<p>I have seen a lot of people who write about ec or special experiences they had but almost nobody who is willing to write about how hard he/she has studied.</p>
<p>I know that simple listing of what you have done should be avoided, but as a way to reveal oneself to the college, it seems a lot of people are using their out-of-school experiences and activities.</p>
<p>So I would like to know cc people's opinions on writing about how hard(or sincerely and diligently, as I want to specify) you have studied.</p>
<p>You have to remember that everyone who goes to top schools has studied hard. The reason people write about ECs and other special experiences is because it shows the colleges a unique side of you; explaining how you’ve studied hard doesn’t reveal anything.</p>
<p>You’re applying to an institution of higher learning; of course you’re a good student. Your grades and rank will reflect that. The purpose of an essay is to provide a human dimension to the statistics. Certainly, there can be undertones of a busy school schedule or hard work (the first draft of an essay I just wrote mentioned how my leisurely reading is sometimes overtaken by debate cases/labs/papers/etc), but making that the focal point of your essay is redundant. </p>
<p>I could, however, see this working more overtly in a difficult family or living situation where school becomes an oasis or a place to forge a new life/the American dream (with less cheese, of course).</p>
<p>You might focus on being diligent in everything you do. One of the essays that went out of this house a couple of years ago was about not cutting corners and it was written about cross country running. It got the point across about doing things the right way without being preachy or saying, “I am good.”</p>