<p>I'm in the writing process of my common application essay, and I think it's coming along pretty well. However, it does not mention my academic interests or how I'm going to pursue them in college. It's a somewhat complicated topic, but essentially it ties into how I've come to understand the importance of having a good perspective on life.
Will it hurt me if I don't talk about academics in some way in my essay? I also don't have any research projects or whatnot that many posters seem to have. I'm a baseball recruit and dedicate a lot of time to training and playing and coaching, as well as working on an initiative I founded to send baseball equipment to kids in Cuba.</p>
<p>FYI I'm applying to Wash U (Washington University in St. Louis) ED.</p>
<p>I don’t think colleges expect you to talk about your academics or how to pursue them in your common app essay at all. Some of the best & most interesting common app essays have nothing to do with academics. As long as the essay is revealing about YOU in some way, that is good. You have a chance at the ECs in the EC section, in the short answer on the common app, and can put some info in additional information if the EC section description section is too short (I personally think it is ridiculously small, my kid added some detail on several ECs in the additional information section). You also get to list what you plan to study for almost all colleges. Since students change that ALL THE TIME when they get to college, it is not necessarily super important to describe how you got to that point unless it is part of a compelling story that makes a good essay.</p>
<p>Some colleges have a “Why X College” sort of essay (not sure about Wash U, neither of my kids applied there). That is a place where you can talk about what your academic interests are and why that college is a fit for those areas.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the lack of research… if you are a recruited athlete, you have a hook that most other applicants wish they had! You put your time into a sport you presumably love, and that gives you a skill they want.</p>
<p>@intparent
Thanks a lot. Should the essay highlight any of my accomplishments, or is it really all about giving admissions a look at my personality and voice? Also, is dedicating a huge amount of time playing and training for a sport at a high level considered a strong EC, even at academically very selective schools?</p>
<p>Admissions wants to know more about you as an individual (traits/character/personality/etc), your academic performance is already reflected by your GPA and SAT/ACT. Admissions wants to see passion through EC (sport, art, music, all ok), not necessary a student who does a lot of EC. Helping the community and take initiative are good. If you’re an athletic recruit, it’s a different process from other students. You should have already reached out to college coaches, etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>@eCoachJen thanks for the info! I sent you a pm btw</p>
<p>If you’re going to Wash U, I don’t think you need to define your academics in your essay; the numbers will speak for you. Wash U will likely look for character in your essay, since numbers don’t explain that.</p>
<p>A common app essay is absolutely NOT a place to list your ECs and academic accomplishments. There is room for those other places in the Common App. And you can also use your short answer item about an EC. They are looking for something interesting that tells you something about you that they can’t see in your list of ECs, grades, test scores, etc. Agree that this is something that shows them how you think, what your character is like, etc. </p>
<p>For example, one of my kids wrote about a fictional character that she discovered in late elementary school, and how she tried to model herself after that character for years (really until this day in some ways) with both good and bad results. It tells something about herself that even people who know her well don’t realize. Heck, I didn’t even know she had been doing it until I read this, but then I could totally see it. </p>
<p>Another one of my kids wrote about the foreign language she studied during the summers since she was eight years old, and about using the language on a trip to the country where it was spoken one summer in high school. It was not a language offered at any of the colleges she applied to, so it wasn’t really aimed at the academic side of getting into college. But it actually ended up featured in a brochure on writing a good college essay. She wrote about something that she had been passionate about for a long time, gave specific examples along the way of how it impacted her, and injected some humor (a desciption of attempting to command the family dog in the language during her homestay).</p>
<p>I would say yes on your baseball EC as a strenght if you have been talking to the coaches and you are being recruited. It is still a good one even if not – colleges just like to see that you have been passionate and deeply involved in something.</p>
<p>Not at all. Colleges want to se who YOU truly are, not just who you are in school. That being said, you don’t want to list your accomplishments in your essay.
Make the readers want to share your essay with others. Make them laugh, make them cry, do whatever you feel you can. I’m applying to an Ivy League school and my essay is about ghosts. If you’re given such a broad topic, your interpretation should work just fine. Good luck!</p>
<p>@benaiir
Thanks for the comment! Is that the case even if I’m not at the upper end statistically for WashU admits? I have a 2160 (740M 740W 680R) SAT, 4.0 unweighted GPA, and am in the top 5% of my class. I’m also an international student (Canadian) and will be applying for financial aid.</p>
<p>@intparent
Those sound like pretty fun essays! Do you think you could send me one or both of them? Or maybe a link to the one that was featured in the brochure if that’s possible? I’d like to read them to get a feel of what kinds of examples work and how a stellar essay reads!
About your second point, is it better to show a breadth of EC’s or a depth in one? Should I even bother adding EC’s that don’t relate to my main one or don’t show as much passion?</p>
<p>@PlantsAreNeat
Thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>@PlantsAreNeat
Thanks for the advice as well.</p>