<p>I know lots of people have asked this before, but if I choose to write about ONE experience in my life that is significant and meaningful for the page 217 essay…how do i make it NOT corny/cheesy…like I just have difficulty portraying my leadership skills from a soccer game and etc…I know it’s supposed to be metaphorical and subtle…but how EXACTLY do I do this? So for instance, if I were to talk about a paintball game in the boarding house over the weekend, how do I proceed from there? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Hey..the way to prevent the p. 217 essay from becoming corny is by just telling the story. Tell the story of your soccer game or paintball game--tell them what happened that was so unusual, how you reacted, why you reacted that way, whether that reaction taught you something about yourself or had some effect on your life [which I presume it did because why else would you write a college essay about it]. When you talk about how that experience affected you/what you learned from it, just be honest. Avoid making grandiose statements re: the importance of leadership or character etc. Usually essays become corny when people go on and on, almost preaching about the importance of a certain characteristic. p. 217 is a subtle essay, the adcom will know what is important just be reading the story you tell. Hope this helps.</p>