<p>Can you write an essay like a story or do you have to reflect on it in a way?
Is it possible to write it like a short story withought a reflection but instead have it embedded in a a subtle way?</p>
<p>The latter is definitely the way to go. The subtle-reflective type narrative does exactly what the application essays are supposed to do: show who you are and what your passions are. They get to see how you describe yourself, those around you and how you approach your passions.</p>
<p>Perhaps my opinion is biased since my application essay was a narrative but I feel it’s a good approach nonetheless to SHOW readers who you are, as opposed to TELLING them who you are.</p>
<p>My post is unclear… I am referring to your second question that YES, it is possible to write a short story with an embedded reflection.</p>
<p>Okay thanks! I think I’m going to do some sort of narrative for mine too :)</p>
<p>While I think it’s a great idea, a couple things to keep in mind while writing your story is that admissions officers read applications all day, every day and that they will only spend 20-30 minutes on your entire application (at most). Because of these facts, if you make your essay too complex, and have your underlying ideas too deeply embedded, you could actually end up confusing or misleading the admissions officer. To reiterate, the narrative style is a great way to write your style; however, you have to write carefully so as to get your point across to even a very fatigued admissions officer.</p>
<p>Yeah don’t be too subtle. If you were crafting a publishable short story you wouldn’t interject your own reflections in the first-person but it might be necessary sometimes in a college admissions essay.</p>