Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) 2010

embeezy
Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:12:50 +0000

I think about half of your questions can be answered very easily, as I’ve noticed that most of them contain the phrase, “Does X have to be…”

So no, your issue essay doesn’t HAVE to be personal, but it also doesn’t have to be impersonal. Your essays don’t have to be themed, but they don’t have to be diverse in relation to themselves either. You don’t have to make your booklist book-length in number, but you also don’t have to limit the books you include. No part of your TASPlication HAS to be anything, and worrying about being orthodox is generally a waste of time, IMO. Just write passionately and authentically.