Re-applying for nominations?

[annalis]

So I received a Falcon Scholarship and am in the process of re-applying for nominations. I saved my essays from last year and was wondering if I can use them again this year. I am not doing it to be lazy, I put my best effort for the essays and I am not sure how much of them I can reword or improve. Any advice? They are very straight forward questions: what would you do if your roommate broke honor code, what is character to you...etc..

 

[MedB]

One man's opinion... Having seen the nomination process twice with DS then DD, my impression is that re-applicants are viewed pretty favorably. It's seen as a sign of dedication, perserverance and the like. Therefore... why not put your best foot forward and capitalize on that by including in your essays how your views have matured/changed by your experience of going away to prep/college?

"You used to feel this way, now that's only been heightened by my experiences at..." or "When I first applied I felt X way, now after a year of college I believe my views have changed to Y" kinda thing.

After all, you were given a coveted Falcon scholarship to help you grow and improve so you were ready for a SA as a high-potential candidate. So if you have nothing new to say and are exactly the same as you were last year... ... ... you see where I'm heading?

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[haleym]

I think it would be best to revise both essays (at the very least) because you are a year older with more experience under your belt. Think about how your senior year (and your initial rejection) shaped your view on life.
Good luck at your school of choice!

 

[haleym]

Additional thought: Keep in mind, too, that honor violations are incredibly more difficult to deal with than you may think. In hindsight, it may seem easy to do the right thing- however, turning someone in (ESPECIALLY your roommate) can have many repercussions. I would suggest acknowledging this and coming up with a plan for how you think you will deal with such difficulties.

 

[NavyHoops]

I would wait until you get to school and experience things for a few months then take your essays our and see how you feel. First, I bet your writing skills will have improved and grown. Secondly, you will have grown as a person immensely in those few months. Not sure where you are going to prep school, but I am guessing there is some honor code there. Third, if you are living there, you will have a room mate or two. So understanding that bond will help shape those answers too. Turning in someone for an honor code, especially a room mate is hard. Its not so black and white as they make it out to be. As Haley mentioned... man its a rough thing. This happened in my company and it split our company in half. My best friend (still is to this day) turned his room mate for a blatant honor violation. It was not easy. The next few months will be fun, challenging and you will grown immensely as a person. Take a few months to embrace the process, get settled in at school and focus on those things. You will have time to re-write the essays, plus you will have peers available to review them and professors to review too. Enjoy the year of Prep, it will be well worth in the end. Good luck!