College Essay

DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD! Which ole' witch? My bitch of a college essay, that's which!

I am so thankful to be done, to be able to send off my app by next week, as planned. I am always curious about people's opinions, so I'm posting it here. What do you think? Am I college material? First, the prompt:

Improvements in consumer-grade technology and its relative affordability have provided opportunities for students to create and distribute their art, their films, their writing, and their music in a way previously unavailable. Though it was once far too expensive for an individual outside of the professional world to make a "film", for example, many young people now engage in scripting, shooting, and editing their own works. Aspiring journalists write and publish their own e-zines, blogs, and on-line journals. Self-managed musicians create and distribute their own CD’s and promote themselves. With so much ready access to the technology tools that help produce and distribute these creative works, and with so much work being produced and distributed "out there" (some of it not very good, by the way), how will you make your work stand out? For the moment, forget the technology and what it has done for you and your art form. Tell us, instead, about your ideas. What themes or concepts do you want to explore through your work? What do you want to make your ‘audience’ think or feel? What do you want to make them aware of? Why are you interested in your ideas? Why should anyone else be interested in them? Have you already begun to explore your concepts through your work? What do you hope or expect Columbia College Chicago to contribute to the development of your ideas? What is the first thing you want to do at Columbia to explore your ideas?

Now, the essay:

It is undeniable that today’s society is constantly being bombarded by media. A 15 minute drive down any road can offer exposure to numerous billboard advertisements, roadside signs, and fancy slogans all designed to sell you a product. Creative art forms are similarly ubiquitous; one simply has to open a web browser and Google search “art” in order to find a mish-mash of both classic pieces and amateur attempts. Technology in today’s society has made it possible for any artist, writer, musician, or filmmaker to put his/her work into public forums, marketing themselves the same way a billboard ad markets a product. To many, it may seem like a daunting undertaking for an aspiring writer, like me, to promote her own work in a sea of creative voices. In my opinion, the obvious solution to this dilemma can be summed up by the popular adage: “Quality over quantity.” While self-distribution is more common than ever before, talent and true original thought will still stand out and speak for itself, regardless of the sheer volume of creative works currently being produced. Through hard work, dedication, intense passion, and blunt honesty, a creator can make his/her work distinctive, relatable, and fresh.

I believe that Columbia College Chicago can best equip me to write quality works of fiction that will transcend the short-attention span of today’s society. In our culture, the definition of “normal” is evolving more rapidly than ever. In my work, I seek to explore the boundaries of “normal” and use raw, human emotion to bridge the gap between traditional and non-traditional viewpoints. In exploring the richness and complexity of human emotion, I hope to create pieces that will resonate with my audience. Themes and ideas I enjoy working with include expanding traditional gender roles, investigating the psyche, defining identity, and examining the qualifications for goodness and morality. These topics have been sources of discussion for scholars and philosophers for hundreds of years, fueling both ancient and modern masterpieces in literature. I believe Columbia can contribute much to my development as a writer by providing a writer’s community surrounded by city life, a constant source of inspiration. Also, receiving education from playwrights and authors currently working in the field will be invaluable and prepare me for the realities and hardships of earning a living as a writer. If I am accepted, I will begin my work at Columbia by learning more about the craft I love, especially how to see a piece of fiction grow from an idea to a published work. I would also like to share some of my already finished pieces, explore my ideas more in depth, and receive feedback to push my creativity further. The resources and benefits the playwriting and fiction writing departments have to offer, the large creative community, and the commitment to helping students live out their passion makes attending Columbia College Chicago my first choice and first step toward realizing my dreams.