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screamingsoftly · Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:53 am

I was having a little trouble getting started on the essay for Indiana University and could use some opinions.

"Suppose you had to choose three people-people alive now or people from another era-to travel with you on a cross-country automobile trip. Who would you choose and why? What would you hope to learn from them? (Think carefully about the company you want on those long stretches through Nebraska and Kansas.)"

There are certainly a lot of great people in history to chose from but people that I'd actually want to be stuck in a car with? Do you think it's best to go with people you can seriously learn from or people that you'd honestly want to be in a car with? Should I detail this imaginary trip at all or stick to the basics of who I'd take and why I would take them?

Any opinions are welcome

Thanks

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Bryant@VeritasPrep · Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:39 am

Remember that the goal of the committee in getting you to write essays is to allow them a peek inside of you, your personality, what makes you tick. When they are done reading the essays, they should feel like they know you. Therefore, use the freedom of an essay such as this to explore yourself. Don't choose people whom you think might be impressive or interesting to the committee, choose those who will give them the most insight into yourself. Choose people who will demonstrate your passion for something. As far as structure of the essay, this is one question which gives you a little more license to stray from the traditional if you so choose. Not that you'd want to be gimmicky or cutesy, but if you are inspired to do something a little different, this would certainly be the opportunity. You want to be memorable and original, but not overly gratuitous. I would start by first analyzing what it is you want the committee to know about you and why that would make for interesting "proof" that you would be a good fit for their program....then choose some car-mates that will help you draw out those examples. Hope this helps and is not obvious already! Good luck!

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myohmy · Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:04 am

I wish I was applying -- this seems like a really fun prompt! A way better version than "Who would you invite to a dinner party?"

I would take some creative license here. Maybe structure your essay a little differently? I'm sure they get lots of essays that start with
"On a road trip, I would choose Person A, Person B, and Person C to accompany me.

I'd choose Person A because X. Here is my accomplishment that relates.

I'd choose Person B because Y. Here is my accomplishment that relates."

You have the opportunity to do something a little different with this prompt though.

Mile 357.
BigShot and I have been in the car for six hours and now I know I made the right choice in picking him. We passed a detour sign five miles back and he told us to just drive right through -- he took a risk that paid off, they'd finished the construction and reopened the road, but hadn't taken down the sign. That's the kind of guy he is.

As CEO of Big Name Company, Jake is always taking calculated risks like that. It's a quality I admire and one I've been trying to exemplify in my own life, through X Y Z. It's a skill I'm learning, and definitely one he's teaching me on this road trip.

Mile 404.
Just stopped for a burger and got to chatting with HistoricalFigure. That guy can talk for hours - his knowledge seems infinitesimal and I definitely haven't been bored. He's really inspired me to explore the world around me - reading about his intellectual curiosity and how that helped him complete XYZ accomplishment drove me to explore a new passion I was unfamiliar with.

That's just a shell, and I'm definitely unqualified to give advice on this, but it seems like that would be a fun, different way to write the essay that might engage the adcom a bit more?

Just remember that the essay should NOT be about your chosen carmates but about YOU. It's an easy trap to fall into, listing Ben Franklin's accomplishments (for example) without explicating what those things have to do with you. Make sure you shine through in the essay.

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pranav · Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:47 am

Great reply...
Although i am not applying to Indiana, it did help me in thinking another way of framing a good story.
Tks.

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uymba · Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:50 am

I would choose the ones from I can learn.
Honestly, i would choose pamela anderson, demi moore and Scarlett Johanson. Perhaps i could learn interesting things from them, but i would be looking for something else in the trip!

Other figures as Charles Darwin, Ford or George Washington are probably more adecuate for business school.

Best of luck!

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hk · Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:33 pm

@myohmy, thats a very good illustration. I agree and i feel the best way to write an essay is to give the reader something new and to capture his/her interest.

@uymba, i dont think you need to pick people like Abe Lincoln or Ford for such an essay. It could be a very close friend or relative also. the important thing is not who you pick, its why you picked and what experiences are you expecting to share in such a trip.

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