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Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for
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- Mistake 6: Thinking of this as only a "Why them" essay.
- Us” ≠ the college you’re applying to “Us” = the school + you
- Which of these is more compelling
- University of California
| Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for.
In fact, find out the school's common traditions (like throwing toast on the field at Penn, for example, or painting the rock at Northwestern) and then don't write about those things. Why? Everyone and their brother already has. How do you learn these? Google the name of the school and the word “traditions.” Mistake #6: Thinking of this as only a "Why them" essay. The school knows it’s awesome. “You probably don’t need to tell us about the beautiful Nott Memorial,” says Nicole Buenzli of Union College. “I pass the Nott every day, it's on every brochure we create, and we all know it has 16 sides!” Instead, think of this as a "Why we are perfect for each other" essay. In fact, imagine you're on a date and the person sitting across from you leans in to ask, "So, why do you like me?" Don’t just say, "Because you're hot," or “My auntie says a relationship with you will improve my job prospects.” When it comes to the “us” in “Why us?” think of it this way: “Us” ≠ the college you’re applying to “Us” = the school + you In order to prove you and the school are destined to be together, make connections between the two of you. “Why Major?” type essay “Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?” > UT Austin, essay prompt Not every school will ask this question, but it is one of the most common prompts, especially since some schools factor in a student’s desired major when making admissions decisions. The key to this essay is to avoid cliché and banality, while also not lying or doctoring your own personal experiences. Which of these is more compelling: “I want to major in business because I want to work in finance and be rich.” Or… “My mom worked in finance, and when I was young, we bonded while she explained her job to me when working at home. I want to follow in my mother’s footsteps and help other people manage their own finances, so they can thrive financially.” Neither of these is a full essay, but each represents a central theme, which an essay may be built around. While there is nothing wrong with desiring wealth or success, there is also nothing terribly interesting or unique about them. Who doesn’t want an Olympic size pool of cash that they can swim in Scrooge McDuck style? Wanting to be rich for the sake of wealth alone is boring, and the last thing a college essay should be is dull. This essay requires introspection. What led you to desire what you want to do? What were the formative events that caused you to want to enter a certain field, or study a particular topic? The strongest ‘Why Major’ essays give a unique answer that could only be written by the applicant, clearly demonstrating to the reader an utterly personal reason for the choice of prospective major. “Community” type essay This essay is mainly about the social aspect of university life. How do you see yourself fitting in and enhancing the existing community? What unique can you bring to campus? “Reflect on your membership in a community. Why is your involvement important to you? How has it shaped you? You may define community however you like.” > Yale University, essay prompt This essay comes in many guises, but can be spotted by the word “community” appearing somewhere in the question. This is an essay you need to only write once, and then edit to meet specific word counts or details as prompts require. So, what counts as a community anyway? Basically, any grouping of people you are a member of can be considered a community. Any group where you can say: “There is an us, and I am part of that.” This may seem incredibly broad, and that’s because it is. The point of this essay is to tell admissions officers something about you they wouldn’t otherwise know. For a community essay, describe how you impacted a community, and how it impacted you. Did founding a chess club, for example, teach you the joy of mentoring others to success? Or, perhaps, did being a part of a minority group give you a unique perspective that allowed you to make a difference in the world around you? This essay should describe your growth as an individual through your contributions to the greater whole, and how you improved the group as well. Admissions officers are trying to build a community in their admitted class, and want to be sure you will be a strong part of that community. “Leadership” type essay “Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.” > University of California, essay prompt Leadership is a difficult quality to define; thus, some students find this essay prompt surprisingly difficult. What you should understand, though, is that there are two kinds of leadership, and demonstrating either will meet the requirements for this essay. The types of leadership are de jure and de facto. These are fancy legal terms, and therefore in Latin, because terms in Latin make you seem more serious and important. De Jure leadership is officially recognized and sanctioned leadership. For example, president of a club, member of student council, or Eagle Scout are all examples of de jure leadership. These all lead to an easy time writing an essay, because these positions all require skill at leadership and provide valuable experience in such. Each essay should talk about a concrete experience; a time where you truly made a difference based on the actions you took in a position of leadership. The difference may be small, but it should still be an observable impact. De Facto leadership is leadership that arises out of a non-officially sanctioned role. People can display leadership even when they haven’t been officially put in charge of a situation. For instance, maybe you organized your friends to put together an apology when things went wrong in class, or maybe you independently organized a neighborhood soccer game or cookout to raise money for a local charity. Whatever kind of leadership you exhibit, your essay should focus on a concrete event. First, determine for yourself what happened. What was the background? What were the stakes? What did you do specifically? What outcome did your involvement bring? This essay is meant to highlight one of your accomplishments by showing what precisely you have done. Avoid generalities, and give enough details to paint a vivid picture without overwhelming the reader. “Diversity” type essay “Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspectives would you contribute to life at Rice?” > Rice University, essay prompt This essay asks students about diversity, and how they might fit into or contribute to a diverse community. Like the leadership essay, many students struggle with this essay, because they define diversity narrowly for themselves. It is important first to realize that diversity can mean many things in the context of college admissions. Diversity comes not just from ethnicity, but from nationality, socio-economic position, geographic location, intellectual positions, religious identity, and personal circumstances of all stripes. Let’s break it down further. Ethnic and racial diversity are the first things anyone thinks of when diversity is mentioned, but some students worry that they don’t fit into any “valid” category to count as diverse here. However schools are also looking for a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews in their student population, and so more types of diversity are considered and accepted. Nationality may not apply to all students, but for non-american students, or 1st or 2nd generation immigrants, nationality can be a major part of their identity, and this can contribute to the diversity of backgrounds and experiences on campus. Socio-economic position describes how well off a family is, how much they struggled, or not, for resources. This too can cause a wide variety of experiences, some of which may be quite rare on college campuses, and thus count as diversity of experience. Geographic location can be used as a factor of diversity at times, for instance students from Montana are quite rare compared to Texans or Californians, and so their backgrounds and experiences count as diversity for schools. Once you have determined what form of diversity applies to you, think about how your lived experience has shaped you: how you view the world, react to it, and operate within a broader picture because of who you are. This essay is meant to describe how you are unique, and how your unique experiences and viewpoints will contribute to the campus community as a whole. In many instances, this essay may also overlap with the community essay, which is closely related to the topic of ‘diversity’ in many ways. жүктеу/скачать 36,97 Kb. Достарыңызбен бөлісу:
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