<p>I've had one teacher tell me that it's cliched and kind of sharp and another tell me that it's fine. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I’ve critiqued a million essays (exaggeration) and kind of like a quote BUT after making the quote, do not refer to it again, except perhaps in your last sentence. Don’t explain why you picked that quote. It should be obvious to the reader. Suppose you had a quote by Franklin Roosevelt. Do not then start the essay with “What Roosevelt meant was…”. </p>
<p>I especially like song lyrics (a line or two) that has obvious implications for/to the essay which followsr</p>
<p>Just be sure not to overuse quotes because it shows another person’s thoughts and personality, not yours.</p>
<p>I personally dislike using a quote, but I’m not an admissions officer. I’d rather see you open with an interesting line of your own making.</p>
<p>Even I am not in favour of starting with a quote. The essay needs to be on your thoughts. You can use a quote in middle of your essay explaining some incident though</p>
<p>Also, dont use long Quotes that take up words , readers dont like that very much</p>
<p>As long as your entire essay is in accordance with that quote-then its good. Nothings worse than a really good introduction and then body paragraphs that never relate back to the quote.</p>
<p>Quotes work in high school essays, where you often take a stand, use thesis statements, etc. Be sure it is relevant to what adcoms need to know about you. I’m also not a fan. It’s not meant to be stylized. Agree quotes can take up space. Make a wise decision.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say to open an essay. Just because then the rest of it feels like an explanation of that quote. And you wan’t it to be the other way around. Talk about what you want, make a point and then pick a nice short quote that goes well with it.</p>
<p>Ya I used a quote on mine just for the first sentence</p>
<p>Quotes are a great way to prove a point in an essay, but should only be used in the middle of paragraphs. You should be starting your essay with your own words - you don’t want adcoms (or any audience really) to believe you’re too lazy and/or uncreative to come up with an interesting statement to open the essay on your own.</p>
<p>I agree with reyalpmark - quotes should be used to back up YOUR assertions, to show experts agree with YOUR points. They should not be used as an assertion that you explain, prove, or otherwise center your entire essay around.</p>
<p>I used a quote to open one of my essays, and I think it worked really well. I used it to introduce an idea/metaphor which I expanded on in the essay. I referred to the quote only at the end of the essay, when it became clear what the link was, and I feel that it definitely added more weight. But I don’t think that you should begin your essay by explaining the quote. I began with the quote, then I started the essay like I do many other college essays, by launching into an anecdote with an interesting opening.</p>
<p>I think the quote is really what you make of it. Don’t just include it because you think it makes you seem well-read or that it proves that other people think like you do. If it expresses an idea that you are trying to convey in a very unique or eloquent way, then I think it’s a good bet to add value to your essay.</p>
<p>I personally think using a quote is an elementary method of breaking the ice at the beginning of the essay in an attempt to establish some sort of background for the essay that follows. Unless a quote is used UChicago-style where the quote merely serves as an inspiration or guiding factor regarding where the direction of the essay is going, I don’t think quotes are usually the best idea.</p>
<p>When you use a quote, just be careful not to use new and interesting quote that can connect to your essay and don’t take too much space with the quote and its explanation because it can get cliche.</p>