<p>Should it be exactly as the prompt says-- tell us about your ECs, what makes you stand out, or can it be more of a personal statement about your view of the worldor an intense experience (that relates to an EC)?</p>
<p>Not really sure. My son struggled with it cause he says it basically requires you to brag, and he isn't comfortable with that. To be safe, he threw in a little something on everything in the prompt, after hours of writing and editing. He tied it all together well and handled the plans/goals part well for a kid who really doesn't know what he wants to do for sure. He only listed accomplishments that were very important to him and didn't seem to fit in the awards stuff on that same page as the essay.</p>
<p>I'm wondering about this too ... Does this mean we shouldn't be too creative with the essay?</p>
<p>I already turned mine in, so it's too late for me to change. I tried to answer all of the prompt points, but like "crazy mom" 's son I hate talking about myself and writing has always been my weakest area so it was very difficult for me (especially since I only had 4 days to work on it and I'm swamped with those extra curriculars). I put my dreams/goals to start and then tried to tie in everything about hard work and science passion back to them and then ended with my actual plans. I suppose for some people the plans/goals section would be hardest, but that was easiest for me. Good luck everyone :)</p>
<p>do the accomplishments have to be academic or do you think you could talk about the whole overcoming stereotype or adjusting to American schools as an immigrant? I'm doing the black national merit if that helps (the prompt is the same though)</p>
<p>I don't really know, but they might like to see that "well-rounded" aspect of pushing through hardship or whatever. If you consider it a personal accomplishment they would probably understand.</p>
<p>okay i'm trying to finish the essay and im not sure if accomplishment should include awards or not? help anyone?</p>
<p>what did you put for accomplishments GPdrummer
just for an idea plz =)</p>
<p>The weird thing about the awards is that they already have a spot for that on the form. My son put just a few in the essay.</p>
<p>Should it be similar to the college application essay (more narrative and descriptive) or like a straight tell me the facts essay?</p>
<p>For the accomplishment part I just put about being on academic team stuff, being in the top 1% of my class and getting a 5 on my AP chemistry exam as a junior. I thought I'd throw that one in their because it's not so cut and dry and expected and I was very proud of it (and I plan on majoring in biochemistry). I wasn't really sure how to write it, but I think I turned in a pretty decent essay.</p>
<p>How do you begin your intro? It seems really tough to do.</p>
<p>I talked about the admissions process stealing applicants' personalities and individualities by forcing them to cutail their passions and strive to impress rather than to express. Then it segued into how much I loved music, and ended with my goals and ambitions. I tried to focus more on letting my personality show through than on listing achievements.</p>
<p>Can a previous finalist please post their essay (if they have it)? Since they dont really get your resume, is this essay supposed to be like one?</p>
<p>Why put so much thought into this? $2,500 is such an insignificant amount.</p>
<p>But $2500 is still quite a lot of money (it's 2500 you don't have to fork out to pay for school). I certainly wouldn't call it insignificant.</p>
<p>I also recommend not stressing too much over the essay. 90% of semifinalists go on to become finalists. Of those who don't, a portion chose not to complete the paperwork and the rest probably have something troublesome in their records, like disciplinary issues or a very low GPA. I doubt that poor essays knock too many semifinalists out of the running. I'm not suggesting you put no effort into it. But a decently crafted essay that answers the questions asked coherently is probably all that's needed. I'd recommend reserving the bulk of your essay-crafting energy for your college essays.</p>
<p>@floridastudent and others:</p>
<p>Accomplishments include leadership positions, varsity letters, and awards.</p>
<p>I just turned in the form to my school but I haven't done the essay. The problem is I didn't write the personal statement prompt down. I know the jist of what it says, but I would like to read it word for word to be sure. Could anyone type it up on here for me? Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>The most important thing is USE NON-GLARE TAPE.</p>