Writing the college application essay
Aug 13 '00
I found my college essay very recently, and though back to all of the anxiety I felt when writing it. I hope that by retelling my experience, I can help lighten the anxiety college hopefuls have regarding their own college essay…
In December of 1996 I did what high school seniors in the United States do every December. I began to think seriously about life after high school and concurrently began to worry about the dreaded college application process. For many this may be as simple as filling out the front of an application to a community college. For others, it can be quite an ominous task. The basic application for the University of Pennsylvania was 20 pages long when I applied.
One of the hardest parts of the college application is writing the essay, which is required for most selective colleges. I found a great deal of books on how to write a good college essay, but these succeeded only in giving examples of essays which seemed to be far beyond anything I could write and only increased the tension I felt about writing my own essay.
My first choice was Wake Forest University, and before I applied, I was actually able to ask Thomas Hearn, the president of Wake Forest, how important the college essay was. He was kind enough to tell me that it is the first thing the Wake Forest Admission staff looks at when processing applications is the essay, and that they expect it to reveal something about the applicant.
After hearing that from Dr. Hearn, I can honestly say I then felt more stress about the college essay than I have felt about any essay I have had to write since. I still don’t know how my friend Nilesh ever managed to write all of his essays, since he applied to 10 schools and wrote almost 20 essays. (However, he is now happily attending Wharton and made a substantial amount of scholarship money by resending the same essays of for scholarship consideration.
My personal method of dealing with the essay was ignore it. I can’t say that I have any advice on how to actually start writing the essay. (Other than "just sit down and start writing" which, even though my dad told me this a dozen times, didn't really help me until I actually did it.) Fortunately, when the deadline for my application grew near, and my dad cornered me on the issue, I sat down at the computer and forced myself to start writing. I think the essay makes more sense in that context, and I’m including it so people can see how I wrote my college essay. If it helps one person figure how to “Describe (their) morals and values. (1000 words max.)” then it’s worth putting here.
Fortunately, I did get into my first choice, Wake Forest, and never had to apply anywhere else. I think this essay really helped. Keep in mind that this essay describes me, as I was in high school. If you really like this essay, please don’t plagiarize it, but feel free to attempt to model your application essay after it. Try to be true to who you are and don’t be afraid to be self-effacing. Best of luck to everyone applying to college.
the essay:
”We’ve had this talk every week for the last month now, and every week, the weekend rolls around and it’s still not done. You keep coming up with all of these projects that in your mind are more important than the essay. Like that calculator cable. Give me that.”
He wants the cable I just made which will let me hook up my new TI-92 to my computer. I just spent $10 on parts and a few hours making it. I’m proud of it because it was my first time actually soldering together anything electronic and I want to see if it works. I don’t want to give it to him.
“You don’t trust me,” I say. “You don’t think I’ll have it done. I will. It’ll be done. If you need it by Saturday, I’ll have it done Saturday.”
“It’s not when I need it done,” he says, stressing the word I.
“I won’t do anything with my free time but work on it.”
“You’d better not. I don’t want you doing anything – playing video games, messing with your computer, that calculator, hanging out with Nilesh, going out with Katie, or any of your other little distractions that you come up with until that essay is done.”
“So basically you want me to stop being me until I write a paper about me,” goes through my mind, but I don’t say it. After all, he’s my dad, and I just don’t say things like that out of respect and fear. In this case it was probably more fear than respect. With nothing to say I just look at him, while he looks at me. I look at my mom, and then to the ceiling and then back at my dad. He’s still looking at me. Finally he breaks the silence, asking me if I understand. More than happy to end the conversation, I say yes and hurry up the last eight stairs and go into the computer room to try my cable.
I’ll admit it, I’m scared. How am I supposed to write an essay about my values when I’m not even entirely sure of what they all are? It’s a lot easier for me to spend an hour trying to figure out what my calculator instructions mean when they say solder the first diode gray side down into pin 3, than it is to try to undertake the task at hand. After all, if I were to burn myself with a soldering gun, which I did, or ruin the connectors, the negative consequences would be a little pain or some ruined parts. But the essay’s importance makes it seem like some ominous task, on which I cannot afford to do anything but my best. And of course, with a task that important, it is nearly impossible to do your best.
Every time I sit down to write a newspaper story, I can’t help but think of how many people might read it, so I always want to write something good. As with my essay, I’m quick to become discouraged and stop writing because it’s not as good as I’d like it to be. I don’t put these things off forever though. Just ask my newspaper teacher, Nora Moulton. She’d tell you that she cannot remember the last time I met the first draft deadline, but she’d also tell you that I’ve never missed the final deadline. My views of social responsibility are such that I always do my best to meet my obligations with others. If I agree to something, I do everything within my power to make sure what I say isn’t just empty words.
My word is something I pride myself on. I have always liked the saying, “My word is my honor.” I have high morals and consider myself to be an honorable person, I detest cheating, I try to watch my language, and I respect my elders among other positive character traits which seem antiquated and nearly nonexistent in the high school I attend. My parents have always stressed the importance of moral character and have clearly been the single largest contributors to my character today.
While I have never seen myself as a leader, I do like to take charge in group activities. In my evaluation sheet from my last year in the TIP program, I was said to possess several leadership abilities such as getting people to work together and positively charging others. I believe a good leader is knowledgeable, fair and energizing. In the opportunities I have had to lead, I have tried to emulate those traits.
Well, once again, it would seem my dad was right. I just needed to get my priorities in order and realize that this paper wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Now that it’s done, I think I’ll get back to all those distractions I like so much. I’ll start by giving Nilesh a call.
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Member: Eric Peterson
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