The Best College Essays about Art
The college application is holistic. What that means is each part of it should help to complete a picture of the applicant for the admissions committee. As such, no two parts should be the same. A lot of kids end up writing their essays about something that’s already represented elsewhere in the application, like an extra-curricular. While we typically advise against doing that, there is an exception.
If you are an artist, your essay can be about your artistic medium.
Tell a Story
When we talk about art , we mean to include all activities across the artistic spectrum. Film, dance, and any other visual medium are fair game, among numerous others. If you’re a chocolatier, an opera singer, a musician of any kind, that all counts, too. The trick, however, is to tell a story that conveys some part of your personality to the reader. You can’t just pontificate. The trait that you probably want to shine through most of all is your creativity. But creativity alone does not a successful artist make. Prima ballerinas are usually disciplined. Violinists are usually meticulous. Potters are usually patient. And if you’ve found success thus far in your artistic medium, the odds are, you’ve got something going for you, and you need to let that something shine in your essay. So, begin by identifying a few character traits you plan to convey and then, pick a story with a beginning, middle, and end that conveys them.
The Medium Is Not the Message
One quick thing: your story shouldn’t be explicitly about your art. We know, that pretty much contradicts what we said at the beginning of this blog post. But, ever heard of the expression, “show, don’t tell?” That’s the objective here. The best business people don’t tell you what their revenue was. They just demonstrate a portfolio of goods or services that are really awesome and let you connect the dots.
Similarly, a kid who makes movies isn’t going to describe her movie-making abilities in her essay. She’s not just going to be like “I’m great at making films. I love it. My last film was about cats.” No. She might do as one of our kids, a budding young filmmaker, did recently, and write her essay in the form of a film script, with quick-cuts and dialogue between characters. In essence, you should write about your art form tangentially. Another one of our students is a ballerina. As you might have guessed, she did not write about ballet as the theme of her piece, either. Instead, the way her phrasing worked was as though she outlined the steps and movements of a dance performance. It was a framing device that had rhythm.
So, the general rule of thumb is that if you’re going to write about singing, you want the essay to sing. And if you can’t do that, choose another topic.
Need some help crafting a great arts essay? Reach out to us here . We are experts at helping students develop supplements that capture the attention of the admissions committee.
Painting to Understanding - Harvard - Sample College Essay
Hometown : Flower Mound, Texas, USA
High School : Public school, 816 students in graduating class
Ethnicity : Asian
Gender : Male
GPA : 4.0 out of 4.0
SAT : Reading 800, Math 740, Writing 790
SAT Subject Tests Taken: Mathematics Level 2, Chemistry
Extracurriculars : President of art club / National Art Honor Society, vice president of Science National Honor Society, founding member and vice president of creative engagement and design for 501(c)3 nonprofit Raise4aCause, volunteer at church summer school
Awards : PSAT semifinalist, Welch Summer Scholar, 1 Scholastic Silver Key and 2 Gold Keys, artwork exhibited at the Texas Legislative Budget Board and part of the Texas Art Education Association traveling exhibition, Gold Seal at UIL Texas art competition (highest possible award given to .6% of artworks out of over twenty thousand submissions)
Major : Visual and Environmental Studies
SAMPLE COLLEGE ESSAY
Like it does on most nights, the smell of toxic fumes drifts through my room.
Occasionally washing my paintbrushes in turpentine oil thinner, I am uncomfortably aware that these vapors can cause brain damage, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory problems. My lifelong passion is killing me— literally. Yet, this smell is strangely comforting. It blankets me with a sense of security I find nowhere else.
An artist at the core, my paint-smeared heart pumps pigments of red through veins and arteries—the love for painting permeates every part of my body and has transformed me. By constantly observing subtle details of objects, breathtaking spectrums of color, and the interactions of lights and darks, my perception of the world has shifted.
I walk down the school hallway during passing period. Carried by a stream of teenage bodies, I notice ceiling lights scattering among clothes and locks of glossy hair. Looking down, shadows crisscross and overlap on the laminated floor to create a kaleidoscope of dancing silhouettes. Faces draw my attention—delicate hues of rosy pink on tips of ears and softly chiseled curves of bone. I observe my surroundings from an artist’s perspective, fully immersed in a state of perpetual learning.
Ultimately, my goal as an artist is to give my art personal, profound depth that transcends aesthetic purpose or technical skill. Paintings do not have to be of flowers or landscapes; they can portray story, emotion, and experience. Consequently, my art is inspired by personal experiences and observations. I hope to convey a fresh perspective of my life through strokes of color. The ambition of creating depth in my art forces me to reflect on myself as I continually ask why I am painting what I am painting. And because of the rigorous reflection of my values and experiences, I am given a greater sense of self-identity. This overwhelming position as an artist is humbling, teaching me an appreciation for self-worth often neglected or trivialized in a fast-paced American lifestyle. I want to show others this same value through my art so they can slow down to recognize and appreciate the value of their own lives.
Wonderland Unknown, a painting based on my favorite childhood story, Alice in Wonderland, depicts a rabbit in a forest of overgrown mushrooms and twisted trees. The piece builds on the idea that children’s innate creativity and capacity for imagination are stifled as they mature. Growing up, I began to feel estranged from the tale because it turned unrealistically ridiculous, a personal testimony to the slow deterioration of childhood wonder. Painting Wonderland Unknown was an epiphany—I realized that creativity is inherent: a universal thread within all of us that stitches humanity together. Most importantly, it is a trait that should be nurtured and valued instead of taken for granted.
Truly, art is a world of possibility and a world I would like to share.
It is a place where one is encouraged to break rules, be unapologetically audacious, and take pride in unorthodoxy. Ready to play creator of my universe, I rule with brush in one hand and palette in the other, painting because of a chance to explore this liberating world and discover myself through it. And in the end, art will always stay a constant in my life, forever my private sanctuary of creativity and personal expression. A place where I am infinite.
I feel relieved knowing that the smell of turpentine will always comfort me. It is a thin, oily smell of ironic undertones, vaguely nauseating and coffee-ground bitter. It is a smell that has given me life.
Jang’s essay is filled with beautiful phrasing and flowery descriptions, which shows off his writing skills and creativity. One of the biggest strengths of the essay is how Jang pairs explanation of art’s function in his life with an artistic analysis of the piece Wonderland Unknown .
Being able to write exceedingly well in a distinctive narrative form proves to be a strength for Jang. His essay weds two distinct types of writing—narrative and analytical—together, which is the very essence of what a good college essay should be. But, rather than present a single, overarching narrative, the writer takes the reader through separate vignettes: a crowded hallway, his work space at home, the scene depicted in the painting—all of which combine to provide a distinct and colorful look into the writer’s relationship with art.
— Brandon J. Dixon
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From 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays, 5th Edition edited by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. Copyright (c) 2017 by the authors and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group.
Topher began working at Stanford University’s Career Planning & Placement Center in 1998. His career spans 30 years. At Santa Clara University, he managed Bay Area, Los Angeles and Texas territories where he recruited, evaluated, and admitted athletes, freshman, and transfer applicants. At Ohlone College in Fremont, he served as Interim Director of Admission and Records. Since 2011, he has worked in test prep and college consulting, providing guidance to families preparing their children for college.
Topher sees applicants as they are, then inspires and motivates them to step up and into their potential. His clients have enjoyed extraordinary success at institutions ranging from selective Ivies to renowned public universities.
Meaning In Music - Harvard - Example college personal statement
Hiking to understanding.