I’ll get detailed on this a little bit later, but essentially, are there 5 thematically connected things that thread together different experiences/moments/events in your life? For example, are there 5 T-shirts you collected, or 5 homes or identities, or 5 entries in your Happiness Spreadsheet.Īnd to clarify, your essay may end up using only 4 of the 5 things. One way we’ve seen students find great montage threads is by using the 5 Things Exercise. You can find a thread in many, many different ways. The theme of your essay is the thread that connects your beads. They’re not the kind of beads you’d find on a store-bought bracelet they’re more like the hand-painted beads on a bracelet your little brother made for you. Imagine that each different part of you is a bead and that a select few will show up in your essay. In Montage Structure, story events connect thematically. In Narrative Structure, story events connect chronologically. Montage Structure explained in two sentences: Another is to allow you to share a lot of different kinds of information, as the example essay below shows. One purpose is to communicate a lot of information fast. Or remember the opening to the Pixar movie Up? In just a few minutes, we learn the entire history of Carl and Ellie’s relationship. Well-known examples from movies include “training” montages, like those from Mulan, Rocky, or Footloose, or the “falling in love” montage from most romantic comedies. But, for the sake of this blog post, answer those first two questions with a gut-level response.Ī montage is, simply put, a series of moments or story events connected by a common thematic thread. Beware of pushing yourself to write about a challenge merely because you think these types of essays are inherently “better.” Focusing myopically on one experience can sideline other brilliant and beautiful elements of your character. Sometimes students pick the hardest challenge they’ve been through and try to make it sound worse than it actually was. It’s possible to use Narrative Structure to write about a challenge anywhere on the spectrum, but it’s much, much harder to write an outstanding essay about a weaker challenge. Being extremely shy but being responsible for translating for your family might be around a 3 or 4 out of 10. On the strong end of the spectrum would be things like escaping war. On the weak end of the spectrum would be things like getting a bad grade or not making X sports team. If your answer is “Maybe … ?” because you’re not sure what qualifies as a challenge, it’s useful to think of challenges as being on a spectrum. I’ve seen many, many incredible essays-ones that got students into every school you’re hoping to get into-that had no central challenge. I mention this now because, in my experience, many students are under the impression that they have to write about challenges-that it’s either expected, or that it’s somehow better to do so. Have you faced significant challenges in your life?Įven if you’ve faced challenges, you do not have to write about them in your personal statement. Will this person contribute something of value to our campus?Īt the start of the essay process, I ask students two questions: The essay is a chance for the student to share who they are now and what they will bring to our campus communities.”īasically, college admission officers are looking for three takeaways in your college essay: What’s its purpose? Jennifer Blask, Executive Director for International Admissions at the University of Rochester, puts it beautifully: “So much of the college application is a recounting of things past-past grades, old classes, activities the student has participated in over several years. The personal statement is likely to be 500-650 words long (so about a page) and many of the colleges you’re applying to will require it. But, of course, I’d say that-I’m the College Essay Guy. The part of your application you’re likely to spend the most time on. First, what is the college essay (i.e., the personal statement)?
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