Maxim’s Take on the Video Essay

Submission of a video essay has traditionally been the final part of an application of every SIPA applicant. Different people have different experiences with the video essay but pretty much everyone remembers the unique time when they finished their application, paid the application fee, and viewed their video prompt. So how important is the video essay and how should you treat it?

As with everything, the video essay is just one part of your application, so chances are, it will not be a deal breaker in your application, so you do not need to stress about it. At the same time, the video essay can be a great opportunity to show the Admissions Committee a final proof of your eligibility for the program, as well as your personality.

The 60-second preparation time and the subsequent 90-second timeslot are designed to give the applicant enough time to think about the prompt, but not enough time to allow for a thorough preparation, so that the applicant answers the prompt in a natural and original way, rather than reading sentences from a paper (we really don’t like that).

There is not really that much to be done to be prepared for the prompt, and it is okay if your answer is not perfect or world-changing. I would say that the best thing you could do is to be polite, positive, and authentic. However, there are hundreds of prompts you can receive, so there is no single piece of advice on how to answer them. Quite literally, your prompt could be anything from “How would you solve the conflict in Ukraine” to “what part of a bike would you like to be and why” (these two I made up).

Rather than a test, I would regard the video essay as a creative exercise. This way, I am sure you would enjoy it, and not worry about it too much. After you are done with the video response, sit back and relax. Your application is at this point…finally….complete!