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C.L. 2009
1
 
reflections on the college application essay
“Writing,” 
 
said 
 
E.
 
B.
 
White,
 
“is
 
an
 
act
 
of 
 
 faith,
 
not
 
a
 
trick 
 
of 
 
 grammar.” 
 
It’s
 
not
 
any
 
kind 
 
of 
 
trick,
 
in
 
 fact.
 
 At
 
its
 
best,
 
it’s
 
 just
 
 you.
 
After
 
reading
 
a
 
number
 
of 
 
essays,
 
I
 
was
 
quite
 
intrigued
 
by
 
the
 
patterns
 
evident
 
in
 
most
 
of 
 
them.
 
Many
 
of 
 
the
 
same
 
themes
 
were
 
used
 
by
 
different
 
writers;
 
some
 
essays
 
were
 
brilliantly
 
unique.
 
So
 
here
 
is
 
my
 
attempt
 
to
 
provide
 
a
 
brief 
 
categorization
 
of 
 
the
 
common
 
types
 
of 
 
essays/essay
 
writers
 
that
 
I’ve
 
noticed,
 
addressed
 
to
 
(imaginary)
 
future
 
writers
 
who
 
will
 
attempt
 
the
 
ordeal
 
or
 
the
 
enjoyable
 
experience
 
that
 
is
 
the
 
college
 
application
 
essay.
 
The Incurably Cliché
Different names, different places, same story.
What
 
sort
 
of 
 
clichés
 
should
 
you
 
try
 
to
 
avoid
 
talking
 
about
 
(badly)?
 
The
 
Trip
:
 
“I
 
had 
 
to
 
adjust 
 
to
 
very 
 
different 
 
 foods,
 
customs,
 
even
 
daily 
 
schedules,
 
in
 
my 
 
visit 
 
to
 
Europe/Israel/Cleveland/fill 
 
in
 
the
 
blank.
 
…” 
 
Everything
 
in
 
Trip
 
essays
 
is
 
different 
 
except 
 
the
 
essay 
 
itself,
 
which
 
is
 
 just 
 
like
 
all 
 
other 
 
Trip
 
essays.
 
Miss
 
 America
:
 
This
 
essay—“I
 
think 
 
world 
 
 peace
 
is
 
the
 
most 
 
important 
 
issue
 
 facing
 
us
 
today…”—offers
 
simpleminded 
 
solutions
 
 for 
 
complex 
 
 problems
 
that 
 
you
 
don’t 
 
really 
 
know 
 
the
 
 first 
 
thing
 
about 
 
 from
 
 personal 
 
experience.
 
The
 
Perspirant:
 
In
 
response
 
to
 
the
 
essay 
 
 prompt 
 
to
 
discuss
 
“a
 
challenge
 
you’ve
 
 faced,” 
 
student 
 
anxiety 
 
often
 
leads
 
to
 
“This
 
essay 
 
is
 
the
 
greatest 
 
challenge
 
I
 
have
 
ever 
 
 faced…
 
.
 
” 
 
Don’t 
 
write
 
about 
 
the
 
 process
 
of 
 
applying
 
(admissions
 
officers
 
sometimes
 
call 
 
such
 
applicants
 
“sweaty”).
 
The
 
 Jock:
 
“Through
 
wrestling,
 
I
 
have
 
learned 
 
discipline,
 
determination,
 
and 
 
how 
 
to
 
work 
 
with
 
 people…
 
.” 
 
Written
 
by 
 
many 
 
types
 
of 
 
students,
 
not 
 
 just 
 
neckless
 
mouth
breathers,
 
this
 
isn’t 
 
a
 
subject 
 
but 
 
a
 
 formula:
 
Through
 
 X,
 
I
 
have
 
learned 
 
Noble
 
Value
 
 A,
 
High
 
Platitude
 
B,
 
and 
 
Great 
 
Lesson
 
C.
 
(You
 
know 
 
you’ve
 
written
 
this
 
essay 
 
if 
 
you
 
can
 
substitute
 
“my 
 
career 
 
as
 
a
 
mugger,” 
 
“hard 
 
work,” 
 
or 
 
“cooking
 
meals
 
at 
 
the
 
soup
 
kitchen,” 
 
 for 
 
“mugger,” 
 
and 
 
it 
 
still 
 
makes
 
sense.)
 
In
 
essays,
 
and 
 
in
 
life,
 
attempts
 
to
 
 force
 
 people
 
into
 
choosing
 
what 
 
to
 
think 
 
of 
 
you
 
don’t 
 
work.
 
You
 
 just 
 
have
 
to
 
be
 
yourself;
 
they 
 
get 
 
to
 
decide
 
what 
 
to
 
think.
 
Pet 
 
Death:
 
“As
 
I
 
watched 
 
Button’s
 
life
 
ebb
 
away 
 
in
 
the
 
street,
 
I
 
realized 
 
all 
 
the
 
important 
 
things
 
I
 
value
 
in
 
this
 
world…
 
.” 
 
If 
 
you
 
have
 
 pets,
 
 feel 
 
 free
 
to
 
keep
 
them
 
alive
 
as
 
long
 
as
 
 possible.
 
If 
 
they 
 
die,
 
dig
 
a
 
hole,
 
have
 
a
 
lovely 
 
ceremony,
 
and 
 
then
 
keep
 
quiet 
 
about 
 
it.
 
(Incidentally,
 
E.
 
B.
 
White
 
wrote
 
one
 
of 
 
the
 
great 
 
essays
 
of 
 
this
 
century,
 
“Death
 
of 
 
Pig,” 
 
defying
 
in
 
brilliant 
 
detail 
 
everything
 
I
 
am
 
saying.
 
Try 
 
it 
 
if 
 
you
 
dare.)
 
 
C.L. 2009
2
 
My 
 
Favorite
 
Things:
 
“Here
 
are
 
a
 
 few 
 
things
 
I
 
am
 
 for:
 
abandoned 
 
 puppies,
 
moonbeams,
 
 fudge
 
brownies.
 
Things
 
I
 
am
 
against:
 
acne,
 
mean
 
 people,
 
nuclear 
 
holocaust…
 
.
 
” 
 
Writers
 
of 
 
MFT 
 
are
 
called 
 
“fluffballs” 
 
in
 
admissions
 
 parlance—need 
 
I
 
say 
 
more? 
 
Tales
 
of 
 
My 
 
Success:
 
“But 
 
 finally,
 
when
 
I
 
crossed 
 
the
 
 finish
 
line
 
and 
 
received 
 
the
 
congratulations
 
of 
 
my 
 
teammates,
 
I
 
realized 
 
all 
 
the
 
hard 
 
work 
 
had 
 
been
 
worth
 
it.” 
 
Imagine
 
how 
 
often
 
that 
 
gets
 
written,
 
and 
 
then
 
spare
 
the
 
admissions
 
staffers
 
one
 
more
 
variation
 
on
 
the
 
theme.
 
Let 
 
others—teachers,
 
counselors—talk 
 
about 
 
your 
 
successes
 
instead.
 
My 
 
Memoirs:
 
Don’t 
 
try 
 
to
 
stuff 
 
eighteen
 
years
 
into
 
500
 
words.
 
It’s
 
not 
 
that 
 
an
 
autobiography 
 
can’t 
 
be
 
done
 
in
 
this
 
space;
 
it’s
 
 just 
 
 profoundly 
 
difficult.
 
Write
 
about 
 
something
 
smaller.
 
[Harry
 
Bauld:
 
What
 
to
 
say
 
in
 
a
 
college
 
admission
 
essay,
 
Reed
 
Magazine]
 
I’ve
 
come
 
across
 
Miss
 
America,
 
the
 
Perspirant,
 
the
 
Jock
 
(quite
 
popular),
 
Tales
 
of 
 
My
 
Success
 
(most
 
frequent),
 
and
 
Memoirs.
 
I
 
would
 
rather
 
read
 
an
 
essay
 
about
 
a
 
blade
 
of 
 
grass
 
than
 
about
 
how
 
you
 
mustered
 
that
 
last
 
ounce
 
of 
 
strength
 
to
 
pip
 
your
 
opponent
 
in
 
so
and
so
 
competition
 
and,
 
collapsing
 
to
 
the
 
ground
 
in
 
weariness,
 
realized
 
that
 
you
 
can
 
do
 
things
 
if 
 
only
 
you
 
drive
 
yourself 
 
to
 
do
 
it
 
and
 
believe
 
in
 
yourself,
 
and
 
now
 
you
 
can
 
take
 
on
 
any
 
obstacle
 
because
 
you
 
now
 
know
 
what
 
you’re
 
capable
 
of,
 
woohoo!
 
Certainly
 
commendable,
 
and
 
I
 
admire
 
your
 
spirit
 
of 
 
perseverance.
 
I
 
don’t
 
mean
 
to
 
belittle
 
your
 
accomplishment
 
either.
 
What
 
I
 
am
 
saying
 
is
 
that
 
such
 
essays
 
rarely
 
reveal
 
something
 
that
 
is
 
unique
 
about
 
you.
 
If 
 
I
 
took
 
another
 
person
 
and
 
substituted
 
him
 
or
 
her
 
into
 
the
 
essay,
 
it
 
would
 
probably
 
make
 
sense
 
as
 
well.
 
Most
 
people
 
have
 
great
 
drive
 
and
 
teamwork
 
and
 
[insert
 
quality
 
of 
 
your
 
choice],
 
but
 
not
 
many
 
people
 
can
 
write
 
a
 
thoughtful
 
reflection
 
on
 
a
 
blade
 
of 
 
grass.
 
And
 
if 
 
you
 
can,
 
and
 
if 
 
those
 
are
 
your
 
real
 
thoughts,
 
it
 
will
 
be
 
a
 
 joy
 
to
 
read
 
because
 
often
 
such
 
essays
 
reveal
 
more
 
about
 
their
 
writer
 
than
 
the
 
My
 
Success
 
essays…
 
The Avid Accomplisher
(falls under
incurably cliché 
) And the winner is…me!
 
Would
 
you
 
introduce
 
yourself 
 
to
 
a
 
total
 
stranger
 
by
 
saying,
 
“Hi
 
there,
 
my
 
name
 
is
 
[name]
 
and
 
I
 
won
 
the
 
2008
 
[insert
 
name
 
of 
 
competition],
 
beating
 
out
 
[number]
 
other
 
competitors.”
 
or
 
“Nice
 
to
 
meet
 
you.
 
I’m
 
determined
 
and
 
caring.
 
These
 
are
 
all
 
commendable
 
qualities
 
I
 
displayed
 
when
 
I
 
led
 
my
 
team
 
through
 
endless
 
trials
 
and
 
tribulations
 
to
 
emerge
 
victorious
 
in
 
the
 
2007
 
[insert
 
name
 
of 
 
other
 
competition]”?
 
The
 
Avid
 
Accomplisher
 
would.
 
In
 
every
 
essay,
 
he/she
 
will
 
find
 
ways
 
to
 
put
 
in
 
examples
 
utilizing
 
competitions
 
and
 
awards
 
that
 
he/she
 
participated
 
in
 
or
 
received,
 
without
 
much
 
elaboration.
 
It
 
gets
 
pretty
 
tiring
 
after
 
a
 
while,
 
since
 
it’s
 
obvious
 
all
 
those
 
awards
 
are
 
there
 
for
 
show
 
and
 
not
 
because
 
they
 
played
 
a
 
part
 
in
 
shaping
 
the
 
writer
 
to
 
become
 
the
 
person
 
he/she
 
is.
 
There
 
is
 
a
 
place
 
for
 
accomplishments
 
in
 
the
 
application,
 
but
 
more
 
often
 
than
 
not
 
it
 
is
 
not
 
your
 
essay.
 
You
 
do
 
not
 
necessarily
 
have
 
to
 
use
 
them
 
to
 
put
 
yourself 
 
across
 
 –
 
you
 
are
 
so
 
much
 
more
 
than
 
the
 
sum
 
of 
 
your
 
 
C.L. 2009
3
 
awards
 
and
 
wins.
 
(This
 
seems
 
to
 
be
 
an
 
unfortunate
 
effect
 
of 
 
our
 
results
oriented
 
education
 
system).
 
And
 
if 
 
you
 
won’t
 
take
 
it
 
from
 
me,
 
take
 
it
 
from
 
them:
 
 Admission
 
committees
 
at 
 
these
 
top
 
schools
 
aren't 
 
looking
 
to
 
hear 
 
about 
 
your 
 
summer 
 
vacation
 
to
 
Europe
 
or 
 
your 
 
 plan
 
to
 
end 
 
world 
 
hunger.
 
In
 
 fact,
 
they 
 
are
 
much
 
more
 
interested 
 
in
 
hearing
 
your 
 
observations
 
about 
 
the
 
 frequency 
 
of 
 
cars
 
running
 
yellow 
 
lights
 
at 
 
the
 
intersection
 
near 
 
your 
 
home
 
or 
 
how 
 
many 
 
years
 
it 
 
has
 
taken
 
 for 
 
that 
 
oak 
 
sapling
 
outside
 
your 
 
 front 
 
window 
 
to
 
 push
 
up
 
the
 
sidewalk 
 
slabs
 
next 
 
to
 
it.
 
You're
 
 probably 
 
asking
 
yourself 
 
why 
 
on
 
earth
 
anyone
 
could 
 
be
 
more
 
interested 
 
in
 
your 
 
intersection
 
or 
 
oak 
 
tree
 
than
 
your 
 
great 
 
trip
 
or 
 
humanitarian
 
ideals.
 
The
 
answer 
 
is
 
simple:
 
Because
 
the
 
intersection
 
and 
 
that 
 
oak 
 
tree
 
can
 
tell 
 
more
 
about 
 
who
 
you
 
are
 
and 
 
how 
 
you
 
think.
 
[College
 
Confidential:
 
Ivy
 
Applications:
 
Admissions
 
Essays
 
for
 
Ivy
 
League
 
Schools
 
 –
 
It’s
 
All
 
About
 
Voice]
 
Of 
 
course
 
you
 
have
 
to
 
impress
 
whoever’s
 
reading
 
your
 
application
 
enough
 
to
 
make
 
them
 
want
 
to
 
admit
 
you,
 
but
 
it
 
doesn’t
 
have
 
to
 
be
 
through
 
endless
 
parading
 
of 
 
accomplishments
 
or
 
lofty
sounding
 
ideals.
 
They
 
are
 
interested
 
in
 
you
 
as
 
a
 
person
 
 –
 
in
 
who
 
you
 
are
 
 –
 
so
 
don’t
 
let
 
your
 
awards
 
overshadow
 
you.
 
Why
 
not
 
tell
 
them
 
about
 
your
 
thoughts?
 
About
 
what
 
makes
 
you
 
you
 
(certainly
 
not
 
your
 
awards,
 
I
 
hope)?
 
Going
 
down
 
the
 
path
 
of 
 
clichéd
 
essays
 
will
 
be
 
safe,
 
at
 
best,
 
but
 
it
 
won’t
 
tell
 
the
 
admissions
 
officers
 
anything
 
different
 
about
 
you
 
than
 
all
 
the
 
other
 
applicants.
 
There’s
 
something
 
else,
 
though.
 
It’s
 
how
 
you
 
write
 
about
 
the
 
topic
 
that
 
makes
 
the
 
difference.
 
So
 
if 
 
you
 
can
 
take
 
one
 
of 
 
those
 
clichéd
 
topics
 
above,
 
and
 
write
 
it
 
in
 
a
 
wholly
 
beautiful
 
and
 
new
 
way
 
with
 
your
 
own
 
unique
 
perspective,
 
I’ll
 
go
 
so
 
far
 
as
 
to
 
say
 
that
 
you’ll
 
score
 
big
 
points
 
for
 
your
 
essay.
 
Intentionally Insulting
Meet mr. negativity
When
 
you
 
write,
 
make
 
sure
 
that
 
whatever
 
you
 
say
 
to
 
the
 
admissions
 
officers,
 
you
 
would
 
be
 
comfortable
 
saying
 
to
 
almost
 
everyone
 
else.
 
If 
 
you
 
wouldn’t
 
show
 
your
 
essay
 
to,
 
say,
 
a
 
friend
 
because
 
you
 
knew
 
it
 
would
 
offend
 
him/her,
 
then
 
why
 
would
 
the
 
admissions
 
officers
 
not
 
be
 
possibly
 
offended
 
by
 
that
 
same
 
essay?
 
Sure,
 
you
 
have
 
a
 
right
 
to
 
your
 
opinion,
 
although
 
if 
 
you’re
 
going
 
to
 
complain
 
about
 
something
 
in
 
the
 
essay,
 
you’d
 
better
 
sound
 
mature
 
and
 
objective
 
about
 
it.
 
But
 
sometimes
 
you
 
may
 
not
 
realize
 
that
 
what
 
you
 
say
 
(or
 
more
 
often
 
than
 
not,
 
how
 
you
 
say
 
it)
 
may
 
come
 
across
 
as
 
insulting/snobbing,
 
and
 
this
 
is
 
where
 
you
 
need
 
objective
 
friends
 
to
 
help
 
read
 
your
 
writing
 
and
 
point
 
it
 
out
 
to
 
you.
 
An
 
extremely
 
common
 
trend
 
is
 
to
 
hurl
 
criticism
 
after
 
criticism
 
at
 
the
 
local
 
education
 
system
 
and
 
how
 
it
 
stifles
 
students
 
from
 
truly
 
becoming
 
critical
thinking
 
and
 
creative
 
people,
 
how
 
they
 
rarely
 
had
 
the
 
chance
 
to
 
speak
 
up,
 
how
 
the
 
examination
 
oriented
 
system…you
 
get
 
it.
 
For
 
the
 
record,
 
I’m
 
not
 
a
 
big
 
fan
 
of 
 
the
 
system
 
either.
 
I
 
agree
 
with
 
most
 
of 
 
the
 
criticisms,
 
and
 
I
 
know
 
how
 
liberating
 
it
 
feels
 
to
 
be
 
able
 
to
 
finally
 
write
 
about
 
this.
 
But
 
it
 
is
 
very
 
hard
 
to
 
write
 
a
 
great
 
essay
 
fueled
 
by
 
only
 
anger
 
and
 
frustration,
 
and
 
I
 
rarely
 
read
 
any
 
which
 
tackle
 
the
 
‘The
 
System’
 
theme
 
well.
 
If 
 
you
 
must
 
write
 
on
 
this,
 
do
 
more
 
than
 
have
 
a
 
bashfest.
 
Write
 
about
 
your
 
own
 
experiences.
 
Perhaps
 
you
 
found
 
your
 
own
 
way
 
to
 
overcome
 
the
 
of 00

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