<p>I wrote my essays on my own. I had no idea that there were consultants out there in the big world that helped you write your college essays. Oh well, I hope my voice shines through in my writing. I am most proud of the essay I wrote for the common app!</p>
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I’m sorry, nychomie, but I’m bewildered by this response. How are the insecurities of adcoms to be evaluated, and by whom? And why are you so certain that envy and jealousy underlie certain negative decisions but not others? </p>
<p>It’s hardly news that a holistic college admissions process results in subjective decisions. It’s only common sense to realize that much of the process lies outside of the applicant’s control. And if the baby kept an adcom up all night and she’s got a splitting headache and isn’t a morning person to begin with, the first file she reads on Monday morning might have to be better than some of the others to create a good impression. But there’s certainly not a word in this article to support the notion that adcoms vote against certain applicants because they’re jealous that fellow adcoms find those applicants admirable. </p>
<p>I found this quote from the Grinnell adcom interesting because it addresses a frequent CC question:
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<p>After thinking about this post, I am very frustrated. From what I am reading, two applicants that are very similar can end up being chosen by who has the best essay.How is this actually a fair process then? The adcoms will truly not know which applicant actually wrote their essays on their own. If a student is receiving help with their application, then that seems like cheating to me. It does not seem right then that some decisions come down to what was written in the essays. I am hoping to get into a top school. I sure hope what I did was good enough!</p>
<p>When my younger s was still in HS they had a parents “mock admissions” meeting that was attended by admission counselors from 3 well known schools (though so well known I now forget which school they were!!). Anyway, they gave us several fake applications (I assume they were not real) and took us though their admisions thinking/process. It was very enlightening, and had NADA to do with insecurities, gender bias, or any such nonsense.</p>
<p>A fluff piece - similar to others that come out this time of year. What is left out is how the apps are prescreened based on SAT and GPA. What you see is the discussion about students who have made it to stage 2 or 3. Also missing is a discussion of the fad of “diversity” - how each school defines it and the assumptions that go with their definition. Also missing are issues like is there a true separation between admissions and financial aid or are admissions decisions also based on students’ abiity to pay the ever increasing tuition at these schools. Also missing the role of legacy, children of donors, etc, etc. A very tiny peak a far cry from transparency</p>
<p>jym, Good to see you back posting. Hope everything went smoothly. </p>
<p>Are adcoms insecure? I wouldn’t think so. They are sitting on top of a mountain of appilcations to pick out a handful. I can’t imagine a more secure place to be.</p>
<p>Thank you, Igloo. Sadly things aren’t going smoothly, but that’s a story for another time…</p>
<p>Yes, oldfort, many ED applicants are “in the ball park.” So are many legacies. And, yes, ED applicants get rejected, and yes, legacy applicants get rejected. ED confers an admissions advantage (which is why applicants use it!). Legacy status often does, and perhaps increasingly in these uncertain economic times so does full-pay status. </p>
<p>There are many ways to hit it “out of the ball park” in college admissions. I was just noting my opinion that in PG’s case, her children’s “out of the ball park” results might just have been because of ED, legacy and full-pay, rather than the essays written under the advisement of the essay consultant.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted to 2 schools EA that were a reach. I honestly think her essays might have made the difference. I honestly thought they were NOT what colleges were expecting, but I wisely withheld my opinions and let her do it her way.</p>
<p>You have to understand that most college apps take on a sameness after a while. All the top kids have mostly top grades and are in mostly the same activities, do a little this and a little that. Most of them try to make some ordinary accomplishment seem like they deserve a MacArthur award. Kids put down “won 9th grade citation for best in history class” - as if it were some impressive, tie-breaking accolade. </p>
<p>Even top performers can’t write a sensible “Why Us?” short answer. They literally think it’s acceptable to rephrase some hype- “one of the oldest institutions in the US” or “known for its great reputation” or “they have lots of courses in my major.” Even, “the ivy-covered walls remind me of just what a college should look like.” </p>
<p>Why is there so much emphasis on essays? Because that’s where a kid is supposed to “reveal something of himself beyond the stats and ECs.” That’s where the kid shows whether or not he has perspective, personal strengths that relate to college, the ability to understand what’s significant and what’s not. (And, the ability to write coherently.) How about: “I love kniting. I love the sound the needles make as they click against each other, the softness of the wool wrapped around my fingers…” You read to the very end, hoping there’s some point. You don’t get into college because you love knitting, no matter how extravagantly you can stretch it to 500 words. More often than not, all a kid reveals is that she has no perspective.</p>
<p>I have advised kids on essays. I always tell them the words must be their own but I get them to edit out the drivel, the repetitions, the pointless bragging, the blatant self-criticism…yes, kids write, “I’m not good at organizing my time. I’ve had this problem since 3rd grade. My mom used to tell me that…” Do they end up with a triumphant piece explaining how they overcame? No. I read to the very last word- and learn he didn’t overcome this until he owned a stack of expensive dvds and he organized them and kept them safe from being stepped on. Nothing about how this makes him a strong admit candidate. Nothing about how mastering this weakness forced him to reevaluate his study habits and he aced AP Chem because of that. Nothing.</p>
<p>Even kids who have some great accomplishments flub things up. And, when a top kid chooses to write about something mindless- or writes in an unnecessarily flowery style or can’t self-edit or or or, it screams: I am not as smart as my grades and LoRs might suggest. </p>
<p>So, the reason the essays count so much is because that’s where you get a “real” look at who that student is. Beyond the grades, beyond the LoR hype (which is a whole 'nother subject.)</p>
<p>“After reading this, I’m very glad my son completely excluded me from his application process (except for the darn FAFSA/CSS stuff)…<br>
He’s starting to get his “decisions” and I still haven’t read any of his essays.”</p>
<p>Likewise! :)</p>
<p>Going back to the original quote about essays from the linked article with some emphasis added:</p>
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<p>It’s a tie-breaker between applicants who are all strong. That’s the case at any college where admissions is highly selective and holistic. If the Grinnell adcoms are naive, then so too are the adcoms at Harvard and Swarthmore and Pomona and Columbia. </p>
<p>I’ve done that same kind of exercise that jym626 refers to where real adcoms give parents a handful of applications and ask them to admit just a few. The sample essays ran the gamut. One were undistinguished and earnest and clearly just the work of the applicant. Another was so overpolished that it came off badly, especially when seen next to so-so English class grades and standardized test scores. One had a spark. Another was clearly written by a gifted student writer who might have had a thoughtful teacher/parent/consultant editing, but it was the student’s voice. </p>
<p>Heck, we can see it here on CC. There are student posters whose writing sings, and others whose writing is, uhm, more earnest. Some have compelling stories, or there’s something in what they write that captures us. We know it when we see it. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think the essay should have as much weight, simply because now one knows for sure if the student actually wrote it. Secondly, being a great writer is not needed in many, many professions…so why should it be valued so high in admissions?</p>
<p>I agree. The adcoms will still not know the “real” student if a consultant helped him. That means there is a possibility that the student’s “fluff” has been taken out or any other mistakes there might have been. They could be “guided” in correcting their papers. I also realize that the adcoms at any college could not realize this whole situation is going on. I feel like it is cheating and am still proud that I wrote my own essays. After writing my essay for the common app, I did let my mom read it because I was so proud of it. I also was finished with it when she read it. She did not change any of it. It was all me 
I was raised knowing that I should not let others do my work for me. I also believe that if I get into a certain college, then it was meant to be. If I don’t, then so be it. I have already been rejected by one college and was upset about for about a day. I honestly believe that I will end up where I should be My voice will be heard!</p>
<p>“and was upset about it for about a day”</p>
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<p>One of the saddest components of the university system is how many people are coming out without the ability to write… simple paragraphs, simple sentences, etc. It’s obvious some people aren’t even capable of using spellcheck. When my daughters were still in high school, sometimes we’d get cheap entertainment out of random flyers that would come in the mail, criticizing them for their bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. It just makes those businesses look unprofessional. And how many kids going into college know whether or not they’re going to choose a major that demands higher level writing skills? </p>
<p>Writing, if done well, shows more than just technical skills. It demonstrates critical thinking abilities and creativity, both qualities that transfer well into every profession. </p>
<p>I, too, was a parent who never saw my kids admission essays, but I knew they had been seen by teachers in school whose abilities I highly respected. If anything, I think the essays provide a glimpse into who the student is as a human being, a perspective that numbers and ECs alone cannot evaluate. </p>
<p>Schools do look to fill their classes with kids who provide diversity, even if it’s just geographical, and the majority of non-state flagship campuses must use the essay as a tool to learn more about a student than stats can provide. So if your student’s goal is to apply and be marketable to anything other than a state flagship, then they’d better make sure they know how to express themselves in writing.</p>
<p>I think these adcom officers really know how to read between the lines, literally and figuratively. I also think that everyone is reading this interview as saying the essay is the most important part of the application, when in fact, it is sometimes a tipping point, as sometimes other factors are tipping points as well.</p>
<p>As for the comment about why is writing so important… well, that really blows me away. Any good college education will emphasize writing skills, for a variety of reasons, with one being that it improves critical thinking and expression. </p>
<p>These schools have to have some measure of subjectivity in the process. The adcoms are not just admitting GPAs and test scores; they are building a community that must live and learn together over the next four years. This is from Grinnell’s mission statement: “The College exists to provide a lively academic community of students and teachers of high scholarly qualifications from diverse social and cultural circumstances. The College aims to graduate women and men who can think clearly, who can speak and write persuasively and even eloquently…”</p>
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<p>Amen!!!</p>
<p>“I always tell them the words must be their own but I get them to edit out the drivel, the repetitions, the pointless bragging, the blatant self-criticism…”</p>
<p>NOT TO BRAG (kenienehara), but, the more I read here, the more blown away I am at my DD and her total awesomeness.</p>
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<p>My point was that many are not very good at abstract writing, it’s not part of their being. While English teachers might appreciate the “fluffy” essay, I have found that for many in the real world, it’s more about being precise and to the point.</p>