austriangirl

hey a short question: i am a creative person, painter, songwriter etc, trying to emphasize this on my application... now i was wondering if it would be too weird to write one of the less important essays in a more creative form, like idk a poem or something like this. something they can smile about, something that makes me stick out a bit. ^^
or would it just be out of place??
thanks for suggestions

insomniac159

Well, you should definitely answer the essay questions creatively. On the other hand, I would refrain from doing so in any form besides an essay. They not only want to get a sense of who you are, but they also want to see how well you can convey your thoughts and how well you can write. Poetry often uses a lot of technically incorrect grammar, and when well done, is often very different from direct prose. So, feel free to creatively express yourself, but I suggest you do so in the form of an essay.

itry

i think that wouldn't be the greatest because answering the question incorrectly (how it was asked) would be a problem.

austriangirl

mhm, thanks for the advice... ill probably refrain from actually writing a poem now, it just seemed like something that few others would do because it is unusual. but you are right, not sticking to instructions would probably not be the best way to tell them: take me, im the best student ^^

Van2010

put your poem/creative piece in the additional information section

princeton12

I would write the essays as essays, but you should submit writing samples of your other work if you'd like them to read some of your poetry.

austriangirl

thanks for the advice, might do that ^^

Opensecret

I'm more optimistic than some of the other posters. I think a poem could be great if you can make it work. It's a higher risk, but if you can pull it off, it could do exactly what you hope -- cause people to smile and, as a result, differentiate you from the flood of talented applicants. For it to work, it needs to be accessible (you don't want to leave an admissions officer puzzled about what you're trying to say) and it needs to respond to the essay prompt, even if you respond in a creative, unconventional way.
Doing things just the way everyone else does isn't a way to stick out with admissions officers whose eyes glaze over with application after application that all sound alike.

austriangirl

yh thanks, i´ll just submit it as an attachment, and write the essay in my own, creative, slightly more conventional way ^^