Hi! I’ve started writing my common app essay, and I have written two different drafts in response to the “identity” prompt.
One draft, my first one, is one I would consider a lot more reflective and thoughtful. It is also something very meaningful to me. However, I feel like it is a little too “serious” and slow, but with editing, I could make it work.
The second draft, which I’ve been working on, is a lot more quirky and showcases more of my curiosity. However, funnily enough, I feel like it is not “deep” enough. My question is: quirky or reflective when it comes to the essay? Does either hold more weight than the other? Ideally, I would like to incorporate both. I think I could make the second topic “deeper,” but it’s hard with the 650 word constraint.
I don’t think we can give you meaningful or helpful answers here with the amount of information you’ve provided. I’d be happy to read the essays in question if you send them to me though - I finished college admissions a long time ago, as you can see by reading through my post history. I’d be happy to provide some feedback on whether I think one is stronger than the other.
Remember that your college essays are your sales pitch. The product you are selling…is you. Prove you can follow directions. Don’t go over the maximum word count…but don’t go under, either. Use every advantage you can.
Hook, entertain, speak from the heart, let them see the real you.
Do several drafts and each time ask yourself…how could I dig a little deeper? How could I tighten this language up and make it perfect? How do I keep the reader engaged and interested? What will they remember about this? Does this sound like something I’ve read, or does it sound like my own distinct voice and ideas?
I’ve been dealing with this exact same problem! I don’t have a solution either, but I’m writing them as two rough, separate essays so that I get everything that I want to say down on paper. I like my “quirkier” essay a bit more too. I think I’m going to end up adding the substantial bits of my more serious tone to the best parts of the quirky essay.
I’m happy to PM you a vague-for-privacy, bulletpointed outline of how I zippered them together once I solidify the essay! That could be a couple months, though.
Good luck! Go with your gut & I hope you figure it out soon.
The Oromo tasks about something “so meaningful the essay would be incomplete without it.” I think too many people are misinterpreting this as “write about anything you choose.”
Is there something in either of your essays that gives them information vital to your application?
Remember, a great 650 word essay is harder to write than a fair 1,000 word essay. Learning to be concise is vital. Knowing what to cut is more art than science and I’ve struggled at that element of writing myself but you must learn it.
Hi; thank you all for replying. I would like to elaborate that the 650 word count is hard to manage, but I don’t have trouble cutting and revising and editing. Since these are rough drafts, I am focusing on getting the content down first and cutting/revision later.
The main question at hand was which of the two topics is better–with reflection, I think both can be equally good if I make the deep one more quirky and vice versa. What I plan to do is work on both drafts until they seem to be of equal caliber to each other. Then, I will choose.
I would say both topics provide important info, but the first topic I can incorporate more easily into my app (journaling), while the second is completely outside of my app.
All things being equal, a well-done quirky essay will stand out more than a thoughtful/reflective one. That said, there needs to be some depth and reflection in a quirky essay, otherwise it will seem trite.
It’s a delicate balancing act, but you sound like you are on the right track. My daughter also had two essays that she worked on until the bitter end. She ended up being able to recycle the one she didn’t use to answer some of the supplemental and scholarship essays.
The bottom line is, nothing you do now is wasted effort. Just going through the processes of writing, re-writing, editing, and tweaking both essays – even if you end up not using one of them – will still help you develop your ideas and hone your writing skills.
I’d be happy to look at drafts of both and give you some feedback.
Maybe the second one could be the slightly better option if it’s on a topic not heavily focused on in your application, because then it’ll provide universities new insight into the person you are. Or you could always combine them!