<p>At this point in the application process, I have applied to 5 of my 10 schools. I am working on my application for Pomona, and though it is certainly not very long, it has proven to be my most difficult supplement of all. I seriously have no idea what to write about. I have a feeling that selecting prompt 2 is not a good idea. I think the more creative prompt is the best option. I'm just not inspired. I have been staring at a blank screen all week, and in that time, I managed to complete both my NYU and Columbia supplements pretty easily. Can someone give me some insight, or share with me their class idea (so maybe I will feel inspired). I obviously will not steal it, since Pomona will be reading both of our essays. haha.
Any help is welcome.
thank you so much.</p>
<p>Prompt 1: Pomona's Critical Inquiry course is required of all first-year students, and is designed to be highly interdisciplinary and engaging. Recent class titles include: 'Molecules of the Mind', 'The Economics of Sin', and 'Punk: Poets, Politics and Provocation'. Imagine you were hired to design and teach a Critical Inquiry course. Describe the title of the class, its contents, and why you chose it.</p>
<p>If I had to write a course, it would probably be something with regards to music and neuroscience, because I find both of those topics pretty interesting. Maybe you find language interesting, and you want to talk about why and how new words are invented. Whatever you find interesting, try to find some kind of niche subtopic to talk about. I think being honest is important in any essay, and even though I’m not applying to Pomona I think that this advice is true for Pomona as well.</p>
<p>And then for freedom, I would try and come up with something that is again truthful and meaningful to you. Maybe your parents are immigrants and came from a country where they didn’t have a lot of opportunities, and freedom to you is the ability to do what you love for a living. I don’t think that they’re looking for something “original” with this essay (let’s be honest; how many people are going to write about something like N. Korea, freedom of speech/religion, how their parents are immigrants, how their parents worked hard to give them a better life than they had, etc.?), but I think they’re looking to hear your voice. So just be honest. Maybe your passion is theater, and you’re glad that you live somewhere where you can pursue your dreams. Maybe you love politics and debating politics. You could write about how freedom to you is the ability to discuss different ideologies with people freely and openly without fear. That’s equally as meaningful as someone who writes about their parents who came to the US from N. Korea and weren’t allowed to practice their religion, etc.</p>
<p>I think you just need to think about what’s interesting for you and how you can incorporate them into your supplements. Hope this helped!</p>
<p>This is helpful. I am still trying to figure out how to add a quirky element to the topic of my choosing. One of my friends suggested I do a gender studies class and base it on hair throughout history. Men with wigs. The evolution of the braid. When women started cutting their hair short. The controversy over African American hair. Etc. it seemed creative enough, but it also seemed like something a little bit superficial? I don’t know. What do you think about it?
I also thought about a holidays around the world. And on the first day we fill out a calendar where we put a holiday on everyday and celebrate and learn about them in class each day. If that makes any sense. Obviously the assessments would be standard. And we could compare and contrast how different holidays are celebrated around the world. It could be fun, but also difficult to do successfully. </p>
<p>I like the idea of music, but I can’t really figure out how to incorporate music in the class without it being a typical music class. Or music history class, or something of that nature. </p>
<p>As for neuroscience, I don’t know much about it, so it would be difficult for me to create a course based on that. </p>
<p>My goal was not to give you exact topics to write about haha. Since you showed some interest in music, maybe you can talk about how music distribution has evolved. Music is just something we take for granted now, but it’s something that only the wealthy had access to a few hundred years ago. I think that makes it different from an ordinary music history class. You’re not talking about the production of music, but rather how we experience it and how that’s shifted everything about the industry. It’s changed music from something that was an event, something that you had to go out and seek, to something that is kind of pushed to the background in a lot of instances.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your hobbies/interests are, but if you’re really involved in a specific sport, maybe you could make a course like “The Biomechanics of Tackling” or something. Your ideas seem pretty interesting, but I’d try to make them more specific. The most interesting classes tend to be the ones on really specific, niche topics. So maybe you want to focus on gift giving holidays around the world. For instance, in Spain (specifically Catalonia) during St. George’s Day there’s an exchange of books and roses, kind of like Valentine’s day. Women give books to the men, and men give roses to the women.</p>
<p>I’ve got a quick question about the essay if anyone is willing to answer. So I’ve mostly talked about the background of my course, and why I’d like to teach it; more the theory, less the practice. Should I delve into the specifics of the course, like class setup, activities, etc.? To me it seems a bit too specific, but I’m wondering if anyone might have any insight.</p>
<p>I remember reading on some thread that people have gone anywhere from 350 to 1000. I think you are given a lot of license in fleshing out the course.</p>
<p>Because there’s no word limit, I think it’s safe to say that just write as much as necessary for you to get the point across. I wouldn’t drag it on because seriously, admission officers probably have limited time per essay, but do take the advantage of not having a word limit to thoroughly develop your ideas good luck!</p>
<p>I got accepted ED1 for class of 2019, and I chose the first writing supplement. In terms of organization, the first part described the reading materials, content, and significance behind the course, and the second part was sort of a ‘letter to my students’ about why this course material mattered to me, their teacher. I had a creative title, and the class was meant to explore the role of technology that our brains may not be adapted to handle. I included references to the american romantics, a modern neurological perspective, and the practice of Zen. I got inspiration from reading about the current Critical Inquiries courses at Pomona (on their website), and picked something quirky and specific to my personality. No matter what you write about, just let them know who you are. Don’t try to pick the most intellectual topic you can think of, just be honest and think about a class you would be excited to take. I picked Pomona because I want to be surrounded by people who are excited to learn and think critically about a wide variety of topics, so show the admissions committee that you’ll fit in! I’m still not sure how this website works, but if you want to message me or something (not even sure if it works like that) I’d be happy to help you (in moderation)</p>
<p>@bean735 Yes, please help. I still haven’t started this, so I’m just wondering about how long it took to do it. Less than an hour I’m hoping?
Or else I’m going to write about freedom, because that’s easier, but I know it’ll be difficult to make that essay stand out. This is by far the most difficult prompt (for me) that I’ve run into during this entire college process, and I’ve filled out applications for a lot of schools, though I’m ultimately only sending all of my materials to 3 of them. haha
I think I’ll head to the coffee shop in the morning and just try to get it done. </p>
<p>@oxoxhawja3xoxo I only applied to Pomona, so I took about three months on the application. Personally I’ve never understood how people can hammer out multiple essays in a day, but it’s just my personality. However, I was very deliberate with every sentence and I probably spent about 5 hours across a few weeks on the critical inquiry essay</p>
I only started mine on the day it was due. Prompt 1, 1286 words. The Sociology of Food. I accidentally wrote an overly detailed syllabus and it reads a bit like I adapted it from a paper written for a class. It feels much too long, but hey, no limit. @oxoxhawja3xoxo That’s exactly what I did haha. Took me about five hours.
good luck!</p>