EPT
College Essays =(
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eborp
United States266 Posts
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il0seonpurpose
Korea (South)5638 Posts
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decafchicken
United States20168 Posts
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eborp
United States266 Posts
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SingletonWilliam
United States664 Posts
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Ecael
United States6703 Posts
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decafchicken
United States20168 Posts
On October 20 2008 10:20 Fangster wrote: The common app is open-ended, meaning that basically I can write about anything. Although they do cover stuff like write about a person, event, etc. that has influenced you, the last thing topic they have is a topic of your choice >.> tell them about why you're diverse and how you'll bring diversity to their university. | ||
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thunk
United States6233 Posts
On October 20 2008 10:22 SingletonWilliam wrote: The UC prompts are horribly generic and dull :/ To be completely fair, almost all of them do. UChicago is the only one known for its prompts and past that you can get only marginally more interesting than the UC applications. Plus, UC only gives you a thousand words, probably because they have a ridiculous number of applicants. | ||
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theonemephisto
United States409 Posts
I'm currently writing a couple college essays, and I've found that the best ones all start out with going truly into detail about something random that's unique to you. It doesn't have to be deep, impressive, of profound, just something that you can show something about who you are. EDIT: And yea, the Chicago prompts are great (but harder). And 1000 words is a ton, for most essays I wouldn't suggest going much over 500. Short and to-the-point. Boring the admissions officer is the worst thing that you can do. If your writing style is extremely natural and an easy-read, then you can pull off more, but keeping it simple is better. | ||
CaucasianAsian
Korea (South)11598 Posts
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BreaK
Canada890 Posts
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HeavOnEarth
United States7087 Posts
On October 20 2008 10:53 ClouD.BreaK wrote: Tell them how hard your life has been. Are you a minority? EVEN BETTER! Construct a sob story, but don't make it too obvious. Be original, be believable. lol i did that :O | ||
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Caller
Poland8075 Posts
I got in, so go figure. | ||
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thoraxe
United States1449 Posts
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GHOSTCLAW
United States17042 Posts
I'm convinced that a lot of the large public universities don't even read college essays though >.> | ||
OneOther
United States10774 Posts
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shavingcream66
United States1219 Posts
On October 20 2008 11:38 thoraxe wrote: hey dude, your like me, except that my teacher is going to proofread it and give me a grade for it. oh, and its due tommorow with only a half-finished introduction rough-draft that is coupled with some math homework. yeah i wrote one for my class and it was like homosexually connotated. I thought it would be unique and all my friends loved it but the teacher told me not to do it.. I think still will because it's unique? | ||
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BanZu
United States3329 Posts
Simple as that. But writing it is easier said than done. "The personal statement is an important part of your application for admission and scholarships. The University uses the statement to learn more about you as an individual and to understand the experience, accomplishments, and points of view you would bring to the University's undergraduate student body. The personal statement gives you the opportunity to discuss attributes and experiences that may not be evident through a review of your academic record." "Although you may wish to seek the advice of others, the University expects you to write your own admission essay. At the same time, it is probably a good idea to have a friend, teacher, or parent provide you with feedback on how well your essay conveys what you want to say. Remember, however, the purpose of the essay is to gain insight about you on a personal level." "There is no single "good" admission essay. We look for essays in which the quality of your character emerges. After we have read your essay, we will ask the question, "what do we know about this individual?" If we have learned little about you, the essay has not succeeded." Just some excerpts from a packet I got from my English class. Edit: Useful stuff on What kind of admission essay should I avoid? One type of essay that usually does not succeed is the essay which simply lists information such as activities and honors. Because this information can be found elsewhere in the application, the list essay adds little to our understanding of you as an individual. A list tells the campus what you do, not who you are. You may, however, be able to compose an essay of this type if you discuss a wide range of activities, convey a sense of your broad interests and abilities, and in the process, reveal something about your character. An example of the list type of essay is: My Life "I was born in Colorado and moved with my parents to California when I was in the sixth grade. both of my parents, and my older brother have degrees from Berkeley and I want to go there too. I received an award as the Top Student from my junior high school. I am now a senior in high school where I am editor of the yearbook, server on my class council, have the lead in the senior play, play varsity tennis, rank number 3 in my class scholastically, and volunteer two hours a week serving meals to the homeless. Another kind of essay you should avoid is one that is so predictable and one-dimensional that is becomes a stereotype. This type of essay is so common that it is not useful to us in distinguishing among applicants. Some examples are: My Summer Trip "I went to South America this summer. I ate different food, learned different customs, and met different people who spoke a different language and led a different way of life. it changed my life." I Learned a Lot from Sports "I learned how to set goals, to be a team player, to give 110%, and to overcome getting up early on cold mornings to practice." A third type of essay to avoid is one that tries to be very comical or that relies heavily on a gimmick. While a sense of humor is a valuable quality and may add a pleasing dimension to an essay, most essays that attempt to be exceptionally funny do not succeed and do not help the applicant in competitive admissions. An example is: I am Like the Busy Ant, the Faithful Dog, the Worker Bee, and the Friendly Chipmunk "I am like the ant always working hard to make my dreams come true. I am like the dog, dedicated and faithful in doing my school work. I am like the worker bee always striving for the benefit of others in every way but never buzzing around telling others what I am doing. I am like the perky chipmunk, not too nutty, but friendly, making everyone feel like they belong." Other essays lack focus They are too general, as if the writer hadn't been able to decide what to write about. The D's "I have the determination, discipline and desire for admission to your campus." In composing your essay, you should not automatically reject writing about any of the subjects listed above. The problem with such essay is not the topic, but the manner in which the essay is presented. Essays about these (or other) subjects can be successful if they elaborate on the insights you gained from your experience and on the ways this experience influenced your outlook, activities, commitment, or goals. remember, no matter what you choose to write about, your essay needs to provide an answer to the basic question, what do we know about you as an individual? | ||
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stanley_
United States816 Posts
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OneOther
United States10774 Posts
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SingletonWilliam
United States664 Posts
On October 20 2008 14:02 stanley_ wrote: i can't think of anything good : ( Mine is due tommorow as well. The first essay I wrote, that I'm applying with this year, deals with how my parents have affected me and my life goals. It screams Catcher in the Rye stylistically, but I feel pretty confident because it shows who I am and how I got to be this way. So I'd advise you to just write from the heart, casually, and deeply. Letting them see who you are is what you should be trying to do. Avoiding huge cliches like climbing a mountain, having a profound revelation about how the world works, or what you learned from sports is very important. | ||
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