This is a post for all the aspiring Bulldogs who are feeling stumped by Yale's "Short Takes" on the Common Application. The first thing you need to do is understand why the Yale admissions team is asking these zany questions. First, here are the questions: Now, I'll tell you why they're asking. Are you ready? Yale wants you to answer these questions because... ... ... It's supposed to be fun! I know — not much about the college application season is "fun." But let's try to have fun now. As you go over these four questions, be creative. Be yourself. If "yourself" isn't "silly" or "quirky" — that's fine! Don't force silly. Never force silly! But anyone, even unquirky, not-silly people, can be creative. Since these answers are so short, try to come up with at least three ideas before committing to one — and if you're not sure which of those three is best, ask a parent, friend, or college counselor what they think. Let's start with the first essay: 1. What inspires you? (200 characters) Let's assume I'm the girl from How to Write Your "Optional" COVID-19 Essay, so I sat down and asked myself: What is interesting/special/unique about me that I haven't had a chance to share yet?
Since these are things I consider special and unique about myself, they are things I should try to share with the admissions officer reading my application. So how do I turn this into things that inspire me? Easy. Reverse engineer it. I went ahead and wrote one response for every one of these things I love about myself: 1. What inspires you? (200 characters) This doesn't directly say that I loved AP Stats. Nor does it specify that I read The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump, just out of curiosity, because this summer marked the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So my next step, if I wanted to run with this idea, would be to write another version of it, then test it with my college counselor, college essay coach, my parents, and a friend or two. Ask them if they preferred one version over the other, and what their thoughts and assumptions would be about you from reading it. 1. What inspires you? (200 characters) I have a feeling most people would prefer the first version, since it's got the clever word play and "world peace" is a pretty cheesy thing to write about... But the only way to know is to ask. Next, here is what I would say if I wanted to emphasize my interest in playwriting: 1. What inspires you? (200 characters) Personally, I love this. It's a reference to The Producers, a musical and movie by one of my favorite writers. The otherwise-cliched advice is funny, because the way Max "annexed" this cure was by intentionally writing a play he thought people would hate. Of course, the only way anyone would understand that is if they've seen The Producers. What are the odds of that? I don't know. That's why I would ask a couple people to read it and tell me, honestly, what they think. One last thought on this: A good writer avoids boring words, idioms, and expressions. Originally, I wrote, "cracked the code." Eh. Boring. Cliche. So then I tried "unlocked the secret." Even more boring. So I asked myself, "What's something like "crack the code," but that would be relevant either to the theater or to something in The Producers? The name of the play that Max wrote to sabotage himself is Springtime for Hitler... so I thought "annexed" would be an interesting verb that would allow me to use the same expression, but different. In theater, and in life, people love when you give them the same thing, but different. (See also: Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need.) Did it work? Was "annex" a good word choice? I think so... but again. The only way to really know if something "worked" is to see how people respond to it. Ask a friend, or check my rates and services and contact me. Next, let's say I've decided I to emphasize the awesome relationships I have with my teachers. (This is actually a REALLY important part of your application. As I wrote in How to Get an Outstanding Letter of Recommendation... Even if You Don't Currently Have a Great Relationship With Any Teachers, it's extremely rare to get admitted to a top school like Yale or Harvard or Stanford if you don't have at least one amazing recommendation.) Here's what I might say: 1. What inspires you? (200 characters)
Is it lame to say one of my teachers inspires me? Not if it's true. Is it common? Honestly, no. I've never seen someone do that. Parents, yes. Grandparents, sometimes. Elon Musk? Every fifteen minutes. And even though it's "about" her, it's really about me and some of the personal growth I've done as a student. Last one. I love Latin and Greek, and I want to make sure Yale knows it! Here's what I would say: 1. What inspires you? (200 characters) This may successfully pique the reader's curiosity. "The original original gangster? How delightfully anachronistic! I what she means by that!" Or... they might just find it confusing. Have someone read it before you submit. So now, with only a small amount of effort, I've gone from saying something totally boring and about someone/something other than me ("The quest for social justice," "My parents," etc.) To showing and telling something interesting about myself. I've now got a few choices.
But I'm not going to decide which one to use now. I'm going to finish answering the Short Takes:
And my Why Yale? essay:
And the longer Yale Essays, which include:
And ONE of these (250 words or fewer):
Once I've answered these, I will have a better idea of what I want to say that I haven't said, and what possible holes I still need to fill in my Short Takes. For the sake of not having this post be 10,000 pages long, I've broken the Yale application into a couple of separate articles. Check back soon if you need help on the other parts of the application (EDIT: Part 2 is now live!), and feel free to check out my rates and services and contact me if you're interested in working with Paved With Verbs on your college applications.
1 Comment
5/20/2023 07:11:42 am
I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.
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AuthorEva Glasrud completed her B.A. and M.A. at Stanford. She is now a college counselor and life coach for gifted youth. Archives
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