College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Andrew Harrison Giordano
The applicants
In high school, Andrew was the treasurer of his high school theater organization, an active member of chorus with numerous solos, a participant in the “Troubadours” (an elite vocal group of approximately 20 students), a member of Mu Alpha Theta, FBLA, Mock Trial, and the Tri-M music honor society, and also performed in All-County and Area All-State vocal music festivals. During his junior year of high school, he helped to create a local not-for-profit youth theater company, The Youth Theatre Experience, that continues to put on summer shows for high school and middle school age students.
Stats
SAT: 1420 (720 Critical Reading, 700 Math)
SAT Subject Test(s): 700 Math 1C, 750 U.S.
High School GPA: 3.73
High School: Clarkstown High School South, West Nyack, NY
Hometown: West Nyack, NY
Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian
Applied To
American University
Brandeis University
Carleton College
Colorado College
The Johns Hopkins University
Muhlenberg College
Oberlin College
State University of New York—Binghamton
University of Delaware
University of Rochester
Essay
Andrew used the following essay in his applications to the schools listed above.
Topic of your choice
Smile!
Some people call it an obsessive—compulsive tendency; I call it dental hygiene.
So what if I brush my teeth for ten to fifteen minutes every night? I just like the feeling of having clean “choppers.” In my opinion, having clean teeth is one of the most important aspects of one’s personal hygiene. Teeth are a feature that provides others with a first impression. When you meet somebody, they smile (at least one would hope.) That smile is your first impression of them.
Truth be told, my teeth are white and straight. While one might argue that a year of braces is to thank, I also like to think of my sparkling smile as a reflection of my hardworking, meticulous, and near perfectionistic nature. This does not only apply to my teeth, but also to all of my academic and extracurricular activities, as well as to the most mundane of everyday actions. When I begin a task, whether it is a paper for school, a theatrical performance, or an act of personal hygiene, I make sure to see it through to a successful conclusion — no detail is spared. If that includes writing an outline before a paper, rehearsing lines with my mom, or even brushing my teeth for a quarter of an hour, then so be it.
One aspect of my life that has taught me the importance of first impressions is the theatre. As an actor of ten years, if I have learned nothing else, I have learned that you *do* get only one chance to make a first impression. This first impression is the audition. When an actor or actress auditions for a show, the director automatically begins to think of whether he or she has the “look” for a part. This occurs on a completely superficial level even before the director knows anything else about the performer. Then, if the auditioned passes the appearance test, he or she only gets one chance to act, sing, and dance — one chance to make a first impression.
However, the acting business is not the only place where first impressions hold a great deal of importance. For example, you, my admissions officer, are getting a first impression of me while reading this essay. We will probably never meet face to face; therefore, all you have to go on are my SAT scores, my transcript, my achievement list, and the only subjective piece of my application: this essay. As wonderful as it would be for both of us to go out to lunch to discuss politics [or] the economy, it just is not feasible. Yet again, I have only one chance to make a first impression.
So, whether you want to consider this piece my smile, my audition, or just a piece of whimsical prose, I offer you this essay as that first impression. I only hope that just like my teeth after being brushed for fifteen minutes, it too will see a sparkling and successful conclusion.
See this page to find out where this student got in.