Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I have a friend who submitted a poem for one of the 200 word UC applications. It was a wonderful, witty poem, but only 167 words...what are your guy's thoughts on writing a poem instead of an essay? On the one hand, it's creative, but then, the college do ask for an essay...

By Entropie (Entropie) on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 01:31 am: Edit

well, i'd say it would be cool. It really depends on the reader, but unless it's really good, I would very strongly advise that you do not do that. 165 words IS a little short. The UC's want it around 200, but they do let a little room under or over.

well, it takes guts to do that, good luck to him!

By Jason817 (Jason817) on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 02:09 am: Edit

Dunno about UC's, but poems are definately okay in some places

By Thedad (Thedad) on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 - 02:17 am: Edit

I have heard at least two different admissions officers--Yale and Harvard--at info sessions saying do NOT write poetry for your essay. One even cited haiku. The grim way in which they said this suggested they got way more than enough of this. "There are other places to show your creativity...in the essay, we want to see *you* [and presumably how you write an essay]."