When writing college application essays, is it better to be super formal, or more informal?
would it be ill advised to start my essay with , "Halfway through my Freshmen year, my best friend tried to kill herself."??? I'm writing about an experience that shaped my character. Is that too blunt?
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MauerMan
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Informal. They're looking to see how good of a writer you are...they really don't care about the content too much. And that's not too blunt...it catches the reader's attention.
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( hawaiianpunc591 )
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I'm having trouble being informal while still expressing good writing skills, though..
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helpmepro
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I would be slightly more formal and say "attempted to commit suicide."
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hithere
Novice Patron Support Leader
your language should be formal, but your content doesn't have to be. starting an essay with that sentence won't get you rejected.
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shadowpool
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Don't worry about formality. Write like you know what you're doing. Be direct. Everything you write must have a purpose and should be profound.
If you're going to write about your friend, focus on the deep lessons you've learned. I don't think you should make the reader feel sorry for you unless you can express what you've learned or unless you can add some clever humor. This essay should show how you think. It's nice to make it personal but you need balance between personal stuff and intellectual stuff.
If you want to start with the suicide attempt, you should be MORE blunt. You want to distill each thought to its essence and nature. For example--
"Halfway through my freshman year, my best friend tried to kill herself."
Could be
"My friend took too many pills. She failed."
If it doesn't hurt to write, it might not affect the reader.
------- You create your past.
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your language should be formal, but your content doesn't have to be. starting an essay with that sentence won't get you rejected.
This is a very good point. Talk about things that will give them an idea of you as a person, but definitely make sure that you are using proper grammar and syntax. I would recommend having several people edit it to ensure that any errors get caught. Good luck!
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your language should be formal, but your content doesn't have to be. starting an essay with that sentence won't get you rejected.
