<p>does a essay that is written very good help an applicant as much as it can hurt them if it is bad? i suck at spelling and english and my essay was not good. can a very good essay help and can a very bad essay hurt you</p>
<p>Yes, of course. Why would they read it if it didn't mean anything?</p>
<p>Yes it matters. A pretty good essay might not mean an automatic acceptance, but a bad essay might tip the scales towards a rejection. You have so much time to get other people to help you with spelling and grammar, that if you don't take that time, then it shows you don't care that much, and if you don't care that much, why should they care about you?</p>
<p>It's a little late to be asking this. If you know that you aren't good at spelling and grammar, you should have had someone, (like an English teacher, or even here,) look at it......</p>
<p>A bad essay could hurt you, yeah. But when an admissions counselor from Colgate came to my school, they said that they accepted someone who had tons of spelling errors in their essay.. and Colgate seems like a pretty selective school.</p>
<p>So I guess it just depends on the whole package.</p>
<p>You may be accepted somewhere in SPITE of your terrible essay, but it certainly will count against you. Why didn't you have an english teacher proofread?</p>
<p>I am not too sure how much it helps at all colleges, but one particular college that I do know about is UC Berkeley. A few years back they started something called comprehensive review. I don't know much about the admissions side of it, but what from what I understand UC Berkeley takes a certain percentage of freshman based on grades and test scores alone (based on an index), then there is another percentage where they take a closer look at other factors including the essay to determine admission. I also heard that Northwestern University is taking a closer look at essays. </p>
<p>I don't know if this is becoming a trend, but I can provide an anecdotal experience from a few years ago. I knew a student who applied early to a direct med program; the student was waitlisted and eventually was accepted into the program. All other things being equal (GPA, test scores, etc.), I can only surmise that the essay played a big role in getting admitted. It was a good essay and offered great insight into the student's desire to pursue medicine.</p>
<p>Hola! my name is _______ and i would like to go to you're school because I love it. I am smart, and cool, and talanted. You will like me alot. I'm good at multiplying, but not so very good at english. I like money. Please accept me. :)</p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>Importance of application essays varies school by school. Usually it is more important at small and medium sized private colleges and universities than at larger schools. But it really depends upon the admissions staff at each school. A well written essay that convincingly demonstrates the applicant's suitability and enthusiasm for that particular school can only help. My son didn't want to attend a college to which I encouraged him to apply (he found it too small & too isolated) but he didn't want to disappoint me, so his essay focused on his desire to attend another named school. Needless to say, this was a very effective essay which served my son's purpose while respecting parental authority.</p>
<p>No just write this: Hello _____ I had some good test scores and grades like all of the other 48584958495489589489 applicants please admit me.</p>
<p>Sure, essay matters. But anecdotally I heard that they only spend one minute or two on your essay. Incredible! How can we call that a close look?</p>
<p>FYI. Just saw this in today's paper. (It is also posted on Parents thread.)</p>
<p>College</a> applications can be too good - The Boston Globe</p>
<p>The more competitive the school, the more valuable your essay becomes. It can make or break your application. It can mean early notification such as likely letters or wait 2 months for RD.</p>