mikpan

[mikpan]

Just Write About Yourself: Easier Said Than Done

When thinking about college, you usually think it is all fun and games, but the process to get there can be a nightmare. Many will struggle through the process, if not given the necessary help and explanations of every step. I am fortunate enough to have teachers and counselors who explain the process step by step, and help with anything that might be confusing. That can not be said for other students who do not have that same privilege. This is especially true for the process of writing the college admissions essay. This is not just any essay, it is a summary of the last 17 years of your life. You are supposed to write about challenges you faced and how you overcame them in 650 words or less. Anyone who is asked to do that, and not taught properly about it, would have a difficult time. It is a difficult thing to do. When asking admissions officers what colleges want in the admissions essay, they will often say “Colleges just want to get to know you better”, but what does that actually mean? 

The genre of the college admissions essay is “personal statement”. You are supposed to write about your personal experiences and how you have grown from that. That is easier said than done. James Warren, professor at the University of Arlington Texas and author of the study “The Rhetoric of College Admissions Essays”, believes that the essay is a “personal statement masquerading as a personal narrative”. I find this to be very true considering the whole point of the essay is to convince college admissions counselors that you are a good candidate for their school based on the challenges you have faced in life and how you learn from them. This can prove to be an issue for the kids who believe they have never faced significant challenges in life. What are they supposed to write about? Picking the topic of the college essay is another thing that needs to be taught to students who are applying to college. They shouldn’t have to figure it out on their own without any help. That help could be the difference between a college acceptance or rejection. The college essay is supposed to be all about how you can bring diversity to the college campus. Diversity, according to the study "How Do I Bring Diversity?" Race and Class in the College Admissions Essay” by Anna Kirkland and Ben B. Hansen, is not just race and ethnicity, but what makes you different and sets you apart from the other students on campus. This should be shown through your essay, but how do you do that? How are we supposed to figure out what separates us from other candidates? 

In the articles “Social class influences where even valedictorians go to college, research finds”by Paul Fain and “Getting In” by Malcolm Gladwell, a common theme of teachers not fully going in depth about the college admissions essay and process is recurring. Glaswell specifically mentions how he was not taught how to even apply, granted the process was very simple and only required ranking the colleges he wanted to go to. Warren taps into this theme in his study, and explains that students are unfamiliar with the college essay prompts, which can lead to them writing an essay that doesn’t even answer the question. Warren suggests that teachers should teach their students to tailor their essays to the specific expectations of particular institutions. Warren also believes that students should consider their audience when writing their admissions essay. Not everyone is going to be able to understand and relate to the struggle you talk about in your essay. It is important to remember that when writing. June Jordan, famous poet and author, also believes this when it comes to writing in Black English Versus “proper English”. In her essay “Nobody Mean More to Me than You And the Future Life of Willie Jordan'', she talks about how it is more difficult to write in a language that is not your dominant language, for example writing in “proper English” when you mainly communicate in Black English. Despite this she emphasizes considering your audience, and how most people in the world do not understand Black English. If you write your essay in Black English, and the admissions officer reading it does not understand this type of English, it might undermine the point you are trying to make.

The college admissions essay is supposed to be the factor that helps determine if you are the right person for that particular college. If you are the best candidate to help diversify the institution, or the person who will best connect with the community already established by that university. The college admissions essay is the most difficult, yet most rewarding essay you will ever have to write.

This is a picture of three of the many necklaces I own. These ones in particular are my favorite. Each one holds special memories that range from when I received them to special moments in my life that happened while I was wearing them. I never leave the house without at least one around my neck. They have all been gifted to me by various family members and each one holds a special place in my heart. The first one was gifted to me by my aunts. It was for my conformation, which happened in the middle of COVID, so we did not get the ceremony we deserved. This was the first of the three necklaces I received. The second necklace was a gift from my dad for Christmas. What makes this one special is we picked it out together. We went into the store and picked out the necklace that we both liked the best and one that we thought I would get the most use out of. To this day, this is the necklace that I wear the most out of all of the ones I own. The last necklace was the most recent edition to my collection. It was a gift from my grandma, and I feel that this is the most special to me out of all of them. She bought it from a jewelry store from her hometown in Italy, which already makes it special. On top of that, my aunts, my cousins, my sister, and I all have the same one. The charm is an Italian horn which is a good luck charm and is meant to protect whoever wears it. I was in a completely different time in my life when I received all three of these necklaces, but they each hold a special place in my heart.