A very funny WSJ op-ed by Prof. Scherrer (Professor of
physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University):
Prof Scherrer on the college application essay requirement –
“In my experience,
most teenagers, especially teenage boys, have all the self-awareness of a
turtle. And not one of those big Galapagos tortoises. More like a box turtle
you find in the middle of the road with its head pulled inside its shell. And
they’re supposed to write about their inner selves? Or to answer the profound
questions that have troubled humanity for the past three millennia? Sure, why
not—with a little help from the college counselor, parents, the Internet. It
takes a village to write a college essay, so I think the college should admit
the entire village.”