<p>Hello, I'm only a sophomore but I've thought about what I want to write about for my college essay. I am aiming for top tier colleges, like ivy leagues, NYU Stern, and Duke. </p>
<p>Basically, I would like to write about the musical journey I embarked on starting at age 4 with my mom. She has been teaching me piano for as long as I can remember. I would focus on the struggles I had to overcome, playing at a very advanced level in high school and how I had the honor of performing at Carnegie hall and winning several state and nationwide competitions. Also, after moving the summer going into sophomore year, I have found myself through piano and become to truly enjoy it rather than kind of superficially playing as a product of my mother in my middle/elementary school years. At my new school, my music teacher really appreciates my talent, and asks me to accompany for the school choir, perform at school events, town meetings, etc. I also take AP Music theory to develop my depth of musical knowledge. </p>
<p>I plan on double majoring in economics and piano performance. However, my unweighted gpa would end up only being 3.87 at the highest, because of a B freshman year and 4 in sophomore year (I know, it's awful). I have other ec's, leadership positions and stuff. I want to make myself look unique and not just another Asian girl who plays piano, because I dont think many people would consider me to be another one of those. What do you think?</p>
<p>It’s not the topic that matters, it’s the writing quality.
I would suggest narrowing it down, though. Instead of trying to describe your entire history with music (which sounds like it would either be vague or too long), focus on one aspect of your music or one specific event so you can describe things (yourself, how you felt, etc.) in detail.</p>
<p>We can’t know exactly how you would stand out from other pianists in an essay because we don’t know you. In general, though, the idea is to write something that is so revealing of you as a person (not as a set of accomplishments) that only you could write it. </p>
<p>Your accomplishments are impressive and important and they will of course be part of your application. The essay, though, isn’t about level of achievement or honors or awards. Rather, it is about revealing your personality, what sort of personal presence you would bring to the campus, classroom, dormitory. So for example one idea is to identify a time in which you felt that you were wholly, completely you.</p>
<p>I see. Would it be more appropriate to focus on finding myself through piano in high school, rather than playing because of my mom? I can honestly say that this year, I have truly begun to play for my own pleasure and interest. Or, i could concentrate on how I developed my maturity and relationship with my mother, and overcame many emotional hardships along the way with her…</p>
<p>Well the most important thing about the topic is to what extent it allows you to write that most detailed and revealing essay. As you suggested above, the thing to avoid is making yourself sound like a lot of other people.</p>
<p>I have to say that i worry about the topics you mentioned. I am sorry to say this, but I want to give you an honest opinion. Your readers might be tempted to think that you are coming across as another talented, hard-working young person who struggles to break free of her mother or father. This type of experience is true and valid, but it might not set you apart from other applicants, you know? </p>
<p>So I would like to propose a thought experiment, just to see where it leads. What if you could not write about parents or the piano? Take some time, think about it: what would you write about if you could not write about parents or the piano?</p>
<p>Gosh, I don’t know. I honestly feel like my piano experiences can most accurately reveal my persona. I have several other experiences I haven’t mentioned yet throughout my piano journey that is not about parents…I could write about how I failed once, epically, at a competition. It just wasn’t my day. Quite frankly, though, that competition was probably one of my most rewarding memories because I realized that its not all about winning, it’s about progressing and developing my pianistic skills. The particular piece I performed was a very demanding one, and I studied it knowing it would be a challenge. Unfortunately, competitions are only about what you bring to the table…could I write about this?</p>
<p>I would like to reiterate that you will know best what to write about. </p>
<p>I generally like the concept of writing about a failure (as a prelude to something positive of course) because resilience and humility are important traits in college. So the epic failure sounds like a possibility. </p>
<p>You mentioned “several other experiences”. How about if you jot down a few words about one/some of them, and see which of them (plus the epic failure) resonates best to you after this initial overview? </p>
<p>Take your time. Take time to be satisfied in your heart that whatever you decide upon is truly you.</p>