Re: entrance essays YUCK

SonikSka (SonikSka@aol.com)
Fri, 02 Jan 1998 02:03:26 -0500 (EST) 

In a message dated 97-12-31 18:47:09 EST, you write:

<< I've always planned on being an exceptional person.  My definition of
 exceptional is constantly changing as I grow older and become more
experienced
 in Life, whatever that means.  Its funny that I always seem to meet my own
 criteria of an exceptional person, but I guess no less is expected of a smart
 ass teenager who reads JD Salanger religiously and hates writing college
 essays because he feels phoney writing what college entrance readers want to
 read. >>

i know i'm behind the times, here, but i've been busy with everything and
haven't been reading.  i can just say that as a senior myself i have had to do
the essay thing also, it is a bizarre experience...i tried to pick something
marketable enough to be Touching and Realistic, but at the same time,
something i am far enough removed from so as i don't get my emotions mixed up
in my ability to write...for example, the essay i wrote about my Experience
running on the cross-country team came out a hell of a lot better than the one
i tried to do on the Fat Lady.  which i really did try to do and failed
miserably.  i didn't feel all that phony, though, because it always struck me
as the point, that colleges wanted to see how well you could play before they
took any risks...at the same time, however, i do know of people who have
written pretty random essays and have gotten in.  i dont think it is as big of
a deal as we make it out to be---more of a formality really.  my friend wrote
a very sarcastic essay on 'where will you be 10 years after completing your
villanova education' about joining the circus for the intellectual stimulation
of it.  i think they just want to make sure we're literate.  oh, and in
agreement with ecas, i did write an essay a while back on 'someone i admire'
and it was pretty easy, i wrote about someone named chad who i am so jealous
of because he has this unshakable faith in god [which i guess i will never
have, unfortunately---while i am extremely spiritual i don't seek solace in
the knowledge of a supreme being in the strictest sense blah blah blah] and it
was very sincere, however since i was not attatched emotionally to the subject
matter really, it was pretty Well Written.  this is what ecas said sort of.
sorry this is long, but i feel your pain.  
bethany