Hello all, I'm currently a high school senior applying for art colleges and I'm applying for the honors program for one of them. I've never been a great writer, which is why I'm posting my essay here for feedback and advice. (Maybe some editing too)! Now, I didn't finish it. I'm going to send in my application tomorrow, but I just need some suggestions on how I could make this a better essay. So, here it is:
Honors Program Essay: Why Art?
The real question is: Why not art? Art is all around us, just like all of those other subjects like, math and English. I've been involved with art ever since I was a little boy. In preschool, I was always into finger painting. I loved to stroke my fingers and watch the colors come from the edges of my fingers. Unfortunately, it also made me develop my OCD. Now, I hate when things are stuck to my fingers, but it didn't stop me from loving art. I also love performing arts, but visual art is my main passion.
I started showing my love for art when I started drawing in the corner or side of my schoolwork. They weren't very good sketches, but it didn't matter to me; I just loved to doodle. In the seventh grade, I was introduced to graphic art. When I first tried it, I fell in love with the program that is used to make graphic art; Adobe Photoshop. All of the supplies you need were all there in the toolbox. It was also easy to make designs. It was so much neater and faster. Unfortunately, my middle school didn't offer any computer-based art classes. Only studio art classes, such as pottery and painting.
When I first got into high school, I looked through their course catalogue and I was so happy to see that they offered computer art as one of their art classes. Sadly, my schedule didn't have any room to fit computer art, so I didn't get to take computer art until the second semester of my junior year. When I first walked in to the computer lab, I was blinded by the amount of computer in the room. They were all Mac computers and there were about thirty of them. The first couple of classes were okay. We just went over the basics of Photoshop, which I already knew.
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Sometimes I feel like I go off topic with essays, such as this one. Feedback and criticism is welcome!
The real question: why not art? Art is all around us, from the ____ to the ____ on the _____.
In the seventh grade, I was introduced to graphic art. How?
What art projects have you worked on?
I assume you will be including a portfolio? I seem to remember art and art history majors carrying portfolios?
Suggestions:
1) Leave out the doodles. Everyone doodles.
2) Leave out the OCD. Colleges don't want students with mental disorders. They use counseling/student health services, which increases costs for the University. Don't ever disclose information that you don't need to disclose.
3) Talk about projects, projects, projects. Art students create art, so you really need to focus on the art.
4) Who's your favorite artist? Why?
5) Find out the names of any famous artists who graduated from the college. Be prepared to talk about them.
6) Will you also be seeking a teaching degree? Art history? Graphic design?
Honors colleges love interpretation,interpretation, interpretation. Honors colleges love writing, writing, writing. I'll be honest. You are not the best writer. Are your parents telling you to enter the honors college? I hate to dissuade a person from entering an honors college, but even friends I knew who were A-student writers in high school had problems with honors requirements in college. Are you going to take out heavy loans to pay for school? Don't.
Don't jump into a pool of ______. That's a good motto.
Best of luck.
I hope you are able to share another draft. I feel it's better to be corrected before it really matters. It's the reason I perhaps sounded harsh in my suggestions.
In the end, it doesn't really matter what I think. I'm a grumpy, unemployed stranger who will never have contact with you again. I'm certainly not a teacher, nor am I on the honors college committee. I definitely have little art talent. You should see my artwork. I hope I didn't make you feel badly.
