The Trouble With \'Offbeat\' Essays Isn\'t the Style, but the Fit

Sush Krishnamoorthy, from New Delhi, is part of a “Choice” class that includes student-bloggers from Nairobi, Kenya; Topeka, Kan.; Seattle; Rogers, Ark.; Las Vegas; New York City; and Hunting Valley, Ohio. Her third post is below. - Tanya Abrams

When I started writing my college essays a month ago, I was lost in a sea of advice.

“Be yourself.”

“Find your voice.”

“Tell an interesting story.”

That wasn't very helpful.

In the beginning, I would a write a draft and read it again after two days. Most of those drafts found themselves in the recycle bin. My essays felt uninspired. Every idea I had sounded beautiful in my mind, but on paper it was all lost in translation.

A few months ago, I was confident that the essays would be a breeze because I often write accounts of experiences that touch me. But when application d eadlines were looming over my head, I felt out of my comfort zone. My life is ordinary. I couldn't think of any “offbeat” topics to write about.

One night, inspiration struck like lightning and I wrote 800 words about how an unaccompanied 24-hour flight changed me. Two days later, I was proud of my essay. So I refined it down to 493 words and proofread it a few times.

Then I asked a few people for feedback. There was criticism. Some said it wasn't very interesting, that maybe I should write about something fancier. Others said it was too simple in language.

When I opened the Word document to edit my essay, I realized that I didn't want to change anything about it. I meant every word I had written and it was really about who I am. So nobody else's opinion really matters, right?

I corrected a few grammatical errors and uploaded the file to my application.

After that, I was on a roll. I wrote all of the Common App and Stanford University supplement essays and was actually satisfied with them.

Now that I've submitted my application, sometimes I do wonder if I should have taken heed of the feedback. I guess I won't know until I receive my “envelopes.”

Ms. Krishnamoorthy, a student at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi, is one of eight high school seniors around the world blogging about their college searches for The Choice. To comment on what she has written here, please use the comment box below.