The
"Which Question do You Wish We had Asked"
Applications Essay
What
They are Looking for in the Essay Questions
This is
another very popular application essay question. The admission committee
intentionally gives you a lot of autonomy to develop this question to help learn
more about what you are really like. Here are the 2
principal things that will be carefully scrutinized in this question:
-
The
topic you select
-
What
you have to say about the topic
Example
of When This Question is Used
The fifth
personal statement choice in the common application: "Topic
of your choice."
Essay
Topic Selection
Choose a
topic you feel passionate about. Think about this carefully before you begin
writing. All the time in the world revising the essay won't be very effective if
the topic is not optimal for you.
It may take
a while (don't expect this to be a 5 minute exercise), but you will be able to
recognize the right topic when it comes.
This essay
topic will have the following traits:
-
You
will be able to relate the topic back to you, and
-
You
will be able to demonstrate how you have grown and developed because of the
topic.
What
You Have to Say About the Topic
Be sure you
demonstrate your understanding of the cause and effect dynamics surrounding the
topic. Spend some time introspecting about the topic. Chances are good that you
have already done a lot of this in the topic selection process.
Remember,
you are not a Forrest Gump going through life and just simply getting lucky. You are a
smart, analytical applicant who understands what is happening and adapts
accordingly. These are traits of successful college applicants, so you will be
well served to adapt them to your applications.
A Final
Note
The open
structure of this essay may allow you a good opportunity to "recycle"
an essay that you have already written for a previous application. For this
reason, this is often a good essay question to complete at the end of the
application.
This should
not be construed as an excuse for procrastination however! There are many other
things you can -- and should -- work on in between the beginning of your
applications and this question.
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