Im an international student thats about to sit for the SAT and I’m wondering what do these Colleges look for In the essay used in the application process .Im asking this coz my friend Got a 2090 in the SATs and got 12 rejections am sure this was upto his essay any help would be much appreciated.
- Your friend's rejections probably had to do with several things depending on the schools: Applying to too many really selective schools, having low stats, subpar ECs, etc. Not just essays.
- Colleges usually have specific essay questions that they want you to answer, so colleges definitely want you to answer the questions completely. No matter what they're asking for, though, they want to know about you--your interests and values, what you will offer to the campus, and how you plan to utilize the resources on-campus.
On the essays: A lot of int’l school systems don’t do a lot of writing, so if you’re from one of those cultures, the amount of writing in US schools comes as a shock – and the essays are your first taste of that. What s/he said above ^^^ is true, as is the matter of finances. (Int’l students who can’t pay and won’t qualify for the limited pool of awards at a school will be turned down because there’s just no point in admitting them.) So it’s true that you’ll have to be very strategic and realistic in selecting the schools for which you apply.
But to address the essays a bit more, yes, they’re looking for your personality to shine through and see who you are beyond the stats. Think of it this way. A US college classroom, at least ideally, isn’t a place to sit there quietly and just take notes. It’s a place where the professor’s lectures aren’t the complete focus; you’re supposed to talk, discuss, ask questions, and learn from other students, too. So what will you bring to the mix? What will the experiences you’ve had, and the way you process them and reflect on them, contribute to what your fellow students learn about the world?
There’s a very practical thing they’re looking for, too, in terms of your potential to succeed at the school. You’ll have to write a lot of papers. That’ll be true no matter your major. Do you have the capacity, in terms of the maturity of your thought process, to do well on those papers?
A question on the order of “describe challenges you’ve overcome” gives you a chance to take it in all kinds of directions, but they want to see things like whether you’re persistent, how deeply you reflect on your life – and, again, who YOU are. Why you and not a dozen other kids whose applications they also will be reading today who have equal stats? What makes you stand out?
They’re also going to want a sense, at least in some section of the application, of why you’re applying to their college in particular. Are you just tossing darts at a list of “good American colleges” or have you actually done your research about them? So they want to know about you, and they want to know that you know about them and that your interests match their interests. Like meeting someone at a very crowded party. What can you say that will make them want to continue the conversation?
I’d suggest reading examples of college essays online to get a good sense of it. Good luck!!!
thanx alot both of you …this information really helps and from here any help is much appreciated
Every advice we got was to “be yourself”…“Let your personality shine through”…“Sound like the 17 or 18 year old you are, don’t use words you wouldn’t normally use”. Both my son and daughter did just that and were accepted into their first choice schools (of course they had the gpa, test scores and ec’s as well). When I read their essays I could definitely hear their “voice”. One of my son’s essays in particular had a humorous element to it and it definitely reflected his sense of humor. So those are the words of wisdom I’ll pass on to you.
thank you for that .id hate to end up sounding fake in my college essay …
thank you for that .id hate to end up sounding fake in my college essay …
@Claremontmom, S’s guidance counselor has worked in admissions at a selective college and also mentioned sense of humor … they read a lot of apps, so if they actually get a laugh, they appreciate it 
Of course that could go very wrong, too, so it’s risky advice (particularly if English isn’t your first language.) Depends on the kid. The main point is that if that’s part of you and your voice, don’t squash it in order to try to make every sentence seem “mature” and “profound.”
@MomOnALaptop Good point! I wasn’t necessarily advising to be humorous (which you’re right, can be risky). In the case of this one essay it wasn’t a humorous essay so much as it was a humorous comment weaved into the flow of the essay appropriately. More importantly he was expressing how he took a situation that he could have let get him down and found a lighter more humorous side (showing his sense of humor and resilience).
And I couldn’t agree more with your statement “don’t squash it in order to try to make every sentence seem “mature” and “profound.””… I’ve read a handful of other kids’ essays and sometimes I just wonder – “who is that kid?!”
Sounding authentic can be harder than you think; sometimes students don’t even recognize their underlying motives when they write essays. But here are some things that will help:
[list]
[li]Write about what is important to you. What has influenced your career interests? What do your hobbies say about you? What events or people have really made a difference in your life? What is your greatest passion, and how did it become your passion? Don’t just write about what you think will be most impressive. [/li][li]Details! I can’t stress this enough. An essay about how volunteering at a soup kitchen opened your eyes to the realities of homelessness? Cliched and boring. An essay about how that soup kitchen led you to meet a 40-year-old man who knew more than you ever would about world history, and would have gone to college if his drug addiction hadn’t spiraled out of control and made it almost impossible to hold down a job? That is interesting and gives weight to the point you’re trying to make.[/li][*]Do not lie or exaggerate. You did not know that you belonged at a college the moment you stepped onto the campus. You did not struggle with shyness for your whole life, then decide to change one night, and wake up a social butterfly the next day. It’s hard to imagine how one volunteer experience or trip to another country changed your entire life. Be honest and realistic. It is perfectly acceptable to write about failing, making mistakes, being scared, or your faults as long as you show that you have learned or grown through these things.
its true sounding Authentic sometimes is difficult…it gets crazy when u are all nervous and are trying so hard to impress the reader of the essay and overthinking it makes it worse
Hey, I recently finished my essay. I’d really want to send it to you guys so that you tell me what you think