How to Write about Somebody Else

How to Write about Somebody Else

Since you probably already know, the point of your school application is to provide admissions committees a good sense of who you are. You have written a highly personal college essay, and likely some supplementals on your intellectual and extracurricular activities and your leadership expertise. If you need a great sample of any theme you may go to Ivymoose - free essay database.

But many colleges also provide you with the chance to write about other people. This season, Princeton suggests the following prompt:

"Tell us about a person that has influenced you in a substantial way."

Many different schools ask similar questions. Some request that you speak specifically about your coworkers, your loved ones, etc..

If you talk about a role model, a peer reviewed, a family member?

As always, you want to be strategic about selecting prompts when you are given a selection from which to pick. If you are applying to Princeton, take a look at the 3 other prompts available (you're asked to choose one). They concern:"great challenges facing our planet"; the value of culture; and a favorite quote, and that you are asked to elaborate on and relate to some value you've learned.

Elaborating on a quotation is pretty open-ended, and could be a good option --but be very careful when it has to do with the quote. You're likely to want to have something genuinely interesting at the ready. The civilization question is essentially a"community" essay. You might want to opt for this instant if you have a unique cultural heritage that will help differentiate you from other applicants. I'd recommend against handling any of those"great challenges facing our planet." I personally can't understand how high school seniors should write about important issues such as this in a meaningful, personal way. (The prompt doesn't ask you for a solution.) Just talk from and about your own experience.

The"influence" essay may be the ideal selection for you here and elsewhere: frequently, composing an essay on someone else provides the chance for you to demonstrate something about yourself that isn't already evident in your own application.

The best way to compose the essay

Tell a narrative. Don't rattle off a series of general statements. (This, in my experience, is the most frequent error students make in their books .) Before beginning worrying about whom you should write your essay on (I'll get to that), ask yourself: what story can I tell?

You ought to approach it the same way you approached your school essay. Length will depend on where you are employing, but the"role model" essay should inform a very personal story.

This essay is not about you--it's about your role model. Nonetheless, it needs to say anything meaningful about who you are. Your essay must describe the person who influences you, but it should tell a story only you can tell.

Great"role model" essays talk people who have influenced you, challenged you, aggravated you in purposeful ways. Prevent morals:"And somy friend, Jimmy, taught me that the virtue of honesty, and I am a better person thanks to his influence;""Ultimately, although I fought to accept Allison's criticism, in the end I took it to heart and became a much better person as a result." Resist the temptation to explain how this is all ultimately about you and just how great you're. Tell a story about somebody who is, or did something really meaningful to you, who's altered how you think and behave. You may say a lot about who you are through your choice of subject.