<p>Can colleges do anything about this? Isn't this a huge disadvantage for honest people like us?</p>
<p>that’s exactly why in the UK, they don’t care much about the essay.
In fact, the one essay you have to write is basically writing about why you want to pursue a certain major (for which I don’t think you can get much help)</p>
<p>I agree. As flawed as it is, the times SAT or ACT writing gives a much more fair picture of a student’s actual writing ability. Let’s hope colleges know that.</p>
<p>Some people cheat. And while there are penalties if you get caught cheating, not everyone can be caught. It’s not fair, but it’s a fact of life.</p>
<p>The SAT essay is not an accurate reflection of writing at all really. You can’t write really good quality writing in 25 minutes; it can be decent yes, but there is no way it is a true measure of your writing ability.</p>
<p>A pro’s essay isn’t necessarily going to be better. A good essay captures a snapshot of who you are, and having someone else try to do that isn’t necessarily going to be a success. The writing doesn’t even have to be marvelous if you can get a sense of yourself across.</p>
<p>Sang, I agree the the timed writing is imperfect, of course. But at least there is a level playing field, and they work that is turned in is the student’s own. I know for a fact that many college essays have been so edited by professionals that they are practically ghost-written.</p>
<p>The thing that a lot of people don’t get is that the essays are not primarily about judging your writing ability. It helps if they are written well of course, but a wonderfully written essay about how you make sure to prioritize your friends over work is going to get you rejected.</p>
<p>The SAT essay is a poor indicator of your actual writing skills. The people who write amazing, candid personal statements often get less than a 10 or 11 on the SAT essay. The personal essay is about you, whereas the key to a good SAT essay is logic and real-life examples. I’m not a very good essayist, but I got a 12 through methodical writing on the SAT. It will not help me on the college essay.</p>
<p>Colleges do compare your essay with your overall school grades and teachers’ evaluations. If they see that an essay is too profound or polished for a 17-18 y old high school kid, they might ring up your school (Harvard has been known to do this… I lost the article. If I had it, I’d post it). Some schools also ask for extra, graded writing samples. But of course, it gets harder for top schools to differentiate given the calibre of the students. </p>
<p>I agree with amarkov when he says that essays are not usually about judging your writing ability (although Columbia uni disagrees). Colleges just want an insight into your passions, character, motivation, etc just to judge why you would be a great fit. I don’t think that Colleges expect us all to be emotive, nobel-worthy writers. They do want a well-rounded classroom (with students of different strengths and interests) after all :)</p>
<p>There are few level playing fields in life. People with money have access to many things that will improve their chances. A high priced accountant will find you more tax loopholes. A professional decorator will make you house sell for more money. People with more money get better medical care and live longer on average. A top lawyer is usually more helpful than a public defender…</p>
<p>Is test prep fair? Does it matter if it’s a Princeton Review few session package or 2 years of working one-on-one with a $300/hr consultant? Is it fair to send a kid to a $30K/yr private high school with opportunities that exist for few?</p>
<p>Where do you draw the line?</p>
<p>If they wanna cheat, go ahead. I don’t care. Just don’t do it yourself.</p>
<p>So Hmom, are you saying that it’s OK to hire someone to write, rewrite, rework your “personal” essay? And then to have it judged against high school applicants who wrote their own essays without the benefit of pro rewrites? We’re not talking about proofreading, we’re talking about writing.</p>
<p>I’d agree that test prep gives kids an edge, but they still have to walk alone into the test center and show what they know. How can that compare to paying someone to basically write your essay? That’s cheating!</p>
<p>Frankly, I wouldn’t worry about being bested by someone who’s paying to have someone else write their essays. I can’t imagine paying anyone to write an essay that I’d hand in about myself.</p>
<p>Who is better qualified to write about me than — me. When I applied to college (including Ivies), I didn’t show anyone my essay even though my mom – who actually reviewed essays for a LAC – wanted me to show her mine. When I applied for internships and fellowships, I didn’t show anyone my essays. What I wrote was between the program that I was applying for and myself. </p>
<p>The main point of the essay is to tell the committee about yourself. It’s impossible for me to imagine that an outside could do this better than could the person who’s applying. I’ve always believed in using such essays to display what I wanted the program to know about me, and if they didn’t like what they saw, then I’d be better off without them. This meant I got some opportunities, didn’t get some others, but I would rather have some rejections than get an acceptance written on the distorted view of me that someone else would have written.</p>
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<p>We worked with 2 private college counselors. Neither came anywhere close to writing my children’s essays. They provided strategic guidance as test prep pros did. They helped them understand what about themselves would interest specific colleges and suggested how to best convey that information. They did no more than many of the very involved parents here do in terms of providing input and editing. The big difference is they know the colleges really well and what they want to hear, just as a great test prep pro knows the test inside out.</p>
<p>^^^^Not what is being discussed. This thread is about hiring people to write essays. Which happens.</p>
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<p>It amazes me that you ask that question. You draw the line at cheating.</p>
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You are extraordinarily naive if you think getting a substitute for testing does not occur as well. </p>
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Perhaps more importantly, they compare it to short answer questions. Applicants often underestimate how important those are.</p>
<p>An IB student with a B or C in English can write a college essay better than someone with an A from another less-competitive school with an A. No joke, the B/C students in IB know their freakin’ grammar and how to form effective sentences.</p>
<p>I’m not even kidding. Any IB students with me?</p>
<p>Sure stuff like this happens. My alma mater has a rep that oversees applications from China. From one top school, six applicants turned in six flawless transcripts. Problem is that there were five different formats/documents. So at least four of these applicants turned in forgeries. Yeah, that sucks. How would you like to compete against that? You do.</p>
<p>This is merely a reflection of the moral decay in western society. As far as I know most presidents, notable politicians, and corporate executives have speech writers. The writers interview the speaker and those around them and write speeches that come across as genuine. Ditto for blogs and such. Perhaps entertainers and sports heroes are a bit more genuine in this respect.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it is possible to hire a talented college student who will take your background materials, resumes, and other essays that you’ve written and write a very personal, compelling essay that sounds like your own genuine voice. I bet that essay can get you into the most competitive schools.</p>
<p>There is no easy way to fight this, other than simply join it. If you are a talented writer, offer this service to aspiring college bound students when you are in college. Perhaps get organized into a money making company which offers this service. If you get rich and successful doing this, eventually the colleges will start discounting the essays and focus on the more quantitative metrics of academic performance and potential to contribute.</p>
<p>^^^ Sad, but you are probably right.</p>