"Mind that does not stick" was actually an essay prompt of University of Chicago in 2006. It was the entire prompt, and the college wanted to hear how you would respond.
To different people, the quote can mean different things. But I bet you even though the prompt was designed to be unique, admissions officers received hundreds of essays that sounded alike.
Be careful about writing an essay that just mimics conventional wisdom. Let's say you want to write about a leadership experience, like many, many students do. You can simply describe an activity that you led, or a project that you were in charge of, but think of how many other students are writing a similar-sounding essay? Your mind is sticking on conventional wisdom on what sounds like a good essay, but in actuality is not very unique.
The best essays are personal. It actually takes a lot of thought and is very hard work to be personal in an essay. By being personal, your essay is bound to be unique because you are unlike anyone else out there in the applicant pool.
To be personal, your mind cannot stick. If you want to convey leadership, think about leadership in different ways. Everyone says they are a "leader," but what does being a leader mean? By digging into the specifics, and not being satisfied by buzzwords, you can probably come up with a message that is unconventional.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
New Beginnings
In his commencement speech at Stanford in 2005, the late Steve Jobs advised everyone to "Stay hungry, stay foolish." Who knew that Steve Jobs was also a great college application essay advisor?
To me, his advice means to take chances and be yourself, which sounds simple and cliche but isn't easy for many people if you think about it.
Applying to college can be a stressful and intimidating process. I went through it only a couple of years ago. It was an emotional roller coaster. In this blog, I want to do my best to give good advice and share what I learned with you to try to make your life easier and maximize your chance to getting into the college of your dreams.
Writing a meaningful college essay requires a lot of thought, self-awareness, and personal reflection. That is because there is no easy way to write a great essay except through hard work and analysis. This blog, Offbeat People, is meant to encourage you to step off the beaten path and try something that is uniquely you.
If you have questions, I hope you will leave comments so that I or someone else may attempt to answer them to the benefit of all our readers. If you have advice, or something meaningful that you want to say about the process, I hope that you will share it with me so I can help you share it with others through this blog.
In the end, your essay is not something that can be manufactured out of thin air. Your essay is the product of who you are as a person, and a great essay will convey that to the reader.
Until we meet again, "Stay hungry, and stay foolish."
To me, his advice means to take chances and be yourself, which sounds simple and cliche but isn't easy for many people if you think about it.
Applying to college can be a stressful and intimidating process. I went through it only a couple of years ago. It was an emotional roller coaster. In this blog, I want to do my best to give good advice and share what I learned with you to try to make your life easier and maximize your chance to getting into the college of your dreams.
Writing a meaningful college essay requires a lot of thought, self-awareness, and personal reflection. That is because there is no easy way to write a great essay except through hard work and analysis. This blog, Offbeat People, is meant to encourage you to step off the beaten path and try something that is uniquely you.
If you have questions, I hope you will leave comments so that I or someone else may attempt to answer them to the benefit of all our readers. If you have advice, or something meaningful that you want to say about the process, I hope that you will share it with me so I can help you share it with others through this blog.
In the end, your essay is not something that can be manufactured out of thin air. Your essay is the product of who you are as a person, and a great essay will convey that to the reader.
Until we meet again, "Stay hungry, and stay foolish."
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