So, for USC, one of the questions is this:
Your browser history says a lot about you. Take a moment to think about the time you spend online. Whether it’s browsing an Instagram account, listening to your favorite podcast, subscribing to the best web series on YouTube, or even addressing questions on tech-help forums, we want to know where you spend the most time online, and why. Please share your favorite online destination (via a web address, specific app, social network, etc.)
Well, my favorite website to go on this past year has been Webkinz, and I feel like I could actually make some pretty good points about it. I’m just afraid that talking about a website meant for 10 year olds will give them the wrong idea, haha.
Anyways, I’m going to be an engineer. On Webkinz, I won the Room Design Awards (Only three winners out of all the users, actually kind of a big deal if you’re into webkinz haha) and I won the 4th ever “Social Media Superstar” title for being a creative and helpful member of the Webkinz social media fan base. Also it’s kind of a way to unwind from the stress of high school.
But yeah, it’s really kind of embarrassing. Should I just skip it and talk about Instagram for my photography or Youtube or something normal?
If you can make a point about it besides some awards that will mean nothing to the adcoms, go for it. Otherwise, skip it. (Coming from a ten-year member of similarly embarrassing kids’ site Neopets!)
ETA: I might as well go into more detail since I’ve outed myself as a Neopets player. I learned HTML and CSS on that site through dissecting other people’s code. I have also been “published” in their newspaper/magazine over 15 times and their poetry contest a couple times. The former accomplishment might help me for an essay focusing on why it was good for getting me into STEM, the latter for an essay on my lifelong love of creative writing.
Ah, thanks for the reply. I guess what webkinz has done is inspired my love for creativity and design- pretty much why I want to be an engineer. I can see that the “awards” are meaningless to college admissions staff, but I guess maybe I can pull it off if I relate it as much as possible to engineering. I really do want to write that essay about webkinz (it’s just one of 4 small single paragraph essays in the application, plus I’ll have my general common app essay so I guess it won’t put my whole application on the line). They asked about a lot of other personal things in this specific application- such as my favorite movie, food, book, character, and hero, so it kinda feels like adding webkinz would basically complete my profile. I’m still not 100% sure, but I have 15 days to figure it out haha. Instagram and photography is another huge part of my personality Internet-wise, but it just doesn’t relate as much to engineering as webkinz could.
Sucks though that as an engineer, being more into math and science, I’m not a great writer (well still good, just not compared to the rest of the kids in the top 10% of the class who might focus on English more) and if I don’t write it well it could get pretty ugly xD
I say go for it.
Pinky997 - by all means, write about webkinz! It’s quirky and relates to your love of engineering. You might even add that you are a little embarrassed since people’s initial reaction is that it is odd for a 17 year old to spend time on a “kids site.” If you go into the details of what you have learned and accomplished through this site, I can guarantee you that the result will be memorable and different…exactly what the adcoms are looking for.
You can definitely talk about it as a creative outlet and relate it to engineering. If you make essay lighthearted and “quirky”, it’ll certainly make you more human and likely stand out from other apps. As long your essay doesn’t take itself too seriously, it sounds like a nice choice.