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The Truth About Essay Templates & Formulas
Posted by on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 11:21 AM (PST)
Is there a magic template or formula for producing a great college admission essay?
No. And yes.
As they read that, other college admission professionals are thinking “What??? How dare you suggest there’s any possible way in which using a template might be a good idea?!” Don’t get me wrong. If you come across some kind of online service offering some kind of plug and play template – “write this here, then fill in this blank,” etc., you should run screaming. Still, I think articles like this one (on another blog) may partly miss the point:
“Following a template or a trend will not get you noticed, it will only cause you to sound boring, clichéd or repetitive. The admissions committees deal with thousands of applications every year and most books on the subject of writing application essays are widely available to thousands of other potential applicants. This will cause your application essay to fade into obscurity. Instead choose to move away from the crowd and writing about a topic that you are sure that most people will not write about. Instead of writing why you love medicine or why you have a wonderful caring heart, chose a topic where you compare yourself to a bat or a lizard, why you find dreams interesting and not how you want to change the world. Most admissions officers read the title of your essay and the introductory paragraph and if it is something they have seen twenty times already, more often than not, they don't finish reading the rest. Not following well established trends and templates is a major part of writing the world's best application essay.” Read article
I agree with MOST of what the author says above. It’s definitely the case that your essay needs to stand out, avoid clichés, and catch the attention of the admission committee.
HOWEVER, I disagree the best way to do this is to start by trying to come up with a topic nobody else has written on before. Instead, I recommend starting with intentional self-reflection. What makes you unique? What about your past accomplishments and future vision set you apart? What have you done that nobody else has done? What stirs your passion so much you can’t wait to tell the world? Your essay should be unique precisely because you are unique – not because you figure no one else will write about the Madagascar hissing cockroach.
Once you have discovered your unique personal story, then you can think about the most compelling way to tell it. Recount an interesting personal experience, and connect it with your future goals? Employ an analogy or metaphor? While I agree with my colleague that essays about changing the world can be clichéd and boring, it’s not necessarily the case. If you have a specific, original idea about how to create positive, sustainable change, you should definitely consider writing about that!
Remember, colleges are businesses, and they want students that are going to add something amazing to their class, make the most of the resources available to them on campus, and succeed in both college and in their future careers. Every student they accept is a risk, and your job in your admission essay is to convince your dream school you are a better risk than your fellow applicants. Your essay needs to be unique and interesting to do this, yes, but it ultimately needs to say something compelling about you. And having an original, personal story to tell is ultimately the best foundation for an interesting essay!
Write passionately and poetically about your unique goals, strengths, passions, and accomplishments. Is that a formula? If so, I guess I disagree with the party line.
With that said, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts about “bats” and “lizards.”
- Comparing yourself to a bat or lizard could be an interesting way of writing your essay. Again, however, you should do this because it’s the best possible vehicle for conveying your unique gifts and strengths, not because you don’t think anybody else is going to write about bats or lizards. Choosing an analogy in advance is a bad idea, because it may not really align with your personal story at all.
- I’ll be brutally honest: if you are an exceptional writer, you might be able to pull off an essay comparing yourself to a lizard. But it’s a HUGE risk. If it doesn’t work, there’s a decent chance you’ll be the laughingstock of the admission office. You might just become known as “Lizard Boy,” and the admission staff may pass your essay around for all the wrong reasons.
You are an amazing, uniquely gifted person. Know yourself, and be yourself!
-Justin
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