Regardless of what university you feel like applying to, you must be prepared for whatever essay question they throw your way. Some universities give unique application essay questions designed to stimulate the creativity of students. If this eventuality arises, then it will be doubly important for you to be ready for wacky essay prompts.
Examples of wacky or unique essay prompts
The University of Chicago is famous for its wacky essay prompts. Examples of these are:
Essay question # 1 – How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.)
Essay question # 2 – “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” wrote the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” What is human personality? Is it obvious what uplifts and what degrades it? Can law be justified on the basis of it? We want to hear your thoughts on justice as it relates to this human personality.
The University of Virginia also throws in its share of wacky application essays such as:
Essay question # 1 – Make a bold prediction about something in the year 2020 that no one else has made a bold prediction about.
Essay question # 2 – The past isn’t dead. It’s not even past. So says the lawyer Gavin Stevens near the end of Faulkner’s “Requiem for a Nun” To borrow Stevens’ words, what small event, either from your personal history or the history of the world, is neither dead nor past?
Tips in dealing with unique essay prompts or questions
Thoroughly understand the question. You can never answer an admission prompt if you don?t understand the question and that goes double for essay questions that are wacky. Don?t attempt to answer a question you don?t understand. Try to break down the sentences so you could have a smaller scale viewpoint of the prompt before advancing to the larger scale.
Other things to keep in mind when tackling wacky essay prompts
Make sure that the primary question is answered. With the proper words, you can give a simply stated answer to a complicated question. Answering wacky essay prompts is the same with answering any type of question. Formulate a plan. Rearrange the words in your head before finally putting them on paper.
Related links:
Tone in essays – How to improve the tone of your law school personal statement
Reading sample essays
Discussing motivations – Using motivation as content in structured essay
Weird college essays – Examples of wacky college essays
Common college prompts – About some of the common college prompts
Qualifiers are words or group of words that limit or modify the meaning of another word. They may come to qualify quantity, time, relative quality, or certainty.
Examples and purpose of qualifiers in grammar and writing
Some qualifiers include the words: rather, somewhat, possibly, quite, probably, some, sometimes, now, , I guess, I think, and many others. Qualifiers communicate a person?s commitment to a statement. For example, absolute qualifiers such as “all” leave no room for doubt, emphasizing the point made by the person. In the same way, a relative qualifier leaves a distinct possibility for the opposite. In short, qualifiers are the ones that communicate the degree of the word it qualifies.
Pros and Cons of using qualifiers
Qualifiers are capable of making you sound decisive as well as uncertain. This would mean that with the right qualifier you could make yourself sound confident and certain, while the wrong ones will incite doubts from the reader.
Using qualifiers, especially the relative ones, can be detrimental when you are aiming to convince a reader. For personal statements, “sometimes” and “somewhat” lessen the impact of your claims, while absolute qualifiers can intensify the impact of the statement.
Tips in effectively using the right qualifiers
When using qualifiers for personal statement, you should always avoid using the ones that limit your statement. Some of these words are quite, possibly, rather, somewhat, and sometimes. Limiting qualifiers give the impression that you are not sure about what you are saying and would therefore need a “safety net” in the event someone challenges your statement.
As opposed to limiting qualifiers, absolute qualifiers communicate certainty. Words such as all, none, never, and always establish your position on a statement and convey confidence as well as a positive attitude.
When forming essays, be very aware of your choice of qualifiers. Read your composition several times and ascertain that you are giving off a positive attitude.
Related links:
Improving personal statements – All about improving your personal statement
Common essay mistakes – All about mistakes to avoid in personal statements
Scolarship and essays – All about polishing your personal statement for a scolarship
Unnecessary qualifiers – Guide to using qualifiers and avoiding common mistakes
Improving your writing – How to improve your writing skills
What you must bear in mind when writing a personal statement for the college of your choice is that you your essay must stand out. There are thousands of applicants vying for the same spot and you have to get ahead of them by turning your personal statement into something that automatically grabs attention.
Basic parts of an essay
An academic essay has three main parts, the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction is the part where you state your case. It would be the bait to spark interest from the reader and so, it should be engaging in itself. The body is where you expand on the introduction. This is where you list down your accomplishments, qualifications, and motivation, making you eligible for a spot in their college. Conclusion is the wrap up; it should talk about the impact of your experience to your application, inspiring the reader to think about the wide range of possibilities if you are accepted.
Tips in organizing the structure of your essay
Tip 1: Focus on a theme. This would help narrow down your discussion, focusing your essay on a topic and letting it evolve from there.
Tip 2: Start with an outline. List down the things you want to discuss and the order you want to discuss them. This will give you an overview of the whole essay and would allow you to simplify what would have been a difficult discussion. Once you have broken down the topics, then you might start from there, all the while keeping your mind on the main theme.
Tip 3: Turn it into a story. Don?t string together sentences in a random order. Instead, make it sound as though you are a storyteller on the verge of relating a compelling story. Link them together using words like although, therefore, or hence. This is a simple yet effective approach that would allow you to form arguments and conclusions, while still maintaining the pretense of a story.
Tip 4: Personalize the essay. Avoid using the word “we” and focus more one you’re beliefs. Compose it in the first person, emphasizing your personality in the article.
Proofreading the structure of your Essay
Read your essay once, leave it for a few hours, come back and read it again. This would allow your brain to be open to more ideas regarding your essay. Be very aware of the movement of your story as well as spelling and grammar. If you find it difficult to proofread your own work, then try asking a friend to read it for you. Redrafting is not a crime. You might want to check out online personal statement samples to be able to compare and edit your work as you see fit.
Related links:
Discussing motivations – All about motivation as content in structured essay
Tone of essays – All about increasing the quality of your personal statement
Mistakes to avoid – Mistakes to watch out for when structuring essays
Essay writing tips – How to write great admission essays
Essay structure – On how to structure your essay
If you are planning on applying for law school, as early as possible you should be able to present yourself to the respective admission committee of your chosen school as someone who has the makings of a good lawyer. What the admission committee seeks from applicants vary from school to school. They might require high scores in admission tests, transcripts, or letters of recommendation, and the like. One sure requirement is writing your law school personal statement.
Importance of having strong arguments in your application essay
Your application essay should convince the admission committee that among all other applicants, you deserve a slot in their university. Your argument should be strong; it should be justified, pointed clearly, and directly stated.
How to support your arguments
When it comes to persuasion and making an argument, you should be clear on what you are claiming. You should show in your essay that you know your topic well, and that your claim is based on facts and that you have supporting evidence. There are different kinds of evidence that you can use. Expert testimonies are examples of strong evidences. These can either be facts, informed opinions, and speculations. To be able to gather these evidence, you should research and consult with experts.
Statistics is another form of evidence, and so are examples. Examples can strengthen statistics. By also giving specific examples, you become more persuasive. You can also incorporate personal or anecdotal experience and analogies to not only make your points clearer, but to support them as well. However, you should use these types of evidence sparingly. The secret is to use logic to connect all the evidence and weave them into a seamless argument in your essay.
Other tips for a persuasive essay
Structure and organization are integral components of an effective persuasive essay. No matter how good your evidence are, if you are not able to write an interesting introduction, a coherent and substantial body, and a strong conclusion, all your efforts in making your argument are futile. Focus on improving your structure and organization as well.
Related links:
Personal Statement Tone – Improving the tone of your essay
Law School Essays – Using sample law school essays as guides
Law School Motivation – Discussing motivations in your essay
Personal Statement Mistakes – Spotting mistakes in your essayConvincing Personal Statements – How to write convincing personal statements
Law Admission Essays – All about law school admission essays
Best Admission Essay – All about writing the best admission essay
Law School Essay – All about law school admission essays
Admission Essays – All about writing your admission essay
College Persuasive Essays – Difference of college persuasive essays from other essays
