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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