<p>Okay, I asked my older sister (who's a journalism/law major) to help me with my UC essays because I assumed (correctly) that she'd be good at "selling" my good points.
We ended up getting into an argument because she changed the entire format of my essay, plus she made it sound like I founded a club when actually I wasn't even one of the founding members.
I told her I'm not putting all that crap in my essays and she said the whole college process was one big BS fest anyway, and that I might as well have fun with it.
That really pi$$ed me off, because in that case I don't want to go to college.
I ended up having a meltdown and told her that she might as well not helped at all (she spent about two hours editing my essays).</p>
<p>On top of that, my parents took my sister's side. They've been reading over my shoulder the whole time, and criticizing everything. My dad even went so far as to tell me the first sentences in my essays were "boring" and that if he was a college admissions officer, he wouldn't bother reading the rest of it. First of all, if a college admissions officer really did throw away an essay based on just the first sentence, his/her retarded school is not worth my time. Second of all, I don't think they're totally engaging either but I don't know how else to introduce the main topics. He didn't even give me suggestions, either. He just said to "change the angle." WTH does that mean??! Basically, BS it and make it sound like I'm totally awesome and that I basically run this club and know where I'm headed in my life. Or at least make it look that way. And then he said he was disappointed that a daughter of his should be proud of simply "helping" other people run a club. Well you know what, I am proud. I'm not a leader and I don't care. I think I've put enough lies in those essays as it is. </p>
<p>Another thing, my sister sent both versions of the first essay to a friend of hers, who's also a journalism major. She put bunch of comments on my sister's version telling how to fix it and whatnot, but only corrected the grammar on mine. I wonder if it's because mine is fine as it is or if it's too straight-forward to be edited? O.o</p>
<p>So here's my question: just how important is honesty in writing college application essays?
Is it better to be boring and yourself or exciting and somebody else?
Also, for the first prompt (describe the world you come from, and how it has shaped your dreams and aspirations), is it better to focus on my personal transformation (i.e. shy to confident) or on the surroundings themselves and how they impacted my intellectual pursuits?</p>
<p>To be honest, I think we should be flexible. It all depends on which college you’re applying. Some like flattering things, some don’t. Some prefer seeing your true self, real passion, while others don’t even bother reading essays. Even if it’s America or somewhere else, things are the same.
But there is one thing for sure (in my opinion): pretending to be somebody to get into the school successfully will hurt. You cannot pretend forever. Should there be a case that someone can, he/she is not living.
In conclusion, to pretend or not, it’s up to you. To welcome you or not, it’s up to them. You live your life, they live their lives. It’s just whether there is a match between you and them. So between a fake match and a genuine one, which one will you live with? And which one can you survive with?</p>
<p>About your prompt, remember that you are required to write something to convince the adcom to choose you. They don’t choose your old book or your expensive car. You know the answer Write whatever you feel that they will get the picture of yourself.</p>
<p>I heard that college adcoms do throw essays away after reading the first sentence/paragraph whatever…if it doesnt grab their attention…they have thousands of essays to read…thats why you need a strong beginning.</p>
<p>Of course you should be honest. Lying (or stretching the truth) might seem like a good idea at some point while writing your college essays and applications, but believe me, it’s better not to. You’ll find that it’s much more difficult to maintain that lie throughout your application (for example, you say you founded the club in an essay, you then need to state that in ECs, interview, etc). It also won’t create the quality essay you want either. Colleges use the essay component of the application as a chance to understand who you are and what makes you that way. They’re much more interested in the execution of the essay (how it’s written) than the content in it. It seems to me that you have a lot of great things to write about without lying. If you do end up mentioning the clubs you helped with, then you can mention your important role in their development without taking a formal leadership position, and explain how that’s helped you in your personal transformation or something.</p>
<p>Basically yes, your essay might seem boring (I don’t know since I haven’t read it), but lying isn’t going to help the situation. I wrote my essay on my elementary school bus driver… not a terribly interesting topic, but my counselor and friends loved it. Write the essay as you see fit, and if you have someone edit it, make sure they understand you don’t want the content changed- only grammatical fixes or general suggestions on how to improve.</p>
<p>Oh, and with the dreams and aspirations prompt, it’s all up to you. If you do choose to talk about your personal transformation, be sure to explain how your surroundings helped facilitate that change. Don’t mention your intellectual pursuits just because you feel like the adcoms want to hear about it. The best essay will be about what you truly (and passionately) feel answers the prompt. The adcoms just want to get to know you.</p>
Write whatever you feel that they will get the picture of yourself.</p>