@srparent15 Yeah, it varies tremendously. My senior daughter’s AP English teacher said ‘we’re not going to spend time on college essays.’ Um, okay! So it’s just her writing stuff and me looking over it. That’s fine. But there seems to be huge variation in the amount of oversight, input, HELP, etc. that kids get (as with everything else), so to me essays are at least as problematic as tests. But as you know I’m almost done with all of this crud anyway 
@rbc2018 Probably a blessing in disguise that the English teachers aren’t involved in the essay brainstorming, writing, editing, etc., as many English teachers have zero experience or knowledge of college essay writing, and how they are different from a typical english class narrative essay, as one example. I worked as a college counselor in a private school that paid for English teachers to have college essay training, and even then counselors often suggested many edits, sometimes suggested an entirely different direction.
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@Mwfan1921 It was only an example. Some school counselors are involved, some schools have specific ‘college counselors’ that get involved (which is what you were I gather), some families hire coaches, etc. There’s so much variation is the resources kids have for essay preparation. But yeah, I get that some English teachers are probably not much help!
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There’s always been emphasis on the Personal Statement and other written answers. But, as one part of the whole. For a tippy top, with the unbelievable competition, every piece matters and can lead to sink or swim. With std scores, they get you past the initial gate. Each piece of the rest is still critical. Without scores, all the rest is still the picture you provide.
The challenge is that, unlike hs, where your record is what it is, per standards you’ve grown used to, now you’re applying for the “college leap.” And the stakes are that much higher for an elite college. You have to figure out how to present yourself, per their expectations.
They don’t tell you outright. And I feel all the talk on CC about what matters more, what someone heard, or what seems to have worked for someone else, can not only mislead, but distract you from your own efforts to recognize what does strengthen your presentation.
Holistic admission is about looking at the whole picture of an applicant. When some pieces of that whole picture are missing or incomplete, the remaining pieces (including the essays) become undeniably more important. There’s just no way around it.
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Yes, I would agree with this! I often am surprised at some of what these English give students as input for college essays or feedback as if they’re college admissions experts when they have no clue what the colleges really want.
@rbc2018 I think that’s probably typical for AP English teachers because those students are the cream of the crop as far as writers and may not necessarily need the support. One of my kids had a teacher who didn’t spend class time on a unit but told his students he would look at one essay for each student. My daughter previously had him and he was a hard grader but really an honest one and wasn’t going to inflate grades so for the feedback was great. My other one had a teacher who is weak and a joke. A boy in the class had the same first name and he constantly mixed her up. I vaguely recall him not liking her Cornell essay and she had already had it reviewed numerous times by many more people more qualified than him. In his class they spent the whole quarter on the college essay unit. There are clearly many inconsistencies in our high school with this as it is great for kids who need the resource and want the feedback but bad for those who don’t or who have a teacher that doesn’t know jack. Or don’t get the point/theme of the essay which I think was his issue. So yes definitely a blessing in her case for you.
1NJParent, it’s when pieces are “allowably” missing, as is the case for std scores at many colleges right now. I think you know, if some remaining category is incomplete or missing (or, eg, a poor essay,) that doesn’t mean the remainder is enough. Any one fail (let me call it that) can move the needle. It’s always been like that, where the competition is so fierce.
Yes exactly, but either way colleges have no idea who had accommodations in any case. So a kid from a top school could have a 36 and the college they’re applying to doesn’t know if that kid had accommodations or not. In fact, we have a National Merit Finalist at our school who has accommodations and also a 36 and they never use their extra time for any testing for any of their other courses. There are actually at least 4 of those that are National Merit and only 1 that we know of justifiably uses and truly needs the accommodations. That’s not saying the others don’t have some need like anxiety or something else, but there are plenty who find a way to take advantage and get the accommodation and since colleges are not told who has IEPs, 504s in school, in their colleges apps or on any of their testing, every test is considered equal. when we all know the playing field is not equal, not at the wealthy school and most certainly not at the lower income schools.
I think it’s important to note that there are many different ways that a college essay can either strengthen or weaken an application.
Lousy essays come in many flavors. Some are just poorly written (and that’s where I think a HS English teacher can help… basic syntax, wacky spelling, nonsensical punctuation (ee cummings doesn’t live here anymore). Some have terrible topics which even a Hemingway or Jane Austen would struggle with. Some start ok but go off the rails (that’s the problem with most of the sports “we lost the game but won our self-respect” themes, and the “my grandpa was the smartest man I ever knew even though he dropped out of HS in 10th grade to support his widowed mother.”) And some are well written and not trite, but don’t suggest that a kid is all that motivated to attend a particular college (the ones which end with “Grandpa is an alum and made me apply”.)
The good essays are harder to put into buckets- but the best essays I’ve read leave you wanting more. Either because the writing is terse but vivid, or because the person writing it sounds like someone you’d love to meet in real life, or because the (gifted) writer took a trite subject and made it brand new and original. They are rarely about something existentially important or critical and are often about the quiet observations of daily life as experienced by a thoughtful 17 year old.
And tens of thousands of kids get admitted to college with “perfectly fine” but not extraordinary essays. So I think it’s fine for a kid to target “well written and doesn’t shoot me in the foot” as an objective, unless that kid is also an extraordinary writer.
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I guess as always there will be people who game it and people who don’t, which is a bummer. Same with test optional, which was intended to help kids who weren’t able to test (or retest), but it has turned into strategically deciding if scores benefit a student or not. It is what it is! I guess we’ll see how this changes admissions going forward.
Yes, I agree. However, my point is that the importance of those pieces that are still required in the current COVID environment (such as essays, LoRs, etc.) will be even greater than usual. That may benefit some students, and by extension, be detrimental to some others.
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Funny you say that about the test. We only thought for about 10 seconds to not submit the score and actually thought why wouldn’t he not submit it. Although not perfect, it’s still a great score and I think if anything shows he’s humble enough to show a side of himself that is not perfect and take that risk. As I have previously said, I think a lot of colleges often reject the applicants who appear a little too perfect if you know what I mean?
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As to essays, if you have the opportunity, have someone who knows you well but is not a parent (mentor teacher, family friend, aunt/uncle, etc…) take a look at your essay(s) not so much to edit them, but to give an impression if they think it/they fairly represent you in as favorable of a way as possible. At the tippy tops, they are looking for a consistent coherent story of a student that they think will be an asset to the institution and part of a larger puzzle to build the desired class – remember they don’t want 1,500 clones. The essays, transcript, EC’s and LoR’s should be painting a consistent and compelling story. I remember my S’s best friend asked me to look at his Common App essay. The kid was unhooked, top 5-10%, SAT’s in the mid 1400’s. It was a “go big or go home” type of essay, but it really captured his quirkiness and personality (and was supported by his EC’s). He ended up getting in REA and going to Harvard.
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I used to agree that you could tell if a 17 year old wrote the essay. But I’ve changed my mind. My son actually uses such words. At one point reading his CA essay, I asked if he knew what a particular esoteric word meant. He did. He’s just that kid. He’s the product of a household with a high level of intellectual engagement and language. An AO reading his app will see several indicators of this: from his LORs to his parents’ professions to his ECs.
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Both my kids used those words too, but not in their college admissions essays. There they felt the point was to be the interesting, personable, funny people they are. They wanted the admissions officer to think this kid would be fun to have in class or as a roommate. They used a more conversational tone. There’s a cliche that if you drop your essay on the cafeteria floor, the kid who picks it up should know it’s yours.
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@mathmom Using sophisticated and intellectual language does not preclude someone from being interesting, personable, or funny. Thankfully, in my son’s case, he was able to write an essay that very much is “him” and everyone who knows him could pick it off the floor and know he wrote it.
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Also, parents often think their own children’s essays (and the children themselves!) are brilliant. 
I agree with you, authenticity is important.
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@rbc2018 My son has enough academic flaws that I don’t think he’s brilliant. Not in the least. He has some strengths and plenty of weaknesses. Hopefully his authenticity came through in his applications.
AOs may be able to detect some, perhaps many, essays not authored by students themselves, but it isn’t credible that they can detect all, or even most, of these essays. By the same token, it is equally incredible that they’d always be correct in all cases where they suspect students had undue help from others. There lies one of the pitfalls of over-relying on subjective judgements and measures.
It’d be much better if colleges were to ask applicants for multiple written pieces in HS to corroborate the authorship of application essays. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of the college applications in the US makes it an impossible task for the AOs.
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Many do have extra supplement questions. They can compare the PS writing style (and the thinking behind that) with the supp written answers.