2014 University of Maryland Application Essays

The college admission process is an effort to uncover the aspects of your personality and experience that fit well with the University of Maryland community. When considering your approach to the following essay questions, think deeply about your answers, making them creative and succinct. We hope that you will use this opportunity as a time for self-reflection and intellectual meditation. Please choose two of the following essay questions to answer. Each essay should be no more than 300 words.

Include the question you choose at the start of each essay. The question will not be included in the essay word count. Please include both essays in a single document before uploading.

University of Maryland-College Park

1. The University of Maryland is propelled by fearless ideas. Our fearlessness generates creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit with which few can compete. What ignites your spark and makes you fearless?

2. All first-year students at the University of Maryland read one book together as part of our First Year Book program. This year’s book is The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver. Silver asks us to consider why most predictions – even by experts – are so woefully wrong. He writes: “We can never achieve perfect objectivity, rationality, or accuracy in our beliefs. Instead, we can strive to be less subjective, less irrational, and less wrong.” Tell us about a time when your expectations and outcomes differed. How did the lesson learned inform your future decision making?

3. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” ‐ Aristotle

Diversity is one of our core values at the University of Maryland. In order to provide a stellar education and foster outstanding research, we embrace the intellectual, social and cultural differences that are integral to the fabric of our community. The strength of the university is realized through the contributions of every member of our campus. Describe the parts that add up to the sum of you.

4. The I‐Series is the signature program of General Education at the University of Maryland. I‐Series courses are lively and contemporary courses that engage students on present-day topics about big issues in society. They challenge students to wrestle with big questions and examine the ways different disciplines address them. If given the chance to create your own I‐Series course, what would the course be titled, what material would you cover, and most importantly why you would choose it?

5. Write your own question and respond to it. Please be sure to tell us why you think this essay represents you well.