While shopping at Costco might not be a suitable topic for everyone, it was the perfect choice for Stinson because she found those experiences personally significant. Stinson wrote that she, “once read a quote that said something along these lines, ‘If your friend finds your essay on the ground and it has no name on it, they should be able to tell that it’s yours just by reading it.’” Stinson has explained that she zeroed in on Costco as one of her potential Common App Essay topics because of the running joke between her and her friends that she spent so much time at Costco that she practically lived there. So why choose this topic? How did it work for Stinson? You might also assume that there is no way this topic could highlight your child’s intellect, or their academic or extracurricular achievements.Īnd you might wonder if this was a “personal” enough choice for a personal statement-while we might not all have Costco memberships, almost everyone has had the experience of going grocery shopping. You might assume that this would be a mundane subject. If you were Brittany Stinson’s parent and learned she was planning to write about Costco, you could be forgiven for worrying. Stinson’s essay succeeded in part because it’s a refreshing take on a common experience. Part 2: What works about the Costco essay Topic choice Show how your child can apply lessons from the Costco essay to their own essayĮxplore how the Costco essay may not be a good model for your child Personality, wit, and seemingly trivial habits can all serve as amazing routes to your child’s dream school.ĭiscuss what works about the Costco essay Our students have been accepted into their dream schools by writing about everything from their love of the New England Patriots to grilling meats, and we consider each of those topics their own Costco essay. What we love about these essays is that they proved something we’ve been telling our students for over fifteen years: that admissions officers want to see high schoolers expressing themselves, and that the way to get into a top college isn’t necessarily by bragging or boasting. The short answer is that trying to replicate the Costco essay or the Yale pizza essay isn’t going to do your child any good-but both can serve as models for writing outside-of-the-box personal statements. In the wake of those essays, we’ve fielded tons of questions from parents about whether or not a successful personal statement needs to contain that level of quirk. The essay prompt was, “Write about something you love to do.” William chose to reflect on ordering pizza from Papa John’s. People were especially intrigued when they learned about Stinson’s unusual essay topic: her experiences shopping at Costco over the years.Ī year later, Carolina William’s “ Yale pizza essay” also made the Internet rounds after she was accepted to Yale. In 2016, Brittany Stinson’s Costco essay, went viral after she was accepted into five Ivy League colleges-Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell-along with Stanford and several other highly selective schools. Because as one high school applicant proved, a successful essay can also be about something as simple as their love for Costco. We’ve assembled a guide to writing an amazing Common App Essay that addresses all of those questions and many more.īut here, we want to discuss one unique way to tackle the Common App Essay. Many parents assume students should use the personal statement to brag about a noteworthy accomplishment or significant challenge they’ve overcome. And the Common App Essay prompts are broad enough that your child can write about any topic. This essay is your child’s opportunity to showcase who they are beyond their ACT or SAT scores, grades, or extracurricular activities. You may have even heard of the “Costco essay” that earned one student an acceptance to several ivy league schools.īut first, let’s revisit the purpose of the Common App Essay. If your child is applying to college now or in the future, you’re probably familiar with the Common App Essay, or personal statement, required by many colleges.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |