Essays are not that important anymore

Applying to College
21

<p>I just wanted to comment about this statement:
"for example, your english grade could be a C and your essay could be pulitzer worthy. in such cases its easy [to weed you out]."</p>

<p>that is a harsh statement
especially if you do not consider what kind of English class in whcih the kid received the grade</p>

<p>AP English Language
and AP English Literature are definitely different</p>

<p>and some people are good writers
some people struggle with HW
some people struggle with tests
thus, their grade might be lower than the one you'd expect from a talented writer</p>

<p>I am considered a good writer by my teachers, but I struggle with turning in assignments in a timely fashion</p>

22

<p>oh... thank you anisha08 for already making my point </p>

<p>colleges would have to be crazy to throw out the essay when considering potential students and making admission decisions
there will be living evidence against the OP's points (rather, the thoughts from an adcom) in my class (2012) and beyond</p>

23

<p>Whats this IvySuccess thing anyway? Somekind of essay making guide, or they do the essay for you?
Well doesnt matter. Either way its stupid, dont you guys think the admissions can see it right away?</p>

<p>"Essays are a factor; how much of a factor really depends on the school, the applicant, the adcom, et hoc genus omne"</p>

<p>prettyckitty summed it up best, I totally agree.</p>

24

<p>Essays are easy!!! I get through 4 page papers like nothing... you just need to know the subject and how to deal with it....</p>

<p>Bye!</p>

25

<p>Listen to prettyckitty (above):</p>

<p>"Why are people debating this? It's not like whether if you win or loose this arguement, it's going to have any effect on what actually happens. Essays are a factor; how much of a factor really depends on the school, the applicant, the adcom, et hoc genus omne. Leave it at that."</p>

26

<p>Bascially if you get a C in an English class and/or poor scores in reading/writing, pulling out an award winning essay is going to raise a red flag. Even though it is a possiblility that oh the kid failed the final, was not feeling well that day, etc. most likely that kid did not produce his/her essay on his/her merit. Now I still believe essays are pretty important but I would not be surprised if they were diminishing in importance. Though that would really suck, considering it's a very effective way for the adcoms to meet the student.</p>

27

<p>why are we even trusting this guy anyway? does he have proof..</p>

28

<p>Essays are important. Perhaps the most important part of your application because you are given a chance to talk directly to those who will be deciding your fate.If you convince them that you are perhaps worth a second look through your writing skills and a compelling story you are 1/2 way there.Your essay should be a flawless writing piece that shows the admissions commitee a side of you that is not shown any where else on the application. Flawless writing is only accomplished through rewriting and editing. Do you think Mark Twain's first draft was published as is?</p>

29

<p>I would propose that more highly selective colleges make their essays timed, and the prompt a secret. That way, no one would get any unfair aid - be it a specialized counselor or a brilliant parent. Of course, this method would engender new issues, but frankly, I see it as the lesser of two evils.</p>

30

<p>Reed, for one, doesn't use the SAT W, because Reed students are not asked to write under similar time constraints, so the ability to do so is irrelevant (Reed has no journalism major). A timed essay would be equally irrelevant, for the reasons given by beach in post #30.</p>

31

<p>Everyday you hear that a particular aspect is getting more or less important. A lot of the stuff seems to be contradictory. </p>

<p>Soon, I'm sure they're just going to choose the people that have nice/funny sounding names. But then they won't use that because people can legally change their names with the help of college admissioner advisor. They will inform us that a name like "Ms. Ivie H. O'pphul" won't cut it.</p>

32

<p>How can you (the OP) say that this is a FACT? Not all admissions officers have the same thoughts about how much the essay should be weighted, nor are all universities the same in their approach to viewing applicants. If you truly think that <em>all</em> colleges will just not care about the essay anymore, then YOU are wrong</p>

33

<p>someone is showing their maturity level very clearly</p>

34

<p>The OP certainly expects a lot from us. Shall we construct a shrine to him? I think that would make him happy... :rolleyes:</p>

<p>Really. If it wasn't compliments he was looking for, then he shouldn't be in the least bit concerned that not everybody is just taking his word for it. He should be glad that his point has generated such a discussion. He brought his point to his readers' minds. They are not unequivocally praising him. He got exactly what he wanted.</p>

35

<p>Writers come in every gender, creed, shape, and form
and there all kinds of different writers
timed prompts... why not just make AP English Compostion a prerequisite for applying and accept the 5-6% of people who score 5s</p>

36

<p>"He should be glad that his point has generated such a discussion. He brought his point to his readers' minds....."</p>

<p>Anniushka,
Thats a good point, though I still believe hes trying to convince us that he's telling the truth. I believe hes probably telling the truth AT THE SCHOOL HE CALLED, but for other schools? Nobody knows, not even him.
I agree w/ Beach's post saying essays are a way for applicants to 'meet' the decision makers. True some schools regard essays as not so important, but I dare bet they'll NEVER put it out of consideration. Otherwise there'll be no way for students to explain their condition, like if a future student got lower gpa cuz he had to work part time jobs to help feed his family, etc.
How else can I explain the admission officers when I transfer that I got "C" on my calculus 2 because I got hit by a TA's car and sent to hospital on final exam day? If they read that they'll probably call my class professor and the hospital to confirm it : )
Different schools, different rules.</p>

<p>Btw I'm serious about the car accident. Never thought getting hit by a car would hurt that much.</p>

37

<p>Rules keep changing too. Years ago it was well rounded student, then it became well rounded student body. I bet you a lot of people get caught between these changes.</p>

38

<p>whatever. they stilll count for ut plan II</p>

39

<p>Rules change alright. They always have those hidden criterias they never mentioned to us.</p>

<p>I know one public university that accepted a student last year just because he's from Delaware, and they wanted a student from Delaware</p>

40

<p>The best way to look upon an essay is to consider it as reinforcing & harmonizing with all the other aspects of an application. If it is at least as good (in tone, in credibility, in quality, in personal authorship) as the statements in the application and any attachments, then it will not be a negative. In these days of multiple elements to an application, rarely does any one element overshadow everything else. But it is equally true that the competitive field makes it important that there be no 'excuse' to turn away an otherwise highly qualified candidate. It is not likely that the essay in itself would be the disqualifier, but it could be a tip, and where a field is crowded, tips are important, that's all.</p>

<p>This is no different than job-hunting is for adults, in crowded areas which are filled with overqualified, "overeducated" job applicants. In those cases, forgetting to re-check one's resume, being a little late to the interview, not being as prepared as one could be for the interview, etc. -- even if one is superbly qualified & with a stunning resume -- little things like that can tend to color results.</p>

<p>It's not necessary to dwell on the essay disproportionately, but neither is it a good idea to be casual about it or just blow it off because one official said it's "not that important." You don't want to take any chances, that's all. Look on it this way: the essay is the most subjective aspect of your application, not just in its production but in its reception. It is not likely that you will turn someone off as long as you don't offend or confuse. "Offend" could be opinionated about an already controversial topic (doubly opinionated), or could be an arrogant or unrealistic tone about oneself. "Confuse" could be, Doesn't sound like the same person who wrote the application (A different set of interests, different personality, different age), or that the applicant himself sounds confused about what he wants to say in the essay.</p>

<p>An essay is often just neutral to the person reading it, neither a positive nor a negative: not adding anything different to what's on the application. That's fine, because, again, it's not a turn-off.</p>

<p>Even where an essay is beautifully done & harmonious with the application, it may reveal the student to be unfortunately beautifully similar to another lovely & appealing candidate that the committee is looking at in the final round. That's just the un-luck of the draw, & there's nothing one can do to outguess how similar you might be to someone else. There are lots of decisions like this that can go "either way."</p>