Writing style - should I use my own voice or not?

<p>Hello everyone, </p>

<p>After having two of my english teachers (both qualified AP teachers in a great public school) read my CA and supplemental essays, my guidance counselor gives me advice that entirely contradicts what my teachers have said. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what to do, especially since I thought I had nailed both essays. I am doing the CA failure prompt and have the NYU supplemental. I would share more but my essays contain a lot of personal information.</p>

<p>My own writing style consists of rather long sentences though I have varied them in length significantly and, following the advice of my lang teacher, incorporated semi-colons and colons for even more sentence variety. Both teachers have also expressed that my writing in general is very distinctive and that the topics I have chosen for both essays are "excellent".</p>

<p>On the other hand, my guidance counselor has advised that I break up my sentences even further and for the most part remove the "flowery" language that my english teachers said was in fact great. Although there were one or two points at which I agree I could cut down on the thesaurus-sounding language or vocabulary with questionable diction, there are also times at which I felt the suggestions entirely removed my voice from the essay itself.</p>

<p>So tl;dr, is it better to stick to one's own style of writing, even though it may be a little more literature-like than a simple resume of what I've done and want to do (assuming my writing skills in the first place are quite good), or to get right to the point even though it does not reflect my voice?</p>

<p>Also, is it better to use passive or active voice, a mix of the two, or does it not really matter?</p>

<p>What about ending a sentence (namely the first sentence...) with a preposition? Do the readers really care about that? </p>

<p>Sorry it's pretty nitpicky, and thank you in advance!</p>

<p>Without knowing anything about your actual essay or the other schools you are applying to, I can’t really make a fully informed decision. However, I do think the style should reflect the nature of the question. With the Common App, I think a literature-like style would be better, especially if that’s how you normally write. As for the NYU supplement, it depends on which school you’re applying to. If you’re applying for the film school or an English major, literature-like language is fine. However, if you were applying to Stern, I would recommend making your essay more straight-forward. </p>

<p>Ultimately, you need to decide which style you like better and which style you think truly expresses yourself and use that one. College adcoms wouldn’t penalize you just based on your style- it is possible to write an incredible essay with straight forward language or with flowery language. Submit what you feel comfortable submitting.</p>

<p>Can you send me your essay? I’ll send mine in return. I’d love to hear about it.</p>

<p>As crazy as it sounds, I’m not applying to any other schools aside from NYU, and I want to get into CAS. I’m majoring in science, but I like my own writing style better than a more straight-forward one. If I still won’t be penalized then I’ll go with my own style! </p>

<p>Thank you for your response! (:</p>