Being an identical twin.

ADad
Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:21:09 +0000

All of them have changed me. I’m not sure if any of this is a hook, I guess that’s part of what I’m asking, even though I doubt it, but I’m really just having problems deciding what to write about.



An essay is unlikely to be a “hook”. It can, however, be a strongly positive factor in your application.

Don’t imagine that the topic you write about is so important. Any topic can make for a good essay, or a bad essay. It’s not the topic, it’s what you do with the topic. How effectively you show something of yourself, and how interesting you turn out to be. The best topic for you is the one that you feel an authenticity about, that is you, that you almost need to write about.

What Admissions Committees really want is not any specific topic or thrust. What they really want is your authentic, unique, voice. What sets you apart from everyone else on earth? That’s the target, though you don’t need to write at that level to help your application.

Having a twin doesn’t automatically make for a great essay. It could be a great essay, if you can show yourself well. But your essay could also turn out to be a cliche about twins. Write what feels right to you on the inside, not what appears unusual on the outside.

Check out this helpful web page from UVa: