Writing an Admissions Essay :: College Admissions Essays

Writing an Admissions EssayThe process of constitutionand writing admissions proves in particularinvites a consciously-constructed performance of the self. What I mean by this is that a textany textinevitably conveys some purpose and when that text is known as an autobiography or representation of the self, the component of the text is under even much scrutiny.Andy Warhol, with whom we could never be genuine of where the performance ended and where the self started, once said, When I did my self-portrait, I go away all the pimples out because you always should. . . . Always omit the blemishestheyre not part of the good picture you expect. * This statement has relevance for any exercise of self-representation, including admissions essays. Because the essay is an acknowledged representation of the self, the student tries to omit blemishes or whatsoever material she thinks will make her unattractive to the school. She consciously tries to frame her essay so that it will projec t the particular kind of persona she thinks the admissions officers want to see. However much they tell you, Just be yourself, thats hardly possible when so much rides on how that self is presented. Even more challenging than the decision of how to frame this self-portrait is the anxiety-producing task of choosing a topic. For example, in a recent New York Times article, a student lamented the fact that no one had died in her family thus leaving her without anything moving to write about. Admissions essays are an unusual and peculiar exercise, one in which we know the student performs. unless the school is performing, too. The University, in particular, is known for its quirky and surprising essay questions. This hook itself is a performance of a kind that seeks to attract a certain(prenominal) type of student, perhaps the creative or quirky.