Responding to College Admission Essay Questions in the Subject Areas: Literature

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An admission essay is supposed to reveal facets of your character. But you can turn the tables on the admissions committee by examining the questions they’ve chosen for hints about their deepest desires. Some essay topics, such as “What is your favorite required reading?” and the like, tell you that the counselors are fans of the world’s best subject, English. Others indicate that the committee has at least one frustrated scientist or philosopher in its ranks: “Will science or religion have more relevance in the twenty-first century?” or “What technical invention has the potential to change humanity itself?” A couple of topics display the committee’s artistic ambitions, including “What reflects idiosyncratic beauty?” and “Design a play area representing the ‘thrill of the unknown.’”

The subject-area questions are less common than the topics the  “tell us about yourself” and “tell us about a significant person” prompts. Nevertheless, if your application contains a subject-area essay, the tips in this chapter will help you achieve maximum success.

We Really Wanted to Teach English: Answering Literature and Writing Questions

These essays tend to fall into three categories: the “favorite book” or “reading list” topic, the creative writing sample, and the poem or quotation analysis. The English-oriented questions roam around a bit, depending upon the application. Some schools place them in the short answer section, and others make them full-length essay topics. The helpful hints in this section may be applied to either situation.

Discussing books

The “book” questions are an attempt to identify what you read and what you think about after you’ve read it. Questions in this vein include:

• What books have you read for pleasure?
• What is your favorite required reading? Why?
• Contribute a book to the school reading list. Tell us what you would choose and why.
• Name the five best books you ever read, in order. Tell us why you’ve given priority to the first book on your list.
• Name six books or articles you’ve read recently. Choose one, telling us why you read it and how it was significant to you.

When writing about books and reading lists, your first stop should be the bookshelves in your home and the public or school library. Browse around for a few moments, pencil or handheld computer ready. Every time you see a book you enjoyed, jot down the title and author. Flip through the chapters and read the blurb on the book jacket to remind yourself of the contents. Don’t stop until you have a dozen possibilities. Later, narrow the field by circling those that have special appeal or significance to you. Before you make the final cut, take a few minutes to brainstorm about each title. (Turn to Chapter 6 for an explanation of several techniques guaranteed to unearth your best ideas.)

Don’t even think about choosing a book that you haven’t read. Admissions counselors are professional educators — perhaps former teachers and definitely former students. They know when someone is blowing smoke into their eyes, and they’ve probably read tons of book summaries online or in those little study-aid paperbacks. If they suspect that you’ve taken a shortcut or chosen a title that is beyond your ability in hopes of impressing them, they’ve learned something important about you — something that will undoubtedly hurt your chances for admission. Better to go with a title you know and love, regardless of level, than to pretend that you’ve read a scholarly work.