Essays For Boarding Schools (help)

So I’m applying to four schools: Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul’s School, and Choate Rosemary Hall.
I’m not a good writer at all, and I already submitted my essays for all four schools. For SPS, I think I did fine (I mainly talked about how my father influenced me to become hardworking and ambitious), but I’m mainly concerned about my essays for Choate, Exeter, and Andover.

For one of the prompts for Exeter, I focused on the structure because my organization skills are really bad. I thought my essay was well written, so I copied it to Andover and Choate (slightly altering it to fit the prompts).

However, after I submitted my essays, I read other people’s essays, and I began to realize how emotionless my essay was. My essay was devoid of any colorful description, and I literally described my feelings like this: “I felt really disappointed and began to doubt myself,” or something along the lines of that. I’ve been panicking about this ever since! I can’t stop worrying about it because I know schools look for emotion, and personality. AHHHHHHHH!!

I know I’m doomed, but I would like to know what your thoughts are on this. I can’t stop thinking about how I’m going to get rejected on m10 because of my terribly bland essays.

P.S. To anyone applying for Fall of 2021, I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully you do better than me…

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If there’s one piece of advice I want to give you (from fellow applicant to another) is that you should never count yourself out before the results come in. We honestly don’t know yet if you’ll get in or not, and I don’t know about myself either. Always have hope in yourself.

I don’t know exactly what you wrote in your essays, but I’m sure they were great. Others have different things to write about. Try not to compare yourself to others. You are you, and that’s more than enough. Please don’t put yourself down. You can do it!

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I am by no means someone who knows what I’m doing in terms of boarding school admissions, so there is a strong chance my opinion on this is completely wrong. (I am currently applying to similar schools as you.)

I’m sure your essays are NOT as bland or dreadful as you think, and with a limited word count, I think many applicants wish they could’ve been more descriptive/emotionally compelling. I know for a fact that my essays were not spectacular, or brilliantly emotional. Yes, schools want to know your personality, but I don’t think they expect a Shakespearean drama. How did your interviews go? Do you feel like your interviewer walked away having a good sense of who you are? I’m sure some applicants wrote wonderfully emotional, and compelling, and perfect essays, but I have to believe that the vast majority are not Pulitzer Prize winning.
Honestly, I wouldn’t freak out too much. Essays are important, but they are one factor among many. If your essays were well written, show something you care about, and are personal to your life, then the AO reading it will set it down having gained a greater understanding of who you are, which is the main goal.
I think you’re in the same boat as a lot of people, (including myself!) who read back their essays after submitting everything and concluded that they were doomed. I think it’s partially a product of everything being out of our control from now until M10. So, don’t be so hard on yourself!

Also, just wondering, where did you read other peoples essays? Online, or people you know? Just curious because now I want to, so that I can freak out even more about mine.

Your essays were probably very good (even if you don’t think so right now), so don’t panic!

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Don’t reread your essays. Everybody has regrets about writing, the mistakes they made, the highlights they didn’t include or couldn’t highlight, intakes they made. Seriously, if everything is done just let it go until the 10th. I guarantee you are an amazing kid. If you were remotely qualified for any of these schools you are going to have a great future, regardless of bs or where you go to high school.

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Never reread your essays after they’re submitted. Everyone makes mistakes, trust me.

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Thank you very much everyone! Some of my friends told me my essays lacked emotion though so I’m a bit worried, but I’ll try my best not to think about it!

Also, @reknihtrevo , I found some Exeter essays online, and I’ve also read some of my friends’ essays. They were definitely livelier than mine but it is what it is lol. I’m sure your essays were great!

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not EVERYONE is emotional or has a sob story. trust me, you’re fine.

Your harshest critic will always be yourself. I’m sure you did better than what you think. Don’t doubt yourself!! Decision have not come out yet so you still have a chance. Good luck!!!

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So true. As someone who now attends BS, there is really no use stressing over what already happened, trust me.

@Jasmino1233
I would like to add to the support here and say: Trust the admissions team to see you. Trust that they want some emotional essay-types and some more-organized essay types. Trust that they know how to put together a picture and find the kids they think will thrive in their school. There isn’t any one single part of your application that is THE make-or-break thing. You are creating a whole picture. Some of the pieces will shine and some might not carry quite their weight. That’s OK.
Remember – you are creating a full picture. They do this all the time and kids with a MEH-interview still will get in. Same is true for essays, SSATs, or whatever.

You did your part. You did the work and showed up for it and wrote your essays. Trust that your work will, overall, paint the picture of you. Trust that you don’t have your long list of achievements without a work ethic that means that your essays, I promise, are not as bad as you are fearing. Trust yourself. You didn’t suddenly settle for lousy work. Was it perfect? No. But nothing is. No one is. Don’t be surprised that you aren’t either.

You might not get in. True. Those are just the odds facing everyone in this crazy game. But it’s not because you aren’t good enough.

hang in there – cheering you on for M10.

also: stop reading your applications!!

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