Questions about Essays..recs..personal statements...ec's..oh my! (hehe)

Applying to College
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<p>Hey everyone..I seem to have A LOT of questions regarding factors of admissions for colleges..so thanks for taking the time to read this and possibly answer (please do! ^_^)</p>

<p>1.) How important are essays? I know that essays help A LOT with your admissions, but in what way and how? Do colleges equally balance your grades with your essays, and then tip the scale based on recs, ec's, and personal statements?</p>

<p>2.) How important are recs? What do they show about you? Don't teachers that you go to write good recs anyway, so won't recs they be monotonous for EVERY for colleges? What would a 'great' rec include that others won't?</p>

<p>3.) Personal statements (part of your essay?), what are they about? Do they help show colleges what type of person you are?</p>

<p>sorry, i'm just a little curious to know more about these three things..heh ^^</p>

<p>if you have good recs/essays, can it weigh out against grades and EC's?</p>

<p>and how important are EC's? i have a few (i guess decent if i keep working on them..i'm a junior right now) but im not really in leadership positions for them (except maybe next year?) but I am the president of Multicultural Club in my school (I am a URM + a president of a URM club in a 99% homogenous Caucasian suburban town = good bonus?? what do you think?)</p>

<p>if colleges see your application, and also see other colleges you applied to, and it turns out that their college turns out to be the one you're aiming for (rather than a safety), does that help in admissions?</p>

<p>also, SAT's matter A LOT (i know) but colleges don't really focus on that AS MUCH as they used to before, right? or is it still a HUGE factor?</p>

<p>okay..okay (FINAL QUESTION!!!)..interviews are DEFINITELY good.. I mean if your grades/EC's aren't good (my grades are good..i just need to maintain them..and my EC's are ok-decent)..admissions officers get to see the REAL you through interviews..that's good (well good if they like you, correct)</p>

<p>heh, sorry, it might sound like im really dumb in the field of college admissions, that's why i'm asking~!! >.<</p>

<p>thanks everyone..I'm really hoping to get into Cornell!! I'm praying and working really hard and everything!!</p>

<p>anyway, good luck to everyone and thanks!!</p>

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<p>1) Importance of essays depends on the competitiveness of the school. Top tier schools place a heavier emphasis on the essays, because there are far more applicants sporting high SAT scores/GPA than there are spots. The essays help distinguish between applicants, as they give insight into the applicant, beyond the numbers. Essays are the applicant's chance to show the school who they are as a person; what sorts of experiences has the applicant had, and how have those experiences shaped him as a person? They also can show the applicant's interest in the school ("Why X?" essays)</p>

<p>2) A great rec would give specific examples to support the points the teacher is trying to say. Instead of saying, for instance, "Negativityx91 is a great student. He is a leader, likeable, etc." it might read "Negativityx91 is a strong leader. One time...[insert example of your leadership skills here]"
If you use the search function, there was a very long thread talking about what makes a great rec, which would give you some more insight.</p>

<p>3) Pretty sure your personal statement is one of your essays (most schools have you write more than one essay) See question 1.</p>

<p>If you have good recs/essays, they can help you stand out in a pool of strong grades. Whether they would "weigh out against grades and ECs," I don't know. Maybe someone else here can answer that.</p>

<p>"How important are EC's?"
ECs are important in showing your interests, your passions. As with the essays, they contribute to creating an image of the person you are, and they show what you like to do with your time outside of school. Leadership positions are good of course, if you do something with the position (as opposed to simply holding the title), but they aren't absolutely necessary, in my opinion.</p>

<p>Colleges will not know where else you are applying, unless you tell them. Again, if you use the search function, there's a couple of long threads talking about whether you should tell colleges where else you are applying.</p>

<p>SATs are important to a point. They won't make or break your application by themselves though.</p>

<p>Importance of interviews vary from school to school. At some schools, the interview is a very important component of the application (e.g. can't remember the exact stats, but MIT admits about twice as many applicants who choose to do the interview, than those who turn down an interview) At other schools, the interview is more of an informational sessions, for you to learn more about the school.</p>

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<p>ohh! thanks!!</p>

<p>sorry, i should've used the search button first @_@</p>

<p>but thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!</p>