My Common App Essay

I applied to 4 CSUs, and I was accepted into all of them: CSULB, CSUSB, CSUF, and Cal Poly Pomona. Like the UC essays, I started super early in the summer.

This essay is actually just the same thing as Question 2 on the UC application; I just took that short essay and added onto it (since you have a bigger word count for the Common App). LOLL work smarter not harder. If you have a question that is similar to the ones you already wrote for, just use that essay/shape it to fit the question. This also applies to scholarships if you apply.

PS: I stg if you even think about copying these, think again. Not only will I hunt you down, your ass is gonna get clapped by the schools. So just get inspiration from these; I posted these to help you, not for you to steal.

Here they are:

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

As I create more personal works, I've realized the true meaning behind the saying, “good artists copy, great artists steal”.

I grew up being the kid who traced art and claimed it as my own. I would put my IPad brightness to 100, and place a paper over to trace art made by other artists. I would get mad if someone "accused" me of tracing. I just wanted to be known as the good artist in school.

A certain type of guilt comes with lying to your family and friends about what you can and can not do. I felt like a fraud as I got older and people started asking for requests...How could I draw something like their face if there wasn't already a drawing online that I could just trace? People thought I was a printer, because I would perfectly replicate logos of their favorite bands or perfectly draw characters. I was just copying other people, and I wasn't making my own drawings I pictured in my mind. I couldn’t.

As I got older I challenged myself to stop tracing and to just draw using references. Sure, I was still "copying," but I realized that I was more than capable of drawing without putting the paper over some screen and hunching over to "sketch" it out with a shaky hand. I was actually able to draw on my own. I felt excitement and relief that I was no longer a fraud. I was surprised at how much I had doubted myself....how much I believed that I wouldn't be able to draw.

I'm partially grateful that I started out tracing art because it helped me to understand certain curves and shapes and colors. It also helped me to realize that I didn't need to copy one reference. Everyone developing their own styles study the art they enjoy and take little bits and pieces to apply it to their own art. They "steal" the parts that intrigue them and create a mix of styles.

When I started to get into graphic design, I was glad that I could draw on my own, because I knew how to mix certain color schemes and designs that I liked from other creators. I stole brush styles and different line weights and combined the way people drew their characters....this all came together to become one unique design.

When I started making my own music this year, I realized that nothing is truly “original” anymore. People take inspiration from others the same way people do with art; I listen to the chords or beats or tones in the songs I love, and I try to take these small features and add them into my own music. I read into lyrics and try to make my own interpretations.

I don't have my own style yet. I'm not some pro who can draw from the top of their head. I still need to use many references.

But I'm more confident in what I do.

I know what I am capable of and I've been learning to improve. I'm passionate about being creative with my work. With anything I create, I combine my knowledge and skills. When I write my songs I think about what I've read before or how friends describe their feelings. When I'm drawing something I think about what styles that I admire and want to incorporate.

When I'm creating, I no longer copy others.

I steal what from things I enjoy, and create it as my own.