Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Institutions I'm Thinking About: - Beloit College - Kalamazoo College - Hampshire College - Lewis & Clark College - University of Alaska Fairbanks - Bates College
Writing this essay pushed me to really think about what was critical and meaningful to me, and how to show that to the schools that I will apply to. One skill that I worked and experimented with while writing was using an expanded vocabulary! I wanted to use words that were uncommon and stuck out, instead of the penny words and adjectives that are so easy to use. Before I revised my essay, the flow and pace of the writing was inconsistent and didn't make a whole lot of sense. For example, peer critiques said that it was, drawn out, but also sudden and that I should hint more at the "climax". Most of the feedback I got was to emphasize the change and realisation that I had, and that was very difficult to do while staying in the word limit! I used adjectives and imagery to show the reader what I saw and felt. Doing this proved to be beneficial, as a 'show not tell' made my essay more powerful. Thinking about what I wanted to write next and how it was going to potentially set me apart from other applicants was motivating to me, and I felt like this motivation is what drove me to change my essay in these ways.