<p>Good or bad idea? It's my favorite way to write, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate. Any feedback?</p>
<p>Bucknell’s supplement says to “have fun and be bold” so in one section I wrote a funny (i think), informal essay. I was kind of wondering the same thing as you though.</p>
<p>Good, but risky. There is a fine line between humor and insult, and you better make sure not to cross that line. If you can pull it off without sounding cheesy, annoying, or *****y, then it could work in a controlled amount. Don’t go all Borat on it, and you should be fine.</p>
<p>It is a very good idea, but the question is whether you can pull it off. To pull of a humurous essay you must be a very good writer. A laugh can get you far or ruin your chances, it depends on what is being laughed at (basically, don’t screw it up. Admission officers don’t need to see another kid attempting to be funny).</p>
<p>Well yeah, I wouldn’t do anything offensive or clearly inappropriate. What I meant really is more of a casual, lighter tone, that’s not incredibly uptight and serious. Is that okay? I mean, I will definitely have people read it over before I submit it anyway, seeing as it probably is hard to judge appropriateness without knowing EXACTLY what I’m gonna say.</p>
<p>People who will be reading it are going to be much better judges at whether your essay has “crossed-the-line” anyway.</p>
<p>Well I just wanted to know if it was okay before I started writing, so I wouldn’t waste my time writing a whole essay that I would have to trash. Also, the more input the better, right?</p>
<p>…OK, so what did you learn from the replies that you did not already know?</p>
<h1>2 “…was wondering the same thing…”</h1>
<h1>3 “…there is a fine line… do not cross the line…” (never mentioning where the line is, mind you.)</h1>
<h1>4 “…the question is whether you can pull it off…” (never mentioning how you can pull it off.)</h1>
<p>Evidently, no one really “answered” you question, which is not surprising as humour is judged on a case-by-case basis. So really, I do not see the point at all.</p>
<p>OK well then I apologize for wasting your time DSI…?</p>
<p>I like the irony of DSI not answering the question, either.</p>
<p>Anyway, go ahead and do it, provided your sense of humor isn’t along the lines of, “So, an black guy and an Asian walk into a bar…” I applied to some Ivy League schools using pretty informal, funny essays, and got in. Can’t say anything depended on my essays, but I’m one example where it probably helped!</p>
<p>Have a couple of people read the essay and you will know exactly how good the humour is.</p>
<p>I think a lighter tone can be a really good thing. Geez DSI, why bother answering if only to express that the question is stupid? I think you need to chill out. 
Let’s be nice.</p>
<p>Pfff, I am not here to play house, thank you very much. People should know that there is no point being bogged down by the potential problem of humour before they even attempted to put pen to paper, and people should know that they will get no definite answer until they present their essay in its whole, hence the comments.</p>
<p>And I am very chill – I am not the one writing the essay this year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help Atomic. Congrats on getting into Ivies!</p>
<p>And I get your point DSI, that I should have people read it to confirm that my humor isn’t offensive. However, my question was slightly more general; I was simply wondering if the essay should be stiff and rigidly structured or if it could be more loose. It was clearly a good question because others were wondering the same thing. But thanks for the input anyway.</p>
<p>Well the style depends on two things: nature of the prose and author’s personal choice.</p>
<p>If you write a narrative (which everybody seems to do…ugh) then of course a more informal approach with dialogues, sentence fragments, and humour are expected and appreciated. Should you choose to promote yourself as a more “scholarly” applicant, though, you might choose a more argumentative type of essay with a clear logical structure. In that case, the essay would naturally present itself as more “rigid” and “stiff.” In terms of personal choice, some people like to insert some satire or irony in parantheses, which is fine, but make sure it complements to overall atmosphere of the essay.</p>
<p>As for whether the essay should be stiff, the answer is it completely depends on you. Neither style (for simplicity I will just split style into narrative/argumentative) is better or worse for the purpose of applying to schools. Just choose one you are comfortable with – chances are the style you naturally go for reflect your personality better.</p>
<p>To sum up, there is no criteria that dictate the “stiffness” or “looseness” of one’s application essay. Pick a topic, put pen to paper, and what comes out naturally is what you should present to the admissions officers. Nevermind anything else.</p>
<p>Thanks, that was actually very helpful, because I really was referring more to the informality than the humor, which everyone else seemed to be addressing. I guess I really should just write however the hell I want to :)</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing… </p>
<p>I guess I should write whatever comes to mind, then edit.</p>
<p>Thanks for the useful posts!</p>
<p>:)</p>