Out of the (essay) question

"If you could choose to be raised by robots, moving to this country!" So why did Tufts Uni-
dinosaurs, or aliens, who would you pick? versity want to know if I thought Joan of Arca-
Why?" dia would have a desk job if she lived now?
"Design an experiment that attempts to I disregarded these alternative essay top-
determine whether toads can hear. Provide the ics. Why would anyone be impressed by the
rationale for your design—explain your reasons fact that if I had $1,000,000 I'd spend it on
for setting up the experiment as you did. Strive building up my boot collection? I wrote the first
for simplicity and clarity." draft of my essay, without failing to leave out a
"Discuss your latest dream. What does it single college essay cliche. I whined about the
mean?" obstacles in my life. I used every SAT vocabu-
While many lary word I knew. I capi-
may assume that talized on someone else's
these are the ques- story rather than my own.
tions for entry into Couldn't their strength
some science fic- - , u 5 , Editor-in-Chief
and vigor be my own by
tion fan club, they * association?
are in fact some When I showed my
of the unorthodox guidance counselor my
questions provided on this year's college ap- essay, she was less than impressed. "This isn't
plications. Colleges such as the University of you," she said. And she was right. The essay
Chicago and Brandeis University have turned didn't have my voice. It wasn't even my story.
to these unconventional essay prompts to find While the lives of the people around us con-
prospective students who stand out. tribute to shaping us, it is in our own stories,
When I first came across an application our innermost thoughts, that give others the
that veered away from the traditional essay best insight to who we are. What I had failed to
prompt, I was skeptical. I had always assumed acknowledge when writing my essay, was ev-
that the essay was the part where students erything I love about columns in newspapers.
desperately strived to pull heartstrings, telling They have wit and are quirky. The voice of the
anecdotes of how hard it was to watch their essay was what drives it, rather than the mes-
cat be diagnosed with diabetes and how they sage itself.
became a stronger and more altruistic person I realized that in asking applicants these
because of it. Or that it was an opportunity to offbeat questions, the colleges were just coax-
entice admissions counselors by teasing them ing that voice out of students. Or maybe they
with phrases like "minority!" or "first genera- just couldn't read another essay that started
tion college student!" or "girl who loves sci- out with, "The true definition of a hero..."©
ence!" or "taught myself English a week after