Tweet-like College Admission Essays Spark Debate

The new format integrated in college admission essays instructing students to respond in as brief as a tweet, has triggered debates participated by students, parents and even school administrators. Reflecting its good side A writing this short would force applicants to be direct and precise. At one part, this shift from the conventional word limit in application essays shows how Twitter can help one become an effective writer. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform. As such, each entry has limited number of characters. You will have to go straight to the gist of the story. You need to ensure that your output is as brief, but as meaty as possible. Readers do not really like biting around the bush. Which then, brings us to the.. /b>Negative Slant Because you are overly concerned of the word limit, you are forced to shorten phrases like 'do not' to 'don't' and 'did not' to 'didn't.' Doing so excessively will only make the essay sound informal. Aside from setting a boundary to the number of words, this rule can also deter students from expressing themselves fully. If you are to talk about a milestone in your life? Would 25 words suffice? Social-networking inspired alternative George Mason University and University of Dayton have offered an alternative to writing essays. The twist is that applicants are to answer the question orally and upload their videos on Facebook. The entry that garners the most number of votes shall be awarded the four-year scholarship worth $40,000. Dayton Vice-president Sundart Kumarasamy says they can't stick to the old ways as applications have grown over 30% compared last year. Crash course on the purpose of admission essays Why are college admission essays crucial? It is so important that you are putting your chance of entering your dream college in jeopardy, if you will not take it seriously. Admission essays let panelists see what your scores in standardized exams cannot reveal, such as your personality. This is also the reason why applicants are encouraged to speak on their own voice when composing admission essays. While the new fomat challenges students to demonstrate brevity, it also has tendencies of causing more stress. While panelists deem that following this procedure facilitates selection process, there are those that think this is just another silly move. They deem that the danger with this new format is that students condense their thoughts overly to the point that the essay loses its personal touch. What's your take on the issue In 25 words or less, explain why you think tweet-like college admission essays would or would not work.