I have everything done...besides the optional essay!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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<p>I know everyone says it truly is optional and that you really don't NEED to do it, but I want to. I'm just stuck because I really don't know what my boundaries are. The topics that appealed to me the most were the short story ones, but do they really honeslty have to be short stories? I had a really crazy idea of taking one of the lines and writing a poem. Would that work or no? Also, if I do write a short story, is a completely fictional? Or must I write about something that includes myself?</p>

<p>I'm really confused right now and it's frusterating becuase I'm pretty much ready to send in the app besides this. Please help...?</p>

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<p>"Write whatever the hell you want"</p>

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<p>I think that you can interpret it in a variety of ways. "Short Stories" is what the writing accomplishes, not really the limitation of what you can write as a "short story"</p>

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<p>The point of the short stories is to give them another opportunity to see your voice and learn about you through your writing. It doesn't have to be about you.
As I understand it, a poem would be fine (and probably even a nice change for the reader). It can be fictional too.</p>

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<p>Dr. Seuss wrote short stories that were like poems.</p>

<p>I think your idea is wonderful.</p>

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<p>"Dr. Seuss wrote short stories that were like poems."
My point exactly</p>

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<p>For what it's worth, most poems are short stories, albeit some far shorter than others. Isn't Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poetry? Didn't you have to read that in AP Lit? If it has a beginning a middle and an end... it's a story.</p>

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<p>Lulz 3.7, stop stalking me :P</p>

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<p>Lulz I was here first</p>

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<p>Oh boo, you win</p>

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<p>lol, thanks guys.</p>

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<p>Alright, so I wrote a really quirky poem but it's under 250 words. Hah, great. Will this be a problem now? It's about 200. I don't want to keep stretching it out because then it will get really repetitive.</p>

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<p>That's fine, i think. I went over the limit to about 500 words and I don't think I can cut off anymore from mine</p>

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<p>Well it's optional, so IMO the word limit isn't a big deal.</p>

<p>Edit: I think something is wrong with CC, my post just posted above sak09's AND 3.7's posts... weird.</p>

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<p>So Tufts uses the optional essays to allow you to showcase something that isn't really shown anywhere else in the application: your creativity. Your idea to write a poem is fantastic. Don't worry about the word limit. Write what you feel and go with it.</p>