Politics in Admissions Essays...

<p>Ouch. I am extremely political, I am passionate about politics, and I plan to attend Wellesley or Bryn Mawr with a major in political science, yet everywhere I look, I'm told to avoid topics like politics and religion.
How am I supposed to get the point across that I am passionate about Politics... while not talking about politics. </p>

<p>Another major issue that I have is listing my achievements. I started one essay off by saying "I enjoy talking about politics at the dinner table", which I think is a good hook, but then I went on to list and use the word "I" way too much. </p>

<p>Should I just discuss a major turning point which got me involved in politics? Or maybe about all the crap I receive from students at my school on a daily basis? Perhaps the dinner party where the more liberal side of my family encouraged me to become a politician?</p>

<p>I can't seem to put an of it into words.</p>

<p>Thoughts about how I should go about this would be very helpful!</p>

<p>I wrote essays (though not my main one) about campaigning for Mitt Romney and got into all of my safety/match schools, plus one low-to-mid reach school. Though, it should be said that I mostly applied to places in the South, where my politics would be more in line. Your schools are liberal schools that should be fine with you writing a liberal essay.</p>

<p>And, you should always include all of your extracurriculars.</p>

<p>First politics and religion as topics are not appropriate for a personal essay–espousing or preaching or defending a viewpoint. That sort of thing is for other purposes, not US college admissions essays. But your own involvement in politics and/or religion as part of who you are and what you do is very appropriate if it is important to you. So don’t be shy about that. But I think you will need to go a little deeper the just talking at the dinner table. But that sets a nice tone that informs the reader about your interest and maybe the environment you live in. I don’t know about the ‘crap’ issue. Standing your ground is one things, but so is communicating and getting along with others. And you want to be very careful not to put down or dismiss others and their views.</p>

<p>Yes it is very hard not to use the word I all the time in an essay. I would first write without censoring yourself, just to get the words and ideas out and to give then some shape. Then in rewrite or edit you can rework the sentences.</p>

<p>My oldest was a political science and public policy major in college, and except for listing some volunteer work she did on her ECs, she did not reference it in her applications. I think her Common App essay was on her EC of speech (her category was “Great Speeches” – and of course political speeches are a big part of that, but she didn’t need to talk about her own political leanings to talk about why she loved doing it and what she learned from it). She did another essay on a cultural area she was very interested in (learned the language from a young age even though our family is not from that culture, then traveled to the country where that language is spoken one summer on an exchange program). And another essay was on working for a summer program for underprivileged kids who hope to go to college.</p>

<p>My point is that there are probably a lot of other things you do that you could write about besides politics. Your “passion” for politics is not what will get you into college. What kind of person are you, how do you react to different situations, what do you bring to the campus in personality (not “beliefs”)? Those are questions your essay can answer. Colleges honestly don’t care about your major coming in very much. So they don’t care too much that you want to be a poli sci major, and you don’t have to “prove” to them that it is the right major for you. They want to see some consistency – they would be suspicious of a kid who wanted to major in math and got poor math grades, a low math standardized test score, and no math related ECs. But you don’t need to show your passion for your major to get admitted, it isn’t that relevant.</p>

<p>@intparent‌ True, but I was hoping to show my personality through the political essay. I’m not preaching anything, I rewrote it and I spoke about the time I volunteered for Ready for Hillary, and how it made me realize I wanted to go into politics, and how I thrived in the supportive environment and etc. I would never preach about controversial issues in my essay. That, and I know my teacher recs are going to be mentioning my passion for politics, so it would be nice to complement it(?). I’m trying to focus on what I’ve learned from the experience- but I’m still working on that, I just wrote my rough draft.</p>

<p>This has probably been said, but just in case - I think the best way to do a “risky” sort of essay is to do it in a way that is accessible to anyone who might read it, regardless of political opinions or leaning. I like the idea if it is more the effect politics has on you, and showcasing the passion you have.</p>

<p>Personally, I admire someone with the guts to write about politics in an admissions essay. As others have said, don’t be preachy or closed-minded, and focus on politics’ effect on you.</p>

<p>Can you provide a little additional detail about the family encouragement idea? To me, it sounds like you’re saying “My family wanted me to be a politician, so here I am!” Of course, that tone is not consistent with the rest of your posts, but it’s something to watch out for.</p>

<p>It’s going to depend highly on the reader. You must be dauntless to write an essay on politics (respect). I would focus your essay on how debating and talking about politics plays a part to you as an individual. Why it shapes you and inspires you, How it inspires you etc. I wouldn’t talk about individual occurences those are highly subjective, and may be a turn off to the reader. Any ways good luck writing your essay, I would be eager to read a sample in PM if you want.</p>

<p>@TheJHUenthusiast‌ Whenever I read things online, I’m told to focus one specific event and what I learned from it, and etc. I originally did write about my passion for politics in general, but I felt that I needed to focus on it more. That, and from sample essays I’ve read, they seemed to be telling a story, with a conclusion that wrapped up what they’ve learned from their experience. I am currently trying to do that, I wrote about an even more specific occurrence at the Ready for Hillary, about my encounter/conversation/debate with a woman named Elina. I just wrapped up my “story” part of it, and I’m now working on the conclusion. It’s about 500 words so I have quite a bit left I can use for explaining how the debate plays a major part in my passion for politics. Thank you for your advice.</p>

<p>@DiscipulusBonus‌ The family event I’m mentioning here was just when I realized that becoming involved in politics was something I could actually do. Before, I kind of viewed those in the senate as one would view NFL players; almost an impossible position. However, at that dinner party, I learned there are so many other things I can do while in politics, and having a career with a PoliSci degree is actually something that can happen. My great uncle mentioned how a girl across the street from him went off to college, got PoliSci degree, and how she is now working in DC making lots of money. I’m not sure if I want to go that route, though.
I’m trying hard not to be preachy, the only thing that could be considered “preachy” in my updated essay is when I mention talking about the women’s rights movement with the woman I met at the Ready for Hillary event. I’m not too concerned about that, though. I plan to apply to Women’s Colleges, and I feel they would have no problem with me mentioning it. In fact, it may help me get admitted because they may think I will fit in really well on campus! Thank you for your advice.</p>