Friday, May 24, 2013

Be In, Be Real, Be Bold: YouSendIt's Corporate Values Applied to Writing College Admission Essays


In a New York Times interview with Brad Garlinghouse, chief executive of YouSendIt, he talked about the company's values: be in, be real and be bold. These values align perfectly with my advice about writing a great college admission essay.

Be In: Brad explains, "Be in is all about passion." Your essay will interest the reader when you write about a topic for which you have great passion. You can't fake that.

Be Real: Brad says, "Be real is really about being authentic in our communication." Your essay should sound like you--no big vocabulary you wouldn't normally use, no forced attempts to be impressive. Be yourself and let your voice ring true on paper. (Telling your story into recording/transcribing software can be a great was to start a first draft.)

Be Bold: Per Brad, "Great cultures encourage risk and are tolerant of failure." So do great colleges, and admissions officers admire students who take a writing risk. Don't pen a predictable essay. Use dialogue, or humor, or unexpected metaphors. Most importantly, write a story that only you can tell.

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