Workers of the world unite! Lol, seriously though. I would love to hear any suggestions or opinions. Not looking to argue politics with anyone
What are the odds that the adcom is going to agree explicitly with your views?
Kids do. But the advantage goes to kids who are also activated, not just spouting off.
You have to ask yourself whether you really think your political views are what tips admissions decisions. And there’s your emphatic “Not!”
Well, it would be original. Most essay guides will tell you to steer away from topics that are polarizing. Socialist views would be less controversial now than in the 1950s but if your admissions officer is a staunch conservative it might not go well. A well written argument for a political view like this could be very interesting though
My opinions are genuine. It is a distinct part of my personality “that my essay would be incomplete without” as to reference the prompt. I also do participate in various organizations and activities that are of relation, so I have something to show for it
Not original. And think of all the kids who want to tell adcoms why they’re Republicans or vegetarians or whatever. This isn’t about the adcoms personally agreeing. It’s whether you show the attributes they’re looking for, enough of them. It isn’t an essay for hs, one of those open topic assignments.
So you would say no? To reiterate I am not just spouting off. This is a distinct part of who I am, and something that an application cannot portray. I am also not looking for the topic to be an advantage or a “tip”. I’m simply asking if you think this would be a dangerous topic to write about. The alternative would probably be some cliche about volunteering or sports. Politics/activism is something i am extremely passionate about and want to pursue in the future
Someone on here once said that the application essay is about showing adcoms why they should accept you. Do you think you’d be able to write on this subject and achieve that goal?
Ok thank for your input everyone! Much obliged
“Show not just tell.” In itself, not dangerous, if done well.
But even when you want to reveal some “incomplete without mentioning” detail, it still needs to be relevant to your admissions review, what the school is trying to build in its community (which certainly can include some activism and service.) Pick that wisely.
You’d really have to tell us more, for us to know.
if it’s such an integral part of who you are that you cannot possibly imagine writing the essay about anything else, then i guess that’s what you’ll do.
personally, though, it would not make you stand out to me. it’s just not unique to have political views – even passionate ones – one way or the other.
@lookingforward @Wien2NC totally understand where everyone’s coming from. These were my concerns as well. To (lookingforward) that is an interesting point you make about being relevant to the colleges desires and how they want to build their community, didn’t think of that. What more would you like to know though? And to Mr. Wien, i understand that EVERYONE has their own political opinion, but political science is something I intent to major in and perhaps pursue in the future. Also, as I said earlier I am involved in various activities, demonstrating that I apply my passion to things other than my own opinion. In my essay, if I were to take this route, I would be humble and not at all aggressive. Rather, I plan on not so much focusing on my views, but instead illustrating how I try to make change within my community and my awareness to things outside of my own bubble (I know, cliche right? Lol). Sorry this is so long
Other people’s political opinions are usually boring. If you can do it through showing your particular actions that align with a philosophy, that could work - provided you showed a progression of behaviors. See my general advice post earlier in this section.
As CS Lewis said, it is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting. If you can show that this is the case with you, you can have a story to tell. If your actions are primarily going to rallies and making posters, find another topic.
$0.02
So are you suggesting I show how this particular way of thinking altered my behavior/actions?
Also would you mind providing a link? Thank you
Which schools are you applying to?
Mostly Northeastern LACs
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B b b bump
So a college essay is not an opinion piece. But you can use it to reveal something important about yourself, and I think it is an okay thing to reveal. What you don’t want to do is try to convince the admissions officer to believe what you believe, or make sweeping generalizations. Tell a story that reveals who you are. I’d ignore the prompts to a large extent and write the essay with the story you want to tell. Then figure out how to fit it to a prompt. Loosely fit is fine.