My mother checked out a book (specifically an 1873 edition of Shakespeare’s “Othello”) from Tulane’s library in 1989 and never returned it. She told me about this incident while we were visiting Tulane in early August, and I thought it would be funny to include this anecdote in my “Why Tulane” essay. My mother, however, thought that admission officers would frown upon the whole “stolen” book thing.
Personally, if I were an admission officer and an applicant were to include such an anecdote in his or her admissions essay, it would both stand out and be comical to me, but I’m not an admissions officer.
My idea was to open up my essay with the anecdote about the stolen book and close with my proposal to bring the book back once I got admitted (amongst other elements of the essay). I think it’s brilliant, but I don’t want to get cocky.
Is the idea really too risky? Would admission officers really frown upon the whole “stolen” book thing that happened 25+ years ago to someone who’s not even me? Send help.
I’m sorry, but this sounds like a bad idea to me. If you want to make an impression on the admissions folk, perhaps you should return the book first, with a nice polite note apologizing for your parent’s library transgression… And then follow up with your application.
Making light of theft of a valuable object, then threatening the victim with ransom for the return of the stolen good is an utterly terrible idea for an essay for admission to the victimized school.
It shows:
- lack of moral compass
- arrogance
- sense that the rules don’t apply to your family
- lack of empathy
- sociopathic behavior
Why not write an equally edgey essay about being a child molester?
@PrimeMeridian I see your point, but your analogy is a bit extreme. We’re talking about an old library book here.
If I was an adcom and saw this essay I would 1) reject you; and 2) have the school attorney send your mother a letter demanding return of stolen property. I can’t imagine how anyone would think this is funny or a good idea for an essay.
@me29034 @PrimeMeridian @cameo43 I want to clarify something: my mother did not INTENTIONALLY steal the book. It was an ACCIDENT. She didn’t even realize she still had the book until recently. I’m not trying to make light of the situation AT ALL; it was just an idea. I’m also not holding the book and asking for admission as “ransom.” It was more of a lighthearted thing, but I guess I’m glad you all told me how terrible of an idea it was.
Who are you to judge for Tulane that the stolen article didn’t have significant monetary, historical, or scholarly value to Tulane.
Yeah, but the bottom line is that you acknowledge that it’s “stolen”.
“my proposal to bring the book back once I got admitted” unambiguously implies that you won’t bring it back if not admitted. It’s a de facto ransom note.
The fact that you think Tulane will see any humor in this and that you’re still rationalizing the ethics of it really speaks volumes about you.
I think people are being a little tough on OP, who is, after all, a teenager with a not yet fully developed frontal lobe.
It’s not a great idea for all of the reasons set forth above but the fact is that OP didn’t write the essay and did ask about whether it was a good idea. S/he should get some credit for that.
Frankly, I think that the book should be returned by a reputable carrier asap and anonymously. The OP’s application should not mention it at all.
Yes, @thefloridavegan , you were wise to ask for advice first, and I agree you should not use the anecdote in the Tulane essay. But as the book is now found, how to get it back? Whatever you choose, I’d wait until after Tulane’s decision on you.
Initially @thefloridavegan I saw humor in it too and thought it was creative. However, it is important to weigh other perspectives, which are overwhelmingly for you to not do it. I think @cameo43 had an excellent idea that you should take to heart. Make all efforts to return the book. Then in your essay, you can even mention that you did so they can make the connection. In your note to them, you might even want to say that this was a recent discovery and that you felt obligated to return it and demonstrate your interest towards them.