<p>What’s Harvard’s stance on unconventional essays? I’m planning to submit a supplementary essays that is unconventional to say the least</p>
<p>Can you please elaborate more?</p>
<p>i’m keen to know more too</p>
<p>I hate to say it, but there is little the essay readers haven’t seen before. After ~25,000 essays every year, year after year, they’ve probably seen it all - what may seem “unconventional” to you may seem conventional to them.</p>
<p>Anything that sets you apart from other people is always a good thing. I’ve read that people tend to overestimate their essays, but if it’s truly different from the norm, then it will only help.</p>
<p>OK - I’m not sure that my essay is that different. Maybe I have overestimated. But in any case, I just wanted so make sure they are welcoming to new ideas and ways of presenting them.</p>
<p>What is unconventional…?</p>
<p>If it has swear words, pornography, or excessive violence, I wouldn’t include it.</p>
<p>If it’s a sonnet or lyrics, you should be fine.</p>
<p>D1 wrote hers about sushi-making. Can you out-weird that?</p>
<p>Please don’t write in human blood. :(</p>
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<p>Haha, for a second I thought your username was Gryffindor5147. After reading your comment, I immediately thought of the 5th Harry Potter book where Harry has to use that quill that makes him write in blood lol.</p>
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<p>Agreed. Not a good idea. </p>
<p>On another note, has anyone read 50 Harvard Essays That Worked? I didn’t like that first essay at all! I mean, c’mon, bodily functions (and using the word ****) in a college essay? I understand that it’s well-written, but still.</p>
<p>Truly, you don’t have to be unconventional (though you may be …) My daughter’s essays were on two conventional topics (one of which was - never use that for an essay topic, say the experts -) and they worked just fine. It can be the spin that you put on the essay or, more simply, the way that you present another facet of who you are and/or what you want the admissions committee to know about you.</p>
<p>One of my essays was a litle unconventionally written -it included a couple short stories presented in a diary-like fashion and they liked it :)</p>
<p>One of the biggest fallacies of the college admissions planet is that things that set you apart and make admissions officers remember you are always helpful. The truth is that people generally don’t like weird people, so don’t make yourself seem weird.</p>
<p>^you’re joking, right? </p>
<p>i mean, there is a certain level of weirdness one can get away with, sure. but to be unique in one’s essays has got to be helpful.</p>
<p>No, I’m not joking. Unique is only helpful if it’s unique in a good way. They are looking to learn something about you through your essays. If it’s a unique but non-helpful essay, they’re just going to remember how much of a waste of time it was reading it.</p>
<p>^well obviously it has to be helpful.</p>
<p>but a cliched, helpful essay has got to be worse than a unique, helpful essay.</p>