<p>I'll say this much. Simplest is often because, and that is way Harry Potter kicks ass.</p>
<p>My friend is the most skilled and eloquent writer that I have ever met (regional ready writing champ), but in her essay to princeton she made it soo intricate and intelligent that she (for me) did not get her point across clearly on the first read. I believe that is why she was deferred; her essays were too complex to be easily understood by average people. Kinda like T.S. Elliot's poetry.</p>
<p>I liked Harry Potter... when I was 12. A few years have gone by and I've read literature that is actually GOOD, realizing how overhyped HP truly is. Rowling is a decent writer at best. She admits that, which gives her a couple of points in my book, but it saddens me to see how HP books became best sellers not only in the children's book section, but also in the adult section. Harry Potter is like Lord Of the Rings Lite, the same way Narnia is like Harry Potter Lite. Ripoffs of each other. </p>
<p>What can I say about Chicken Soup? It's like the book version of the Hallmark channel. It does have some good stories, but most of it overdramatized, depressing farce. For example, a crippled boy chooses a crippled puppy to be his pet; and a young boy dies of cancer surrounded by friends. Plus the author is trying to milk the franchise for all it's worth and got drunk on it's success. Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul? Chicken Soup for the Mountain Climbers Soul? Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul? Chicken Soup for the College Confidential Member Soul??? When does the madness end?!</p>
<p>Paris Hilton is the lowest of the low, but I was mostly using it as an example of mainstream popularity and some thread I remembered, where the OP wanted to put it on his (her?) reading list on their college application. <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=130695&highlight=paris+hilton%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=130695&highlight=paris+hilton</a></p>
<p>TS Eliot is spelled with one L, by the way.</p>
<p>Mystified, our fingers and mind often don't run on the same line. Hm, are you an editor?</p>
<p>PavelB, I definitely want to translate some of the Eastern literature into English to show the West how incredible they are. I like HP a lot, but there are much better HP-type books.</p>
<p>Chicken Soup...Again, I think the editors borrowed their ideas from other cultures: ( It's so popular only because it's something new to us.</p>
<p>blarg, typo.......</p>
<p>Been typing my IB world lit 1, world lit 2, and math portfolio all weekend......</p>
<p>
[quote]
blarg, typo.......</p>
<p>Been typing my IB world lit 1, world lit 2, and math portfolio all weekend......
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow, sounds like you get all the ladies.</p>
<p>Accepted, which Chicken soup book do you recommend? There's like thousands of them.</p>
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[quote]
Accepted, which Chicken soup book do you recommend? There's like thousands of them.
<p>The original ones are some of the best. Basically they are all good for expanding your ideas (though stay away from the romance ones) as they are not as useful in this case. </p>
<p>The beauty in Chicken Soup is their originality in ideas and their ability to truthfully and emotionally convey experiences and events. They are both simple and complex and are interesting to the reader; allowing him/her to invest in the narrator.</p>
<p>These essays almost mirror the essays of top essays for both college and grad school. Don't believe me? Compare the book with a "top essays from accepted students" book at a local Barnes and Noble.</p>
<p>Reading essays from accepted students however is usually not original enough to help you out and is a bit risky as you do not want to be stealing their ideas/writing styles. That is why I recommend Chicken Soup and if you are clever about it, you can find a story that is very similar to the one you want to convey and base the writing style off of that. </p>
<p>Note: There are some bad stories in each book though so watch out for those.</p>
<p>would speaking 4-5 languages b a hook?
i have 4.0 UW gpa and 2200 SAT.. and i also am involved in 4 clubs at my school play a varsity sport.. i got 2nd place in AMC 10 last year at my school but that prly doesn't help that much.. i can speak 4 lingos rite now and im planning to learn another one this summer.. would this help at all if i try to connect my interest to languages with serving others (being able to communicate to them easier)?</p>
<p>^I certainly hope it's advantageous... I'm fluent in three languages (Swedish, French, English, in that order) and passable in a fourth (Spanish). I want to learn others, but I'm not sure which one to choose next. Which languages do you speak?</p>
<p>Take German! It shouldn't be too bad with the languages you already know. :)</p>
<p>o man that was exactly what i was planning to do lol rite now im trying to pick which dates to go to germany for a month or so.. i think after the world cup seems smart cuz it'll b crazy during june/july for germany =)</p>
<p>I'm really interested in learning Arabic, but I don't know if that would be too hard considering I'd basically be teaching myself. If not that, then at least something not quite so... Western European. It's starting to feel a bit provincial. ;)</p>
<p>"realizing how overhyped HP truly is. Rowling is a decent writer at best"</p>
<p>Finally, someone who agrees with me. Rowling is a useless fool who is making money by ripping off JRR Tolkien</p>
<p>And so many people defend it. Like HP4 movie ws LOUSY. I ask why didnt they show the world cup? they say 'it was too hard'
If Lucas shot Mos Espa Podrace and the battle between Dooku and The Jedi, he could wipe his shoe on the world cup</p>
<p>thisyearsgirl- I wanted to learn Arabic too.
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=65733%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=65733</a></p>
<p>"would speaking 4-5 languages b a hook?
i have 4.0 UW gpa and 2200 SAT.. and i also am involved in 4 clubs at my school play a varsity sport.. i got 2nd place in AMC 10 last year at my school but that prly doesn't help that much.. i can speak 4 lingos rite now and im planning to learn another one this summer.. would this help at all if i try to connect my interest to languages with serving others (being able to communicate to them easier)?"</p>
<p>^ it's a great hook if u've actually been to foreign exchange trip and you know how to use it in an essay ; D</p>
<p>"I'm really interested in learning Arabic, but I don't know if that would be too hard considering I'd basically be teaching myself. If not that, then at least something not quite so... Western European. It's starting to feel a bit provincial."</p>
<p>haha yea arabic mite b hard.. i kno japanese and korean.. and english and spanish.. and german this summer and latin at school next year.. i guess i mite consider another asian language lol</p>
<p><em>edit</em>
yeah i am ready to fully take advantage and use this as my main topic in my essays =) yeah im hoping to b able to land a foreign exchange trip my junior year.. im only a sophomore yet =P</p>
<p>warblersrule86: Thanks for the link! Maybe I could try Hindi... :) Latin would be awesome, as well.</p>
<p>Accepted- I know you said before not to write about sports for essays, but what if my (basically only) ECs are sports? For instance, I've been competitively swimming year-round since age 8, practicing around 21+ hours a week. Do you think it would be bad for me to write something about swimming for an essay?</p>