Short answer essay questions - how???

Parents Forum
1

So one of D19s schools has 4 short answer questions with a 120 word limit. Should be easy-peasy, right?

Ummmmm…these are big deep questions. 120 words is about 4-5 sentences. How in the world???

For example:

Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. We are interested in learning more about your interests and how you have been involved and/or served. Briefly describe a group, organization, or community that you have been involved with. Is this a special area of interest for you, and why? How long have you been involved? What role did you play? What contributions have you made to this group? Were you able influence others and/or influence decisions for the good of the group?

How exactly do you answer that question in 120 words? Even just making one short sentence to answer each part of the question puts her over the limit! (Just for reference, that question above by itself is 86 words.)

She is currently typing her answers in a word document so I don’t know if the app itself actually hard-limits you to 120 words or not, but she is trying to stick strictly to the word limit. She’s going to be annoyed if she finds out that kids routinely go over – do you know if it is common to go longer (even another 10-15 words would help!)

2

I recall the admissions director at the University of Chicago once remarking that the adcom often learns more from the short-answer questions than from the main essay. Reason? People tend to be more candid, off-the-cuff, authentic; less “edited” by others. Use those questions as a way to tell the adcom something that they might not learn from your “numbers” and your highly stylized and overwritten main essay.

3

120 words…one paragraph. They want a concise answer to the question…not a long song and dance.

4

Don’t go over the word limit. Here are some general tips that may help:

https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/must-i-cut-my-too-long-college-essay-if-so-how/

5

The prompt is the “Briefly Describe” sentence – the questions that follow are examples, not a list that has to be answered one by one. I think most people could describe a group or activity they are involved and provide a short summary within 3 or 4 sentences. The main point is that they want some indication of the student’s personal role or reasons for involvement – not merely a description of the organization and what it does.

So I think your daughter is overthinking the question.

6

If your main essay matches this description, you’re doing it wrong.

7

Don’t go over the word limit.
–Part of what is being tested is the applicant’s ability to express ideas in a clear, effective, and succinct manner.

–The second part of the equation is that admissions officers are swamped with things to read and are not happy to see essays that go longer than recommended.

8

I can almost guarantee you that it will be better when she figures out how to make it more succinct. If she’s really desperate she could use bullet points.

They year my son applied to Tufts the “why Tufts?” essay was limited to 50 words. Now that was challenging!

9

120 words is about a half a double-spaced typed page, on paper. Eg, from the opening of your thread post down through your 3rd paragraph ("…for the good of the group.") Be glad it’s not a character limit.

They’re not asking for every detail or every activity. Choose one that allows her to summarize while showing her engagement. And she doesn’t need to answer every sub question separately. They can be incorporated smoothly or alluded to in a few words.

10

I’m an evangelist for brevity, but I do see some questions with absurdly low limits. I’m currently working with a graduate school applicant with a serious infraction on his record. He has to answer the following prompt:

“You must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.”

in FIVE HUNDRED CHARACTERS.

You have to be kidding me. Were they thinking of Chinese characters? 500 characters is the right length for the “brief description” alone. MAYBE Hemingway could reflect on his worst mistake and its aftermath in 500 characters. I couldn’t.

11

Use those 120 words to write an anecdote or sketch of an interaction that will show your commitment to whatever area of service you were involved in.

Did you work at the food pantry? Tell about that time you helped a dad figure out interesting recipes based on the cans he received.

Are you a writing tutor? Write about the excitement you felt when a student put into practice something you taught her. 120 words. It’s doable.

12

^Haiku

13

“I’m sorry for the length of this letter - I didn’t have time to shorten it.”
Quotes similar to this have been attributed to Mark Twain, Ben Franklin and others.
It is easier to write a longer essay than it is to write a good short one. Writers are told they need to be able to “kill their darlings” - also attributed to various people.

120 words can be 6-10 sentences - that’s not too short to get your point across.

14

Hannah, remember the old NYU short answers? 4 or 5 questions and something like 150 characters each. Nuts. But it weeded out those who were mixed up.

Lol, “kill their darlings.” The editor’s charge is to “be brutal.” The ability to self edit is something top colleges look for. No one needs every detail. Just the point, with some charm.

15

“You must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.”

in FIVE HUNDRED CHARACTERS."

This begs for the response to be in Haiku format. Let them sort out the hidden meaning…

(Sorry, don’t mean to joke about something that is so obviously unfair, I hope you can help this applicant.)

ETA: intparent agrees! Should have read further before responding.

16

The factual aspects of the sub-questions can be easily condensed, e.g. “I began to really understand “hardship” when I started at the soup kitchen 5 years ago.” In 16 words you have answered 1 and 3, you have begun to answer 2 and have set up yourself to answer the remaining questions.

17

“Hannah, remember the old NYU short answers? 4 or 5 questions and something like 150 characters each. Nuts. But it weeded out those who were mixed up.”

I’m fine with one-sentence answers, as long as there isn’t a laundry list of heavy themes that the student must address. Many consequences are themselves over 500 characters. The consequence might be 5 days in jail, plus a 5-year suspended sentence, loss of the driver’s license for 6 months, completion of an alcohol education course, 80 hours of community service, etc. etc.

18

Several of Yale’s short answers were limited to 35 words, and they were answers to big questions, such as “What inspires you and why?” Princeton had some responses that called for 100 characters. It’s do-able. You just have to learn how to express things succinctly, boil ideas down to their essence, and edit ruthlessly.

What might be helpful is to take some of the longer answers to the most common topics (e.g., leadership, your role in EC activities; how you add to diversity), and create versions of varying lengths to use as raw material. My D, for example, had versions of her supplemental essays ranging from 1500 words to 100 words.

Just as an exercise, I took the now-famous “Costco essay” that originally clocked in at 654 words (for the record, the applicant went over the word count!!) and edited it down to 300-word version, a 250 word version, a 200 word version, a 134 word version, and yes, even a 120 word version that would satisfy V-Tech’s 120 word limit. The original can be easily found through a google search. Here is the 120 word version:

I survey the kingdom of Costco – the apex of consumerism – navigating the aisles, observing patrons, pondering the universe. Costco nurtures my unfettered curiosity.

I consider uses for large tubs of sour cream and contemplate the philosophical: If there exists a 33oz. jar of Nutella, do we really have free will? I consider the laws of physics as I witness the an overflowing cart gaining downhill speed before crashing into a concrete column.

My Costco-honed exploratory skills help me probe the universe. I seek the ideal cart-- filled with questions, brimming with ideas – to circumnavigate the warehouse that is the world through aerial yoga, charting radiation, or dance.
Exploring beyond the bounds of rational thought, I relish discovery.

19

^ Now I have to google it after reading your post!

20

(Like it much better than the original. All the cutesy stripped out. Good exercise for any kid.)