U of M common application question
I'm finishing up my application to Michigan, and my next step is the essay. Here is the topic that I plan on writing about:
"Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence."
I saw that and immediately thought "I'll write about Bo", but the directions say "Your Common Application essay should be the same for all colleges. Do not customize it in any way for individual colleges. Colleges that want customized essay responses will ask for them on a supplement form."
The only school I plan on applying to that uses the common app is Michigan, but would this still be customizing my essay?
Would it seem like kissing ass to the person that reads my essay?
October 25th, 2011 at 6:13 PM ^
I would choose another subject.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:13 PM ^
I think the goal of their essay is choosing a more broad personality to identify with. You could do Bo, but I am not sure the admission personnel would appreciate it all that much.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^
choose a subject that will set you apart from other applicants. the admissions committee doesn't necessarily share your love for sports.
[edit] - also, good luck. and a tip - your essay should be exceptionally polished. you can't spend too much time on it. it's the one part of your application that you still retain control over.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 6:50 PM ^
October 26th, 2011 at 6:50 AM ^
and I agree with everything bmac said. Put yourself in their shoes, they read literally thousands of essays, they want something honest, well written, and personal. If it happens to be about Bo, that's great, but they want to know who you are and how you might fit in and contribute to the university, don't make it a book report about Bo.
And with your other essay, you'll want to highlight a different side of yourself, stuff that isn't in the common app essay, so they get an even better idea about you and what makes you Michigan material.
October 26th, 2011 at 7:10 AM ^
If Bo had an impact on your life or inspired you in some way, then by all means, proceed. Do not, however, make it about sports.
Use the word "feel" and "inspired" to describe your relationship with Bo. Make sure you put in the essay that when Bo was offered to be the highest paid football coach in US History (by texas A/M in 1978) and he turned it down because "this is Michigan", that act inspired/resonated/choose word, that money is not important. The important thing in life is committment/honor/dedication/the team/ choose word.
Good luck and Go Blue
October 26th, 2011 at 9:26 AM ^
I just have a hard time believing that there's a compelling story there for someone who was approximately -15 years old when Bo turned aTm down. It just doesn't sell as a personal essay as there's no way the writer had direct experience of it.
October 26th, 2011 at 9:59 AM ^
The essay asks for a the influence from a historical figure, and Bo would qualify. Can people not be inspired and influenced by the works and lives of Martin Luther King, Jr; Harriet Tubman; Gandhi; Abraham Lincoln; George Washington; and other historical figures because they have no direct experience of them?
October 26th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^
People can absolutely be deeply influenced by people they don't meet. But to make a compelling story/essay, there does have to be some form of direct experience of the figure, whether through reading words written by them (MLK or Ghandi), visiting a site dedicated to them (Lincoln or Washington), being in a situation where you imagining their experience (Tubman and the underground railroad museum). All of those are deeply influential but also deeply mediated by the venue itself through which the connection is created. That venue becomes an important part of the essay, ie why was it that these words or this place affected me in this particular way.
I just have a hard time conceiving the venue whereby Bo's example comes together in a compelling personal essay for college admission. The potential venues (Big House, Bacon's book) all look like red flags of "I'm applying to UM because I want football tix," which is not an essay that's going to favorably catch the attention of an admissions officer. Maybe there is a venue (a coach, a relative that played for Bo) that the OP didn't mention whose evocation of Bo meaningfully changed the OP's life (or did something that allows a compelling essay about personal transformation, because that's what they're looking for).
Whoa, didn't see where that was going. Anyway, the choice for this essay is always Malcolm X for an essay about the writer awakening to the liberatory power that education and experience of others possesses to open a closed mind.
October 26th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
would choose Bo over Malcolm X any day.
Bo has affected many people outside of sports. For those younger MgoFans, the Republican Party recruited Bo to run for Congress on several occasions. He even was mentioned as a candidate for the US Senate.
Of course Bo just chuckled and remained loyal by saying he had the "best job in the world".
October 25th, 2011 at 6:18 PM ^
They say it will save you time but really, I finished my application to Michigan 2 months after I started it.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:20 PM ^
I'd avoid sports figures if I were you. I'd probably go with a semi-famous, but still name recognized person associated with the field of study you're interested in. Someone that has historical evidence of positive character attributes that you want to apply to your studies and future career.
Also, as an FYI, whatever figure you come up with, they haven't actually had to have a huge influence on how you live your life. Its a college essay, don't flat out lie in it, but write it to make yourself sound good and show you have passion for the subject you with to study.
October 25th, 2011 at 8:25 PM ^
And remember, the person reading this essay is going to be reading about 1000 others, so be direct, and be interesting.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:29 PM ^
This is just echoing other people's responses. But it might help to look at it this way:
There's very little upside to choosing "Bo," because I assume you would choose another topic that you could write about just as well (otherwise you wouldn't choose it) or at least almost as well.
The downside is pretty big. Someone can read your awesome essay be in an overly critical mood (or just be a stickler for rules) and toss you into the reject pile without a second thought.
When there's low/no upside and big downside, it's best to play it safe.
Incidently, my application essay was a really lame piece about how I wanted to be Han Solo when I was little, and how when I realized there was no such thing as space smuggler I decided to study engineering so maybe some day I could make that sci-fi world a bit more possible. I made it through 2 years of engin, before switching departments. I now work in TV.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:23 PM ^
I hope you're not just starting your essay for early action today...
I'll be sending in my app within the next two days.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:31 PM ^
of course not...
October 25th, 2011 at 6:23 PM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 6:24 PM ^
If you don't want to kiss ass, you should write about Will Gholston.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:33 PM ^
I only know of Tom Gholson.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:31 PM ^
I'm also a high school senior (Pioneer '12), and my advice would be to stay away from sports figures unless you can really write a good essay about them. Especially when applying to UM, I would try to avoid an essay that gives a vibe of "I really like your sports team." I personally chose to avoid that prompt, and went for the personal experience one myself. Just remember if you cant think of anyone to write about for this prompt, there are plenty of others.
October 25th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 6:32 PM ^
Read Three and Out (or reviews about it) and write about John U. Bacon, academic freedom, and the pursuit of truth.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:34 PM ^
I agree with all others that you should pick someone that will set you apart from the others. I also must emphasize the comment about it being extremely polished. I believe my essays were the biggest reason for my admission. My grades weren't great (3.7ish) and my test scores weren't great (31 ACT, 14-something SAT). However, I spent many many many hours on my essays and had them read by just about everyone who I felt could write better than me. I re-wrote each one at least a dozen times and made hundreds of tweaks over several months. Not to mention, since the affirmative action supreme court case, I belive essays are now the main road by which the school keeps the student body diverse so keep that in mind.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:36 PM ^
nice humblebrag.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^
No brags man, just giving you the numbers. I had several friends with better GPA's (4.0+) but slightly lower ACT (29/30) get denied that year because they didn't spend enough time on their essays.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
about someone saying "I only got a 31 on my ACT and a 1400 whatever on my SAT."
I'm sure things have gotten tougher then when I was applying in 2002, but back then those were hilariously no-brainer credentials. I had a number of friends in the like 27 ACT/1270 SAT range who got in without breaking a sweat.
Basically, this: there's no way to say you "only" got a 31 ACT without sounding at least a little bit braggy.
October 25th, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^
How the hell did I get admitted to Michigan. They must have needed my out-of-state tuition to pay the bills in the 80's.
October 26th, 2011 at 12:32 AM ^
That's always how I feel as well, the gap must be pretty large between what they accept from in-state/out of state. I had a 3.5 in high school, solid but unspectular SAT scores, and didn't apply until the Feb 1st deadline (was really just a last second hail mary) and somehow managed to get in.
To the OP or anyone else applying: Whatever you write, make it stand out, especially if you're borderline academically. I had a lot of friends in high school who didn't put a lot of effort into their essays, and despite a lot of them being better students than me, I ended up at a better university.
October 25th, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^
Exactly. You can't say you "only" got a 31 on the ACT.
Here's my brag: I got a 25 on the ACT and got into Michigan. Granted I was admitted as a transfer after a year at UM-Flint, but to go back to your original point: your essays can complete overshadow (positively) "low" scores. I'm positive that's how I got in.
I forget what the subject prompt was, but I talked about overcoming my parents divorce when I was a freshmen in HS. I won't lie, I picked that because I thought it would be the most genuine thing to talk about that would set me apart from the rest. However, that is exactly the point. I wasn't cliched, I was honest, and I hammered home how I came out a better person, prepared for the rigors of UM.
October 26th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 7:37 PM ^
My ACT score is bigger than your ACT score!
The question is - do we really care in hindsight? The shit part about that test was having to wake up early on a Saturday and take it at Pioneer High School. It started at 8 AM. I arrived at 7:56 AM. Best I could manage.
October 25th, 2011 at 8:23 PM ^
I'd be stunned if a 31 is actually borderline now. In 2002, a 32 was automatic invitation to the honors college. I can't believe things have changed that much.
October 25th, 2011 at 8:48 PM ^
Yeah, 31 is 75th percentile.
October 25th, 2011 at 9:40 PM ^
When I took the test it was the last round before writing was included.
I wonder if the writing has made the scores easier/higher? What was the highest you could score before? If it was 32 then it makes sense that once they added writing they went up to 36. Then a 31 isn't as impressive as it was when I took the test and was aiming for a 27/28.
October 25th, 2011 at 9:58 PM ^
My understanding: writing score (out of 12) is not factored into composite score to avoid confusion between comparing composites of tests with or without writing. However, they do make known a combined English and writing score, in which one's English subscore is affected by the writing score but is still out of 36.
October 25th, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
35 ACT, 2120 SAT, 3.79 GPA, 5 on AP Calc BC, 4 on AP US History, 4 on AP US Gov't, application sent in October, essays reviewed by multiple individuals with graduate degrees from U-M, alumni in close family.
Denied admission to LSA.
Sometimes, things suck!
October 25th, 2011 at 10:33 PM ^
Too much feedback and editing is sometimes just as bad as too little. It makes essays seem sterile and stuffy, often sucking any vibrancy out of them.
October 25th, 2011 at 10:40 PM ^
I'm guessing you don't add to the "diversity" of the program
October 25th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
October 26th, 2011 at 7:57 AM ^
How high does it go these days? 1600 was a perfect score back when I took it.
October 26th, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^
Everybody filling out this app, you dont need to spend that much time on these essays. I had similar test scores and GPA and I spent maybe a couple hours total writing each long essay over the span of many days and then I had my mom proofread it after I finished it. I got my acceptance a couple months later.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:47 PM ^
there's a certain level of test scores at which essays/rec letters don't matter that much.
That trick works for law school too, btw.
October 25th, 2011 at 7:19 PM ^
The essays are just there to make sure you speak English and aren't a total psychopath. Let your scores do the talking and don't be memorable in any way on your essays. I did this for college, med school, and residency. It works.
October 25th, 2011 at 10:04 PM ^
You forgot to throw in your AP scores. I'm sure the dude asking the question could benefit from knowing that, too, since he could totally do something about that.
October 26th, 2011 at 6:56 AM ^
October 25th, 2011 at 6:35 PM ^
If there were when I applied I don't remember it.
/feels old.
October 25th, 2011 at 7:01 PM ^
I'm applying on common app also. There's two essays for common app that all schools you apply will see and two specific to U-M.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^
Do a book report man. It's easy but there is a lot of space to make it your own and do it in high quality. Talk about how The Old Man and the Sea or Catcher in the Rye changed your life.