What
They are Looking for in this Admission Essay Question
The admission committee
wants to know what makes you a unique individual. Here are the 2
principal things that will be carefully scrutinized in this question:
-
Your
creativity in selecting an event
-
The
insight your provide in describing what happened
Essay
Topic Creativity and Selection of a Significant Event
Spend some
time thinking about the different events that you have experienced over your
life. You have some latitude with:
-
Describing
what happened to you or what you made happen
-
How
long you decide to follow this event
With some
careful planning these 2 characteristics can help you differentiate your
significant event essay from the other applicants.
The
Insight from Your Essay
The key
here is to show off your analytical skills and, by demonstrating key insight
into the causes and effects of your significant event, favorably impress
the college with your ability to contribute to a lively campus community. While
we want to clearly state that there is no hard and fast recipe for a successful
essay (that would surely stifle the key creativity ingredient, wouldn't it?) the
best ones often illustrate how what at first glance may appear to be a relatively routine and insignificant moment has actually had a
profound impact on your life.
One
Last Note
Proceed
with caution if you choose to write about topics such as world peace, September
11, and racial
harmony. These have been written many times and, unless they are specifically
tied back to you and what makes you unique you will run the risk of appearing
insincere and cliché. Once again, recall what we said about giving the
admissions committee something different to read.
