<p>I know I may be a little behind in starting my essays, but in any case I have a question. The essay topic is: With whom in the world do you identify as a role model, or hero? What was there about this person that made him or her particularly valuable to you? </p>
<p>If I picked a fictional character, that wasn't serious (such as a Disney character, etc) would my essay show that I had abstract thinking or that I was just downright immature?</p>
<p>It depends how well you write about the person and what you like in them. Its a tricky idea but could be done alright.</p>
<p>xoxcookie said it in 25 words or less. Allow me to expound on that…</p>
<p>Too much emphasis is placed on figuring out the “right” or “cleverest” answers to essay prompts such as “What three people would you want to have dinner with?” and “What living person do you regard as a role model?”</p>
<p>The best writers will be able to take a name drawn from a hat and write an excellent essay. A random assignment of people wouldn’t be fair…as some names would prove more challenging than others. So, instead of putting the applicants on the spot, the admission offices are trying to make it easier for you by letting you choose freely. It’s not a trick or a test…it’s just their little gift to you to make it possible for you to write an excellent essay.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that your choice is totally irrelevant. There are probably some “wrong” answers to these questions. For instance, for a role model you’d probably want to steer away from anyone who’s creepy, sick, demented. The guy who shot up the mall in Omaha…not a good choice.</p>
<p>Just as Hitler could be an intriguing answer to someone you might have dinner with, the choice of a Disney character – or any literary character – imposes additional hurdles. With Hitler, you’re going to have to explain away A LOT of things, including the fact that the choice is driven by an inquisitive desire, not borne of admiration. Even with a serious literary character, the choice itself demands some added attention to explain that you’re not evading the answer, seeking an easy or contrived solution, and that you’re not making a statement that the real world is devoid of hero figures (unless, of course, that’s precisely the point you’re trying to make). Make it a farcical Disney character (or something along those lines) and now you’ve got the added burden of explaining that, too, or injecting comedy into your essay – which is generally a high risk stunt that can have large payoffs in the rare instances it’s executed well.</p>
<p>The main focus should be on your writing style, your command of the language, your ability to defend your position and – in the case of BS applications – an ability to bridge the inherent navel-gazing and inward psychoanalysis many essay questions steer you to and reach out to show a lively connection to the larger world.</p>
<p>A question like this is sort of friendly to that latter point. Instead of pushing the applicants into their own insulated world and regaling the AdComs with details of what it’s like to be a teenager, this question compels you to engage the world a little. Some will nevertheless beat a hasty retreat to their bedrooms and describe themselves. Others will write essays in which they show that they are engaged with the world.</p>
<p>Your choice could be clever. It may be unique. But you’re setting up hurdles for yourself that other applicants don’t face – on points that are far more revealing to the essay reader. If you choose a fictional character are you engaged in the real world or avoiding it? It’s possible that your essay could do an excellent job of reaching back into reality and proving that you’re actually well connected. But getting there presents an added challenge for you that the original prompt nudges the rest of the applicants past at the git-go.</p>
<p>This isn’t a recommendation to abandon that tack. I’m just trying to remind you of what the real goal is. Sometimes you can go further and faster if you first climb a little higher up the mountain with your sled. It could be well worth the added challenge. I’m simply encouraging you to remain focused on where you’re supposed to be going with your essay and I’m pointing out that you should not think that you’ve reached your goal by climbing the mountain (by coming up with an unusual and more challenging personage as your choice of a role model) when the AdComs are more interested in having your essay take them for a ride in a different direction.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t consider it a gift</p>
<p>if they asked about my view on abortion I could write a 10 page essay, but when it comes to talking about my town etc. what am I supposed to say “living in a white middle class suburb has made me such a worldly person”? you know, if you’re applying to boarding school obviously your hometown isn’t that important to you</p>
<p>In the essay questions, they want to learn about you. Pick any character you like, but be certain that your character shines through.</p>
<p>
I don’t feel that’s true. You may recognize that your local schools do not offer you the same opportunities the boarding schools can, but that does not necessarily mean your hometown is not that important to you.</p>
<p>I would love to have my son have that as an essay topic.</p>
<p>My daughters love their hometown, although 3 of them are either in boarding school or will be applying to boarding school. Our town has a phenomenal Christmas Lights display (with over 1 million lights on all the buildings on Main Street). In order to help pay for the lights, the town created replicas of its unique shops, a la Dept. 56 Snow Village series. My daughter who’s currently at boarding school set hers up in her dorm room, just to have that rememberance of “home”.</p>
<p>I love my hometown. My reason for applying to boarding school isn’t to get away from home but to have the opportunity to learn more about my interests and have an education that isnt available to me where I live. Distance is what makes me a boarder, not dislike of where I am from.</p>
<p>so, in essence, you can go home again…</p>
<p>should have said I instead of you</p>
<p>I’m pretty indifferent about the boarding part. my school is 20 minutes away, so I don’t really know anyone from town in the first place. I don’t have any problems with leaving home. I like my town enough to not hate it, but not enough that I miss it when I go somewhere. I do however cry at the end of camp</p>
<p>I think it makes a pretty big difference whether you go to private or public. public school students know more people and seem to have a greater pride in where they grow up. at my school if you came in 6th grade or before, social life begins and ends with the school directory (one of my friends was saying that she is only good friends with 4 boys and 2 of them are her cousins, pathetically this is true for a lot of people, including me). </p>
<p>that being said, I don’t care if I leave or not. boarding/ day either way I get the same academics</p>
<p>Boo x, unless the application says “real or fictional” I would choose a real person.</p>
<p>I would say that doing a fictional character could be very dangerous.</p>
<p>I realized I might not be able to pull it off and have picked another real person to write about. I might revist the fiction idea later. Thank you!</p>