<p>So Im currently answering some common application questions in the supplements of Brown University, the one Im having a difficulty with is : what is something you created that makes you especially proud, and why?</p>
<p>I was going to write about the community service club I created with some other friends in my school, its the first student club created there and weve been raising awareness and organizing fairs to raise money for some associations and providing volunteers for others.</p>
<p>But now Im thinking about writing about a crêpe recipe (its like a very thin pancake) Ive created and at the end of the post Ill post the recipe. I dont know I just taught that the admission officer is probably going to get bored reading all these small paragraphs and that theres probably other people that created clubs somewhere out there, I want to be original </p>
<p>I would love some advice on which topic I should choose!</p>
<p>With the first one, the admissions officer is learning something about you.
With the second one, the admissions officer is learning something about you, but is also learning that you’re innovative. AND they have a new recipe to try out! </p>
<p>You will definitely stand out more with the second option. In admissions to elite schools like Brown, that’s what matters!
(Maybe they’ll even contact you to tell you how your recipe turned out! Maybe…)</p>
<p>Eh. I think it could work, but it could also come across as gimmicky. Unless you have a strong interest in cooking, it will look like you’re trying too hard to be original and it doesn’t really say anything about you or what you would contribute to the campus community. If your goal is to entertain the admissions officer, reading a recipe is not actually all that fun. It will likely annoy the admissions officer, who is trying to learn about your interests, not that you were able to come up with a goofy way to “beat” the question.</p>
<p>I don’t really see it as an attempt to “‘beat’ the question”. It answers it. He/she’s proud of her crepe recipe. He/she created it. The question asks for a creation the applicant is proud of.</p>
<p>I’m sure said admissions officer will get tons of people elaborating on all of these seemingly impossible things they’ve “done” and people who think that the only way to stand out is to have discovered the cure for cancer. I feel like it would be a relief to get an applicant who knows that he/she doesn’t have to be Superman to stand out and be an excellent candidate for an elite school. It also shows that the applicant isn’t just a hermit who spend his/her whole high school career guzzling down textbooks and AP courses in order to get into Brown because his/her parents will disown him if he doesn’t.
Someone who shows that he/she is more than just brains and good work ethic will most likely come off as a better contribution to the campus and the community.</p>
<p>Plus, I’ve read that supplement/essay questions are the best ways to show the admissions officers things about you that aren’t shown in your application. I’m sure you put your community service club under extracurricular activities in your application, so it would basically be restating something the officer already knows. (However, if you’re doing the common app, you can always use the “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below” question to elaborate on your community service club. You get the best of both worlds that way!)</p>
<p>I could be wrong. I’m a 17 year old applying to colleges myself, so my knowledge in the area is undoubtedly limited. I just know that, were I an admissions officer, I would much prefer reading the second answer, but alas, I am no admissions officer.</p>