Personal Essay Advice

[Da supa one]

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Hey everyone im a senior (17) and i'm trying to kick out the applications. I was wondering if u could give me some tips for personal essays. For example, for limited one page essays should it be 10 font times new roman? or an easy read 12 font arial (but then its shorter)? I'm applying for UT's bs md program. Also, i do NOT know if this a good idea, but i'm wondering if i should involve a side sport i'm involved with...tricking. Watch the video to find out what it is. Please let me know if i should include it. I Do other sports such as tennis, soccer, track, and cross country. I got 29 Act, 4.3 weight. Thanks for the advice!
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7N8QKuzEPk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Electrophile]

I don't know about the combined degree stuff...but I'm very impress you can get those long legs tucked under. Cool video! 😀

 

[HumidBeing]

Yessiree! Include that! Is there any other name that it goes by that wouldn't possibly mislead the admission people that it was something unsavory?

 

[bookgodess15]

Very cool vid! 👍

As far as the essay goes, the formatting should be 12pt TNR, standard margins, single-spaced on white paper. Don't staple, paperclip if you must. Put your name on the top right corner of every page, because the data-entry people will love you for it (do this on the computer, not with your pen or pencil). If there's a one-page limit, don't push it by extending the margins or doing it in a smaller font. They only allow you one page because they want to challenge you to say it all in one page; by manipulating the format to give yourself more room, you're essentially telling them that because you weren't up to their challenge, you'll try to weasel out on a few technicalities.

And I'm not saying that it's what you're actually thinking, because I feel your pain about length-limited essays, but it's how they're going to take it.

Other advice: Don't read the books that are just compilations of essays written by other students because you'll either get the urge to plagerize or just feel depressed because your essay isn't nearly so interesting. The books that talk about how to write it are good, but avoid the ones that are just page after page of student essays.

Don't tell them things they already know. Don't talk about your GPA and your ACT scores, and don't rattle off your extracurriculars like the names of your kids--your essay is not the chance for you to prose up what you filled in on the application. Picking one thing (tricking would definitely be a good choice) and going into detail about it, or telling a related anecdote, is a better idea. Or try telling them something about you that they wouldn't know just from reading the application.

Hope this was helpful--if I come across as short, I don't mean to, I just know this stuff inside and out. Good luck!

 

[Da supa one]

Thanks for the comments..i realy get what ur saying. I'm thinkin of phrasin it as "martial art's tricking" so that they understand where i'm comming from. I'm also going to relate how i overcame my fear to do a backflip on ground and how i can overcome my fears more easily in medicine. Is that a good route?

 

[tennisball80]

Cool Video !

Why don't you provide a link for the youtube on your application ? 😎

 

[bookgodess15]

You know, De supa one, you'd think that as a resident, you'd already know all this. 😀

 

[ylrebmik]

oh my goodness, teach me! haha that's really cool!

I think you should add this if its something you really care about. Thats what they are looking for... other things not on the applications to get a little personality out of you.

I'm working on mine right now so I'm a little P.S'd out so that sums its up. haha any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[Thrombomodulin]

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