Describe a Person You Admire
Most schools give you a lot of flexibility in the way you choose to present yourself in an essay. There are seven Common App prompts and six Coalition App prompts—and both include one that is “anything else you want to write about.” But whether for a supplemental essay, an Honors College application, or a scholarship, you might be facing more pointed questions. One popular and potentially challenging one is a variation on “Write about a person you admire.”
Who Do You Admire?
The trick with beginning an essay like this is the same as the trick for all essays. It’s simple, but not a shortcut: You have to brainstorm!
Something sneaky happens in your brain when you begin to think about this topic—I say “sneaky,” because I suspect it’s happening without your being consciously aware. When you ask yourself, “Who do I admire?” you are evaluating each answer immediately for the obvious follow-up: “And how does that reflect on me?” It’s not wrong to evaluate your answers in that way. In fact, it’s critical you do so. But first you have to generate a list of possibilities. If you evaluate your answers as you generate them, your creative brain shuts down. You’ll find it more difficult to generate names at all if you’re being critical of each name you produce.
Once you’ve spent at least 10 minutes brainstorming and have a list of at least six people—maybe even twice that many!—you can consider them equally for how they fit the prompt. That will involve thinking through how the question is asked, what kind of stories you might have to tell about that person, and potentially, how they have influenced you.
What’s the Specific Prompt?
To choose the best answer, you need to consider why the school is asking the question. Last year the University of North Carolina asked applicants to “Describe a peer you see as a community builder.” The subtext, of course, is, “What do you see as valuable in a community member? What kind of community member will you be?” But by specifically pointing to another, the school could ask, “What does a community builder look like?” while deliberately taking away the opportunity to brag about one’s own efforts. That might level the playing field for students who have good hearts but fewer opportunities, or it might just allow a school to consider whether you can see and appreciate the good in others. That might be something competitive schools don’t see enough in applicants!
Where Are the Stories?
Any essay of at least 150 words requires at least a brief anecdote to bring it to life. If you don’t have a story about a person you want to write about, why do you admire that person? The reader does not want to read your words, “Sara is kind and considerate.” The reader wants to see a time when Sara was kind and considerate, and come to their own conclusions. So when you consider the person you admire, ask yourself how you know they have the characteristics you see in them. How do you know your best friend is helpful, hard-working, or hopeful about the future? Is the story appropriate and engaging enough to share with others? Does it make sense without a lot of context, and is it short enough to fit in the space provided?
How Have They Influenced You?
When “Describe a person you admire” is a supplementary prompt, it’s pretty clear that it’s asking about that person, rather than you. But clearly, we are all influenced by the people we admire. Whether it’s a celebrity you’ll likely never meet but aspire to be like one day, or a mentor who has actively shaped who you already are, the person you are describing is a reflection of you in some way.
This is when we get back to evaluating your options in order to choose the person who makes the best impression on your specific readers. When I applied to journalism school, I was asked what major historical figure from the turn of the last century I might invite to dinner. There were countless people I could have chosen—but Joseph Pulitzer was an easier choice, knowing my audience.
When Do I Need This Essay?
Simple answer: Only when asked. You can say a fair amount about yourself through the story of a person you admire. That said, this is among the only topics I do not recommend for your main essay. Your 650-word essay should be focused on you—who you are, and how you’ve grown and changed into that person through what you’ve experienced. Any piece about a mentor ends up being entirely too focused on that person at your expense, leading admissions officers to repeatedly quip, “OK, we’d like to accept your grandma!” Don’t give them that opportunity.
If you’re applying this fall and haven’t started your main essay, it might be time for a kick in the pants! How about a self-guided Kick-Off Workshop?
(Photo by Nadir sYzYgY on Unsplash)
