The College Essay and some Pitfalls

The college essay's shared by the New York Times several days ago are excellent. Each of the winners in a competition about going through difficult financial times had stories to tell. Yet, if taken to heart by this year's and future college aspirants I am concerned. I expect some to feel guilty that they have not suffered from being evicted, having periods of homelessness, experience a parent's loss of income and the like. All are catastrophic life experiences that the essayists dealt with insight and grit. However, I have to issuer a warning to others that they need not have confronted such situations to write a marvelous college essay. The essay or personal statement need not be contrived and the smallest incident if heartfelt can bloom. Autobiographic writings came naturally to me in my study of theater and later with an undergraduate major in Children's Literature and Storytelling. Working in Admissions at Columbia University, I learned the difference between a graduate more informative statement of purpose and what undergraduate statements drew the attention of the readers. Then later still, the person that I consider to be a genius in encouraging the best college essays was the late and sorely missed Stanley Bosworth Stanley Bosworth, who founded St. Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights... His appreciation of individualism drew out the minutest experience into extraordinary revealing works. The college essay or personal statement is an exploration--and pitfalls need be avoided--saving the world at 17 years-old- most travelogues- forged essays about the death of a relative or friend-the did not exist or was not known. And of course recycling used works. I love seeing a college essay evolve be it empirical, poetic, or literary. Getting to know a person through writing is such a window and creative process when honest. And I have read some of students that consider they to be terrible writers to put forth a simple statement that is profound and beautifully evocative. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/05/09/business/student-essays-your-money.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0