I wanted to check my common app essay topic with everyone here very quickly because as I was editing my essay and reading some exemplar essays, I started having some doubts.
My essay in a nutshell is my growth as a person through DECA (a marketing/business association which pushes you to gain confidence & interview/public speaking skills). So my essay talks about me, starting off as a very shy individual, and gradually, through perseverance and a lot of work, becoming more confident, and overcoming my fear of public speaking. The thing is, I tried to write the essay in a slightly unconventional manner; instead of writing the events in chronological order, I used "snapshots".
So I would describe a specific moment, and kind of jump back and forth. For example, I start off with a "snapshot" of my first DECA case study, and how I was a nervous wreck. Then I jump back to a moment in elementary school, when I gave my first presentation in front of the class, and how incredibly nervous I was. Then I jump back to the present, and from then on, it's a series of 'snapshots' detailing my journey through DECA from Grade 10 to now.
I'm wondering now if my essay format will make it difficult for the admissions committee to follow, or if I might just seem silly for doing this. I can easily rewrite it in chronological order.
Well, it's not easy to judge by reading your description. You're better off posting the essay here and getting comments on it.
However, if you can actually pull off the snapshots thing, it would be unique.
I hope this helped.
It can be really confusing when moving back and forth through time. It is possible to do the snapshots in a way that follows a chronological order?
Look at the whole essay, consider what kind of experience you are trying to give the reader, and then put the paragraphs in the order that seems most effective for achieving your purpose.
It'll probably be good to have someone read it and tell you at which point she first feels confused.
:-)
