<p>I'm thinking about possibly applying to Notre Dame next year after being suggested to do so and I've noticed that statistically it'd be a bit more difficult (but not impossible) for me to get in but I've been told that if you write a very good essay for your college application it can give one an advantage over students with better applications but worse essays. Writing has always been a strength of mine (36 on my ACT and an 80 on my PSAT for writing, I haven't gotten my SAT scores yet) and I can write very well when I'm trying. How would a good essay affect my chances at being admitted into ND?</p>
<p>It’s always very difficult to know how much one factor will affect an admissions decision. There are so many factors that are taken into account that it is hard to say what one factor will do for one student. Also keep in mind that you are not in direct competition with any other individual students (i.e. they won’t set your application next to another student’s application and pick one or the other based on ACT or SAT scores, GPA, essays, etc.)</p>
<p>With that being said, here is my opinion on the matter. There are a whole bunch of factors that affect a student’s decision, and they all carry some weight. Not all factors carry the same weight for every student. It is impossible to know whether admissions officers would prefer strong test scores and a weak essay to a strong essay and weak test scores. That probably depends on the student (i.e. if you want to be a creative writing major, a weak essay might look worse on your application). For this reason, I would avoid comparing yourself to students with good test scores and weak essays. There just isn’t any way to tell who is better off.</p>
<p>The area I would focus on is the students who have similar test scores to you. Last year the middle 50% of admitted students scored between a 32 and a 34 on the ACT. This means the bottom 25% scored a 32 or lower. But these students weren’t just random people who had scores lower than a 33. In order for a student who scores in the bottom quartile of admitted students to get accepted, he or she has to show in some other way that he or she deserved admission. This is where you have a leg up. All of the students with a test scores that are weak in comparison to the rest of the admitted students and nothing else on their application that stands out will probably be rejected. Having very good essays says, “Yes, I would be in the bottom quartile of test scores, but I have something else to bring to the table.”</p>
<p>I’m not saying you actually would be in the bottom quartile of admitted students because I don’t know your test scores. I’m just saying that if you are, it would help you stand out amongst the other applicants that have weak test scores. These people are more likely to be your “competition”, though, like I said, they won’t be comparing you one-on-one. The university knows it will take some people who score above the average of the admitted students and some who score below the average of the admitted students. In order to grab one of the spots for the weak scorers, you must have something else that stands out on your application, and not all the weak scorers do.</p>
<p>I hope this helps! I know it probably wasn’t the definitive answer you were looking for.</p>
<p>An excellent essay is better than an average or mediocre one. Whether it can offset an SAT score or GPA that is not as high as you wish it were is an open question. The admissions people will say that the essay is important, but, honestly, what else do you expect them to say? The admissions folks also know that, unlike the GPA, SAT scores, or extracurriculars, an essay isn’t necessarily the work of the applicant alone. </p>
<p>I would approach the essay as an opportunity to reveal something more about you than is apparent from the rest of your application, rather than a chance to demonstrate your superb writing skills. If you’re a great writer, that should already be apparent from your SAT writing score, grades in English or writing classes, literary extracurriculars, or teacher recommendation. But the essay will be the only chance for you to portray yourself as a person, beyond your statistics. </p>
<p>No one can predict how the essay will affect your particular admissions chances. If your scores are within the acceptable ranges, go for it.</p>