Metaphors in your Personal Statement and Application Essay

You can use a metaphor as a phrase in your essay or as a whole theme that envelopes your essay. In either case, if used well and thoughtfully, metaphors will add color to your essay and anchor it with concrete images. I wrote previously about using metaphors in phrases as well as other techniques to enliven your writing . Lets discuss metaphors as themes in this post. You can reveal an interest or hobby by using it as a metaphor. For instance, I used my favorite hobby, hiking, in Personal Statement Tip: Topic Choice, my cross-country ski expertise or lack thereof in Wimp Hill, and cooking in Recipe for Disaster: Application Mistakes You Want to Avoid (MBA) and Recipe for Disaster: (Law) . The author of college sample essay, While the World Sleeps, successfully uses running to convey her boundless energy and determination. In all cases, personal experience frames the piece, allows the writer to better connect with the readers, and adds interest. Be genuine when choosing your metaphor and reflect a real passion of yours. If you never cook, dont use a cooking metaphor. If you are a couch potato, dont talk about ironman marathons. But if old silent movies are a love of yours, what do you see in that form of entertainment and what have you learned about human communication through those oldies? And if you arent interested in silent movies, running, hiking, cross country, or cooking, what makes you tick? Painting? Tennis? Drama? Dance? What have you learned in this activity? How has it changed you? Could you use it in an essay? Think about it.