Anyone! How important are College essays? Insight

College Essays
1

My questions:

  1. Are college CA essays make or break thing in college admissions. I wrote a perfect introduction but then it drifted off toward telling rather than showing.
  2. How about supplements? I mentioned students I talked to live chat and their experiences and I would like those experiences too…
    How important are recommendations compared to Essays
    I am applying to full tuition scholarship very competivtve.
    Thanks
2

The best way to explain it is a good essay doesn’t guarantee you’ll be admitted, but a bad essay can bar a good candidate from getting in.

3

A poor essay can definitely detract from your application. They figure either you are not a strong writer or don’t care to put in the effort to write a strong essay. Applications for large scholarships need to stand out from the rest.

4

I think a really good essay is worth about 0.5 GPA points if you’re looking at it that way. A horrible essay might be worth -0.5 GPA points. An okay essay doesn’t really do much damage or help.

5

When an admissions person called my daughter personally last spring with a competitive scholarship offer, she specifically mentioned the quality and topics covered in my daughter’s application essays and supplement essays stood out, were memorable, and were a deciding factor in being selected for the competitive scholarship. You bet essays make a big difference.

6

When you’re applying to anything “very competitive”, then EVERYTHING counts. It’s all important at that level.