They want to know how YOU stick out from the crowd!

I intern at an undergraduate office of admissions, these kinds of questions are exactly the type they put in to find the students who truly have something unique to offer. Admissions counselors see hundreds of applications a day, they want you to show them, quickly and in an interesting way, why they should be paying more attention to you than the general once over. A few tips:

1. Pick ONE thing you’re very interested in / good at / have devoted lots of time to / thats different about you.

2. Elaborate on that ONE thing with personal stories, anecdotes, etc. SHOW them how this reflects who you are, don’t just tell them “I do lots of community service.”

3. Tie your ONE thing into the University community. How are you planning to continue this at the university? How did this come to make you want to attend that university?

Good luck!

This question is asking for information about YOU – who you are – what your interests are – what your talents are – what you’re passionate about.

For instance,

“Growing up in Rochester, New York (just as an example, I went to school there), I developed an interest in all types of music early. This is thanks to the wonderful cultural opportunties offered at the Eastman School of Music and also by the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. I was able to study at the Hochstein School of Music, where I took voice and music theory, and I also studied piano privately. Music is a huge part of my life – not just classical, but also musical theater, which I’ve been a part of in several high school and community productions. At one point, I was part of a group, The Taffettas. Our specialty was ’50s songs.

“When I was 12, my family went on a trip to London, and I fell in love with it. Since then I have immersed myself in British history with special interest in the royals. My high school term paper was a study of Henry VIII and how his personal life changed England.

“I envision my college experience to be one where I can meet people from all over the country and pursue my goal of becoming a history teacher. History is my passion …”

Obviously these are just sample paragraphs. You need to honestly express who you are and what you’re interested in and what you’ve done in the past – I was in glee club, I was in band, I was a girl scout, I worked as a volunteer at a hospice, I was an exchange student in France, I was a nanny. You hope to continue many of these interests while on campus and hopefully find others who share them as well. You hope the school will be a place where you can expand your thought processes yada yada yada

In short, this has less to do with the school than it does you. I think these profiles are very important nowadays for kids getting into schools, so make it a good one. Good luck.

take a deep breath–it’s the who, what, when, where, why & how question.

Elaborate on how something makes you feel, and what you want to do with it. Find a focus (even just for the essay)–the environment, world hunger, music in schools, whatever your interest happens to be.

It’s not necessarily about impressing the readers of what you put into your essay–it’s also how you put it together. Take the basic outline structure:Introduction/Body/Conclusion.

Start with a point (I am me) and provide something interesting (this is the me I want to become). In the body, provide suporting details. Who influenced you (friends/family/poets/politicians/trips)? How do you want university might allow this interest to flourish? How are you going to make this happen?

The ending is basically a restatement of the introduction, with an embellished version of “University of Wisconsin/Madison will allow me to fulfill my dreams of learning more about myself while providing the structure and direction to create the foundation from which I can graduate as a grounded individual with the means [education] to become the person I always wanted to be”.

Seriously, take the who/what/when/where/why idea with each of the points, write them down freestyle on a sheet of paper, and work your essay from there. You’re applying to an awesome school–make yourself out to be the person you want to be, and then do it. It takes an ounce of confidence, which you’re scared of admitting to. Don’t be!

Best of luck!

They are asking how you would be an asset to them. You need to advocate for yourself, talk yourself up let them know everything that is positive and strong about yourself, this is your time to shine. Let them know specifics of things that have happened to you and how you have dealt with them. Make a list under each heading to help yourself, experiences being the first heading then perspectives as the next heading then talents etc… Good luck.

I would go with something like this-they are trying to figure out if you meet you are in a special class-you could always trip them up with something like this:

As a native of (insert state here) I have been fortunate enough to have a diverse group of friends who make December a great month for me;I have participated in celebrations for Boxing Day, Christmas, Ed Al Hadid, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and Winter Solistice. This has allowed me to gain extensive knowledge of some of the various cultures in my region.

I have volunteered at (insert here) as a insert here for (# of years) and know that volunteering is as important as compensated employment. I have also volunteered with (fill in names of places) in a variety of positions.

hope this helps

When in doubt, begin with a quote that you like or that summarizes something you could ‘bring’ to the school. If you don’t want to do that, begin with a simple story from your past that deals with either the school or education in general.

Haha.. I applied to Madison and did the same essay. I was accepted, too.

I wrote about how I adjusted to life after my mom’s death. She died when I was 14.

If your mom died, that helps you get in. You could try writing about that, but you might get busted for lying… lol.

Just write about something that you are really passionate about, and how you can bring it to the badger community.

Basically, I’d describe my first sexual experience and describe how I would enrich the campus with the prowess that I have now after intense dedication and hard work.

they just want to know what makes you you. they are using a lot of words to essentially ask why are you special. you can ignore their wordking really, just imagin you are getting to know somebody and you think you might really like them, even as just a real friend, what would you want to tell then about yoursefl that would let them really know you? would you tell them a story about the first time you realised something or the first time you realised your own strength or admired somebody elses? just tell them something that matters to you, they want to know your character. introduce yourself in a manner that is truly sincrere.

What they want is a “well defined vague statement”.

Don’t force yourself, just let it work it’s way out of you so that

YOU feel good about it. Be honest to yourself, and it will show in your work.