Are GaTech essays really that important?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgia Institute of Technology
1

GT has an EA deadline of Oct 15, one of the earliest amongst several universities.

I made my CommonApp Essay for around 10 days and submitted it. It was the first essay that I wrote after years in a row.

Naturally, it was very bad. Over the months, I have scoured through several internet forums where I have learned what to do in college essays and what not to do. And my essay had everything that an essay was NOT supposed to do.

  1. It was full of heavy jargon and complicated sentences that obscured the true meaning of sentences.
  2. There was absolutely 0 introspection. Just bland story narration.
  3. It heavily deviated from the topic. It did not answer the prompt it any way.

And same was for the two small supplementary essays. I would rate them 1.5/10.

BTW, if you are thinking MAYBE, just MAYBE the adcomms liked it, let me tell you that it was NOT POSSIBLE. I had 4 other people read it and all gave the same verdict.

I even made several typos in my EC section (I put my swimming competitions as Synchronized swimming!)

Ofcourse, I was quite tense about the EA results as essays are ‘supposed to be’ an integral part of your application. I had already been rejected from some other universities (I sent same commonapp to all).

And guess what, I got in!

Yes, that guy who wrote an essay which did everything it shouldn’t have done, got in!

Now, I must accept, I had great stats. I had a 2330 in SAT (800 M, 800 W, 730 CR) and stellar grades (all A+ from 9-12).
I also had a lot of Ecs. But, I spoilt the very section of my application that is supposed to show my true personality.

That set me thinking, maybe GT does not focus much on essays. Maybe it focuses lesser on essays than on other aspects.

Maybe this is true. But I am sure that will give you the hope that even if your application is REALLY weak in some area, you still have a chance.

2

Let’s hope so. My problem is that my SAT score is really low (2030) but the rest is pretty good: grades, essays and a lot of volunteering. And so many people have been deferred/rejected with 2200+ scores which gives me a little hope.

3

Hey Sameer

Yes, many people have been deferred despite high scores. One of my friend with 2290 got deferred.

Your SAT may be a little low, but depending on your major, you still have a shot.

If you are applying for Engg/Comp Sc, then it might be a little difficult. And if you’re not going for those, then you have a nice chance. One of my friend got in with 2120 for computer science, and he had mediocre grades and okayish essays. So a 2030 with great everything else will surely get you in :slight_smile: