Common App Prompt Interpretation Advice?

columbiaman
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 06:41:11 +0000

I decided to get an early start on my common app essay and chose the prompt: “Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.”

I have started my essay and in the middle of it I realized that I might have to scrap it!

I wrote about a time when I played piano for some senior citizens at a nursing home in SHORT STORY FORM (I have heard this isn’t a good idea as it does not give adcoms a full picture of who you are?) Anyway, I have really bad public speaking/performance anxiety and I described how I felt during the moments before I played, (anxious/nervous) during the performance, (still nervous but gaining confidence) and how I felt after (accomplished and such. In the end I talk about how I feel I matured from the experience and how it helped me grow and become a more confident person.

My questions are:

Is it acceptable to put in short story form? (The whole essay covers about 20 mins.)

I didn’t exactly explain how it transitioned me from childhood to adulthood, but how it was a stepping stone in the process that I really benefited from, do you think this would be alright? Or would they scrap it because I didn’t directly answer the (somewhat difficult) prompt?

Any advice is welcome and greatly appreciated!!