Impact of Essays and Recs - Can it make or break you?

Applying to College
1

<p>How important are essays and recs to college admission. If someone with a good GPA and ACT/SAT apply to a school that has averages are a little higher in one category or maybe both, can a great essay or few great recommendations really turn the favor for the student?</p>

<p>Also, if the person writing the recommendation has achieved a lot (money, career, etc) and has graduated from the college the applicant is applying to, will it help greatly? </p>

<p>(I'm not just talking about graduated from that college, I'm talking about a person who has earned his MBA there, won several top notch/notable school awards, donated lots of money to that school, and is part of the board of directors/former board of director)</p>

<p>It has to make some difference for that particular school if not every school the applicant applies to right?</p>

2

<p>All else equal, a great essay will give an applicant an edge over someone with a mediocre essay. A truly excellent essay can push a student closer to acceptance. Likewise, a glowing recommendation from an important person is good for admissions, too, though not overwhelmingly so.</p>

3

<p>Regarding the rec from the important/influential person…</p>

<p>It depends on context. If it seemed obvious to the adcoms that the VIP hardly knew the applicant and was writing the rec as a favor to the applicant’s parents it wouldn’t count for much at all.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if the VIP knew the applicant in an interesting and credible way and could add something meaningful to the file, well, that would be noticed.</p>