Stories of Growth on Our UWC Journey

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There is no perfect essay topic. Honestly, we’re just looking to learn more about you and your interests. (You can write about why you think tomato soup and grilled cheese is the perfect meal on a cold day, if that’s important to you!) Keep the essay focused! There’s no need to try and tell us everything. Pick one narrow topic, and develop it with as much detail as you can. Use your words to paint an image or picture in the reader’s mind so they come out of it feeling like they were there. There is no perfect essay topic. Honestly, we’re just looking to learn more about you and your interests. (You can write about why you think tomato soup and grilled cheese is the perfect meal on a cold day, if that’s important to you!) Keep the essay focused! There’s no need to try and tell us everything. Pick one narrow topic, and develop it with as much detail as you can. Use your words to paint an image or picture in the reader’s mind so they come out of it feeling like they were there. We, as readers look forward to learning more about you. Imagery is powerful. Paint a picture for us. What do you see between classes? On walks? During excursions? In your neighborhood? From a car window, a train seat? We might be familiar with these same landscapes and your words will transport us there. We may not and so your writing will be the canvas to help us learn more about places that are part of your life. It can be one part of your essay but one that can be quite memorable. Application essays often respond to a question/prompt. Make sure you actually answer the question! Admission officers read up to a hundred applications a day & sometimes don’t have time to get through long essays, so get to the point and put your “best stuff” early in the essay. Before submitting your essay, show it to someone who doesn’t know you well and ask them if it makes sense & answers the question. Your essay should be able to speak clearly about you to a stranger. Advice to remember: 1. Tell your story in the context of the rest of the application. 2. Focus: Narrow, deep essay topics are better than shallow wide ones. 3. Celebrate yourself. 4. Showing works better than telling. 5. Authenticity matters. Do not try to be anyone else. 6. Dramatic and traumatic aren’t a requirement. 7. Know where you are applying. 8. Proofread, proofread, proofread. 9. Don’t panic if you don’t like writing essays. The essay is important but it isn’t the only thing that gets you accepted. Ask yourself, “could someone else have written this statement?” If the answer is yes, it means there’s opportunity to reflect more, dig deeper, and make your message more personal. The broader topic you choose to write about may not be new to the admissions reader and that’s ok! If your statement focuses on what YOU learned, how YOU felt, how YOU grew, that is uniquely your story to share and will help admission readers better understand you beyond your transcript and list of achievements. We always recommend that students focus some time on the “Why NYU” prompt where they have an opportunity to let us know how we are a great fit for them. As I like to remind students, we are reviewing if they are a great fit for us but we see they’ve done their research for how we are a great fit for them in their WNYU! Take time to craft an outline. One common mistake I’ve repeatedly seen is failure to stay on topic. Therefore, once you understand the essay requirements and have chosen a topic, it’s important to craft an outline. An outline is a concise map of your essay. It provides you with a framework to tell a story, build an argument, or persuade a reader. It also reflects how all the points fit together. Poorly structured essays can be off-putting and potentially impact your admissibility. Use this opportunity to tell your story, showcase your motivation and aspirations. Reflect on your last four years and dream about what you want from this next chapter of your life! Then start writing! An essay with a good organization and flow engages me. Try to answer these questions in your essay- What do you want to study and Why? What are your qualities? How would your unique self contribute to the university? How can the university contribute to your growth?” Do something that makes you laugh before you sit down to write! Remember the joy of being exactly who you are! Write something that shines a spotlight on your unique combination of personality, character, life experiences, motivations, skills, abilities. Tell your story simply and in a way that portrays your feelings, perceptions, values, commitment, eagerness to grow. Show the college/university that you are someone we would want on our campus!Guidance Consider your application a complete picture of many parts. When you take a oncollege writing your college metaphorical step back and assess your activities list, letters of recommendation, (possible) test scores, and transcripts--what is missing? essay, including tips from Tell that story in your essay. Think of your personal statement as the final puzzle piece in your application, the component that shows Ethan Sawyer, The Essay Guy mundane, spectacular, or anything in admissions committees across the nation (and world!) who you are.College It can be about something between. Students seem to think they need to write an essay that is unique or to choose a topic that no one else has ever done, but to be honest, there are very few topics out there that admissions officers have not seen before. Uniqueness is an unattainable goal Thirteen. The first time Instead I picked upbemy mom’s in this process and is definitely not what we are looking for when we review applications. of trying to unique, be yourself! I have not heard YOUR story before; that’s what will help your application to stand out! For 20 years I’ve been reading personal stateon amath trip visit textbook. family in Serbian Zimbabwe. ments. I remember the essay from the Afghani camera student who learned fromto a discarded Or the student who introduced his many personas as portrayed through his basketball shoes. Good essays have something in common. They start with a strong introduction and end with a meaningful conclusion. You see, I read the intro, move to the ending, and really savor the middle if both ends hang together. How you begin and end matters! Begin the essay with your own voice, literally. Tell your idea to a friend, or record it on your phone, or stand in front of a mirror and pretend that you are on stage. Make sure you have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Your tone, expression and language are what are what make your voice unique. This is what an admissions officer wants to hear! Show don’t tell. Keep the subject in focus. Remember this is a snapshot, not a photo album. Colleges really want you to dig deep and show us how your perspective is unique. Only you standing in a certain spot at a certain time can take the picture you submit in the form of a college essay. I distinctly remember writing my personal statement in UWC. Ironically, the hardest part was picking a topic. I wanted to tell a perfect story. Everyone around me seemed to have that one moment, that one event, that one memory they held onto. I had one too many. The truth is: you are exceptional and you have many stories to tell, this is simply a chance to pick one that will help us get to know you a bit better. Don’t stop at recounting - zoom in, reflect and invite us to reflect with you.

Growing up in a developing country, having immigrant parents, and working in my family’s business are things that have had a significant impact on my personality. I never thought that I would be Something Stories of Growth on that symbolizes Our UWC Journey who I am is Friday mornings: A sacred day for Muslims where most Moroccan families gather to eat a traditional couscous dish right after the Friday prayer.

in the wilderness.

I love making smthies. In fact, I make one nearly every day – I am always experimenting with many different ingredients.

Walk ing into a wooden dining hall with high ceilings, stained-glass windows and two very exquisite chandeliers may feel like being on a glamourous Harry Potter set for some. But for me, something inside of me shattered each time.


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