COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ESSAY

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

“…IT IS WHERE APPLICANTS ARE ABLE TO REVEAL THE THOUGHTFUL SIDE OF THEMSELVES WHICH ONLY THEY CAN SPEAK ABOUT.”

“THE ESSAY IS WHERE THE VOICE OF THE STUDENT IS HEARD MOST CLEARLY -- WHERE THE STUDENT CAN SAY SOMETHING THAT ONLY HE OR SHE CAN TALK ABOUT.”

“I ALSO TRY TO LEARN THROUGH APPLICANTS’ ESSAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR PERSONALITY, CHARACTER, AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM AS INDIVIDUALS.”

“AN OUTSTANDING ESSAY WILL INDEED HELP A ‘BORDERLINE’ APPLICANT TO GAIN ADMISSION, WHILE A POOR ESSAY WILL HURT A BORDERLINE STUDENT’S CHANCES OF ADMISSION.”

“YOUR ESSAY WILL PROVIDE THE READER WITH A THIRD DIMENSION OF YOU.”

“THE ESSAY PLAYS A PARTICULARLY KEY ROLE, NOT ONLY IN SELECTION FOR THE FRESHMAN CLASS BUT ALSO IN REVIEWING CANDIDATES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER HONORS PROGRAMS.”

“IT ALSO PROVIDES A FORUM FOR THE APPLICANT TO COME FORWARD ABOUT LIFE’S PRIORITIES; WE LOOK AT THE ESSAY AS THE CULMINATION OF HOW A STUDENT THINKS ABOUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO HIM OR HER.”

“THE PERSONAL STATEMENT IS A STUDENT’S CHANCE TO TALK INDIVIDUALLY WITH THE ADMISSION COMMITTEE.”

“…THE ESSAY IS THE LAST PIECE OF INFORMATION I READ. I WANT THE STUDENT’S VOICE TO BE THE LAST THING TO RESONATE IN MY MIND.”

WHAT MAKES A GREAT ESSAY?

“TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS MEANINGFUL IN A CLEAN, EFFICIENT, THOUGHTFUL WAY BY CONTROLLING THE SCOPE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER.”

“…SOME OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE ESSAYS TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE QUITE ORDINARY IN LIFE BUT ARE INTERESTING IN THE WAY THE APPLICANT CHOOSES TO PURSUE THE TOPIC AND TO SHARE HIS OR HER OBSEVATIONS ABOUT AN EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.”

“IN THEIR SEARCH FOR EXCITING CONTENT, APPLICANTS OFTEN OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT A WELL-WRITTEN ESSAY ABOUT A RATHER ‘EVERYDAY’ SUBJECT CAN BE FAR MORE COMPELLING THAN A POORLY-WRITTEN ESSAY ABOUT A FASCINATING SUBJECT.”

“MOST GREAT ESSAYS ARE PERSONAL REFLECTIONS--THAT IS, THEY CONVEY BOTH THE APPLICANT’S PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT A TOPIC.”

“MANY SUCCESSFUL ESSAYS READ LIKE LONG CONVERSATIONS WITH A GOOD FRIEND, PROVIDING REAL MEANINGFUL COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE OF A RIGID STRUCTURE.”

“BE YOURSELF. BE AUTHENTIC.”

WHAT ADVICE DO ADMISSIONS OFFICERS HAVE ON WRITING THE ESSAY?

1. ANSWER THE QUESTION; BE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE ESSAY AND CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE.

“SINCE THE COMMON APPLICATION HAS BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO READ THE ESSAY QUESTIONS ASKED BY SCHOOLS THAT DON’T USE THE COMMON APPLICATION CAREFULLY AND TO ANSWER THE QUESTION SPECIFICALLY.”

“ONCE YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL APPLY TO A PARTICULAR SCHOOL, LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AND AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE AT THE SCHOOL’S ESSAY TOPIC.”

2. TELL A STORY.

“IT IS A MISTAKE TO FORMAT YOUR ESSAY AS THOUGH YOU ARE WRITING A TERM PAPER…IT IS DIFFICULT TO BRING PERSONAL MEANING TO A RIGIDLY- STRUCTURED ESSAY.”

3. TELL A STORY ONLY YOU CAN TELL.

“…MANY ADULTS ADVISE STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING ‘EXTRAORDINARY’; HOWEVER, MOST 17-YEAR-OLDS ARE TOO YOUNG TO HAVE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. FOCUS INSTEAD ON BEING GENUINE AND SINCERE.”

4. TELL IT IN YOUR OWN VOICE.

“IF YOU ARE NOT NORMALLY A COMEDIAN, DON’T TRY TO BE A COMEDIAN IN YOUR ESSAY.”

“AN OVER-EDITED ESSAY-- ESPECIALLY ONE THAT HAS BEEN EDITED BY PARENTS, TEACHERS, OR OTHER ADULTS-- BECOME DEVOID OF PASSION AND FEELING, SO SMOOTH AND POLISHED THAT THE FEELINGS GENERATED BY A 17- OR 18- YEAR-OLD ARE LOST IN THE STYLE.”

“YOUR ESSAY SHOULD NOT BE WRITTEN BY YOUR BROTHER WHO WENT TO HARVARD OR BY AN ENGLISH TEACHER. WE WANT THE ESSAY TO REFLECT THE STUDENT.”

“ALSO, DO NOT TRY TO BE CREATIVE IF YOU ARE NOT CREATIVE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE A MATHEMATICIAN, WRITE ABOUT MATH PROBLEMS.”

5. REFLECT ON THE MEANING OF YOUR STORY.

6. WRITE ABOUT THE SPECIFIC RATHER THAN THE GENERAL, THE CONCRETE RATHER THAN THE ABSTRACT.

“ANOTHER MISTAKE OCCURS WHEN STUDENTS TRY TO TAKE ON TOO MUCH IN THEIR ESSAY AND, AS A RESULT, ARE TOO GENERAL IN RESPONDING TO THE QUESTION.”

“…THERE IS NOT A WRITER IN AMERICA WHO CAN TAKE ON THE DEMISE OF THE SOVIET UNION IN THE POST-COLD-WAR ERA IN THREE PARAGRAPHS.”

7. DON’T INSULT YOUR READERS’ INTELLIGENCE EITHER BY TURNING YOUR ESSAY INTO A “RESUME IN PROSE” OR BY ATTEMPTING TO EXPLAIN AWAY SOME SHORTCOMING.

“ANOTHER MAJOR MISTAKE IN ESSAY WRITING IS TO LIST IN YOUR ESSAY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ALREADY LISTED ELSEWHERE IN THE APPLICATION. SUCH AS ESSAY IS OF NO REAL VALUE.”

8. AVOID GIMMICKS OF ANY KIND.

“ATTENTION-GRABBING EFFORTS LIKE THESE ARE DISTRACTING RATHER THAN FAVORABLE; IN OTHER WORDS, THEY DON’T WORK VERY WELL.”

9. DON’T EXCEED THE SUGGESTED LENGTH; FOR MOST APPLICATIONS, ABOUT FIVE PARAGRAPHS SHOULD DO IT.

“…GOOD WRITING IS CONCISE WRITING. TRY TO RESTRICT YOUR ESSAY ANSWERS TO THE SPACE PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL OR WITHIN THE WORD LIMITATIONS RECOMMENDED.”

10. DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!

“DON’T BEGIN THE PROCESS ONE EVENING AND EXPECT TO PRODUCE AN ESSAY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT SAME NIGHT.”

“A GOOD ESSAY TAKES TIME TO WRITE.”

“IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS AND PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT PORTION OF THE APPLICATION.”

“…WRITE A DRAFT AND PUT IT ASIDE FOR A WEEK; THEN GO BACK AND REVIEW IT, REVISE IT, AND SEND IT OFF TO THE COLLEGE.”