YOLO: a phrase rapped about, shouted by drunken party-goers, and now…written about in application essays?Â
That’s right. Tufts University, a school not far from Boston that was recently ranked #28 on U.S. News & World Report college rankings, challenges its applicants this year to really ponder the meaning of #YOLO. The exact prompt reads:
“The ancient Romans started it when they coined the phrase “Carpe diem.” Jonathan Larson proclaimed “No day but today!” and most recently, Drake explained You Only Live Once (YOLO). Have you ever seized the day? Lived like there was no tomorrow?  Or perhaps you plan to shout YOLO while jumping into something in the future. What does #YOLO mean to you?”
This essay topic follows a trend of unusual application prompts from Tuft, whose past applications included requests for Youtube videos (a la Elle Woods?), a suggestion to make something with paper, and the disconcertingly vague “Are we alone?”. The YOLO prompt is joined this year by equally wacky essay options: “Celebrate your nerdy side.” and “What makes you happy?”.Â
The Tufts administration is very proud of their quirky questions. Lee Coffin, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, wrote in his blog “Oh yes, we did. Quakers, Virginia Woolf, nerds, an ancient Roman, Drake, a principle of physics and the Red Sox (at least by inference) all wiggled their way into one of our essay questions. YOLO.” In his “About Me” on the same blog, he also notes his affinity for pop music. Â
The prompt went so viral that the Tufts Admissions was obliged to comment on the response, appropriately through a tweet: “I wish #tufts was trending more than #yolo, but at least people are talking about us”. The application question has prompted a wave of reactions from bloggers, reporters, and writers of all kinds, many critical. Victoria McNally at Geekosystem outraged, “Really? You want students who legitimately think serious thoughts about that hashtag to be enrolled in your school? That doesn’t sound like a good idea for anyone.” Gaby Dunn at the Daily Dot pointed out, “Let’s not forget, they’re pulling ‘YOLO’ from a Drake and Lil Wayne collab called ‘The Motto,’ which contains the beautiful lyric ‘Drowned in the p*ssy / so I swam to her butt.’ But you know, this will decide what caliber of person gets into your school! Whatever! YOLO!” She goes on to lament that questions like this are a sign of colleges giving into the techie-overwhelmed world and moving away from intellectual stimulation: “Feel kind of bad for that kid who still… you know, reads books. Better get on Tumblr before you’re a child left behind.”Â
The Tufts essay has spawned many spoofs as well, including an mocu-article in The Plank that claimed to have exclusive access to the other questions Tufts considered before settling on #YOLO. One such spoof prompt is:
“William Wordsworth once wrote that “There are in our existence spots of time, that with distinct pre-eminence retain a renovating virtue.” Are there moments that hold a special signifiance for you, and why? Did that moment happen on a Thursday? Please tag with #tbt if so.”
The prompt is followed by instructions to Snapchat your response to Tufts by a certain date.
For Tufts University’s Admissions, however, the essay topic remains serious. Tufts spokesman Alexander Reid told the Huffington Post, “This question was submitted by a member of our incoming first-year class and was one of six essay choices designed to give students a chance to tell us about themselves.” Another spokesman, Kim Thurler, points out, “The spirit of the question is actually quite serious as it asks students to consider a concept that people – from Roman philosopher of antiquity Horace to contemporary Grammy Award-winning Canadian rapper Drake – have been thinking about for thousands of years.” She explains that they select their application questions in hopes of engendering diversity. “We try to offer a range of essay options that will engage a wide range of students and will reflect the full diversity of Tufts. We ask ourselves how we can reach the athlete, the artist, the techie.”
Tufts is not alone in using quirky application questions to appeal to students. Schools have been doing it since the University of Penn introduced this essay prompt in the 80’s: “You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit Page 217.” Other wacky essay prompts include University of Chicago’s “How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.)” and “How do you feel about Wednesdays?”. NYU got in on the eccentric essay game with “Write a haiku, limerick, or short poem that best represents you.”
With such a trend in unusual application questions, perhaps the only thing more interesting than the questions, are the answers they generate. Best of luck, applicants.