Show not tell, sure. But can you get away with not telling at all?

<p>Would it be too risky to basically tell a story, and kind of just stop after?
I've written about an event in my life, and then ended the essay directly after describing the whole thing, and left a lot for the reader to think about and consider. But after having several people read my essay, I've been getting a lot of "reflect on this!" or "write about how this event changed you!", and I feel like that'll throw off the rhythm of my essay because I don't actually analyze anything throughout the essay. Rather, I just write about what happened and what I thought about while it was happening (which are pretty shallow thoughts, nothing too deep and insightful, but good enough to show who I am).</p>

<p>Nothing is against the rules, but my two cents are this. I would not sacrifice clarity for style. Adcoms are not grading with the same criteria as english teachers. On average, they spend 3-5 minutes reading your essay. So, its a craps shoot as to whether or not the catch the underlying meaning. I would conclude your essay with a power statement of reflection</p>