It’s funny because I have read many high schoolers’ college essays, and it’s really made me fall out of love with the “model” Ivy League essays that are posted on the web. I think everyone has their own essays that resonate with them personally; some people like funny ones, while others like really dramatic ones. I’ve come to like essays that come across as sincere, that don’t lean on amazing experiences or scholarly vocabulary to get their points across. I can’t name any off the top of my head (and won’t to protect the privacy of the CC users who sent me their essays), but there are a lot.
They’re ones that probably no one besides the writers, me, and an admissions officer will see, and I feel very lucky to have had the chance to read them.