<p>I dunno, just not really inspired. I’m really having trouble even coming up with a topic, because I’m not sure what they’re looking for that can’t already be conveyed by your transcript…</p>
<p>oh my gosh, YES. it’s the only one i haven’t even been able to start. i’m actually considering taking Bowdoin off my list, just because this prompt is so uninspiring and i’m pretty sure i won’t be able to write a promising essay. any thoughts?</p>
<p>I am too, but I’m wondering…can we write about an extracurricular activity that’s somewhat academic (in my case, it’s writing/creative writing), or does it HAVE to be an academic class? That’s what really bothers me - I hate how the questions seems to limit the scope of the answers to only transcript/academic topics. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I am having SO much trouble with this essay. Anyone know if it’s really supposed to be about “balance”, or just an academic experience? Or maybe something else?</p>
<p>I don’t know, I think the question is pretty weird – it sort of seems like they’re asking for a school profile/transcript in paragraph form. But I think the point is to show them how you have developed assets that you would need at Bowdoin, like critical thinking, as a result of your educational experiences. I guess you could focus on your overall education (like how it has made you a hard worker or critical thinker or something), or one specific aspect of it (how you developed your creativity through your English classes), or maybe the balance thing. </p>
<p>It’s pretty easy for me since I’ve had a really weird education (I’m Bosnian), but I think it’s a stupid question to ask American students.</p>
<p>I wrote mine…its not very good, but ehhh
I just talked about a decision I made regarding class choices, and how that has prepared me for a liberal arts education like that at Bowdoin</p>
<p>For mine, I wrote something pretty off-beat and it wasn’t 100% academic-based. For one part, I talked about how I teach my dog history to help me learn. So try to think outside of the box. I think that’s what the admissions committee is really looking for. Obviously, they’ll have your transcript and list of ECs, so they’re clearly trying to get some OTHER information. So try to be original. Think about it from a different point of view :)</p>
<p>Your idea sounds really cool, and I’m sure it would make a fantastic essay, but the only risk is that they explicitly ask you for an “educational” experience. I wrote about an extracurricular activity first, but a teacher of mine suggested that I fall back to something that happened in the classroom/related to school courses just to be safe. But I’m guessing that a well-written essay won’t hurt you anyways.</p>
<p>Your essay sounds awesome, Emily 0729 :).
I think it’s pretty difficult to be original and creative with a question like this. I just finished mine (well, I need to cut like 80 words from it ughhh) and I was really annoyed that it didn’t sound creative, but I think Bowdoin’s goal is just to learn about what kind of student you are and I was honest, so I guess I’m satisfied. Maybe I’m not thinking outside the box enough though :/</p>
<p>Don’t look on a forum for advice on an essay, and also muhahahahahahahahaha.</p>
<p>I finished my essay and I’m really happy with it. It describes a collaborative group project I did in school while following a thread that connects my hometown to Bowdoin, and it talks about some of the values I got from the experience. It’s about 550 words (they suggest 1-2 pages or 250-500 words, so I’m in between).</p>
<p>Just think about an event that inspired you or changed the way you think. If you haven’t already, try starting with a narrative. It will get you thinking faster and be a better hook for your reader. Improve your ending by making sure you tie up the narrative bit or make a profound connection.</p>
<p>I talked to my friend who got in last year and her advice was “be creative and have fun with the supplement”. I don’t know exactly what she wrote, but it seems like they understand that it’s not a great prompt.
I wrote about a class that I had to take in night school and how it taught me that asking sometimes really obvious questions can be really valuable and how it’s really important to question overall.</p>
<p>I have a feeling it shouldn’t be an essay (as in like talking about 4 different experiences, or being generic and saying how you’ve blah blah worked hard at school and in AP courses). Choose something unique, ONE specific experience and focus on that and what you learned (how you struggled, how you were inspired). THEN at the end relate that to how this prepares you for Bowdoin.</p>
<p>I completely agree with you… I was completely uninspired by this prompt. I ended up writing about a college class I took this semester and how it’s prepared me for Bowdoin… not that much to work with, but honestly, I’m just glad I had something.</p>