Make supplement light hearted if CA essay is more 'intense'?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>My CA essay is about how moving frequently during my youth made me want to be closer to my parents. However, I felt that I did not get their culture, and particularly my/our religion well for a while now. I finally realized that my religion (my feelings about it, not the theology itself) ultimately taught me to 'do my duty the best way I can' and not worry about the rest. </p>

<p>This is relevant because it has informed my view towards the humanities and part of what attracts to me to Yale (very good Indology/sanskrit program with amazing neuro and decent sciences). </p>

<p>When doing the supplement, should I try to make it more light hearted to counteract the CA? I understand you ought to show different sides of yourself and am thus not focusing much on my science ECs and whatnot. </p>

<p>I'm also definitely trying to show my more relaxed side with the short takes (which are rather fun to do) but I wouldn't say I've ever been really easygoing. I'm focusing now on trying to enjoy experiences more than deconstruction/analyzing stuff, but I'm more of a "thinks about world issues, ends up unhappy because workable solutions are hard to find type." I'm not trying to be pretentious - I enjoy doing dumb teenage things too but I'm sorta serious by nature (maybe life experiences or whatever but I was scowling in my preschool pic so idk). </p>

<p>Any thoughts? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>In my opinion, your essay needs to be as blatantly honest as possible. If you think you can write a stellar supplemental essay based on a more serious topic, then go right ahead. There is no point writing a light hearted essay if it isn’t truly you cause whatever you write needs to be written with the passion of truly portraying yourself.</p>

<p>I’m also merely an applicant but I’ve taken a gap year due to setbacks and so I’ve done this process before and gotten acceptance/rejection letters before. So, I may be wrong when I say this but Yale doesn’t only like students who have multifaceted personalities. They also like students who have a single or dominant few aspects that define them. Just be yourself. If you’re serious by nature, then so be it, don’t try to change the way you depict yourself purely because you believe that’s what they might want to read. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>You want them to want YOU, not who you think you ought to be for them!</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the response! </p>

<p>I have a really dry/sarcastic sense of humor and I do enjoy doing silly stuff, so I’ll certainly try and show those parts while trying to make the supp as genuine as possible.</p>