Twisting Titles?

College Essays
1

<p>From what I’ve seen, while most college applications have prompts which require straightforward answers (i.e. they make the possible topics very clear and very narrow), there are some which seem to give you a little flexibility and allow you to bend the subject to things more abstract (and often, more revealing)…</p>

<p>My question is: is it a risk to twist the title? (assuming I can still show my personality through the essay)</p>

<p>For example: if, say, the essay required a description of a favourite place, would it be too much of a stretch to go into something abstract, like your mind? (that’s a bad example, but I hope you get the idea)</p>

<p>Does it reflect badly with the admissions committee? Could it damage your application if you test the boundaries of the topic?</p>

<p>(I apologize if this has already been asked/answered)</p>

2

<p>I think that there is a lot of flexibility on what you can write about, but you should stick to what they ask you. Sometimes colleges will let you make up your own prompt. If you want to write about something different, then that’s the way to go. You can come up with interesting responses that still stick to the boundaries of what they ask for. I think it’s better to be safe and stick to what they ask for. In your example, I think the college really doesn’t want to read about you going into your mind, which isn’t a place. But I think that a place you read about in Gulliver’s Travels would certainly count.</p>