Would it be okay to include “Because dreams need doing” at the end of my essay? I wrote about my love of research and not only would that line wrap up my essay, but it also is one of that college’s mottos. If I used it, would it be seen as tacky since it’s a quote from their website, or would it show that I took interest enough to find it. My concluding sentence currently is “… and I believe _____ will foster my dreams.” so I think “Because dreams need doing.” would be a nice conclusion. Should I avoid this or is this permissible?
This wouldn’t come across as forced, and word limit is not an issue. I was just wondering if quoting them would be seen as cliche/negatively or if it would add value.
Maybe “because, as you say, dreams need doing”? To me that sounds less like you’re parroting their website and more like you liked their motto and identified with it.
Agree that it is fine to use the phrase and that some attribution makes sense. IMO it would be better to reference the school and or website instead of using “you” as suggested above as you don’t want to appear to be putting words in the mouth of the admission officer reading your essay.
Just to clarify what I meant – “you” would be the school. If someone wrote, “As you say, We Are!” to me I’d understand that they mean it’s a Penn State thing, not a Bodangles thing.
Using their own motto is actually a very good way to end your essay. It shows that you did your research and are in line with their philosophy, just make sure you put the motto in quotes.