<p>LACalum, I surprised by what you said. It doesn’t make sense. Isn’t there an interview process with school officials and/or alumni? Part of the interview process is showing interest, being able to speak intelligently about Carleton, and writing a thank you note. Is the interview a negligible part of the admission decision?</p>
<p>I have no doubt that Carleton admissions officials read essays carefully and there are things you could write that would get you application thrown out in seconds no matter how good your qualifications are. The admissions officials no doubt play these “red flags staments” very close to the chest. As an alumni there are things I’d read in an essay that would make me just know that this excellent student is a terrible fit.</p>
<p>Carleton has dramatically improved its freshmen retention ratio over the years. I’m sure it put loads of effort into this. Essays are a prime place to do this. I could venture guesses about what they are looking for in essays, but I don’t know how helpful that would be.</p>