Why do colleges ask for essays to be submitted with applications when there is no proof at all that students are writing them themselves? There are some high schools where the counselors help so much it is as if they ghost wrote it. I can imagine some parents writing them for their kids. Why would schools attach any weight to one essay which could have been written by anyone other than the applicant?
I have wondered this too!
in my opinion, empireapple, the whole thing should be done away with. Some high schools have classes on just how to go about writing one and others may get a one sentence critique from a teacher.
I do believe that most applicants write their own essays (I know my kid’s did). And admission officers say that they become very adept at figuring out which essays are written by adults.
I think the essay can be a very useful part of the application as it gives a chance to give some insight on the person that can’t be found elsewhere on the application. Instead of complaining, use the essay to your advantage.
The fact that your children, happy1, wrote their own essays doesn’t mean that most kids do. I would expect that most would be happy to take as much help as they could get. And as far as what admissions officers say, they HAVE to say that or else there would be not faith in their system. They would never admit that any “corruption” is going on with the admissions process. The idea that they can spot someone who has had help is absurd. Unless it is someone who got C’s in English, did average at best on the SAT Writing and submits an essay worthy of Virginia Woolf. [BTW happy1, based on what you wrote (“use the essay to your advantage”) it sounds like you thought I was a student, not an adult who graduated from college 25 years ago. It is not so easy to distinguish between an adult and a teenager’s writing.]
Of course not everyone gets help. But it is far too easy to get away with it. Whether it is written outright by someone else or it would be much poorer without the advice or help of a teacher/parent/paid help. At my daughter’s college, admitted students have to take a math placement test online in the summer before freshmen year. There are all sorts of warnings about not cheating, etc (because the school knows it has no control over the situation and they know that when that is the case, PEOPLE CHEAT!.) They do say that it is not to the student’s benefit to cheat b/c then he/she will be placed in a class he/she cannot succeed in. There certainly is sense to that . As opposed to, you didn’t write a fascinating essay - someone with similar stats did, he will get in and you won’t.
As I said, based on my experience I think most students write their own essays. Not sure who you know. I do recommend that someone such as a trusted English teacher proofread essays for grammar etc. Keep in mind that even the best essay will not get a student into a college that he/she is not academically qualified to attend – a great essay simply cannot compensate a below standard transcript.
But along your vein…should English or SS teachers not grade term papers in case someone else wrote them? Should math and science grades not count because some students can afford tutors for one-on-one help and other’s can’t? Should foreign language grades not count because some people take the classes who are native speakers of the language? Life isn’t always fair. But there is no choice but to work within an imperfect system. I’d recommend that instead of
What I do agree with you about is that it is in a student’s best interest to be honorable as the best outcome is to end up at a college that is a good academic fit.
This will be my last post on this thread. But again I suggest you use your time and energy in a more positive manner and instead of complaining about a system that you can’t change, work towards making your essay an asset to your application.
FWIW, I knew the OP was a parent or adult because of the mention of “students” and “ghost write”. A 17 year old would not refer to her peers as students (she’d say we) nor would she use the term ghost write.
I would assume that a professional ghost writer would know enough to make himself sound younger, and you’d be surprised at what a 17 can write. (I have a 19 year old)
What’s the beef here? You want to claim corruption and find some support for that?
Most writers, whether kids or adults don’t know how to write a good college app essay. Worry about your own student’s understanding of the point of the essay. In fact, it’s what all the written parts show. Worry about her or his ability to put out a whole app the targets will appreciate. Put the energy there.
Don’t assume.
From your essay score, they probably know if your application essays have been helped. In addition, they are more interested in the content of the essays than how well it is written. At the end, the essay is still about you. After all, the essay only provide supplemental information, it is not a critical factor for admission, unless you wrote something really wrong like a different schools name that kill your chance.
my son did not take the writing portion of the act as most schools don’t require it
The essay score isn’t more important than the actual writing in the pers statement and other sections. If anything, it’s minor. The CA writing should be well considered and within a kid’s control.
I think it’s a major issue. And no, I don’t buy that these college consultants who charge hundreds or thousands of dollars to work with kids on their essays aren’t actually rewriting or changing words. I think the question becomes where you draw the line between helping and it no longer being the student’s work. And frankly, when there are questions about who’s actually doing the writing, the essay’s value decreases greatly in admissions.
thank u for the article, TTdd16. Those who feel the majority of students are writing this with no help from others have their heads in the sand. There should be no guidance whatsoever. No one should be proofreading it at all. Since this is impractical, do away with it. If colleges want to get to know candidates so badly, let them interview candidates by Skype.
@margarett, I personally wouldn’t go that far, because I do think writing ability is such an essential skill. And I also think it’s important for colleges to get a better understanding of the students who are applying and don’t know if a Skype interview would really serve that purpose either. It would overwhelmingly favor students who are confident extroverts. So I don’t know what the answer is–but the reality is there’s simply no foolproof way to determine who’s writing an essay or what level of editing has been done on it. I personally think the writing portion of the SAT and ACT should be required and used as a greater factor in selective admissions. Although there’s inevitably some subjectivity in the grading, it gives an indication of whether a student can actually write well or not, using well-reasoned, coherent arguments.
I firmly believe kids should have an ally in this. It’s the first time nearly all have ever done something on the level of a college app and essay. All their hs experience is in format and graded writing. Big difference. No, applying for some low paid job or NHS isn’t the equivalent.
Assuming your kid can wing it is head in the sand, to me. Or ok, maybe some don’t care what level of college.
I am leery, however, of much paid help. Most have no admissions experience or it was a few years, ages ago, just after college. They are in this for their income.
But some nice, encouraging support is wise. Try to realize that the ability to ask for and get the right help is a valuable trait to top colleges. They like kids who, in general, want to polish their work, will go to a prof, the writing center, join study groups, etc. Not assume they alone know it all. Again, no, not some paid so called expert.
Btw, those kids who pay big bucks for the essay often forget that all the writing matters.
@lookingforward, I don’t disagree with you that many students need an “ally,” but what about all those kids who simply don’t have sufficient support–families who don’t have a clue or ones where English is their second language; guidance counselors who average 500 students at many public schools; overworked English teachers who don’t have time to work individually with students on college essays–are those kids just out of luck? Because my guess is that there are an awful lot of students in those categories, and just like most other parts of the college application process, it creates an extremely unfair have/have not kind of system. In my neighborhood, students who don’t receive paid essay help are in the minority. The going rate is about $3,000.
As for me, the only essay I read of my daughter’s was her Common App (we’re in California so she has multiple others to do for the UCs, and only allowed me to read the Common App one because I expressed great surprise at her topic, which sounded very strange. I felt relieved once I read it and didn’t change a word.) I haven’t read any of her other essays. She had a supplemental that was quite sensitive and was sharing it with an African-American friend for her reaction, but otherwise is doing everything completely on her own, as she should. I don’t think she’s even having her guidance counselor, who’s very knowledgeable, look at them. The irony is that she’s an extremely strong writer–she’s a teen writer for a national publication–and colleges may look at the writing and think someone did them for her or edited them heavily. So I think this pervasive culture of kids getting help from others on essays hurts even those who are the best writers because there’s no way for an admissions officer to tell if it’s the applicant’s own work or not. Again, I don’t see an answer, but I’ve got to guess there’s a growing jadedness among admissions officers about essays.
The place the essays are most important is really top colleges. Just because you pay 3k (and it can be much higher,) doesn’t mean you get a stellar essay. I see all the conflict about what makes one great and realize so many don’t really understand. You do your best, be as informed about what they’re looking for.
Where the competition is fierce, any point can trip up a kid.