Misunderstandings
My teacher says I’m too vague. For whatever reason, I suck at getting my point across when I’m writing an essay. Apparently, my articles work the same way. Do I just not make sense? Or am I really bad at explaining myself?
I was reading up on college essay advice yesterday, and there was a comment about tone. They said to make sure you maintain the same tone throughout the essay, and to make sure it doesn’t put you in a bad light. This is something I struggle with- see, a lot of times, it’s natural for me to say something in one tone, but mean it in a completely different way. It might be that I’m just being sarcastic, or maybe that I’m a little too good at becoming a character.
See, if I want to write a depressing poem, I become depressed for a few minutes. However, I am not sitting there thinking about killing myself. I’m thinking about words that rhyme with blood. Seriously- that’s it. I might write about how obsessed I am with my imaginary friends- relax, I know they aren’t real, and they really are not harmful at all. Where do you think I get my stories from? I’m not crazy- I’m a writer. Duh. And Amos- I promise, my real-life relationships are way more destructive- relying on an imaginary friend to get me through something is perfectly okay once in a while. People are guaranteed to disappoint me, whereas my characters will always do what I want them to.
Other times, I get into my “cynic mode”. This one probably really does put me in a bad light. There are so many things that I hate about the world, and it makes me feel better to complain about them and explain to people how ridiculous it all is. Personally, I don’t see a problem with it. I mean, isn’t that what the world’s best known classic writers did? I guess they must have articulated something better than I do.
Truthfully, I am a cynic. There a lot of things that I like to bash, and I really could care less about helping a community that won’t help itself. However- this is often misconceived as me being hateful or judgemental of people. Easy mistake when you only see what I have to say on the Internet. This is where I rant, ramble, and try to point things out to a world that won’t listen to me in person, (not that they listen to me here anyway).
Sadly, that’s all you get to see. It’s rare that I decide to write a poem or a rant about how happy I am- why ruin my happiness with a pointless article that’s bound to get a rude comment? When I find good in the world, I document it. My favorite songs are my favorite songs for a reason, and I’ve even posted a few of those online with explanations. The thing is, a lot of good things can’t be written down. That’s why I write stories- I try to convey the deeper message of something great by showing how the characters get past a trial and learn to love life. It’s just that in life, the little things are what matter way more than the big things. I probably couldn’t write two hundred words on half the little things that make me so happy, (though now that I think of it, maybe I should try). Yet, I can ramble for pages about the big things I hate.
I just wanted you to know that just because I say one thing, I really might mean something else. Don’t read too much into what I say- or maybe read into it a little more. I’m a little more than what meets the eye.
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October 18th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
My younger daughter, when she was trying to write her college application essay, told me that her teacher told her to be imaginative, then the teacher talked about unicorns and hearts and flowers. My daughter wondered if that really was what Harvard looked for in application essays. Well, probably not. I have served on admissions committees. We were not Harvard, but we did not look for unicorns. Admissions committees are not the appropriate audience for cynicism either. They want people who, ten years from now, after having gone through college and worked for a while or gone to grad school, are going to be on their way to being the leaders of the free world. Longfellow said in a poem, \\\\\\\”Life is real! Life is earnest! (take a look a that poem. it\\\\\\\’s called WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO THE PSALMIST). That\\\\\\\’s not to say life cannot be fun and enjoyable, but you are embarking upon a new world. Your childhood in nearly at an end. I am here to tell you, Armellia, that is one of the most important times of your whole life. The decisions you make here you will have to live with \\\\\\\’til the day you die. Decide well.
My only really practical advice about the college admissions essay is avoid anything that hints of a smart ass. It is easy for cynicism to give that appearance. I\\\\\\\’m afraid it will get your application in the reject pile really fast.
One other thing. If you apply to good eastern school you are not competing with all 15,000 people that apply for the 1,500 slots. They divide the country (and the world) into regions because, for diversity sake, they want people from all over the country and world. You are competing with the people in your region.
I have written similar messages to everyone of my nieces and nephews, and now I\\\\\\\’m working on grand nieces and nephews and not a one of them has ever listened.
My daughter? She was accepted at nine great colleges including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, etc. She went to Wellesley. She was wait listed at Harvard, but accepted outright at all the others. See ya, Armellia