<p>Use the other essays–the creative essays–to demonstrate your personality. Your analytic essay should simply demonstrate your ability to do solid academic writing. It should not draw attention to anything outside of your ability to execute that sort of task.</p>
<p>If you send this quirky and off-beat essay, the committee will wonder whether you’ve ever written anything normal? It will wonder why this, of all essays, was the one that you chose to submit? There is always an implicit message behind the choice to include something in the application, and you will not have control over the way that admission readers interpret your decision to submit this sort of essay.</p>
<p>Put another way: Is this the sort of paper that you want the admission committee to think you will write when you arrive at Reed? Is that a good thing?</p>
<p>^That I do agree with. Which is why I would send something more academic than creative, not because an academic paper is “better,” but because it’s the style you’ll be writing in at Reed.</p>
<p>Hi I’m also applying to Reed and I have a great speech/essay I wrote for my AP English class about animal testing. Do you think that would be a good choice? It shows my academic side as well as my personal opinion against animal testing. Also, I could use one of my debate cases. I wrote one on how socialism is the only just system. Do you think that would work? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>The graded essay was the worst part of the application for me (waitlisted, didn’t opt in). I didn’t save the graded versions of most of my writing because my teacher didn’t put many constructive comments on them. She tended to jot illegible remarks in the margin, then give an arbitrary grade for the essay. </p>
<p>Regarding the OP, I think it would be tacky to submit a pornographic essay. I don’t think it shows creativity or ‘quirkiness’ (whatever that is). I think it shows immaturity. But that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>I have a similar questions. Mine regards an essay I wrote that is 18 pages (I think maybe 14 of actual text, double spaced). It’s a literary analysis of Chuck Palahniuk’s use of murder, politics, and sex in his novel’s to show his opinions on current society. The essay covers 4 of his books and I got a 95 percent. On a 1-6 scale, I got 3 sixes, one 5.5, and two 5s in conventions and sentence fluency. This was by far my biggest piece of writing junior year, or ever. I am not an amazing writer but I feel this piece truly demonstrates my ability to write when I am not confined to very specific prompts (we could chose our author). However, parts of the piece are very inappropriate. Mainly quotes by Chuck Palahniuk and my interpretations of how they add to my thesis. You can look up the author but he is a NW author who famously wrote Fight Club as well as other similarly controversial books. Do you think this piece of writing would be a good piece to send in? My main points against not sending it would mainly be the convention errors, inappropriate theme, as well as length. Thanks!</p>
<p>@thirrdplent: You shouldn’t send something that long, both because readers generally value conciseness and punch (if the high grade was a result of a lot of information alone, that could also work against you) and because they probably won’t read all of it. You could send selections if you really feel you don’t have other options (this may be what I do with a long piece of historical analysis), but to plop all of that in front of someone who’s got tons of other apps and student writing to read is ill-advised and may even come off as selfish.</p>
<p>@OP: I’d go for it when it comes to Reed, but send something traditional to Wake Forest. They’re a pretty conservative place and are probably looking for a more skill-oriented piece.</p>