<p>So, I’ve begun my Common Application, and it’s just about finished, except for the short answer.</p>
<p>It states, “In the space provided below, please elaborate on one of your activities (extracurricular, personal activities, or work experience)(150 words or fewer).” Is this supposed to be an actual essay, or is it just bragging on one of your extracurriculars?</p>
<p>What I guess I mean is, am I supposed to write something along the lines of, “As a Thespian, I took part in six theatrical productions, one of which I performed in at the Georgia Thespian Conference in front of an audience of my fellow Thespians. My experience with theatre extends outside of high school-sponsored theatre, as last summer I was a part of the community theatre musical production, Annie. Blah blah blah eight hours every other Saturday building sets blah blah blah leadership position blah blah blah your mom blah blah blah the adcom’s mom blah blah…” or should it be something more passionate?</p>
<p>Ex: “Oliver’s continuous struggle, Nancy’s resilience, Fagin’s representation of corrupt society… it all finally sank in. I laughed with the bar wenches; I slaved with the workhouse boys; I became a glutton with Mr. Bumble. For the first time, I understood what theatre is, and what every character means. The characters were no longer just entertainment to me blah blah blah your mom blah blah blah oliver oliver never before has a boy wanted more blah blah blah…”</p>
<p>Thank you for your insight!</p>
<p>Postscript: Would adcoms prefer it if I spelled it “theater” or “theatre?”</p>
<p>Mine was sort of a cross between those two examples. I put a quick sentance or two about what I did, and then I tried to focuss on <em>why</em> I did it; what I liked, what I disliked, the challeges I faced, etc. I think that makes it stand out more and lets you express yourself better, but that’s just my opinion…</p>
<p>Yeah, don’t let it be dry facts only. Talk about the intangibles as well, but make sure you are concise - there is little space for creative fluff here. And I would spell it theater, if I were you, since you are applying to American institutions.</p>
<p>So, how does this sound for a rough outline?:
[ul]
[<em>]Theater has allowed me & will continue to allow me to do so much; six productions, other details of accomplishments
[</em>]Built a work ethic for me - Encountered no other work ethic among my peers like it; ex: work calls, rehearsals, etc.
[<em>]Rewarding experience because of social praise inside and outside the theater program; also because it allows me to express myself creatively
[</em>]Pinnacle of my theatrical experience: when backstage I realized how integral literary interpretation was in theater and how theater was the performance of literature - ultimately leading me to fully realize my love of literature and my dream career of being a college literature professor.
[/ul]</p>
<p>Meh? Sound good?</p>
<p>EDIT: So MBP, you would say that adcoms would understand it to be more correct as “theatre?”</p>
<p>No, the two words are equivalent and can refer to both the building and the theatrical program. They just come from different English dialects, with theater representing the American version.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t worry too much about the spelling of theater, I doubt they’re going to analyze that (or most likely even notice it). I used the Canadian spelling of stuff in my applications (ie putting the “u” in colour), and I was fine :)</p>
<p>a friend of mine applied to uconn for technical theater (stage crew) and used theater when referring to the building and equipment and theatre when referring to the program as in, “in theatre, we put on Rent my freshmen year.” but i dunno. using two different spellings in one thing? sounds like a mistake to me, but what do i know. :)</p>