Expert Advice

1. Expert Advice For the College Essay

2. What role does the essay play in the admissions process? • slightly less important than HS performance • depends on the student – how much does the essay illuminate our understanding of the applicant? • the essay allows students to talk to us • we use it to get a human sense of who the student really is • our process is holistic

3. What makes a good college essay? • knowing “what makes him or her tick” • we are building a a community of people – a good essay is an expression of an applicant’s human qualities • being yourself

4. What do admissions officers find boring? • Travelogues • Clichés • ex: “No matter where we are, we’re all the same” • Essays written to impress • A list of extracurricular activities • We see this elsewhere in the applciation • Superficiality • Not digging deep enough into a subject

5. What do admissions officers want to see? • Readiness to enter college • Intellectual curiosity • Authenticity • Sincerity • Reflection

6. Excellent grades - poor essay • We call the school and ask about you • We think you are not a serious a student and bump you down • We think you did not put effort into the essay and question your work ethic

7. Excellent grades – poor essay • We may “wait list” you or not admit you • We turn down many students with great grades and test scores if it seems they are unlikely to contribute to the overall college community

8. Advice from a Director of Admissions • Remember, it’s not an English paper. It should be written in a voice that is your own, which means it can have its own syntax and structure and need not be something you would turn in as a paper in school. Use it as an opportunity to expand the admission officer's sense of who you are, rather than reiterate what has been seen in the application already.