<p>Some devil’s advocate here…</p>
<p>Sometimes, your life is just boring. Yeah, sure, there’s the argument that “everyone’s life is exciting, you just need to search your memory and pick out the events that are worth telling about”, but let’s be honest. Not everyone has that good of a memory, and it’s one heck of an assumption to just assume that everyone has something worth talking about.</p>
<p>For example, take Williams College’s supplemental essay this year. They ask you to reflect on a scene that has significance to you. Well what if you don’t have a scene that has significance to you? Sure, there’s the children’s playground across the street that you could BS your way through in an essay, or maybe you could write about the first time you ever saw snow. But what if you’re not actually passionate about those things?</p>
<p>In that situation, would it be so wrong to make up a scene that you can actually get excited about? I can’t bring myself to say that it would be. Your true self is still shining through. The scene you’re making up symbolizes what actually is important to you.</p>
<p>I don’t support lying about awards you’ve won, or claiming to be something you’re not. On the other hand, some of the best college admissions essays tell a story, and not all of us have a great story to tell. I don’t see anything wrong with making up a story if it’s something you can write passionately about. That shows more of the true you than a story that actually happened that you have to bend and twist to make fit the lesson you’re trying to portray in your essay.</p>
<p>Like I said, no lying about credentials, but telling a good story that may or may not have happened…if you can write passionately about it, I don’t see how it’s such a bad thing.</p>