<p>i am having some trouble answering the question on the supplement about a tradition or a routine that may seem ordinary to others but holds a special meaning to me</p>
<p>and then yesterday … i came up w/ importance of an education playing an important part in my life and development! and i have this whole story about why it is so important to me and why i value education …buttt</p>
<p>the stupid question now is lol … is that something that is a routine/tradition that seems ordinary to others but significant to me? like does that make sense as an answer to this question? i don’t want to write it and then have them laugh and just throw my app out hte window b/c i did not answer the question correctly!!</p>
<p>My D picked her daily selection of earrings. Another one I read was her route home from school and what she saw.</p>
<p>It's your chance to choose something that's just you. Why you value education is really not a personal ritual, and probably all Barnard wannabes could write the same.</p>
<p>BYW: My D is not a graduating senior. Her earring essay was very cute.</p>
<p>If education is <em>especially</em> important to you for some reason, go ahead and write about it, but try to find a more creative way to approach it. Going to school is sort of a routine, but it's not going to be very interesting to read about. Is there something you do every day before, during, or after school (or a tradition for every year/semester before classes start/after they're over) that you can use to introduce how important education is to you for your particular reason and make it more personal?</p>
<p>Think about that, and find something small that you do that lets you not only talk about how education is important to you but ALSO gives some insight into your personality. As someone involved in admissions, I think I would've really enjoyed mythmom's D's essay. In fact, I can imagine writing that essay myself! (since most of my jewelry is either travel souvenirs or gifts with sentimental value, and generally jewelry is such a nice subtle method of personal expression)</p>
<p>idk why it is so hard for me to think of interesting things like writing about earrings and etc.</p>
<p>well i have my answer written about education .. is it okay if i PM it to both of you and get your input on it?</p>
<p>if u don't think its interesting or does not answer the question then i will do something else ..i think i wrote it pretty welll .. so i dont want to throw it out unless needed to</p>
<p>so can you two plz read it or if neone else is interested in reading it then let me know</p>
<p>I would personally NOT advise posting it. It's a public forum, after all.</p>
<p>AS another point of reference, my daughter wrote about how she had listened to music during the drives to HS every morning...from her Freshman year driving to school with her older brother to her last two years when we had sort of "adopted" a kid who had terrible problems in his home and she shared that same experience with him....You get the idea.</p>
<p>Give it serious thought and consider what you have already written in light of what Primefactor said above. She gives very, very good advice! And if it's not unique and reflective enough of your own personality, I am sure you can come up with something...</p>
<p>BTW: I meant to say that my D IS a graduating senior from Barnard. I think her earring essay was the most personal thing she wrote in the entire application season, and one reason she loved Barnard so much -- the opportunity to really express herself.</p>
<p>By the way, it doesn't always work out so well for me because I just gave her my new earrings which were a present from her Dad to me. They looked so good on her though, and she loved them. . . .sigh.</p>
<p>My silliness is just meant to show that although this might seem a trivial topic, it continues to be important to her four years later.</p>
<p>I'd maybe try to pick one specific thing about education (something you do every day that represents that passion, etc.) rather than the broad topic of school. Essays tend to be more personal when written about a specific topic.</p>
<p>I wrote about my walk to school, what I think about while I walk, what it means to me, etc. (it's a long walk, most people complain about it). Somewhat cliche and probably the worst of my supplemental essays, but the people who read it said it was good/personal. Just remember, if you write them well, there aren't really bad topics...most topics work if written well.</p>
<p>I would honestly steer clear. I'm a first-year now and my answer to the topic was about having tea with my best friends every Friday for many years. I had a spin to it that explained -why- this was so special to me.</p>
<p>It seems that the question is really trying to tap into who you might be as a person by learning about a ritual and its significance to you. Education feels too general and not really so special as to truly explain who YOU are. You're more than your books, classes, or grades, you're a person and this question is about that you rather than the academic you.</p>