<p>I searched Google and CC and couldn't find any threads on this, so I was wondering if someone could help me out here.</p>
<p>What are some (selective-highly selective) schools where essays play a large role in your admission?
Thanks in advance for any help</p>
<p>I think UChicago claims to put more emphasis on essays. That’s the only one I know off the top of my head.</p>
<p>I believe the “Why Swarthmore” essay is really important. And my D found the Harvey Mudd essays to be quite thorough and challenging (deceptively so). BUT, all the schools mentioned so far get tons of applicants who have very good statistics AND very good essays. It is extremely difficult to make up for a low GPA or test scores with a good essay at top schools. There are just too many applicants who have the stats and the essay quality they are looking for. University of Chicago, for example, got over 30,000 applications for under 3,000 accepted student slots this year. </p>
<p>You really need to focus on schools that are a match for your stats in order to have a good selection of admissions in the spring when you apply to college.</p>