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Brody's Guide to the College Admissions Essay
Brody's Guide to the College Admissions Essay is available at bookstores and at online retailers such as Amazon.com. The book was written by a college counselor and writer who has appeared on national television to discuss admissions-related issues, and a dean of law school admissions at a major university. It has been used in high schools and in after-school programs.
For those students who would benefit from professional help with their college admissions essays, we recommend EssayEdge.com, which has been praised by the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Writing a “clever” or “funny” essay raises the bar considerably
In principle, there’s nothing wrong with writing a funny college essay, or one that takes an interesting and unusual approach. The problem is that few students are successful in constructing such essays, and they thus rarely have the intended impact upon the admissions committees.
First of all, pieces written in a “funny” style usually simply don’t work from a comedy perspective. They’re not funny. That’s because 1) even funny students usually aren’t experienced at writing comedy bits, 2) senses of humor vary widely, especially between different generations, and, sadly, but true, 3) most people aren’t funny.
Unfunny comedy essays, or other unsuccessful attempts at being clever or original, demonstrate a lack of self-awareness or knowledge about the admissions process. It’s one thing to be unfunny; it’s a whole different thing to be unfunny but to think that you’re funny. You don’t want the admissions officers’ first impression of you to be that you’re a poor comedian who thinks he or she has material so great that it’s worthy of a college application.
Second, writing something clever or funny distracts you from other tasks you could be pursuing in an essay, such as explaining something you’ve accomplished, revealing something substantive about your personality, or telling a story that demonstrates something about your experiences. You wouldn’t submit a hilarious two-page joke for your essay, even though it was hilarious; similarly, you shouldn’t submit a funny essay that doesn’t accomplish anything other than amuse the reader.
The best way to inject comedy, quirkiness, or originality into your essay is to do so subtly, in the context of your broader effort to put together a good essay. Let them know that you’re clever or funny if you feel that’s important, but don’t make it your defining characteristic. That means that there’s less pressure for you to succeed on that front, and more opportunity for you to demonstrate your overall personality, skills, and value as a candidate.
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