Sometimes the topic is broad enough to allow the student to choose his own avenue
of response:
In reading and evaluating your application, we hope to gain as complete a pic-
ture of you as possible, but our knowledge of you is necessarily limited to the
information provided us. Why not, then, use this opportunity to tell us about
anything you think we should know... (Brown University)Whether the required response permits broad interpretation (as in the topic imme-
diately preceding) or merits a more specific approach (as in choosing a fictional
character to explain yourself), the essay demands details. Only through showing, not
telling, can the admissions people learn about you. Obviously the toughest part is
deciding which details to include. The approach is much like that for the autobio-
graphical sketch [see Chapter 17, Autobiography]. Use the same process and the same
means of limiting your subject.
For instance, because you should write about some aspect of your life that shows
readers who you are, you may choose to focus on how your work backstage gave you
an appreciation for the importance of behind-the-scenes work in any job. Perhaps as
a result of four years of babysitting with the same three children, you have learned
how familiarity affects discipline. Or perhaps your experiences when your best friend
moved away helped you realize that real friendships must be cultivated; they don’t
just happen.
No matter your subject, your responsibility is to show who you are and give insight
to your personality, interests, or aspirations. Choose details that permit you to do so.
Above all, remember that readers are looking for evidence of your ability to think
and write.
Essays explaining why you want to attend a particular university, beyond seek-
ing evidence of your ability to write and show an effective command of the language,
probe your understanding of the school to which you are applying. The questions are
usually direct:
- Why do you think our school is appropriate for you?
- How did you become interested in our school?
- Why do you think our school can best meet your career preferences?
- Why do you believe our school can best fulfill your academic interests?
Obviously, your answers must be specific and reflect an accurate understanding of
what the school is all about. For instance, does the school offer a degree in your area
of interest? Are there reasons beyond academics that attract you to the school? What
does this school offer that other schools do not?
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