College applications are nothing like fiction writing.
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve never really written much non-fiction, or because I’m just not used to explicitly talking about my own life in text, but I find it really really hard to write essays for college.
I’ve learned that articles titled ‘TEN MISTAKES TO NEVER MAKE IN YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION’ say exactly the same thing articles titled ‘TEN THINGS TO MAKE YOUR APPLICATION AMAZING’ say. Also, both articles will agree that at the end of the day you can do whatever you want and it’s no guarantee that you will or will not get in.
It would be amazing if all universities could agree and just use the same application. It would make things much simpler, and I wouldn’t have to have ten lists of reminders hovering on my screen so I remember what I put on each application, to make sure I’m giving them a holistic view of the person that I am.
My manager, overhearing my distress as I repeatedly crashed my face against the keyboard, offered me a useful piece of advice: Pretend you’re writing about a character instead of yourself.
It’s actually proven somewhat useful. The only issue now is getting back into The Early Fanfiction Days When Everything Was In First Person Because Every Main Character Was A Mary Sue. And now I have to deal with the Am I a Mary Sue? question, which is a really weird question to be asking about oneself.
I’ve made a list of fun stories that I might be able to incorporate into my essay, because of course my intention is mainly to entertain. I’ve compiled stories about That Time I Went Into A Nightclub Carrying A Cake, That Time I Saw Poseidon, and That Time My Dad Powered A Movie Via His Car During A Blackout—all great stories. I have no idea how I’m going to make them into profound essays that speak about the sort of person that I am, but at least I’m entertaining myself while thinking about them.
And finally, I do think this whole process would be a lot easier if I wasn’t suddenly battling an onslaught of Mad Max: Fury Road Feels. I read a (frankly embarrassingly fluffy) AU where Furiosa owns a Flowershop…
Yeah.
Don’t worry, I’m not about to write adorably cheesy AUs about Max and Furiosa.
Yet. I think.
Non-fiction really shouldn’t be this hard.
Okay, that fanfic is actually really really good if you’re into Furiosa as a Flower Shop Owner.
If you’re a fellow victim of the College Application Process (or if you’re also battling a Mad Max: Fury Road addiction), let me know. Let’s suffer together.
I’m slow with posting new stories at the moment, as the QLFC is on break before the finals and I’m taking advantage of this time to get my future plans in order. But I’ve written a lot of cool stuff in the past month! You should check it out!
Nasim Mansuri 