<p>Of course the college essay (or essays) is an integral part of one's application. But for some reason, I feel like one can get away with generic essays as long as they have the stats. I also feel like essays can't put you over the top - no matter how good - if your stat profile does not match a college's range. When I say stat profile, I mean something like SAT scores 100 pts below a school's range. I don't really have any specific examples but it's just a feeling I've gotten ever since I went through the college process with friends last year in high school. I'm just thinking about how much my essays will matter and if I should retake SATs now that I'm applying transfer.</p>
<p>I REALLY hope so, because my essays sure sucked.</p>
<p>But it really depends on the college. Cornell, for instance, reads the essay first before looking at any stats, so it obviously taints the impression the adcoms have of your application later on. Other schools won't place as much emphasis on it. For top schools, since most applicants have similar stats, the essay and recs are what separate the admittees from the rejectees, so the essay will be very important when applying to extremely selective schools. </p>
<p>But I do think having a creative, emotional, heartfelt essay is overrated. I hope (but this is probably due to my terrible essays) that colleges just want to see you can write well and exhibit some level of critical thinking and reflection, while revealing a bit about yourself as a candidate. Often people write about their parents' divorce or the death of a relative and how profoundly it impacted them and how they persevered despite the odds because they believed in themselves... and it's just like, well, I'd bet 1 out of 5 applicants are writing about the same thing. Adcoms have read it all, and the topic isn't going to make your essay standout, so much as your writing style. So yeah, you can write about a generic topic, as long as you write about it well (which I'm assuming someone with impressive stats would readily do).</p>
<p>Wow, it would really suck to have to retake SATs in college. Hope you don't have to!</p>
<p>I don't think an essay can make up for subpar stats, but at colleges where the vast majority of applicants do have the stats to be considered for admission, I think an amazing essay can help a student stand out among the thousands of 3.8+/2100+ students in the applicant pool. At the most selective schools, grades and scores (along with a few token ECs) aren't enough. You need to somehow distinguish yourself from the others, and I think the essay is an opportunity to do that.</p>
<p>At least that's what I keep telling myself. ;)</p>
<p>
For top schools, since most applicants have similar stats, the essay and recs are what separate the admittees from the rejectees, so the essay will be very important when applying to extremely selective schools.
I didn't realize as I was writing my post that you'd already said everything I meant to (and more succinctly, too). Sorry about that.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wow, it would really suck to have to retake SATs in college. Hope you don't have to!
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Yea, it really bites, especially since the SAT I'm thinking of singing up for coincides with my Spring Break...</p>
<p>I agree with the both of you about essays being merely a distinguishing factor amongst the pool of qualified applicants to school X. </p>
<p>I have a question - should I bother retaking my SAT if it stands at 1330/1920 from my high school days? It's a pretty decent score, but I'd feel so much more comfortable if it were at least in the 1400's/2000's.</p>
<p>Check the average SAT scores of the people at the universities you're applying to -- use those as guidelines.</p>
<p>I don't know whether college students can expect improvements in SAT scores without study. I'd guess that your scores might go down, actually, at least in the math section. Most of the math is 9th and 10th grade math (at least it was for me), so by senior year, most of the math concepts on the test were rusty for me. I'd guess it would be even worse for college math, because that's theory math versus practical math (depends on the courses you've taken). So I would only consider retaking if you have the time to spend on going through several practice tests and a prep book, because otherwise your score might stay the same or be lower. This is my guess for the math section - reading/writing might go up, but it's still worth taking a practice test to get back into the SAT-format. </p>
<p>And as fizix said, look at the SAT range, but it never hurts to be a more solid applicant by retaking the test (which shows initiative as well, I would think, but I have no clue whether schools would see it that way...).</p>
<p>I did look at the SATs ranges and they are the precise reason why I am considering retaking the test. The "rusty" aspect does make plenty of sense, but I do plan on hitting the SAT prep books, especially since I don't think I studied nearly enough for them back in high school. </p>
<p>Thanks for your suggestions</p>