Hi, I have finally finished all of my college applications and towards the end I really started to feel like my supplemental essays were really good. I think I caught my personality the best I can and had fun doing them. Still, I’m wondering how much of an impact they will actually have on my applications. To what extent do admissions officers look at supplemental? Personally, my test scores are really good, GPA is pretty good, but for top-tier schools I was curious if my supplemental essays would be able to change the game for me at all. Can anyone give me insight about how admissions officers view supplemental essays, and how they will impact my admissions result?
They can tip you a bit either way. I would not count on them making a big difference, but they can make a small one. And not to burst your bubble — but I’ve seen lots of students who think their essays are really great when in fact they are pretty average for the pool they are applying with.
I assume you have match and safety schools you’d be happy to attend if your reaches don’t work out.
Postscript - just looked at your other post. Your stats are good, but doesn’t Gtown want 3 subject tests?
@intparent I do, don’t worry. Thanks for the response!
Some supplemental essays have topics aimed at giving more insight into the student. But have you noticed how many seem a little offbeat and you’re wondering why colleges would ask? There’s a key reason; colleges can use supplemental essays to gauge interest.
Students can spend hours polishing their main essays, have it reviewed, etc. But many supplemental essays are one-of-a-kind questions that can’t be re-used. Adcoms look at how refined the supplemental essay reads compared to the main ones. A kid that has his heart set on a school is going to spend a lot of time trying to make the most of the additional opportunity. A kid with little interest is going to put a modest amount of effort in (and probably resent the time it takes). Adcoms can tell the difference.
Yes, interest- and knowledge of the school, what it likes in applicants- can be learned from how you respod in the supp. It’s very “show, not just tell.” This isn’t just about your reality, how you want to answer, some random survey. They know what they want, the question is: do applicants?
@mikemac @lookingforward These are really interesting ways to look at it I haven’t thought of. Thank you.