EssayEdge says: This question
is actually a combination of two common questions: Describe a significant achievement and
describe a time when you grew as a person.
Accomplishment questions show the admissions
committee what you value, what makes you proud and what you are capable of accomplishing.
A common mistake in answering this question is repeating information that can be found
elsewhere in the application. You should not try to squeeze every achievement on your
resume into the essay. If you do choose to write about an accomplishment that the
committee can read about somewhere else on your application, be sure to bring that
experience alive by demonstrating what it took to get there and how it affected you
personally. Do not be afraid to show them that you feel proud. This is not the place for
modesty. However do not fall to the other extreme either-you can toot your own horn, but
do it without being snotty. You will not have to worry about either extreme if you spend
the bulk of your essay simply telling the story.
If you feel like you have not done anything
worth focusing on, then remind yourself that the best essays are often about modest
accomplishments. It does not matter what you have accomplished as long as it was
personally meaningful and you can make it come alive. Unless specified, the accomplishment
can be professional, personal, or academic. Did you get a compliment from a notoriously
tough boss? Did you lose the race but beat your own best time? Did you work around the
clock to bring your C in physics up to an A. Do not think about what they want to
hear-think about what has really made you proud.
For the second part of the question, they are
asking you to open up about who you really are. Although you do want to show that you have
matured, do not overplay what a terrible person you once were just to make the point of
what a great person you are now. No one changes that much. Besides, the “before”
portrait might be the one that sticks in the admissions officer’s head. Also, focus
on your current personality rather than on the “old you” or on every last detail
of the event. The reader wants to know what you are like now, not what you were like a
long time ago. Finally, describe real events and scenarios to prove that your growth
resulted from the decisions you made and actions you took. Significant events and people
can serve as inspiration. Real change, though, always results from the work, effort, and
initiative you have put into yourself. Take some credit.
For examples
of and short critiques for the Influential Achievement Essay, click here.
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Discuss some issue of
personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.
EssayEdge says: This question
is among the hardest to answer. Even here you need to stay personal. If a cause is
important to you or you have a strong opinion about it, relate it back to your life. What
about you, your experiences, or your upbringing has made this issue resonate for you? Why
do you care? Does the issue affect you personally in any way? Be sure to write about both
sides of the issues to show that you can think objectively and logically. Showing that you
are passionate is great; showing that you are one-sided or bull-headed is not. Finally, be
sure to refrain from making sweeping generalizations about issues that would be out of
your range of experience.
For examples of
and short critiques for the Social/Political Concern Essay, click here.
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Indicate a person, character
in fiction, an historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, etc.) who has had
a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
EssayEdge says: This type of
question attempts to learn more about you through the forces that have shaped you. Many
students make the mistake of believing that this is an essay about a person. They go on at
length, describing the influential person in detail without making a connection between it
and themselves. The school doesn’t care about your uncle, or some fictional heroine.
They care about you. What about that person made an impression on you and how. What action
did you take to turn this impression into personal development and change?
Colleges learn a lot about your values and
standards through your description of your mentors. It is like getting to know a person by
the people he chooses to hang out with. If you are skeptical, consider the different
impression you would have of the candidate who admires a dynamic, colorful athlete
compared to someone who looks up to an accomplished but soft-spoken academic. Neither is
better nor worse-just different.
There are no wrong answers here. Far more
important than whom you choose, though, is how you portray that person. In other words, do
not choose someone because you think it will impress the committee. Name-dropping is not
only very obvious, it is very ineffective. Heed this one word of caution, though.
Applicants very commonly pick one of their parents. Describing your father gives you the
advantage of knowing your subject well, however, it also means doing some extra work to
make your essay stand out from the crowd.
For examples of and short critiques for the Influential
Person Essay, click here.
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Why do you want to spend two
to six years of your life at a particular college, graduate school, or professional
school? How is the degree necessary to the fulfillment of your goals?
EssayEdge says: Knowing the
schools to which you apply is an essential step in answering any essay, but questions such
as these ask you to write about them directly. In answering these questions, mention
specific factors that tie in with your area of interest. Doing this will help you to avoid
the insincere, ingratiating tone that is a danger in this type of essay. Each point will
be honest and well supported, thereby lending credibility to the essay and, in turn, to
you.
Another challenge is finding a balanced yet
truthful tone. Do not be cocky or self-effacing. Show a solid, well-researched knowledge
of the school. Be honest and be thorough.
For
examples of and short critiques for the Future Goals Essay, click here.
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Move on to Lesson Two: Brainstorming a Topic
From ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO COLLEGE, by Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and
Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational
Series, Inc.
