this is an actual essay written by a college applicant, when applying to nyu, where he now attends.
3a. essay: in order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you the applicant better, we ask that you answer the following question:
are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?
i am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. i have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. i translate ethnic slurs for cuban refugees, i write award-winning operas, i manage time efficiently. occasionally, i tread water for three days in a row.
i woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, i can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and i cook thirty-minute brownies in twenty minutes. i am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in peru.
using only a hoe and a large glass of water, i once single-handedly defended a small village in the amazon basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. i play bluegrass cello, i was scouted by the mets, i am the subject of numerous documentaries. when i'm bored, i build large suspension bridges in my yard. i enjoy urban hang gliding. on wednesdays, after school, i repair electrical appliances free of charge.
i am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. i don't perspire. i am a private citizen, yet i receive fan mail. i have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. last summer i toured new jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. i bat . 400. my deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. children trust me.
i can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. i once read paradise lost, moby dick, and david copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. i know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. i have performed several covert operations for the cia. i sleep once a week; when i do sleep, i sleep in a chair. while on vacation in canada, i successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. the laws of physics do not apply to me.
i balance, i weave, i dodge, i frolic, and my bills are all paid. on weekends, to let off steam, i participate in full-contact origami. years ago i discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. i have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. i breed prizewinning clams. i have won bullfights in san juan, cliff-diving competitions in sri lanka, and spelling bees at the kremlin. i have played hamlet, i have performed open-heart surgery, and i have spoken with elvis.
but i have not yet gone to college.
3a. essay: in order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you the applicant better, we ask that you answer the following question:
are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?
i am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. i have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. i translate ethnic slurs for cuban refugees, i write award-winning operas, i manage time efficiently. occasionally, i tread water for three days in a row.
i woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, i can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and i cook thirty-minute brownies in twenty minutes. i am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in peru.
using only a hoe and a large glass of water, i once single-handedly defended a small village in the amazon basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. i play bluegrass cello, i was scouted by the mets, i am the subject of numerous documentaries. when i'm bored, i build large suspension bridges in my yard. i enjoy urban hang gliding. on wednesdays, after school, i repair electrical appliances free of charge.
i am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. i don't perspire. i am a private citizen, yet i receive fan mail. i have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. last summer i toured new jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. i bat . 400. my deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. children trust me.
i can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. i once read paradise lost, moby dick, and david copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. i know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. i have performed several covert operations for the cia. i sleep once a week; when i do sleep, i sleep in a chair. while on vacation in canada, i successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. the laws of physics do not apply to me.
i balance, i weave, i dodge, i frolic, and my bills are all paid. on weekends, to let off steam, i participate in full-contact origami. years ago i discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. i have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. i breed prizewinning clams. i have won bullfights in san juan, cliff-diving competitions in sri lanka, and spelling bees at the kremlin. i have played hamlet, i have performed open-heart surgery, and i have spoken with elvis.
but i have not yet gone to college.
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