#4: The Fabricated Inspirational Story
Interviewer: So what challenges would you say you’ve overcome during your high school days?
Interviewee: Well-like- I was supposed to, like, have a party for my sweet sixteen and then my Dad’s bonus salary at AIG got cut by ten percent, so I was, like, the family should come first instead.
Interviewer: So you cancelled the party?
Interviewee: No, but One Direction didn’t come. Instead, it was just Asher Roth; most people would probably have just sat in their room and cried for only getting a D list celebrity to come to their sweet 16, but now I appreciate what poor people have to go through so much more.
Lesson: This tip is pretty simple- but it can be difficult to abide by. Don’t make up or over exaggerate your life problems in order to seem heroic. Growing up in Westport doesn’t provide the best plot for one’s future auto-biography, but making things up could really give the admissions counselor a sleazy impression.
