Monday Morning Essay Tip: Contextualizing Academic Objectives
January 4th, 2010
When tailoring essays to specific schools, many candidates do not go far enough to connect themselves with their targets. Offering school-specific information, but a mere mention of the particular resource that will be used is not enough—you need to take the extra step, adding context to your educational objectives.
What is the difference between a mere mention and providing context?
Mention:
“With a focus on entrepreneurship, I will participate in Columbia’s Entrepreneurial Sounding Board process. Further, I am attracted to classes such as…”
Context:
“With clear plans to launch my start-up immediately after graduating from Columbia, I look forward to testing my ideas through the Entrepreneurial Sounding Board; I find this opportunity to meet with faculty and gain critical feedback and mentoring to be invaluable as I…”
In the first example, the candidate shows an awareness of the Sounding Board but doesn’t provide the context necessary for the reader to truly comprehend how the resource will be put into use; therefore, the mention is entirely superficial. Further, because the candidate does not reflect, she has to move on to mentioning the classes she will take and thus begins to merely list resources rather than offering a reasoned consideration of how the school fits into her plans.
In the second example, the reader understands exactly how the candidate will use the resource; she has shown that she has done her homework and truly understands how Columbia will satisfy her academic and professional needs. The reader is drawn to the latter example because it is more informed and serious minded; the reader is certain that the candidate is set on her path and has a plan to achieve specific goals.
Posted in Monday Morning Essay Tips