like the size or the absence of a true campus. I’m applying to Columbia and Fordham, though. </p>
<p>I’m skeptical about an essay that shows “burning contempt”. What does that suggest about how you’ll get along with others? What does that reveal about your ability to appreciate someone else’s point of view?</p>
<p>It’s probably better to be witty than to be super-earnest. I took the humorous / not-entirely-serious route with my essays and that worked out OK for me. But anecdotes aside I think (as little as essays actually matter) colleges would rather see quirkiness/originality as opposed to regurgitating the same old junk.</p>
<p>Just don’t be so darn witty that the admissions office person (who could be in his or her 60’s) looks at your essay and says “What is this? I don’t get it.”</p>
<p>PM them to me.
I don’t steal essays, but I am a senior. I’m not applying to any of the schools you did too, but I need good examples of something quirky.</p>