As
someone who cannot resist laughing (loudly) at her own jokes, I regret to
inform you of the following truth: Cute and funny does not cut it when it comes
to getting in to college!
If
you're drawing tips from Legally Blonde or any of the National
Lampoon movies- stop and rewind now! Perfumed
stationery and confessions of hilarious pranks are not going to translate well to an admissions committee that is trying to
determine how you are going to positively
contribute to their campus for the next four years. Remember my previous blog
post “Get Up Close and Personal for a Great Essay”? The purpose
of your college essay is to show admissions that you are an applicant with character and life experiences that have prepared you to become a successful graduate of their institution.
Andrew
Flagel, Dean of Admissions at George
Mason University,
wrote a great blog article entitled “College Admission Essays: Can Funny Get You an Admission” with
horror stories of applicant essays gone wrong- the culprit: a misguided sense
of humor.
Here
is Dean Flagel’s advice: “…if you have to TRY to be funny, this
is a huge mistake, and may be in error even if you’re the next
Seinfeld/Tina Fey reincarnation. Many of you, of course, aren’t funny.
You might check with friends – if they’re REALLY good friends,
they’ll tell you. Even if you are, however, you have no idea if the
admission counselor(s) reading your application have any sense of humor at
all.”
As
you are writing your essay, think about how you are presenting yourself. You
want to write with an honest, clear voice and stand apart from the flock of
other applicants. You want your answers to resound with creativity and
character. Most importantly, you want to answer the question: “Why should
I admit this student over others with a similar GPA, test scores and course
background?” The question is serious and deserves a serious, heartfelt
answer.