I thought that this'd be a good place to ask, since you guys (and gals) are always so helpful).

I was told to write an essay as part of an entrance process to a college. Since I want to be in the English (writing) program, I thought that it'd be fitting to do one on LOTR (good/evil w/ specific passages from the book). Yet I'm told by a relative that they are "a serious academic environment" and "you'll be the laughing stock of the admissions office."

Do any of you think they might be right?

Depends on the college. As someone who has sifted through her fair share of admission essays (admittedly, for law school) I think something that is too pop-culture specific can be risky for a serious place. I don't think you'd be "the laughing stock" but there might be a few groans/raised eyebrows. I know that LOTR is serious fiction, but it's part of a genre that struggles for literary respectability.

If you are going to use that as the hook, make it as clever as possible. Don't do something too straight up.

Yeah, it absolutely depends on the school. Some pride themselves on uncommon applicants and/or applications, while others follow a much more traditional path.

I would also say that your topic could be a stellar homerun, or it could be too much to bite off. Like kerala mentioned, don't be too straight up - it has to be clever, broadly insightful/relevant to your application, etc.

That's just my opinion, anyway. Good luck w/ admissions!

They are more than 100 years old...

...perhaps I should choose another subject.

The school's age doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it - I think it's more their approach to academics and what kind of student body they have/want to have.

I went to an undergrad that was well over 100 years old, and they WANT applicants who are different/unique/quirky. The school body collectively has a definite phenotype.

Have you visited? Did you get a feel for the student body's/students in the English program's vibe?

I have visited, and they seemed rather traditional, but leaning a little towards being different.

They have a zombie event during the school year, so maybe quirkiness is a good thing too.

I've decided on a different topic (anorexia, which I've contended with), but thanks for all of the help anyway.

Best of luck to you!

Hi karmarose-

Hope I'm not too late to chime in on this one because I don't see any problem with that topic for a college application essay.
J.R.R. Tolkien was an Oxford Don of English Literature. His translation of "Beowulf" was the Oxford Standard (the only one they used) for decades.

LOTR is full of allegory and allusion to the legend and lore that is considered bedrock in English literature today.

As a former AP English Literature teacher who is currently teaching the "Epic Hero Cycle", I think your choice is excellent.

Wow, I didn't realize Tolkien had...such a literary REACH.

I know I'm too late on your question, KR, but I'm an adjunct professor at a private school and have taught for several years, and I find pop-culture references fascinating. I developed and taught a special topics class on pop culture and the CJ system - how the media views crime, punishment, law enforcement, etc. Pop culture tells us a lot about how society views things, the prevailing attitudes, etc. HEck, even in my "regular" classes I'll give students assignments directing them to watch some popular TV show and analyze the characters in light of some theory we've discussed.

And as to the "epic hero cycle," it's amazing how many books and movies follow that formula - not only LOTR but many others as well - for example, the Star Wars saga.

FWIW you can even put a media/pop culture spin on your anorexia topic - how the image of the "ideal" woman has changed over the years and the reported rate of eating disorders among young women has correspondingly risen; how magazines and advertisers present such a misguided view of what is "beautiful" that they go so far as to airbrush models and actresses to remove what the publisher deems "unattractive."

But I am, admittedly, one of those "quirky" ones. Good luck!!!

Indeed, His work on the translation of Gawain and the Green Knight was awesome.

For what it's worth, one of my early rhetoric essays at the seminary I attended was Biblical Themes Found in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Some profs loved it and others hated it. In a way it was good though because I had to defend it by arguing that comics are America's modern day mythology, and they borrow from a variety of sources including biblical sources.

CV

Thanks for all this. I'd gotten about halfway done with the anorexia essay, but now I'm rather torn.

The fact that you wrote a paper on such a thing, makes me wonder if I shouldn't throw aside my own doubts on my first thought for the essay.

An original and interesting essay is always best (as long as the writing is done well). Think about how many they read. You need to catch their attention. You want them to remember your essay past the one they just finished reading.

For example, DS wrote about what he would do if there was an actual Zombie invasion. Sheesh. I thought for sure this would turn out to be a big mistake. But he stuck to his guns and every university admissions department but one he applied to inserted a handwritten comment with his acceptance letter stating it was one of the more entertaining, original and better written essays they received that year. (The acceptance letter for that other university offered him a scholarship he had not even applied for which, IMO as the funder of this four-year adventure, is better than the hand written notes.)

So make it unique. Write it well. And good luck.

Zombies are serious business, the CDC agrees;

Funny you should mention zombies, the campus has an annual zombie event...