August 9, 2005 Return to current
issue
The latest college essay
topics - a Maplewood survey
Still with more
than four months before the
application deadline to most top
US colleges and universities this
year, applicants are already
taking on the one component in
the application that they can
still exert some final control
– the college essay. There
are so many students with perfect
GPA’s and high test scores
applying to the top schools, and
each of them needs good essays to
give themselves an extra edge.
Maplewood surveyed
the latest essay and personal
statement topics for 2005-06
college applications. An
interesting, sometimes surprising
and amusing find, as we expected.
We would like our students to
start preparing them as soon as
possible to ensure a more
satisfactory job by the deadline.
If you are not applying this
year, it’s still worth
taking a look to see what’s
in place for you soon. While
topics vary from the conventional
to the uncommon and the funny,
they are by no means easy to deal
with. We group them into broad
categories across different
schools for your reading. Sit
back, relax, and take a look:
The Conventional
(and the most frequent)
Describe
a significant experience,
setback, disappointment,
difficult or trying circumstance,
challenge, opportunity,
achievement, accomplishment, or
ethical dilemma you have faced,
and your reaction to it or its
impact on you. (Common App*, MIT,
U of Michigan, USC, U of Texas at
Austin)
Describe
which of your activities
(extracurricular and personal
activities or work experience)
has been most meaningful and why.
(Common
App)
Explain
why you decided which
extracurricular activity on your
[activities-services-awards] list
was the most important to you. (NYU)
Discuss a
personal, local, national, or
international issue of concern
and importance to you (Common App, U of
Michigan), an external
influence (a person, a character
in fiction, an historical figure,
or a creative work, a place an
event, etc.) that is significant
to you (Common App), has particular
meaning to you or has changed
your view of the world or
yourself (NYU), or has caused you
to change direction (USC).
| *About
the Common App:
Over 200 schools use a
standardized application
form called the Common
Application for applying
to them. This year, the
Common App asks students
to write 250-500 words
about some significant
experience, an important
issue, an influential
person or character, or
to pick a "topic of
your choice." That
makes it easier for
students to apply to many
schools without changing
their essays, but it also
puts the pressure on
applicants to choose a
good topic and polish
those 500 words to
perfection. |
The
Biographical
MIT makes it plain
on the biographic statement, "It's
often a reflection of an
applicant's dreams and
aspirations, dreams shaped by the
worlds we inhabit."
Applicants are asked the
following: Describe the world
you come from, for example your
family, clubs, school, community,
city, or town. How has that world
shaped your dreams and
aspirations?
NYU wants to know
how a student adds to the many
stories of a New Yorker: New York is a city
full of people from other places.
They all bring with them a story
of where they are from. Tell us
something about where you're from
and what single facet of your
hometown experience has shaped
you into the person you are
today.
The
Interesting
Some schools make
the essay a critical thinking
exercise and expository writing.
While the topic is interesting,
the writing may only find appeal
in the hard-willed. (So if you
can live up to the challenge, you
might have already gained an edge!)
Some writers
suggest that by tradition science
is concerned with truth while art
is concerned with beauty. How
might these two endeavors be the
same? How might they be
irreconcilably different? (U of Michigan)
Select an
imaginative book you've read for
pleasure and then defend your
selection against this criticism:
Because it does not tell the
truth, imaginative literature
must shut down readers' rational
faculties, in order that it can
appeal to their emotions; the
effect of such literature, then,
is to weaken the minds of its
readers. The applicant is
essentially asked to defend like
Plato, who gave the original line
of criticism. (U of Texas at
Austin)
With your future
personal growth in mind, describe
a potential classmate that you
believe you could learn from
either within or outside a formal
classroom environment. (U of Texas at
Austin)
Describe a
situation in everyday life in
which it is sensible to apply the
scientific method, or explain a
belief you accepted at some time
in your life but have rejected on
the basis of a rational process. (U of Texas,
Austin).
The
Boring, but Important
These are topics
probing why the applicant chooses
the school in the first place,
and how he/she can contribute to
the diversity of the
school’s community. The
topics may look straightforward,
but are important for the school
to get to know you and see how
you may fit in. After all,
attending college is not like
choosing a place for a holiday.
First and foremost is studying
and learning, and you will be
spending four important years in
a community that you'd better
enjoy.
Which department
or program appeals to you and
why? (MIT)
Please tell us
what led you to select your
anticipated academic program
and/or our school/college, and
what interests you most about
your intended discipline. (NYU)
Describe an
experience that illustrates what
you would bring to the diversity
in a college community, or an
encounter that demonstrated the
importance of diversity to you. (Common App)
What would you as
an individual bring to our campus
community to build a superb
educational community with
students of diverse talents,
experiences, opinions, and
cultural backgrounds? (U of Michigan)
The topics
requested by the individual
schools or departments can range
from the imaginative to the plain
tell-your-tale. They do reflect
the character of the academic
department where you may want to
get in. It's a chance for you to
get to know the school or
department too.
Describe an
aesthetic experience you have had
that was brought about by an
architectural space or a sequence
of spaces, either interior or
exterior. Try to link the nature
of the experience to the nature
of the space. (School of
Architecture, U of Texas, Austin)
Imagine you have
been asked to present a statement
to your local School Board in
favor of retaining the high
school’s performing arts
programs, all threatened by
budget cuts. What would you tell
them? (School
of Music, U of Michigan)
Where do you
imagine your chosen field of
study will be in 10 years, and
how do you fit into that picture?
(School
of Engineering, U of Michigan)
Compare and
contrast an actual apple,
a two-dimensional image of an
apple, and a three dimensional
replica of an apple. (School of Art and
Design, U of Michigan)
The
Uncommon
U of Chicago's
essay instructions are uncommon
to start: "Each topic can be
addressed with utter seriousness,
complete fancy, or something in
between. Play, analyze (don't
agonize), create, compose - let
us hear the result of your
thinking about something that
interests you, in a voice that is
your own."
The basic
questions ask for only a
paragraph or two and fall on the
conventional: "How does the U of
Chicago satisfy your desire for
learning and your future? or "Describe one or
more of your favorite books,
poems, authors, films, plays,
pieces of music, musicians,
performers, paintings, artists,
magazines, or newspapers."
The extended essay
part is one that is truly
uncommon, with topics contributed
by students admitted by the
university from last year. One
such essay asks this year's
applicant to “Destroy a question
with the answer”, prompting
with a quotation from the late
critic/writer Susan Sontag and U
of Chicago alumna: "The only
interesting answers are those
that destroy the questions."
Another essay asks
the applicant for his/her
observations on "The power of
string." The essay
instruction suggests the
violin’s sound mechanism,
string cheese, superstring theory
in physics, and Theseus's escape
route from Labyrinth as possible
places to start. Well, we would
say if you go beyond the explicit
instructions, you should probably
see that the school is really
asking, "How would you
handle ideas?"
Other topics are
akin to an English class
assignment to write a deceptively
simple “Truthful page
about yourself”, or an
exposition into “Mind that does not
stick”,
an abstract, one-phrase quote
from a 13th-century Zen master.
Applicants usually
find essays a chance to tell
admissions officers why they are
perfect for their school and to
explain things, like why they
didn't get an A in an important
high school or AP course. Such
self-promotion is possible
because few colleges ask direct
questions in their essay prompts.
The University of Chicago is
uncommon in that the essays do
not provide such a chance for
applicants to do their
self-promotion but rather probe
deep into the applicant’s
intellect and mind.
The Fun
There's got to be
some fun somewhere. Here are some
of the lighter topics we've seen:
Tell us about
something you do simply for the
pleasure of it. (MIT)
The 18th-century
French philosopher Denis Diderot
said, “Only passions, great
passions, can elevate the soul to
great things.” Describe one
of your passions and discuss its
contribution to your personal
growth. (USC)
Please tell us
about something you did last
Sunday afternoon (or the Sunday
before that, or the Sunday before
that . . .) (NYU)
Quick Takes: To
make things simpler for the
applicants and the admissions
officers, some schools have
decided to get to know their
candidates through short
Q&A’s. How about this: write down three
words that describe you, and then in no
more than one sentence, describe your
favorite leisure activity,
favorite food, best movie of all
time, favorite
performer/band/composer, favorite
quote, the last book you’ve
read, your most prized
possession, role model, dream job, and so on. (USC)
The
Supplemental (and
sometimes optional)
These are
questions that give additional
opportunities to let the schools
know about your intellectual and
personal interests. These
questions may ask what research you
have done, any additional
references from parents,
siblings, relatives, and friends (Duke). MIT asks
students to write on things
you have created (a design, a
device, an object, an idea or
concept, a piece of music or
art). Duke
also asks students to discuss how a
book, essay, poem, or journal
article you have read has changed
your understanding of the world,
other people, or yourself.
Now that
you’ve seen some of the most
representative college essay
topics, are you ready to take
them on? NYU sums up the role of
the personal essay: “The
essay offers an opportunity for
you to help us become acquainted
with you in ways different from
grades, test scores, and other
objective data. It allows you to
demonstrate your ability to
organize your thoughts and
express yourself.”
Understand the essay's
importance, get going, and make a
difference in your college
application. Good luck!
 A
four-point essay advice
Maplewood
Essay Workshop
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