Let’s Start (Y)Our Essays Early!

Menulis esai untuk aplikasi master memang tidak mudah, setidaknya bagi saya. Berbagai macam buku penuilsan esai saya baca, mulai dari buku panduan penulisan akademis, esai kreatif, sampai dengan kopi buku contoh-contoh esai para mahasiswa kelas Master Bisnis Harvard University. Beruntung saya mendapat banyak bahan dari Ms. Wina, pengajar TOEFL ketika saya sedang pre-departure training di PPSDM, BPPK.

Namun banyaknya bahan justru ternyata membuat saya lebih bingung lagi. Mana yang harus saya jadikan acuan. Saya pun mencoba googling beberapa bahan. Mungkin sekitar 2 atau 3 unduhan dalam bentuk .pdf saya dapatkan, tapi karena kemalasan saya, malah tidak terbaca he he he.

Tapi ada satu artikel yang menarik perhatian saya. Ditemukan secara tidak sengaja ketika membaca situs The New York Times, yang saya jadikan bookmark di browser saya. Ditulis dengan tajuk “Juniors: In the Quiet of Summer, Start Your Essays.” Ditulis oleh Alan Gelb, penulis buku “Conquering the college Admission Essay in 10 Steps.” Sekalipun judulnya untuk aplikasi para mahasiswa strata 1, tapi tipsnya cukup umum kok. Berikut saya ketik ulang beberapa bagian pentingnya.

Here are half dozen suggestions to keep in mind:

Clear your head! Distractions like TV, texting, video games and the Internet surfing can seriously unhibit inspiration. Once your school term is over, schedule some time away from those electronic diversions and find a park bench, rooftop, library carrel or some other quiet place where you can hear your thoughts bubbling up from deep down in your consciousness.

Ask yourself exploratory questions! In looking for an essay topic, an excellent way to begin is by asking questions that can turn up some juicy conflict. Some examples: What has been the hardest thing I have ever had to face? If I had to quickly reply my life, which two or three moments would jump out ahead of all others? Which experiences have pulled me out of my comfort zone? When I have ever felt pure rage? Write down your answer to these questions (trying to devise questions of our own as well) and, as time passes, note the answers you keep coming back. There may be some fertile ground for an essay in those responses.

Write it down! While we’re on the subject of writing things down, let’s make this the summer that you carry around a pad and pencil or some kind of wireless device to record your thoughts. Take it from this writer: if you don’t write it down, you’re bound to lose it.

Familiarize yourself with the narrative form. Everyone loves a good story – particularly the overburdened college admissions counselor who has to read hundreds of student essays, too many of which view this assignment as an opening for self-promotion. It is far better to think of the college admissions essay as your chance to tell a good story. Stories are narratives, and narratives have formal elements, like a specific time frame, a point of view and a certain degree of conflict. Read some good stories this summer – not just sample essays – and be conscious of their narrative techniques. Where do they start? H ow do they end ? what is the central conflict? How it resolved?

Enjoy yourself! There warm, feel-good months make it easier to relax, and approaching the college admission essay with less anxiety is a good thing. In fact, it would be extremely beneficial to view this assignment not as an onerous task but as a creative act. In that vein, you’ll want to commit yourself to work, accept the idea that your essay will evolve through a series of drafts and allow yourself to take some pleasure in the process. Who knows? You may even discover the joy of writing.

Own your essay! Make an ironclad commitment that is going to be YOUR essay. No one should be permitted to write it for you – not a parent, not a sibling, not a hired gun. This essay needs a reflect your authentic voice, and perhaps making such a commitment is one of those things you’ll actually want to affirm, in writing, this summer.   

Jika dilihat dari waktunya, untuk batas akhir pendaftaran Strata 2 untuk kelas Fall di Amerika Serikat bagi mahasiswa international berkisar pada bulan Desember tahun sebelumnya hingga bulan Februari-an. Pengalaman untuk kelas Fall 2012 ini, untuk Harvard Kennedy School, pendaftaran ditutup per 1 Desember 2011, sementara untuk School of International and Public Affairs Columbia University ditutup berkisar Januari hingga Februari (tergantung programnya).

Cukup lama memang jika dilihat dari akan dimulainya kelas pada Agustus 2012. Tapi untuk ke Amerika, mahasiswa International memerlukan I-20 atau DS-2019 untuk pengajuan Visa dan proses ini memakan waktu cukup lama. Untuk negara lain, bisa lebih fleksibel. ISS Erasmus University of Rotterdam Belanda bahkan masih menerima pendaftaran hingga 1 Juli untuk kelas yang dimulai 3 Oktober. Bagaimanapun juga, memulai lebih awal insya Allah memberikan hasil lebih baik. Apalagi kalau esainya kemudian banyak di-review. Pengalaman saya, bahkan sampai esai sudah dikirim pun, saya menemukan satu atau dua kesalahan he he he.

Selamat menulis. Good luck on your essay!

picture courtesy of http://www.123rf.com/photo_5745086_pretty-teenage-girl-writing-in-journal-in-park.html