Non-story Essays

Applying to College
1

I know most of you will be writing impressive stories or funny anecdotes for your essay. But how many of you are not using a story? how many of you are talking about yourself directly?

I know a story can make the essay interesting/exciting. But I figured that if I can only come up with a story that provides little excitement for my readers in my essay, I would be better off removing that story and tell directly what I want to say (well, not plain statements).

I am thinking about writing the way my life shaped my study style, and there definitely is no one single good story (unless you can tell me one) that can shape a person’s study style. What do you guys think?

And what do you guys think about essays with no stories in general? any tips or advices? anything I should look out for?

2

<p>narratives are the best (as long as they reveal something about you) remember, in you essay show don't tell</p>

3

<p>It would seem that the essays are rather a bit of a paradox. They work in favor of people who have interesting things to say about their life experiences, or have some special harship or circumstance, but if bearing your soul is not your thing, or you haven't had some deep and profound experience, it gets to be rather annoying. </p>

<p>I made up stuff for mine. Lied my a$$ off. Seemed to work.... but ehhh</p>

4

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<p>I disagree. For example, I could've written an essay on immigration since it was a hardship for me, but I chose a narrative about New Year's Eve back in my home country over it. You know, an ordinary experience to anybody else, but significant only to you.
That New Year's scene doesn't really show who I am, but in fact it represents my nostalgic feelings, naive childhood memories, and family, despite being 'weird' always brings all of us together.
some mellow type of deal. Of course, it may sound as silly thing to do, but I think when you speak from your heart, you put far more value into the essay. I'm sure you had at least one happy moment in your life-write about it.</p>

5

<p>bumpity bump</p>

6

<p>Wow, PeterSGC36. . .you hit my essay problem on the head. I can't agree more. In my case, I didn't undergo any "life-changing" experiences. Other people talk about how they immigrated to countries, how their parents died, how doing or experiencing such and such thing revolutionized their lives. . .but for me, I can't think of anything remotely interesting and awe-inspiring in my life to be worthy of writing about in my essay as a story. Combine this with my monotonous, analytic writing style and we have a train wreck. Consequentially, all of my college writing has been mundane at best, and I'm certainly not ready to send any of it off.</p>

<p>Now, I don't want to lie, and I don't want to cheat. . .but I am getting to the point where I just might have to make stuff up just to have an interesting essay. I realize that in college essays, we all probably stretch the truth to souind good. . .but I don't just want to out and out lie. Doing so would go totally against my code. . .but it increasingly seems like the only option.</p>

7

<p>Sometimes colleges can sniff out BS in essays, so I should probably advise you against that.</p>

<p>If you're going for a direct personal "Who I am" statement, you mind want to consider adding some creativity.</p>

<p>I used a metaphor, and it seemed to work pretty well.</p>

8

<p>Simple things can make good essays too. You don't have to write about winning the nobel prize.</p>

9

<p>Yeah, seriously. I had to write an essay about finding a simple solution to a complex problem, and for a very long while, I couldn't come up with a suitably complex problem, so in the end I wrote about putting on pants. It was my best essay, IMO.</p>