What are colleges looking for in an essay? Specific example inside...

Applying to College
1

Lately, I’ve been pretty stumped when it comes to college application essays. Whenever I am given a prompt, I feel as if it’s a trick question and I have to answer it a certain way to get the admission officers to be drawn to my essay. I do consider myself a pretty talented writer, but I do have areas where I need to improve. In one specific essay, the prompt question is, “Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it’s important to you.”

I’ve spent weeks debating to myself and writing out rough drafts, but none of them seem to please me. I am a good creative writer and write a lot of my own books, so I want to find a way to incorporate that into my essays. Would you say that it’s good to add my own little twist to my essays, or should I stick to a more traditional essay format?

Also, for the prompt itself: I want to write about how my efforts go unnoticed, but would that be too self centered? I want to talk about growing up Asian has set up unbelievable checkpoints for me by society. But, at the same time, I’m worried that I make the people who read the essays upset that I said that Asians are graded on a harsher scale, even when it comes to applying for colleges.

2

Generally, CC suggests making it positive, glass half full, how you succeed despite. Not woe is me, society sets up barriers. Rather, how you get past them. Ie, the attributes adcoms wants to see you have.

3

So, I could write about how growing up Asian has set up hard to reach stereotypes for me, but instead of going negatively, I should talk about how it has made me a better person and how it helped me strive for more and yada yada yada? Is that what you mean?

4

Maybe you should ask on the college forum (WI?) how others interpret the question. I may be confused. I can see it meaning something you do that goes unnoticed (no awards or woop-de-doo.) Otoh, they may mean a problem you see that is ignored and why you feel it’s important. I can’t tell what “in your life” really refers to.

In general, after reading it, you want those reviewers to see you in a positive light, whether that’s your efforts or, in the latter case, your awareness and some effort to make things better. And,the idea is what you “show, not just tell.”

5

Oh! I didn’t know there was a section for that. Thanks! :slight_smile: