Accepted! 50 successful college admission essays - Gen Tanabe, Tanabe Kelly 2008

Memorable essay: Spaghetti sauce
57 successful admission essays

Dean of Undergraduate Admission, Case Western

Reserve University

“I remember reading a great essay and then running from door to door telling everyone they had to read it,” says William T. Conley, dean of undergraduate admission at Case Western Reserve University, recalling an outstanding essay he read recently.

What made the essay memorable was the way the writer compared his life to an everyday food: spaghetti sauce. The student wrote about how he had once seen an old commercial for Ragu spaghetti sauce in which a chef talks about all of the fresh vegetables and spices that went into the sauce. Conley says, “The writer wrote about himself by cleverly drawing parallels between the spaghetti sauce and the ingredients that make up his personality. He handled the analogy extremely well. It was very impressive.”

Writing a creative essay like this is not easy. It takes a lot of thinking to be able to compare yourself to something in an intelligent and meaningful way. You can’t just draw parallels to surface similarities. (Spaghetti sauce looks good in red and so do I.) You need to go deeper. Doing so successfully can yield a powerful essay. Who knows, maybe your essay will be the one that Conley holds in his hand the next time he runs through his offi ce.

Emily Heikamp

“Why” University of Virginia

My favorite word annoyed my parents when I was small, and continues to puzzle my teachers today. In fact, it has baffl ed the greatest minds of all time. This word is responsible for the birth of every religion, and the entire discipline of science is based on this single syllable. Authors, artists and scholars have attempted to explain this word, but each has given a different interpretation. Although it is quite a basic word, complexity lies in its simplicity. When used alone, it may pose a question that many fi nd diffi cult to answer. This word is also unique, as it is one of the few grammatonyms of the English language (a word that sounds like a letter of the alphabet). It is also a popular word and has even appeared on this very application.

My favorite word is “why.” Throughout my life, I have always asked why things happen or even why I must clean my room. “Why” represents a thirst for knowledge and has been an essential part of my education and my life. Asking “why” has produced new ideas and explanations, whereas those who do not inquire “why” must be satisfi ed with superfi cial facts.

“Why” has given me reasons for working hard, for believing in myself, for applying to U.V.A. and even for my very existence. I shall never stop asking my favorite word, “why.”

In a very brief space, Emily successfully shares an important side of her personality. Clearly this is only one aspect but from the college’s perspective it is probably one of the most signifi cant. Colleges like to see that students are interested in learning and gaining knowledge not because they have to but because they want to. Emily’s essay leaves no doubt that she is passionate about learning more about the world around her.

In at least one of your essays, try to address your academic or intellectual curiosity. What have you enjoyed studying most in high school? What would you like to study in college? What intellectual questions keep you up at night? By sharing this kind of information, you will reinforce to the college that you are ready for the academic rigors.