<p>So we've probably heard about some risky essays that have got kids into top schools. So I guess this thread is for students who've wrote risky essays and then maybe they can explain what schools they've got into with their essays (and maybe their stats as well) so we can judge how "successful" risky essays are. </p>
<p>Give the essay to a friend or a teacher. If they have some extreme emotions (burst into laughter or tears), then consider your essay is somewhat a success.</p>
<p>I have yet to write an essay. I don’t really want to give colleges insight into my true personality because it’s pretty disagreeable. I was wondering if writing a satirical essay about something would be a good idea or should I just roll out some generic cliche essay. I mean what would I talk about as a typical suburban asian kid. I don’t feel like discussing anything truly important to me (at least in a truthful manner) would help my chances but I could probably just roll out a cliche essay that wouldn’t hurt me too much. </p>
<p>
Maybe you should alter your personality before you start writing your essays. Trust me, your personality will shine through your application, and if you don’t genuinely improve it, you’ll suffer in admissions.</p>
<p>@DiscipulusBonus
Although I’m accepting of who I am, I’m aware of the fact that to attain success in life i’ll have to change my personality no matter how uncomfortable it is, but it’ll take time. However, if I limit myself in essays, hopefully my (present) personality hopefully will not shine through in my application, I generally constrain it at school in the presence of teachers and I thought they don’t like to write negative comments anyways? </p>
<p>Consider these two students, when asked about their personality:</p>
<p>Student 1: “I’m a bit disagreeable, but I’m working to overcome it. For example…”
Student 2: Satire satire satire…</p>
<p>Which student is more likable?</p>
<p>What risk are you thinking of taking. It sounds like you plan to keep it very safe and boring.</p>
<p>@BrownParent: It sounds to me like the OP is thinking of writing a satirical essay intended to reveal little to nothing about his personality. Since this largely defeats the purpose of the college application essay, I think it is a huge risk.</p>
<p>boring, been done, too obvious an avoidance. but I liked your post to him. Teenage sarcasm is unattractive so like you said, the personality comes out. Maybe if he is a really good writer, but that would be rare.</p>
<p>The above posters have given you good advice. Take the time to actually think about what matters to you and what you want to write about. Who are you, beyond appearances and categorizations? Who is the person inside? Likes dislikes, hobbies? Small moments that matter? Colleges can see through clique pretty easily, and they can tell when a student puts effort into an essay. Don’t settle for mediocrity, because writing about something you know will be better and easier than a banal one.</p>
<p>Riskiness obviously depends on the essay and what the topic is in general. Not all satire ones are bad, for instance, my friend wrote a satire about losing her dead dog, but she inserted alot of humor in it, but she also happens to be one of the funniest people in the grade, if not ever. Read it to an english teacher or someone yo know personally, and they will be able to tell you if it is a good essay.</p>
<p>Start thinking of some good ideas now. Schools, especially the more selective ones, may require you to write supplements, so you should come up with different possible comibnations</p>
<p>Also, in response to @DiscipulusBonus I think honesty is the key. I think it is okay to admit some of your faults in your essay, it shows you are human, but an honest essay about you will get you farther than a general essay that could be anyone.</p>
<p>How informal can we get with college essays? Can we write with a voice that we would talk to a friend with? </p>
<p>Risk can pay off in essays. I heard of instances when people wrote “Yale rocks!” on a “Why Harvard?” Essay. I also heard about this one UChicago prompt that asked about a time when one took a risk that paid off, and someone simply wrote “This.” and got in. UChicago is known for its incredible breadth of idiosyncrasy, however. You can be risky, but if you do it in a likeable and individualistic way, it’s not much of a risk. I stress the individuality, because UPenn once asked to write one’s favorite word and explain it, and about 30 people submitted “Brevity.” If one person had done it, it would have been great, but…
Additionally, satire is great, but it should be used sparingly. Being funny is good, but you are kinda opening a window to your soul to the adcoms. You don’t want to conceal it with a layer of satire that may make them laugh, but really tells you nothing. If you have let’s say, not the greatest personality, emphasize the positive aspects, and acknowledge the negative ones without drawing too much attention to them.
Hope that helps!</p>
<p>@DiscipulusBonus@shawnspencer@BrownParent@CCstudent1234
I get what you’re saying. It’s just that I heard this story of a kid who got into stanford talking about how he was president of hte lunch club, or that famous essay on the internet (really old though) which mocked other people’s EC’s and got him into NYU so i was wondering if writing risky essays are usually successful or they dont’ usually pay off.</p>
<p>Regardless, I’ve headed your advice. I’m writing 2 drafts for now and will pick from them later, one does really not speak much about me, the other does but i’m already starting to see my negative characteristics shining through it so i’m not sure if I’ll choose it even though I probably cared a lot more about the topic in that essay. The topic of both essays will be my determination/drive, one of the few positive characteristics I pride myself on. Thanks for your help guys. </p>
<p>There was just recently an article in the NYT against writing “risky essays.” You can look it up in the NYT search engine. The author gave an example of a girl who wrote about how her French teacher kept her after class to talk,andthe student had to pee but wanted the attention so badly that she peed in her pants. She was rejected from Yale. Another youngman wrote about his ffather’s alcoholismand its effect on the family. He too was rejected. The first example is just plain stupid. But the second, with insight and finesse and maturity, I can imagine beingwritten in aheartfelt wayh to gain acceptance. The paper didn’tprintthe essays, of course. But be careful! The penchant among the risky few for writing “risky” essays basically turns me off.</p>
<p>the girl pee story might have not had anything to do with her not getting accepted. i think it’s hard to say whether the essay is why or why not. </p>
<p>ill let you know when i apply to the Catholic Boston College with an essay about having lesbians for parents though 
</p>
<p>@marilo12, actually it was the essay that kept her from getting accepted. Here’s a quote from the article in which the Yale admissions officer talked about it:
"THE Yale applicant had terrific test scores. She had fantastic grades. As one of Yale’s admissions officers, Michael Motto, leafed through her application, he found himself more and more impressed.</p>
<p>Then he got to her essay."</p>
<p>And here’s the link to the article: <a href=“Opinion | Oversharing in Admissions Essays - The New York Times”>Opinion | Oversharing in Admissions Essays - The New York Times;