Ninety Seconds or Five Hundred Words

How well can you describe who you are in about 90 seconds or in less than 500 words?

This is the time of year when many high school seniors are focusing their attention on college applications and writing the required essay or interviewing for a job. Here are four things to remember as you prepare:

1. Keep it simple – you are not writing a book about your life history. So, stick to the point and don’t ramble off on a rabbit trail.

2. Answer the question. This is very important. Stick to the question and be concise. Think of an experience that describes the point of the question. College personnel will see a better picture of who you are through the windows of your descriptive answers.

3. Yes, THIS time it IS all about you. It’s OK to talk about yourself and your experiences. Admission personnel do not want to read about your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or your bff. They want to read about you.

4. Use your own voice. No one can write your story like you. Admission personnel expect it to sound like it was written by a high school senior and not your English teacher. However, DO refrain from using “text-speak”. College professionals and employers want to know that you are at least articulate enough to use proper grammar.

Writing a college essay or interviewing for a job have one thing in common; answering the questions of “who are you” and “why should I admit/employ you”? Life is a journey of finding our place and how we fit in with the rest of humanity. Finding our place requires a lot of hard work and diligence.

It would be nice if God gave us a detailed strategic plan for our life, but it doesn't work that way. Instead, He has given us a book of Truth to read and master. As we spend time reading and understanding His principles, our way in life becomes clearer.

As you prepare for the next step in your journey keep in mind these steps: keep it simple, answer the question, it’s your story, so use your own voice.

So, who are you?

Elton O. Brooke, Ed. D.