Common App Prompt Interpretation Advice?

OnMyWay2013
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 04:32:29 +0000

Hmm… I think that balance is good in that case. On the one hand, your story should be able to speak for itself. If you are writing about adversity, your story should make people think, “Oh, this kid is willing to make sacrifices to achieve his goals. He must be really passionate.” Or “Wow, he can really keep a sense of humor after facing all that?” And in that way, your essay would leave the impression that you want it to. But adcoms have to read hundreds, if not thousands of admissions essays. Someone once told me that if it’s not clear the first time what your point is the first time through, they might not waste time trying to understand you. So even if it’s just a few sentences at the end, it might be good to write out how your experience connects with the prompt.