<p>Princeton says “Using one of the quotes below (or your own favorite quotation) as a jumping off point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values.”</p>
<p>must I really mention a specific value? Does a career aspiration count?</p>
<p>also, could I write about a collection of experiences instead of one? I wrote about how my bus journeys have helped me realise the importance of public service and public servants. I sort of condensed all those journeys into a single, hypothetical journey. is that alright?</p>
<p>could I also have an essay that’s actually a mixture of a few experiences and many trains of thought?</p>
<p>when you mentioned “a career aspiration” as a value I winced, but then when you went on to describe it I thought it was really quite good. I like atypical structures, and it sounds like it’s unified enough to pull off that whole conglomerate-of-experiences thing.</p>
<p>hahah, i like the way you put it. hmm yeah, i do think it’s a pretty neat idea. it’s basically how i’ve seen my nation through bus windows and realising the importance of a government.</p>
<p>but how exactly do i make it into a value?</p>
<p>which one of these are most like values?:
-a respect for public servants and their accomplishments
-an understanding of the importance of public service, or indeed, service to any nation’s survival and success
-my own desire to serve, as a future public servant</p>
<p>I think i could very well just fit a line or two about those.</p>
<p>Since you only have about 500 words, your best bet would be to keep your essay focused. Most people have trouble staying in the word limits. I think tying your essay to the idea of your desire to serve makes the most sense - it says the most about you, and that is the whole point of college essays. The first two examples you gave seem too impersonal. The last one comes closest to a “value.”</p>