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QUESTION
It is our aim to get to know you as well as possible through this application. With this in mind, please describe in detail some special interest, experience, or achievement, or anything else you would like us to know about you. Essays on a personal, local, or national topic that is of particular concern to you are also welcome.

INTENT OF ESSAY QUESTION
In essence, this question asks the student to tell us something about yourself. Since the variety of suitable topics is so broad, the admissions committee is as interested in your choice of topic as it is in what you have to say about it.

SUGGESTIONS, COMMENTS
Be sure to relate your topic to yourself. It’s not enough to simply write about political unrest in South America or your involvement in the school play. In all cases, you’ll need to show how your experiences have had an effect on you.


QUESTION
Write an essay that will help us to understand you better as a person and a prospective student.

INTENT OF ESSAY QUESTION
This essay has two parts. The first part closely resembles question 1. The second part asks students to address the issue of why he or she would be a good candidate for this college.

SUGGESTIONS, COMMENTS
Be careful to answer both parts of the question. Make sure the second part of the essay shows how you and the college are well matched. Refer to the college catalog, brochure, and your notes to help make your answer specific.


QUESTION
You have an opportunity, if you wish to take advantage of it, to offer any additional information that you believe the committee should consider in reviewing your application.

INTENT OF ESSAY QUESTION
This question may be viewed as required or optional depending on the number of essay questions appearing on the application.
Required: If this is the only essay question on the entire application, be sure to grab this opportunity to add a human dimension to you SAT scores, GPA, and other personal statistics.
Optional: If your application requires you to write one or more in-depth essays, then you need only respond to this optional question if there is some special situation you feel you must explain, such as how a serious illness affected your high school record during your sophomore year. Other situations might include:
- a divorce in the family
- a parent losing a job
- going to a new school(s)

SUGGESTIONS, COMMENTS
While optional questions don’t need to be answered for your application to be considered complete, you will want to answer the question if your response can provide additional information that could help the admissions committee know you better and possibly decide if your favor.

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State University System Of Florida (SUS) Application Essay
The essay for the Univesity of Florida for the Class of 2008 is: "Describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school." Florida State University's essay questions are (choose 2 of the 3 to answer): 1) Describe an activity, interet, experience, or achievement in your life (this could be a book, movie, or an activity or experience at work, home, or school) that has been particularly meaningful to you; 2) "How has your family history, culture, or environment influednced who you are?" and 3) "What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the University community?"

Private/Selective School Application Sample Questions
<1. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced? How did you respond to it?

<2. If you were given the time and resources to develop one particular skill, or talent, or area of expertise, what would you choose to pursue and why?

<3. Let us know something about you that we might not learn from the rest of your application. Limit your response to one page. In the past, applicants have used this space in a great variety of ways. They have written about family situations, ethnicity or culture, school or community events to which they have had strong reactions, people who have influenced them, significant experiences, intellectual interests, personal aspirations, or, more generally, topics that spring from the life of the imagination. There is no "correct" way to respond to the essay request. In writing about something that matters to you, you will convey to us a sense of yourself.

<4. Using a piece of wire, a (Johns) Hopkins car window sticker, an egg carton, and any inexpensive hardware-store item, create something that would solve a problem. Tell us about your creations, but don’t worry, we won’t require proof that it works.