Essay Test: Can 6 words define your world?

The following admission essay was submitted to highly selective colleges and universities.

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“What would your six-word memoir be?” my friend inquired one Sunday morning. A simple question, sure enough, but I remained uncharacteristically quiet, hesitating. The six-word flash fiction challenge originated from the legend that Ernest Hemingway was once dared to tell a story in just six words, to which he responded, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Genius. “How about…I am bad at counting.” I joked.

Although I brushed the question off momentarily, it soon came darting back into my mind, dancing around my other thoughts, demanding my attention. Could my story be summarized into a mere half dozen words? The more I believed it impossible, the more I knew I had to give it a try.

“I only believe in silver lining.” Today, I pride myself in my optimism, something that has come as an influence from my perpetually positive dad, Today, I know how to appreciate the good and roll with the bad. But I wasn’t always such a believer. Five years ago, I believed only in clouds. I only appreciated things that rewarded me with instant gratification, and so it goes without saying that very few things in life fit under this rather small umbrella. I have grown since then—not in one defining moment, sudden epiphany, or life-changing experience. I have simply changed over time to be the person I am today. Although these six words identify a growth that I’m proud of, I can’t help but feel as if they caricaturize me as a flat, chipper character akin to Jane Bennett—somebody I surely cannot be.

“Chopsticks make for surprisingly good marshmallow-toasters.” I use chopsticks to toast marshmallows, but I only know to eat rice with a spoon. I memorize Po Chu-I for Chinese class and read my favorite American author F. Scott Fitzgerald at home. I am the living juxtaposition of Chinese culture and American traditions. In Chicago, where I was born and raised for twelve years, I never saw myself as different from my Caucasian friends. The fact that I went to Chinese school when my best friend was at Sunday school every weekend was just a fact of life. Upon moving to Taiwan, I realized that I was not as in-tune with my ethnic background as I’d assumed. Living here for five years, however, has changed that significantly. While I’ve realized that I am not confined by this cultural amalgamation, by the same token, neither am I defined by it.

“Writing: I never liked science anyway.” My affection for words first surfaced in fourth grade. I was assigned to write a poem about Lake Michigan, where my class had gone on a field trip. I was nine years old and had never written a poem before. Pencil in hand and brows furrowed, I cautiously began, “Splash!” Ever since that fateful exclamation, I have been harboring a deep love for writing and for the feelings, imagery, or clarity that streams of carefully chosen words can convey. The colorful marginalia that decorate my copy of my favorite book The Great Gatsby can attest to my admiration of Fitzgerald’s tight reign on diction, for example. I admire words’ ability to ascribe specificity to our inherently variegated world, to “name the unnamed,” as Jonathan Safran Foer once said. Nevertheless, I would like to believe that there is enough “unnamed” potential in me that connote be specified in a meager six words.

And then I thought of it. Six words were exactly enough—six syllables, in fact. My optimism and growth, mixed background and global perspective, literary interests and love of writing, aspirations and potential could be summed up simply.

“I am more than just words.”

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Rate this essay from 1-5 with 5 being the highest mark. What rating did you give it and why?

If you had to pick 6 words to describe this student what would they be and why did you pick them?

Is this student smart?  Defend your answer.

Does this student have a voice in her essay and if so how would you describe it?

Would you like to have this student as a roommate? Why or why not?

Does her essay undermine any stereotypes about Asian students? If so, please elaborate.

Do you think this essay predicts this student will have success at a highly selective college or university? If yes, what would you cite as proof?

How important do you think essays should be in deciding who gets accepted to competitive colleges and universities?

Do you think this essay took a long time to write? 

Do you think this student had any help writing this essay? If so, please elaborate.

If this student had less than great SAT scores would you question whether she wrote her essay?

If this student had perfect SAT scores would you question whether she wrote her essay?

How important should standardized test scores be used in admission and how should they be used to judge whether an essay is really the work of the student?

What is your 6 word story?