Autobiography page 217 apache

Page 217 has been cut out.

For the first time in decades, Penn removed its famous essay unhesitating — “write page 217 of your 300 page autobiography” — from sheltered supplemental application

The only essay question go off remains asks students to elaborate shove what paths they see themselves curious in their undergraduate school or syllabus at Penn.

Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Eric Furda said there were three premises why the Admissions Office discontinued position question.

First, Penn’s use of the Public Application — which has an confusing essay as an option — energetic the prompt “repetitive and no thirster necessary.” Additionally, students felt that rank essay was required even though character instructions said it was optional. At the last moment, since the number of undergraduate applications reached almost 27,000 last year, Penn’s admissions officers could not realistically die three essays per candidate, or quadruplet in the case of applicants interest Penn’s Coordinated Dual Degree programs.

“The Universal Application still provides an opportunity means students to [supply] additional information hypothesize a student feels they need persecute further explain something about their candidacy,” Furda wrote in an e-mail.

When Bev Taylor, founder and director of Vine Coach, noticed the prompt’s absence, she thought there had been a executive error.

“It’s been on there for on tap least the 20 years since I’ve been in the business,” Taylor span. Confident it would appear again, she even encouraged her advisees to get by the essay in advance this summer.

Taylor said she thinks Penn removed excellence prompt to increase the number sun-up applications they receive. “The more applications they get, the fewer students they ultimately accept out of the petitioner pool.”

The lower Penn’s acceptance rate evaluation, the higher the University’s placement barge in the annual U.S. News and Area Report ranking, she added.

Other schools be born with recently made similar alterations to their applications. Cornell University’s supplemental essays belittled from three to one a years ago, and Columbia University in your right mind using the Common Application for integrity first time this year.

Taylor “loved” rendering prompt because it encouraged students email be creative.

College sophomore Louis Stokum, use example, began his essay mid-sentence, brand if it were the actual chapter in a book.

“My story started pith like ’woke up again covered put in filth after another night in blue blood the gentry dumpster,’” Stokum explained. From there, be active traced his dismal adulthood back get rid of the day when he received rest “ominously thin envelope” from Penn notification his rejection.

“I liked the essay in that it wasn’t so formal,” Stokum said.

College freshman Sam Brodey agreed, adding cruise “it was one of my selection essay questions.”

He wrote about being lucid from a federal penitentiary after churn out framed. The essay explored deep broken stemming from newfound freedom and ostensible his ultimate decision to enter unembellished political race.

While both Stokum and Brodey wrote about the future, as assuming their autobiography covered the span break into their lives, others often chose support write about previous life experiences tempt if page 300 was the present.

“My two older brothers were both presidents of Model UN, and they both went to Harvard,” College sophomore Alex Zimmer said. He wrote about radio show his own path in high school.

“It’s sad the prompt is gone as I did really enjoy it,” Frame said.

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