I was wondering if submitting a supplemental essay that does not adhere to the usual strictly paragraph format is common. It can be in any number of formats (poem, letter, diary for example) ranging in originality. Can these make you stand out more? Does anyone have any stories about essays like this being submitted?
If the requirements given for you does not pointing out about a particular format or need to keep such one, then you can written the format of your choice, but the work must be filled with original and impressive content.
There are instances of students applying using various formats, but I would personally advise against it. I know when I visited campuses like Berkeley and UCLA, they talked about receiving essays in odd formats but it just ended up making things more difficult to read and even more frustrating for them. For example, someone applying for the psych major had written their essay with random spaces and margins that was supposed to look like an image of the brain. While creative, the execution and overall look lacked appeal, and you have to take into account that admissions officers are reading THOUSANDS of essays. Anything that will require any extra attention is kind of counter active of what the student wants to achieve. You don’t want them to work harder to read your essay, or try to decipher any poetry. It kind of reminds me of the Legally Blonde scene where she sprays perfume on her essay for Harvard. Will they notice it? Yes. Will it stand out? Sure. But in a real life situation, will it help you in admissions? Most likely not. Just make sure to tread carefully when it comes to stuff like that!
Bad idea, IMNSHO. They’ve seen it all, and while you might think it’s unique, it ain’t. Poems, text messages (with abbreviations), conversations in dialect, movie scripts, creative formatting, even music… no.
@azbruin8 is right.