Hey everyone! I’m curious as to how much of a roll people believe the Common App essay plays in college decisions. Especially if the college has their own supplement. I almost forgot I wrote one and the college reads one half the time, and I wouldn’t think it has nearly the same impact as test scores. Would it have the same impact as a LoR or by some universities is is more or less disregarded? Just curious and all thoughts appreciated.
You can look at the Common Data Set for any school - there is a section on what they find important.
Example: http://www.upenn.edu/ir/Common%20Data%20Set/UPenn%20Common%20Data%20Set%202015-16.pdf
see Page 8
At very selective colleges I believe it has much more impact than an LoR (maybe even more than the SSR), and adcoms I’ve spoken with have agreed.
Think about it. At very selective colleges they have no shortage of applicants with high scores and GPA.
And while I think LORs are very important, many students are coming from private schools where the bottom line depends heavily on where their students matriculate; poorly-written or bland LORs are not in their interest.
The student’s own writing is where the AdComm can get a sense of what’s important to this student, and how they are able to express themselves. Yes, many colleges have supplements, but some very selective schools do not, or have only a brief focused supplement. That leaves the main CA essay, and I would agree that it is a very important part of the app.
The essay is very important. I would say it is probably equally as important as LORs at very selective colleges, if not more so.
For fun, I looked at the Common Data Sets of Stanford, Duke, Amherst and Bates. All ranked the essay as Very Important, the highest category. There is no question that at selelctive colleges, the essay can make or break an application.
When you write your Common App essay, be sure to edit it multiple times. In your post you confuse the word “roll” for “role” (see your second sentence). I know these posts are not formal examples of one’s writing abilities. But beware!
@MinnesotaDadof3 I wrote so many versions of my Common App essay and edited it probably over a dozen and half times. There’s no mistakes in it, but thank you for the advice!
Best way to check for your specific school(s) is using the Common Data Set, but I know from experience most of the schools I applied to as a freshmen valued it. It gives you a chance to discuss who you really are. I experienced a traumatic event in the middle of HS and I wrote about it for one of my prompts. I truly believe my words are what got me in certain schools. I was definitely on the fence with my GPA and test scores.