College Essays

University of Michigan

Prompt: University of Michigan Supplement. (Required for all applicants. 300 word limit) Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

Essay:
Community is a complex topic for me. I am not very religious, and although I am proud of my Indian heritage, I often lack the connections to traditional customs. Throughout my life I have found that the complexity in community disappears in my uncompromising support for the New York Mets. This support sparked when I was in kindergarten and started watching the games live every night with my dad. Skipping school and driving to Flushing, New York with my family are the most memorable moments of being a Mets fan. However, being able to go to my first playoff game on a cold October night in 2015 was a truly a life-changing experience. Passionately cheering and bonding side-by-side with complete strangers through our mutual support for the Mets will never grow old. Outside of the stadium, I am always excited to connect with people wearing Mets attire because we not only support the same baseball team, but we also understand the emotional roller coaster of appreciation as well as frustration that is being a Mets fan.
Loyalty to the Mets is also a family tradition. My dad, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all are tenacious Mets fans. Supporting a team that has not won the World Series in over thirty years requires perseverance. Family gatherings are incomplete without debates about the Mets’ terrible management, the dismal season results, and most importantly, our high hopes for next year. In 1969 and 1986 my dad listened to the radio as the Mets won the World Series. Today, we keep that tradition alive: once a year, my entire family watch a game live together at Citi Field. Over the years, the Mets have brought people together, started conversation, and transformed millions of individuals into one community.

Tips for Writing:
Don’t be afraid to ask your family/friends for help, especially for a supplemental essay! Getting ideas from other people will help you more than you can imagine. Never use the first idea that pops into your head after reading a prompt. Unless the idea is unique to literally only you, there are thousands of other students that had the same idea. These essays take time, sometimes too much time. Be aware that your essay without any edits by anyone else (i.e. you are the only person that has laid eyes on it) is not a the best possible essay. After you’re done writing your first draft, mentally prepare yourself for a lot of constructive criticism. In the moment, it will be very annoying, but when you hit submit, you will feel much more comfortable. Finally, colleges actually read the supplements! For all your schools, especially your targets and reaches, it is extremely important to spend a lot of time on each one. Admissions counselors are trained and experienced. After reading thousands of essays they can easily tell which students actually care and which don’t. So make the effort!

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