<p>My kid has two versions of the short answer: one that covers her love of reading - listing her goodreads.com profile, the fact that she’s read to kids for community service, how reading takes her to a peaceful place, etc. Nice and full of more fact about what she does.</p>
<p>A college coach - playing here $150 an hour! said do something beside the reading - she covered it in the activities, etc.</p>
<p>The second is about her love of music - the different instruments she plays, record she listens to, concerts. More energy - but not as full of information - straight facts about her.</p>
<p>Without sending them both out…which seems like a better one? SHe is way behind on all of her essays, supplments…We’re confused.</p>
<p>I would go with whichever she feels describes her best. If the second essay is full of facts and does not explain her personality, I would go with the first essay.</p>
<p>However, I was rather put off by the first essay by your kid’s inclusion of a goodreads.com profile or reading to children. Colleges don’t want you to repeat your accomplishments, unless you use it in an interesting way to present who you are. I like that reading takes her to a peaceful place (and possibly she displays this peaceful-ness when she reads to others?), but my first impression of immediately listing a reading profile is arrogance or annoyingly repetitive.</p>
<p>As the above user stated, pick the essay which gives more on her personality that can’t be seen by the resume or transcript sections of the application. From the sounds of it, if she can talk about how goodreads and reading to kids have effected her, and not make it sound like a laundry list, then it should be good to go.</p>