Hey guys, I have heard that the NM essay isn’t really a huge deal as long as it’s clear, makes sense, and doesn’t have grammatical errors. Is this true?
Also, the prompt is very vague, so I have a question about it. For “describe an experience you have had” can I just talk about an internship I did over the summer? I know it’s not the most original idea, but it really is a great experience I had, and I have a decent amount to say about it. Is this an acceptable topic? Responses greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I’m just directly copying my Common App personal statement (though I’m shortening it a bit). I’ve also heard that the essay doesn’t matter too much. The prompt is so general that you could most likely just use your common app essay too (assuming you’re a senior).
I haven’t finished my common app one yet so I kind of had to come up with an original essay for this hahah. I guess i can just talk about my internship?
Yeah, you could talk about your internship. If you can incorporate some sort of community service element, that’s a bonus too (they seem to enjoy that). Make sure you get it in soon-- it’s due by Oct 12 (though my guidance counselor recommended that I have it submitted by 10/10 in case there are any technical issues).
@gmanhax hmm. my essay is already like 800 words (not sure if there’s a word limit) so i probably won’t write about community service. plus, i want to focus on one “experience” rather than multiple. i also have heard that the essay doesn’t matter much as long as it’s readable and has correct grammar and stuff. do you think that’s true?
@wormholes I think you’ll probably need to cut the 800 words down. My son’s was about 540 words and filled the space on the PDF completely. It was an essay he’d done earlier about a summer program he attended and what he learned about himself.
Make sure you check the verification PDF to make sure everything fits.
I’ve heard they aren’t too picky as far as essays for finalist qualification. There was a story passed down on CC about someone who wrote their essay about how the NM organization was elitist and deciding who gets NMSF based on one test is dumb. He didn’t move on to finalist, despite having good grades and a confirming score.
@Ynotgo Oh ok, I will start cutting down. Good to know I’m not the only one writing about a summer program! This ma be a dumb question, but how do you know when the space is filled? I don’t have a PDF, I just have an online app where I enter in the essay.
If you go to the menu page (maybe it’s called Home) of the online app, there is a link to see the PDF with info you have marked as complete so far. You can keep changing things until you use the Finalize page. (My son finalized, so I can’t see the exact details of the pre-finalize pages anymore.)
@Ynotgo Thank you!! I did not realize that you could see stuff filled out on the PDF! Also, I know you said your son already finalized, but I have a SUPER important Q. On the bottom of the page with all your info (name, parents name, etc.) there’s something that says “Cl” and “% col”… what does this mean?? Is this your percent ranking in your class?
There is speculation on some old threads that Cl is you class size/10; that works for my son. Type is the type of school you attend where 1=public school. Doesn’t seem like people know what %Col means. My son’s says 0 for %Col and is blank for Rank. The school perhaps fills that data in if they release rankings.
Maj, Car, and Col # are the codes for your major, career, and college.
Class size/10 works for me as well. Our school doesn’t rank so rank is blank, but %Col is not blank. Not sure. Oh well. Thanks a lot for all the help!! @Ynotgo