Dear all,
My daughter will be applying to a mix of US universities including some of the top research universities and LACs. She is very social and will probably lean more towards schools with a slightly more social atmosphere (think more UVA than UChicago). She will probably have to apply to over 10+ schools in total as these top schools are nearly impossible to get into these days. I am aware that Middlebury does not require an additional essay and a number of others only require one additional essay, while on the other extreme, Brown has 5 essay prompts (they are short, but that doesn’t necessarily make them easy to write!)
Has anyone done a ranking of onerous vs. less onerous requirements, or have an opinion on which schools have relatively simple supplements?
Thanks, Londondad
@londondad, I’m not trying to be flip but I have 2 thoughts - (1) I’m not sure that the difficulty of application essays is the best criteria for selecting schools for your DD to apply to and (2) just because she applies to more schools does not mean her odds of getting into one or more will increase. There is a very thorough discussion of statistical analyses of applying to many top schools at this thead: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19668684/#Comment_19668684
I think a carefully crafted list of schools that match her wants, a thorough job on the essays plus demonstrated interest where considered will yield better results for her.
Think of it this way: would you decide on which companies/jobs to apply to by how long the interviews are?
I would add, when “fit” matters at so many schools, especially LACs, the opportunity to write an additional essay which reveals qualities making the applicant a good fit for the community is an opportunity to improve the application and the chances of acceptance.
When Kenyon did away with its supplement, “Why Kenyon,” application numbers increased, but actually made it more challenging for students who really really wanted to be there, as opposed to any other LAC.
Colby. No fee, no essay and I don’t think demonstrated interest is very important.
@GnocchiB "I’m not trying to be flip but I have 2 thoughts - (1) I’m not sure that the difficulty of application essays is the best criteria for selecting schools for your DD to apply to and (2) just because she applies to more schools does not mean her odds of getting into one or more will increase. "
I basically agree. To some extent, this is sort of a hypothetical question. However, on the other hand, if we are sitting here on 29 December and DD is running on fumes (and is sick of this whole process!) and wants to apply to a couple of more schools, my point on onerous applications may become relevant, although it is more likely to come into play regarding safety schools if she considers two schools either broadly similar (or similarly desirable) in her sole opinion.
Thanks for the comments everybody.
Ah, I see why you are asking, @londondad.
IIRC Washington University in St.Louis does not ask for supplemental essays and its deadline may be Jan. 15, not Jan. 1.
Here is a list (slightly old and maybe outdated) of schools on the Common App that don’t require supplemental essays. Worth a glance.
http://www.prepmatters.com/sites/default/files/Schools%20WO%20supplements%20Chart%202013-14%20FINAL.pdf
@londondad you are right. In fact, writing five short essays/paragraphs is extremely difficult because literally every word counts. Most top colleges will have a “why this college?” essay, and your D needs to do a lot of research so that she knows WHY she wants to go to Brown as opposed to Columbia. They can spot rehashed and generic essays a mile away. So rather than say “she needs to apply to at least ten because it’s so hard to get in to the tippy top colleges”, you should be asking her what colleges whe really wants to attend, and why.
Believe me, it is difficult and a LOT of work to apply to more selective colleges. Is she going to be able to show genuine interest in all of them? Just to make you aware, my kid applied to 12 colleges, two of which were tippy top (9 supplemental essays between them,) and three of which were highly selective (4 supplemental essays between them). For the 7 remaining colleges, she still had to write another 7 supplemental essays. Yes, some can be reused and rejigged a bit, depending on content, but never for the “why this college” essay. So make sure your D understands that applying to mostly highly selective colleges might well entail dozens of extra essays. There are exceptions, and in fact, my D will attend Kenyon College, which had no supplemental essay. But that isn’t why she applied:-) Your D should check it out, great school.
BTW, if a college says an essay is optional, assume it isn’t. Never skip doing the essay, and I would also say the same if a college encourages an optional outside recommendation essay, from a friend or relative. This is different from the standard recommendations provided by teachers and the like. Two of the colleges my kid applied to encouraged these essays, and they clearly state they can be from a relative. So I wrote them and sang my kid’s praises, but not in a smarmy way. Also if you are in the UK, I do recommend trying to arrange Skype interviews whenever possible. Interviews are a great way to express interest, to get questions answered, and to get an idea of the kinds of people who go to various colleges.
Lindagaf makes an important point – if essays or supplemental recs are optional – treat them as mandatory, even for “safety” schools. Every year, there are students posting here in the spring about “why didn’t I get into my safety school” – often, it is because it was clear to the school that the student didn’t take the application seriously.
Having been through this process twice with my kids, my advice to “newbies” is to build the list by starting first with safety and match schools, and then adding the reaches at the end. It’s usually not hard to say, “sure, I’d love to go to Columbia, throw that one in the mix.” It takes a lot more work to find the schools which are good fits where your student will almost certainly, or most likely, be admitted and will be happy to attend (and which is affordable).
Common wisdom here is that, any school with an acceptance rate of 20% or below (some might say lower, some might say a little higher), is a reach school, even if your kid falls well within the range of stats for admitted kids. Finally, legacy usually counts as a “bump” for admissions if the student applies ED or EA (depending on what is offered by the school). Legacy seems to be a “wash” for regular admissions.
You also need to factor in yield. Schools with high yield and low acceptance rates are even tougher. They will only focus on applications where the chance of the student actually enrolling is high. They are experienced enough to filter students this way.
@Lindagaf what schools gave a family member an opportunity to write about the student? I love that idea
@citymama9 Uni of Rochester and SUNY Geneseo. I had never heard of it until I came across it at those schools.
To the OP, this reminds me, sometimes it isn’t obvious that a college wants an “optional” supplemental essay, even on the Common App. At least two of the colleges my D applied to had no way to put the supplemental essays on the Common App. They had to be sent in separately. It is always best to check the college website thoroughly. And some colleges also have the option of filling out the basic application info on their own websites. This was true of Carleton and Oberlin. Of course, it isn’t necessary to do this, but it is yet another way to “express interest” because it shows you spent time on their websites. Many highly selective colleges say they don’t consider interest, but even if they do not track interest, it certainly can’t hurt to express it.
@citymama9 Dartmouth asks for a peer recommendation, which can be written by a friend.
Smith College asks for a parental letter of recommendation. After we got that request I noticed that lots of colleges have the option, but it isn’t apparent. You kind of have to read the fine print.