What do ivy leagues look for in the essay?

College Essays
1

Please help !I have started writing an essay,but I would like some pointers.I would like to have an outstanding essay,but I feel they have certain expectations.Any ivy students on here who have tips will be deeply appreciated!

2

Read Harry Bauld’s book. It is the classic text on the subject. If you want general advice, it is the best place to start

3

I second Harry Bauld’s book, and recommend Alan Gelb’s “Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps” as well. My son found them to be very helpful in crafting his admission essays last year.

4

I’ll second the above statements, “How to write a college admissions essay” and others are the best place to go for help with essays.

5

Thank you all I will check these out!

6

Ivy league colleges don’t want anything different from other colleges. They want to some insight into what sort of a person you are. You want to come off as the sort of person someone would like to have as a roommate and who would be an asset in class. There’s not one magic formula. You can be a quiet introvert who thinks deeply, a wild extrovert who gets lots done, have a quiet sense of humor, be passionate about some particular intellectual field, or any number of other things. Many colleges also post essays they liked on line. Here’s the Tufts one https://admissions.tufts.edu/apply/advice/past-essays/

7

Successful essays have been written on a wide range of topics. If there was a secret formula someone would be bottling and selling it.

The purpose of the essay is to tell something about yourself that can’t be found elsewhere on the application and to make admissions officers want to have you on campus.

8

@tgl2023 if you had to choose one of these books, which would it be? D is not a big reader so want to get her the most effective one.

9

suzyQ7
My son has a slight preference for the one by Harry Bauld.

10

Hamilton and JHU also post real ‘essays that worked’:

https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/college-essays-that-worked (there are lots of years archived)

https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/