<p>I’m a rising high school senior in NC, and my top choice for college is Duke. I plan on applying ED this fall, and have been considering what I should focus on to set me apart and what not. One such thing is the fact that I have a sister at UNC. Given the UNC-Duke rivalry, I find this interesting (to say the least) and am wondering what an admissions officer would think, particularly if it was addressed in an essay. My concern with doing so is that perhaps the UNC-Duke rivalry is too un-academic and focusing on it will make me seem to be applying for the wrong reasons. Is this reasonable? What do you think they would think of this if I did?</p>
<p>the essay isnt necessarily supposed to be academic at all. as long as you can write an amazing essay about anything and captivate the admissions officers so they will actulaly want to read it, it doesn’t matter what you write about. in fact the essays that end up being the best are usually things that are outside of the box. just ask yourselves these questions:
- is the topic something u are really passionate about and that you can show you are passionate about.
- does it have some larger message to it that affects or has affected you in some way
- and does it give lite to your personality and character?</p>
<p>I guess it worked for my brother the other way around. I’m at Duke, and he applied and got into UNC. We’re out of state, where UNC is much harder to get into, too.</p>
<p>It would definitely be an acceptable topic but keep in mind that the Duke-UNC rivalry is very popular and I’m sure you wouldnt be the only one to mention it. However, im sure many applicants just throw it in to show false school spirit and do not show how intense and passionate they are about the rivalry.</p>
<p>If you can show how it really does mean a lot to you, then of course go for it. The essay will, in turn, probably be interesting and thats what is most important. And i second nmehta4’s questions to use as guidelines. They seem very important. Good luck!</p>
<p>don’t think of the essay as a matter of academic vs. unacademic. an essay about how you like math would provide an admissions officer with about as much of what he or she wants as an essay about the duke/unc rivalry, or, frankly, an essay about why you hate peas. In other words, the TOPIC is not actually that important. It’s what the chosen topic conveys about you that counts. You don’t need to prove to them that you are academic. DUH. You wouldn’t be applying if you weren’t. What you need to prove to them is that there is something special, unique, (whatever) about you, something that makes you more than just your excellent scores, grades or extra-currics. </p>
<p>To be honest, I don’t really know how you would reveal some outstanding character trait or what have you using the Duke/UNC rivalry, but then, what do I know. Different things have different meanings to different people. Just make sure that whatever you write, you convey one, simple and significant thing about yourself that you think will draw you apart. And don’t be afraid to be creative: With terrible scores (relative to Duke’s app pool) and mediocre grades, I had to throw a hail-mary with the essay and somehow it worked. Don’t forget these guys don’t stop reading these things for weeks on end, so boring is not an option.</p>
<p>hey, eadgbe33, I’m an incoming freshman at Duke. I agree mostly with jct30. I definitely don’t think your essay has to be “academic”, but I also don’t really think this would be a good essay topic. It seems somewhat trivial, and I think it might be a waste of your one shot to impress the adcom with your essay.</p>
<p>I also agree with jct that the Duke-UNC rivalry is too prevalent to write an essay about. Even though it may not be a common essay topic, the people on your adcom are going to have heard all different stories about the rivalry and will probably be somewhat tired of it. I would choose something a little more personal and a little less cliche, even considering that you’d add your own personal twist to the topic.</p>
<p>Finally, I would choose something that would have good Common App value. Essays are a big pain and if you did decide to apply to other schools (I know you said you were looking to apply ED), I would hate to have to write a completely new essay. Just something to consider.</p>
<p>With that in (or out of) mind, know that people on CC and elsewhere can give you tons of strategies and advice, but ultimately it’s your essay. I think what the adcoms most want is to see something that’s uniquely yours. There’s no other way for them to judge you for you. If you’re passionate about this topic, then write about it. Remember, it’s your essay.</p>
<p>FYI…my essay was about a 10 second conversation I had with a boy that I don’t know, had never seen before, and will probably never see again.</p>
<p>The essay might work, but only if in the end the essay revealed insights about you---- not (just) your sister or the Duke-Carolina rivalry.</p>
<p>The advice of p<em>hp</em>fan regarding writing an essay that you can use for other schools if you need to do is also pretty wise, even if you are planning on applying ED.</p>
<p>Definitely make it about you, not the Duke-Carolina rivalry. So many people outside of Duke assume that those who work at Duke, yes, even in the admissions office, are Duke fans and hate UNC. Guess what? That’s not always the case - not even close. You’ll find many UNC grads working at Duke. You’ll find many Duke employees married or partnered with UNC employees - professors, researchers, doctors, administrators. You’re looking at this as your future alma mater and the sports rivalry seems really important. For those who live and work at Duke, Duke is every day life and Chapel Hill is only 10 miles away. For academics and medical professionals, both are very viable and large centers of employment. </p>
<p>Follow the advice above and you’ll be fine. Write about you and your sister and your relationship and you’ll be fine. Let Dick Vitale wax poetic on the rivalry itself - he’ll get more mileage out of it. ;)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It seems like an interesting topic, but I wonder how overdone it might be. After all, Duke is going to be getting a lot of applications from students from students in NC.</p>
<p>I went with a seemingly “trivial” topic too, but I think the reason it worked was because it was unique, and I made it about me. It’s definitely ok if done correctly. PM me if you want to hear more about it.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your input! Right now I am thinking I won’t be trying to do the essay on this topic, but might mention it briefly if I do indeed write the essay on my relationship with my sister and/or with my family as a whole (which seems like a pretty fruitful topic given my slightly dysfunctional family). Thanks again to all who commented!</p>
<p>By the way, nmehta4, I found your questions to be helpful in ruling out essay ideas. Thanks!</p>