<p>Boy, am I doing a lot of posting today…</p>
<p>Anyway, hi!
I am a rising senior, and I have lately been brainstorming about my essay topic (for common app). I have a few things down, and I am just wondering which one do you guys think you would be more willing to read:</p>
<p>-my record collection: being African American and listening to classic rock and owning 60s/70s/80s vinyl, having my own record player
-working with a surgeon at a hospital: so I got this awesome opportunity to work with a surgeon at my dad’s hospital, and pretty much, I will be observing and learning about surgery as the surgeon is actually doing them</p>
<p>I would really like to go into the medical field, so I think the surgeon experience would be best for that, but I also find that my record collection is a really unique aspect about myself. I am really stuck between these two…
Also, I haven’t even started working with the surgeon yet, so I will have to wait a bit before actually starting to write my essay. If I do choose that topic, I would probably start my actual writing in August. If I choose the record collection topic, I would start writing now and throughout July.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Complete opinion, not college advice, but while the surgeon topic may pertain more for what you want to do, it seems like more of the college entrance game than the other topic. If the record collection is a unique and treasured aspect of yourself, it might turn out much more interesting and remind admissions officers that you’re a unique person, and not a list of numbers and activities. It’s the one of the two I’d like to read, at least. And also, you could add the surgeon internship on another part of the application. But maybe talk to an admissions officer? I don’t know, that was just my opinion.</p>
<p>I think you should do both, depending on the additional essays that may be included in the supplements required by whatever colleges you are applying. Write both of them and you will probably be able to reuse them both at one point.</p>
<p>Yes, I am afraid that if I do the surgeon topic, admissions officers would get bored. I did want that “risky, out-there” topic, but I wasn’t sure whether to write about my ultimate life goal as well.
Or I might completely mess up trying to be “out-there” and only come off as a lame and very bad writer…</p>
<p>well, thanks for the advice, it’s nice to finally hear somebody else’s opinion on the matter :)</p>
<p>@spiritualwitch:</p>
<p>YES, that’s true, I completely forgot about the supplement parts!!!
geez, I am quite the expert on college admissions -______-</p>
<p>I don’t claim to be an expert, but I think the record idea says a lot about you. You could probably write about working with the surgeon in your extra curricular spot on the common app. Your application should (in my humble opinion) show what you’re all about. I would also try to spin the record essay so that they can picture you on campus. Just be sure that whatever you write about, it gets across something about you as a person. I personally would have more fun reading about your records. Sounds pretty cool!</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I think it’s clear that the record essay will definitely attract a bit more of my admission officer’s attention. ;)</p>
<p>I’d love to read it once you get in :]</p>