<p>@ simplyjuil</p>
<p>I choose on MOST of my short answers to give replies that very clear, professional, HONEST, and informative. The max word requirement kinda led me to believe that Rice preferred the questions to be answered with a clear, focused, and concise response. I did not believe that there was much room for fluff, so other than my voice the responses were generic in a sense. </p>
<p>The exception was on my “what will I add” and the “why rice” responses. On these I injected all my humor, heart, and voice. I’m quite confident they stood out.</p>
<p>I’m not saying what I did was best, I’m just saying it worked for me. I don’t think you should try to make every single reply and sentence completely original and unique. It’s okay to mention things like small size and residential colleges etc. but by all means, don’t make your main essay sounds just like the thousands of others they receive. </p>
<p>If I had to give advice for essays I would tell you; how you write about something can be more important than what you write about. And think different. You need to stand out.</p>