In everything we do, there’s a certain amount of risk. Some things have more risk than others: for example crossing the road without looking versus trying a new type of cheese. We, of course will evaluate the pros and cons of taking each risk and then decide if we want to proceed.The biggest risk I have taken in a while is the way I chose to answer some of my essay questions. I chose to take the risk of answering my questions unconventionally because I felt as though I needed to do something to stand out. In a sea of about twenty to fifty thousand applicants, there are bound to be people with stellar grades and amazing extra-curricular activities. At selective schools, those are essentially prerequisite. The difference in decisions, therefore, comes down to the type of person that admission officers adjudge you to be. Essays are one of the few places in an application where you are able to make a personal appeal. You have the chance to present a little bit of yourself to the admissions committee. The problem is, the questions can seem extremely mundane. How do you provide a unique answer to the question “Why Yale?” What can you say that fifty thousand people can’t? Of course, you could play it safe and talk about the academics, the extra curricular activities, the prestige and location, but who doesn’t know those things? How does that show the admissions officer the type of person you are?
Personally, I chose to write that essay in the form of a letter, in which I proposed that I had applied to Yale because I felt like I was the type of student they needed. Another prompt from Yale asked me to discuss something that I love learning about. I could have used that prompt as an opportunity to talk about my dedication to the sciences, but that was already reflected in my extra-curricular activities. Numerous science fairs, science club, volunteer work, and teaching – it was pretty clear that I loved the sciences. So how could I answer this question in an interesting way? I wrote about how I loved to buy gifts for people. I described that for me, buying the perfect gift for someone meant that I had to learn about him or her inside and out. I then explained that whilst at the moment I use my love for learning about people to buy gifts, in the future I hope to be able to apply this principle to seamlessly integrate new technology into society. And I’m not alone, a fellow student, also admitted to Yale, Deon Ababio, said in response to the prompt “Talk about something you haven’t mentioned on your application”, he replied with a spiel about his 17 hair brushes, all of which he names. At the end of the essay, Ababio attached an image of his favourite brush, Diane, and signed his essay with best regards from the both of them.
Speaking to Fatima Karim (admitted to Princeton and Stanford), Karim expressed that her most unconventional essay was a letter to her future Stanford roommate, in which she decided to be true to herself (self-described as weird and quirky), and spoke about her love for Kpop, manga, and pizza. Making sure to make a big deal of asking if her roommate liked Hawaiian pizza, because as far as she’s concerned, pineapple on pizza is the devil’s doing. Karim mentioned that in all honesty, she didn’t believe that she was the best candidate in terms of grades, but that it was her personality that gave her an edge over forty-five thousand other applicants.
And where else can we show our personalities other than our essays? Obviously we have to strike a balance, and like everything writing an unconventional essay poses a risk, but it also presents an opportunity to transform your application into a memorable one; to make you more than just numbers; and possibly to get you admitted into top schools.08
