What exactly did you guys write for the supplemental essay? - Page 2

TheWerg · 03-01-2009, 10:44 PM

Yeah, I didn't have an actual window. My scene was me, lying in a hammock in Hawaii, reading Finnegans Wake. Then I went into why I was reading it, what I got out of it, and such. I got in through the Early Write thing so you can definitely focus on the internal and don't need to have a real window.

ulbed · 03-01-2009, 10:51 PM

what is the early write thing?

goldenratiophi · 03-01-2009, 11:01 PM

So what'd you think of Finnegans Wake?

limetime · 03-01-2009, 11:25 PM

^ what?

and @ulbed: "In Februrary and March, a small number of Regular Admission candidates with superior qualifications receive early notification of acceptance. No special application is required and no response is expected of Early Write candidates until May 1." -says the Williams site.

ChandlerBing · 03-02-2009, 08:30 PM

Will Williams send out more than one wave of Early Write acceptances? Or was the wave last weekend the only one?

jiess · 03-03-2009, 01:21 PM

I thought the prompt was vague, and could be interpreted in two ways:

1) the window is 'real' while the scene is imagined i.e. focus is on scene's significance
2) the scene is real, but you always feel as though you're behind a window i.e. focus is on why you always see a window i.e. the window is imagined

Does anyone know what I'm saying? Anyway, I did the latter and talked about how being an immigrant, sitting in my IB HL English Literature and History classes, it feels like I'm not one of 'them', the students who grew up with Milton and Dante and parents who could actually speak English and so I feel like there's a window between us. This led to a reflection on my aspirations, and since I'm a girl, there was a bit of a glass-ceiling/window undertone too.

I hope I didn't understand the prompt wrong and mess up and come off as a snob trying to be clever... O___O

ArtemisPan · 03-03-2009, 08:08 PM

Wow jiess what country do you come from? We wrote about practically the same thing! (which I understand is not really a very reassuring thing to hear, but don't worry, I'm sure they were way different). I'm from Argentina and I interpreted the prompt basically the same two ways, probably because my class in English had just read "Grendel" (Beowulf through Grendel's eyes) and I kept on thinking about him looking in through the window instead of looking out of it...but I ended up writing about the window being real but the scene behind it being imagined. Weird how we thought alike o.O

What do you want to do later?

princessbell · 03-03-2009, 08:09 PM

^^^^I like that idea!! I never thought about taking it to the next level-for someone who claims to be a writer, i frequently take things so literally...glass window...brilliant!

ChandlerBing · 03-03-2009, 08:50 PM

Why don't we all swap our Williams essays? I was actually wondering what people thought of mine... it could be a bit risky. Anyone want to take a look?

limetime · 03-03-2009, 09:07 PM

^that'd be cool! Be warned, mine is complete crap. I personally like my common app main essay much, much better. But PM me if you want.

ArtemisPan · 03-03-2009, 10:26 PM

I'm up for reading people's, but I'd rather not swap mine (I know this sounds weird but ever since this thing happened to me last year on a swap idea like this, I'm not really predisposed to give anyone anything in case they steal it again, not that I don't trust you guys, but you never know). Anyway if you want a second opinion I'd be glad to read it! (My dream is to be editor in chief of a literary magazine haha--and no, don't worry, my grammar/spelling/etc on this is definitely not indicative of how I actually am).

TheWerg · 03-04-2009, 01:47 AM

I enjoyed Finnegans Wake, although I won't claim to have "gotten it". Just liked the language and when I was actually on the same page as Joyce.

I'd be up to swap. Just PM me yours and I'll send mine back; too lazy to check back much and see who wants me to send mine.