Three weeks ago I began drafting a Letter of Intent to apply
to the Public Relations program within the School of Communications. This
was the first step in a series of requirements to apply for admission.
The free-form letter was to be one page in length about
myself as well as my qualifications for entry to the program. Easy. After
deliberately drafting the best paper I could, I sent my precious letter off to
my mother to be corrected.
Historically I have sent my first drafts ONLY to my mother
and no one else. This time, however, was
different. My admission was on the
line! So, in addition to my mom, I sent
my first draft to three others—all of whom I consider to be exceptional
writers.
After having met with the each of the three on separate
occasions to extensively go over my letter, I looked at the document once again
and realized a tragedy. The paper’s
voice—my voice—was gone! The paper was
immaculate, yes, but it was no longer me.
Without realizing, I had taken nearly every critique and
morphed them all into a characterless hybrid paper. Consequently, I faced a written piece that
lacked complete reality of who I was. I
tried reviving my dead letter, but due to the urgency of an approaching
deadline I wasn’t able to bring it completely back. I do not think my paper fully represented me.
Thankfully, I think the admissions board has wisdom in the
value of oral interaction, because the final required step for application to
the program is an interview with a member of the faculty. I am eager for my interview this Friday. Not to say there is a need for redemption,
but I do feel motivated to introduce myself and prove there is more to me than what
was on that one-page letter.
First off, good luck with your interview! Second of all, I can totally relate to this. I think that in any sort of application setting there should be an oral interview to compliment any written portion. My dad has a great resume and writes really well, but his charisma and charm is in full effect when he can have a personal conversation with somebody, therefore showing off more skill and personality than a lousy piece of paper ever could.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually going through the same process right now. My interview is also on Friday. It's interesting that you say that about the letter of intent because I felt the same way. I was hesitant to send it to multiple people because sometimes, like you said, exactness in grammar, structure and even content can disrupt the vital voice. I, too, am grateful that there's an in-person interview where I can truly show them who I am. Be strong! You can do this!
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I think it's good that there are the two sides of the process. While interview is a benefit to many people, there are those who get nervous--making their interview not a true to their skills as a letter would be.
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