Six hundred words stand between you and the “submit” button.
It’s December 31st and you’re frantically trying to finish your various college applications before the ball drops in Times Square. (Last year we received more than 7,000 applications on that pre-deadline day so I don’t need a crystal ball to forecast your New Year’s Eve plans…) You’re feverishly working on the Tufts Writing Supplement to the Common Application as the clock ticks down to the deadline (and 2016). “I just have to finish these last couple of questions…,” you’ll tell yourself as you reach for some Red Bull (when you’re really craving a sip of champagne)…
Our supplement adds a jolt of creativity and spontaneity to the mix of grades, test scores, essays and recommendations you will submit as part of your Common Application. While those traditional elements of merit are very important parts of our admissions process, Tufts also values your personal voice as we shape the Class of 2020 and define its personality.
Think about it: does your GPA or SAT tell us anything about your personality? Will the reader understand that you’re funny or cynical, romantic or pragmatic, a tinkerer or a planner based on your data alone? Nope. That’s where the Writing Supplement pays a dividend for you as well as us. Six hundred words (100+250+250) is less than you text to your friends in a day. But those 600 words can pack a big punch when you craft them wisely.
By design, Tufts’ supplemental questions are more outside-the-box than inside it. Our supplemental questions beckon a different voice from you. You look for “vibe” when you visit a college or check out a website, and we’re looking for the same thing as we “meet” you via your application. And so our Supplement coaxes you towards a candid, authentic, original interpretation of your best self.
A recent applicant observed, “The tone of the (supplemental) questions set the framework for my reply…and I felt that more of my personality shined through your application because Tufts asked, but didn’t demand, me to be creative and funny.” Bingo. Think of the supplement as permission to wander (and wonder) around the admissions process without a hall pass.
Our Writing Supplement asks each applicant to answer three short questions. Here’s our logic.
“Why Tufts?” seems like a practical query: How or why did the university make your final college list. Simply put, why did you apply? Can you imagine being content as an undergraduate in Medford? It’s not a trick question. Just tell us what you noticed. Are you intrigued by our programs in electrical engineering, Arabic, film studies, and/or finance? Are you itching to study Frida Kahlo’s murals with Adriana Zavala? Maybe Fio Omenetto’s silk research makes your palms sweat? (That could pose a problem as you handle the specimens…) Perhaps Tufts’ vibrant a capella scene calls out to your musical soul or you think you can help the Jumbos win another NCAA National Championship in softball or men’s lacrosse. (Say it: Jumbo Dynasty.)
Maybe you had a strong reaction to the place. You loved the sight of the Boston skyline from the roof of Tisch Library or you really connected with the students you encountered on a campus tour. “Jumbos seem really nice,” is a remark we hear a lot. (That’s intentional: the world needs more kindness.) Maybe you like snow. (We had a lot of that last winter…) Any of these topics is a fair response. But don’t over think the question. Just react. We ask for 50 to 100 words: that’s just a couple of sentences. It’s not precise like calculus: there’s not any specific answer to the question. You don’t need to define “x.”
Then we ask two, 250-word “Short Responses.” To call them “essays” would not be quite right: 250-words add up to a healthy paragraph (or two). It’s a scene more than a chapter. An autobiographical impulse animates each question: one looks outward while the other asks you to face the mirror and tell us what you see.
Everyone answers the first question: “There is a Quaker saying,” the question begins, “Let your life speak.” It asks you to “describe the environment in which you were raised—your family, home, neighborhood or community–and how it influenced the person you are today.” We don’t know what we don’t know about you, so tell us. As a reader this is my favorite part of the supplement: it’s a welcome window into your world, your home, your faith, your school, your life. It can be poignant or funny, dramatic or “normal.” All of it matters. Your environment has shaped your outlook, aspirations and achievements. Share it with us.
The second question focuses on you. We wonder, “What makes you happy?” We invite you to reflect on service or sports or intellectual curiosity. What rule is most applicable to your life? Is there something that gets you out of bed in the morning (besides your parent or an alarm)? Maybe you’ll tell us about food (cooking it or eating it) or athletics (watching it or playing it) or technology (creating it or using). Are you political? Spiritual? A change agent? Were you in line at 3 a.m. to see the Star Wars debut? Do you love the musty smell of a used bookstore? Is hip hop your jam? It’s your call. There’s no right or wrong answer. Something makes you hum. Tell us what it is.
Be candid and straightforward in your responses. Argue your case. Be authentic. Don’t hold back. This is not a moment that calls for modesty. Most of all, and I know this sounds crazy, have fun. The more fun you have with our supplement, the more fun we’ll have reading it. Good luck.
(Image used courtesy Flickr User Anthony Quintano via Creative Commons License. Original photo can be found here.)