Should you really avoid an activity as a main essay topic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's full of crap, and so black and white with her advice. I really feel bad for everyone who gets duped by the confidence of her drivel.

My DS wrote about a connecting set of activities, what they enabled him to see about the world and what they motivated him to want to do in college. The essay needs to show who you are as a person, how you've grown, and what you will bring to the world. If that story is best told through one or more activities, then that's fine.

(he got into several T-20s including 2 Ivies, and is at an Ivy now).

correct.

It really only needs to show the first—who you are. People are getting stuck on the second two, and falling into the trap of thinking it has to be “life changing.” That isn’t the case.

[Anonymous]

AN which promotes as "America's college counselor", is aimed at where majority of the students apply i.e. to less selective colleges. Its target market is not ultra selective colleges.

AN's advice falls flat and is actively detrimental when applying to highly selective colleges.

We used the AN review service and the feedback was "strongly recommend" new main essay, absolutely not to use the one submitted and a bunch of other major changes.

We are so glad to have ignored their advice. Admitted to one of HYPSM and multiple T20's. The AO at the HYPSM specifically mentioned one of the supplemental essays and wrote some nice words about it, Sara's comments were something like "What is this?" (as in, this is complete nonsense).

[Anonymous]

The reason for telling kids to write about something else is that the essay is the chance for the committee to learn something about who you are. Devoting hundreds of hours a year to something makes it obvious that this thing means a great deal to you, so writing about it would be redundant. They want to learn something that does not come through in your resume.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have been following Application Nation and the leader of it is pretty militant that kids should not write about an activity for the main essay. My DC has a very time-intensive activity that is really their passion (100s of hours a year). DC wants to use what appeals to them about that activity to explain their overall approach to life and what drives them. Is this really a no-no?

Not only is it not a "no-no," it's a good approach to the essay.

Have to disagree. Sounds generic and will be rehashed in the supplementals.

The essay OP suggests is about their DC's "overall approach to life and what drives them." That isn't generic -- that is exactly the kind of thing that works well. The activity in question there is simply the means to the end.

-- a writer

Exactly what every other kid will write because it involves zero creativity -- generic and boring. It's passable but won't move the needle either way.

Much better to write something that wouldn't otherwise be known about the kid or demonstrates personality.

I
You are so wrong. But you say it with authority, lol.

My kid is going to one of H/Y/P and his high school counselor said his was one of the best essays she’s seen, but sure, anonymous stranger, I’m sure the AO would rather hear about the kid’s main extracurricular for the fifth time.

I'm an essayist with an MFA in writing who has coached many students on their application essays (as well as a "random stranger"). But sure, mommy, the fact that your kid is "going to one of H/Y/P and his high school counselor said his was one of the best essays she's seen" means you know what every kid should and shouldn't write about. Sure it does.

Y'all are hilarious.

Caveat emptor, folks. The information you find on the internet is generally worth what you are paying for it.

Well, they say those that can’t do, teach. Sad the anyone is paying for your bad advice. Nothing “random” about my advice any decent college counselor, including AN, says the same.

NP. Your disdain for the entire profession of teaching makes you kind of a crappy human.

+100

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have been following Application Nation and the leader of it is pretty militant that kids should not write about an activity for the main essay. My DC has a very time-intensive activity that is really their passion (100s of hours a year). DC wants to use what appeals to them about that activity to explain their overall approach to life and what drives them. Is this really a no-no?

Not only is it not a "no-no," it's a good approach to the essay.

Have to disagree. Sounds generic and will be rehashed in the supplementals.

The essay OP suggests is about their DC's "overall approach to life and what drives them." That isn't generic -- that is exactly the kind of thing that works well. The activity in question there is simply the means to the end.

-- a writer

Exactly what every other kid will write because it involves zero creativity -- generic and boring. It's passable but won't move the needle either way.

Much better to write something that wouldn't otherwise be known about the kid or demonstrates personality.

I
You are so wrong. But you say it with authority, lol.

My kid is going to one of H/Y/P and his high school counselor said his was one of the best essays she’s seen, but sure, anonymous stranger, I’m sure the AO would rather hear about the kid’s main extracurricular for the fifth time.

I'm an essayist with an MFA in writing who has coached many students on their application essays (as well as a "random stranger"). But sure, mommy, the fact that your kid is "going to one of H/Y/P and his high school counselor said his was one of the best essays she's seen" means you know what every kid should and shouldn't write about. Sure it does.

Y'all are hilarious.

Caveat emptor, folks. The information you find on the internet is generally worth what you are paying for it.

Well, they say those that can’t do, teach. Sad the anyone is paying for your bad advice. Nothing “random” about my advice any decent college counselor, including AN, says the same.

NP. Your disdain for the entire profession of teaching makes you kind of a crappy human.

Nope only disdain for the particular person whose been attacking me for several pages and throwing about "essayist," "mfa," and "essay coach." No one wants to read a boring essay covering the same material as the rest of the application, least of all someone reading thousands of them. It's basic common sense.

Essays aren't "boring" because of the subject matter. You understand none of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been following Application Nation and the leader of it is pretty militant that kids should not write about an activity for the main essay. My DC has a very time-intensive activity that is really their passion (100s of hours a year). DC wants to use what appeals to them about that activity to explain their overall approach to life and what drives them. Is this really a no-no?

My kid wrote a very nice essay about his main activity and he got into his top choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AN which promotes as "America's college counselor", is aimed at where majority of the students apply i.e. to less selective colleges. Its target market is not ultra selective colleges.

AN's advice falls flat and is actively detrimental when applying to highly selective colleges.

We used the AN review service and the feedback was "strongly recommend" new main essay, absolutely not to use the one submitted and a bunch of other major changes.

We are so glad to have ignored their advice. Admitted to one of HYPSM and multiple T20's. The AO at the HYPSM specifically mentioned one of the supplemental essays and wrote some nice words about it, Sara's comments were something like "What is this?" (as in, this is complete nonsense).

Wow. This is surprising.

Was it MIT? What kind of supplementals?
AN has a great track record at Yale, Brown and Northwestern (and least btw the ppl I know who’ve used the services)…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former admissions reader here. AN has to paint a broad stroke to be able to coach so many kids at once. The key to success there is to adapt the advice to your kid. They edit essays and she needs to have parameters so that the essays can stand out. That’s their biz model. But you can easily adapt the advice into what works for you. My kid wrote about an activity that was very clear in his app but showed a completely different perspective and deep knowledge of it when he experienced something in a very specific moment. It was a great essay. And while it didn’t pass Sara’s general “rules” I can almost guarantee she would have loved it. The number of triumph over injury or concussion in sports essays I read was a snooze fest and a real missed opportunity. So the advice is sound, but adapt it to you and write something meaningful.

Great advice