How to Write about Somebody Else

Since you probably already know, the purpose of your school application is to provide admissions committees a solid awareness of who you are. You have written an extremely personal college essay, and probably some supplementals in your intellectual and extracurricular pursuits and your leadership expertise. Perhaps in your intended major and career plans as well.

If you need a great sample of any theme you may go to Ivymoose - free essay database.

But a lot of schools also provide you with the chance to write about other people. This year, Princeton proposes the following prompt:

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

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

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

As always, you want to be tactical about selecting prompts when you're given a choice from which to choose. If you are applying to Princeton, take a look at the 3 other prompts available (you are asked to select one). They fear:"great challenges facing our planet"; the value of culture; and a favorite quotation, which you are asked to elaborate on and relate to a value you have learned.

Elaborating on a quotation is pretty open-ended, and could be a good option --but be very cautious when it comes to the quote. You're going to want to have something truly interesting at the ready. The culture question is essentially a"community" essay. You may want to opt for this instant when you've got a unique cultural background which will help distinguish you from other applicants. I would recommend against handling some of those"great challenges facing our planet." I personally can't know how high school seniors should write about important issues such as this in a meaningful, personal way. (The prompt does not ask you to get a solution.) Just talk from and about your own experience.

The"influence" essay may be the ideal selection for you here and elsewhere: often, writing an essay on somebody else provides the opportunity for you to show something about yourself which is not already apparent in your own application.

How to compose the essay

Tell a narrative. Do not rattle off a series of general statements. (This, in my experience, is the most common error students make in their books ) Before you begin worrying about that which you should write your essay on (I'll get to that), ask your self: what story can I tell?

You ought to approach it the exact same way you approached your college essay. Length will depend on where you're employing, but the"role model" essay ought to tell a very personal story.

This essay isn't about you--it is about your character model. But it needs to say anything meaningful about who you are. Your essay should describe the person who affects you, but it should tell a story only you can tell.

Good"role model" essays talk people who have affected you, challenged you, alerting you in purposeful ways. Prevent morals:"Therefore , my friend, Jimmy, taught me that the virtue of honesty, and I am a better person due to his influence;""Ultimately, though I fought to accept Allison's criticism, in the end I took it to heart and became a much better person as a outcome." Fight the temptation to explain how this is all ultimately about you and how good you are. Tell a story about somebody who is, or even did something truly meaningful to youpersonally, who's changed how you think and behave. You may say a great deal about who you're through your choice of subject.