Most\ncolleges require the Common App Essay, it’s a personal statement that gives\nstudents an opportunity to show who they are. Though SAT scores and grades are\nimportant, they give a quantitative characteristic of your success as a\nstudent, but it’s just a half of a battle. Admission committees would like to\nhave a glance at your personality, get to know what matters to you beyond your\ncurriculum. And one of the applicants proved she is a really unique\npersonality, as her ‘Costco essay’ became a ticket to five Ivy League colleges.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\nstrategy are you going to choose for your personal statement? Well, most\nschool-leavers enumerate their leadership traits, boast what challenges they\nhave faced and praised their extracurricular achievements. And in if you are\nabout to do the same, imagine how would admission officers react to just\nanother cliche paper with no peculiarities distinguishing it from dozens of\nother papers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nin 2016 Brittany Stinson decided to introduce herself in a creative manner. The\nprompt was to write about a meaningful experience in her life. Instead of\ndescribing a significant event, she focused her essay on shopping at Costco.\nBelieve it or not, but it was a success. Several Ivy League colleges, including\nYale, accepted her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nkey to success was that Stinson understood the goal of the Common App Essay.\nNeither boasting nor enumerating biography facts won’t give any idea who you\nare. When you write a paper, your task is not to tell what special events\nhappened in your life, but to convince admission committees you are special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stinson\ntook shopping at Costco as a basis because it was part of her life. It was\nsomething common for most people, but special to her. Still, take into\nconsideration that she didn’t write about her shopping experience, she used it\nas a background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nthe essay, her explorations, qualities, and interests were harmonically\ninterwoven in one bright story. Her interest in studies was evident \u2014 and not\nbecause she told about it, rather because she showed it. Try to use apply this\nstrategy when you show your strong points instead of boasting them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep\nin mind that you shouldn’t write about Costco. Actually, you shouldn’t write\nabout any department store unless you are a shopaholic. Brittany’s paper is a\nvivid example of a creative presentation, but you are supposed to have your own\none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\nmight examine ‘Costco’ as well as any other successful writing piece published\non the Internet in order to find out what makes it special. But don’t stick to\nsomeone else’s idea if you don’t want to get a dull story. The secret of those\nimpactful essays is that applicants expressed what they felt. However, you\ndon’t feel the way they do, and if you try to copy their papers, it will be\nevident for admission officers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t\nwaste much time on examining accepted essays. For sure, you may dig up plenty\nof interesting details, but it will be difficult to organize your thoughts in\nthat flow of information. Moreover, such research can make you feel unsure of\nyour success. You might start to think you will never write a paper at such a high\nlevel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing\na topic depends on essay prompts. Still, they just give you a direction and\nit’s up to you to decide what approach to use. Stinson didn’t try to tell her\nbiography \u2014 she focused on one episode in her life. Definitely, it’s a good\nidea to narrow a topic instead of mentioning as many facts as possible. In this\nway, a story becomes alive and bright, and the committee won’t get bored of\nreading it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think\nover your talents, interests, and desires. Make a list of things you are\npassionate about or can’t imagine your life without and use one of them as a\nbackground. Put on paper anything close to your heart: sport, music, dancing,\nreading, visiting cafes, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quite\nan interesting method is to turn your weak points into strong qualities. For\ninstance, it’s a harmful habit to play computer games too much, but you may\ntake your favorite game as a basis to show you are technically knowledgeable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No\ndoubt, the situation you choose might be imaginary. However, let it be the only\nunreal aspect of your essay. Never lie about your traits, strong points, and\nachievements. Even though your work may impress the admission committee and you\nwill be accepted, it will soon become evident you are not such a person as you\npresented yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nmight seem easy to describe one episode of your life. But notice that in\nStinson’s essay shopping at Costco is not the main theme, she adds it as a background\nto develop the ideas she wanted to express. She illustrates her intellectual\ncuriosity, good sense of humor, and serious outlook. Brittany demonstrates her\ndeep reflections and smart approaches to common situations. Think over what\nexactly you are going to tell about yourself and how to do it in a creative\nmanner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though\nBrittany describes a common situation, she uses broad and complex vocabulary.\nDon’t try to copy her style of writing. Perhaps, it’s difficult for you to use\ncomplex literary figures as you are inclined to the analytical way of thinking\n\u2014 express it as your strong side. Demonstrate how you estimate the world with\ncause-and-effect chains. But even if you are not a talented author, you are\nexpected to avoid slang words and mistakes. If you feel unconfident, ask your\nteacher to check your paper for mistakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stinson’s\ntone is really marvelous. She starts her paper with a joke, it’s a hook to grab\nreaders’ attention. Then her tone becomes more serious as she starts to express\nmain ideas. The combination of two styles is rarely found in students’ academic\nworks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So,\nadd humor to your essay if it’s suitable for you, but don’t force yourself to\nsurf websites in search of appropriate anecdotes if it’s not your way. Let\ncommittee officers have a glimpse at your inner world. In case you are a true\nintrovert, use a philosophical statement as a hook. You are a sensitive\npersonality \u2014 then show how quickly your emotions change under the influence of\nthe outer world. You are fond of reading and try to write poems \u2014 add complex\npoetic figures to your writing piece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To\nsum it up, there are no particular rules concerning a personal statement. You\nare expected to introduce yourself, show your best qualities, achievements, and\ntalents. If you are eager to prepare a ‘Costco essay’, keep in mind it’s not a\nsimple narrative story. Rather, it’s a combination of a simple background and a\nstrong one’s presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So,\nmake sure you are able to cope with this task. Don’t focus on a ‘Costco’ if you\nrealize such an approach doesn’t inspire you. When you prepare for creating the\nCommon App Essay, you may come across many essays written in a style more\ncommon for academic work that has been accepted. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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