Common App Essay Prompt #1 help?
The prompt says: Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Does the essay have to be in a narrative form? Because I don't have a story to write about but I do have an idea or philosophy which I feel is central to my identity and would like to write an essay describing the influences of the philosophy and when I have applied it to my life. Is this fine or does it have to be a personal story?
Which college essay (Common App) should I choose to write?
If I had to choose one, #2, but to be honest, neither. Your Common App essay needs to be a personal essay that conveys your positive personality traits via a narrative. It is your one and only chance to show the admissions officers that you are more than numbers (gpa, SAT, class rank, etc.), and your only chance to talk about something that is not already said or implied elsewhere in your application.Your Essay 1 is problematic for several reasons:Your interest in the social sciences will have been expressed if your application's theme is catered toward this. For example, a prospective government major may have in her extracurricular activities list "Chair of Model United Nations Club," "Chair of Debate Club," "Chair of DECA," etc., and in her course selection, "AP US History," "AP Government," "AP European History," etc. In short, one does not need to say that he or she is interested/likes something in order to show it; if your application already shows this, you would do better to use the essay to talk about something different.Same goes for "Things I've done in high school". This should already be listed in your EC section.Like you said, this essay doesn't tell a story. If it's not exciting, no one will remember your essay. In essence, your essay will have been for nothing.Regarding Essay 2:Your essay doesn't need to talk about every aspect of you. Perhaps "living abroad" is an important part of who you are, but think about how many applicants probably lived abroad or are from abroad. Chances are, you are not going to tell the admissions officer anything new that they haven't already heard, so don't feel pressured to talk about this. What do you mean "faced failure"? This may be interesting, but I would need to know more exactly what you mean and how it relates to the overall essay.Your essay doesn't need to (or rather shouldn't) talk about anything academic. Your academics are already well spoken of in other parts of your application. P.S. - I am originally from abroad, and I am a well-accomplished College Consultant with an amazing track record.
Should my common app essay be about a single memory?
I assume you’ve already looked at the Common App prompts The Common Application Announces 2016-2017 Essay PromptsThe five essay prompts, in short, are about 1) your special background, interest or talent2) lessons from failure3) a time when you challenged a belief or idea4) a problem you’d like to solve5) an event or accomplishment that marked your transition to adulthoodWhich one of the Common App essays prompts do you think it will fit? You say that this memory defined your childhood, but how does it define you as a young adult? How will it help the admissions officers to see you as a person you are today and to decide if you are going to be a good fit for their college?I’m not sure what you mean by “a descriptive piece”. I think reflecting on a childhood memory could make a nice story, but, for your college essay, you need to connect it to the present. It cannot be just a picture from your childhood, no matter how creative it is. Even when the prompts ask you about some past events, it’s not the description of the event itself that should be the main point of the essay - it’s how this event affected you and what it tells about your personality, interests, values, and life goals.
What are the common app essay topics for the coming year? (2009-2010,for those who start college in fall 2010)?
1 Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. 2 Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international 3 Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence. 4 Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. 5 A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you. 6 Topic of your choice.
For the common app. essay part it says minimum 250 words?
First, let's make it look like a college paper. That means double-spaced, 12 point font, normal margins. Staple in upper left hand corner if there are multiple pages. Second, I don't know what prompt they gave you, but as one who reads lots of scholarship apps, I can assure you that I would not want your life story in excruciating detail. So can we consider trimming it down so that you can make a few salient points and keep them clear? Whatever was the prompt, your goal in your essay is to communicate three things about yourself: 1. You have clear, realistic goals for your life and this university's programs will help you achieve them. 2. You view your purpose in life not as just to make money, but as a calling to fill a necessary, responsible position for the good of society. 3. You possess the "attitude of gratitude", acknowledging those who have helped you to achieve and to develop your goals. Now, have you ever heard the phrase "murder your darlings"? It's what young writers are told to do to their prose. In order to produce really good writing, you must be willing to cut out sentences and phrases and entire ideas that you personally love but that the reader doesn't need. So figure out, for your own good, how to get it down to 400 words or less while making all of your best points--and kill those ideas if you've got to!
How did you choose your Common Application essay topic?
You must now consider topics that will allow you to synthesize your important personal characteristics and experiences into a coherent whole while simultaneously addressing your desire to attend a specific institution. While most admissions essays allow great latitude in topic selection, you must also be sure to answer the questions that were asked of you. Can you keep the reader’s interest from the first word. The entire essay must be interesting, considering admissions officers will probably only spend a few minutes reading each essay. Essays should fit in well with the rest of a candidate’s application, explaining the unexplained and steering clear of that which is already obvious. Diversity is the biggest buzzword of our times. Every college, professional school, or graduate school wants to increase diversity. For this reason, so many applicants are tempted to declare what makes them diverse.
Can I submit different Common application essays to different schools?
Yes, you can, but it’s not very flexible. Here’s what I found on Huffpost:• The Common Application does not restrict the number of changes that are made to any part of the application except the essays. Students generally must submit to one college first before they can make changes. They can then add or delete test scores and revise the activity page. However, there are restrictions on changes made to the essay.• The essay can be revised twice for no more than three revisions. This is a crucial point and one that often gets missed by students. In order to make changes to an essay after you submit an application to a college, students will need to unlock their applications. Students cannot make any changes to an essay once it is submitted to a college. You can unlock again up to a maximum of three revisions. Any remaining colleges would receive your last essay version.I've also seen forum posts where the number of revisions was stated to be 10, though I don't really trust these sources.
What is the difference between the “Personal Statement” and the “Common Application Essay” in the undergraduate admission (Common App)?
The Common App essay is one 650-word essay, chosen from among six different prompts. In other words, you choose your topic from those six questions, and write one essay.A “personal statement” is often used as the term to describe something like the Common App essay, i.e., whatever long essay is attached to your college application. For example, in the University of California system, the Common App is not accepted. UC relies on it’s own format for the personal statement— specifically, four shorter (250 words) essays chosen from eight given prompts.Other universities who accept the Common App might require an additional mandatory essay, or personal statement to include with the one you write up for the Common App.Don’t worry— the forms are clear. Just pick your school(s), read the directions, and follow them. There won’t be any confusion over how many essays you need to submit, or what sort of information they are seeking.
Someone review my Common App transfer essay, please and thank you!?
This was very good! You definitely explained your reason for transferring and why the college should accept you very well. I can't imagine them not accepting you. (Computer science is a great career field to get into nowadays, lots of jobs on the market.)