My kids all wrote their essays close to the deadline. For them, it reduced stress. I suggested they look through photo albums (yes we had them) and that seemed to trigger ideas. One of mine wrote the essay literally the night before. I think starting too early makes essays into a huge deal. They don’t have to be.
3 Likes
2 posts were split to a new thread: Should colleges abandon essays?
Two kids, totally different realities. One started early and edited, edited, reworked, changed topics, edited, etc. The other whipped it out in 20 minutes the night before she wanted to send (and it was a great essay as she’s a very good writer).
I’d say the first was more intriguing but they both were great.
1 Like
Can a student write to show that they are simply a happy kid who enjoys their high school years?
1 Like
Sure. An essay can be very simple. It’s all about the execution.
2 Likes
Sounds like a refreshing essay. One of my kids wrote one on a similar topic. If you want help with the essay feel free to PM.
1 Like
Essays need to be tailored to the school.
The most highly selective colleges & universities look for traits that are not necessary in order to receive serious consideration for admission to less selective schools.
Thanks!
These recent articles on CC give a lot of specifics around what makes a college essay good or great.
Part 1 is on the SPARC method of essay writing
Part 2 is on essay writing tips and things to avoid
We are also doing an AMA with Admissionado on essay writing - this could be a great question to ask!
1 Like
not for the main Common App prompt though.
Our S19 wrote his common app essay about eating lunch at our local diner with his friends. He had a very successful application season. He’s at Bowdoin now. In those 650 words, he put the reader at the table with them and really showed what his thinks his community here was all about. He’s a white kid from an affluent neighborhood so nothing special there, but he was vulnerable in his writing and he “showed” it and didn’t “tell about it”. I think it was a very successful essay that some people would say was a bit “Seinfleld” since really not much happened in it but it still very much showed who he is.
6 Likes
Agree. This whole idea of a reader being able to recognize you–that you should “be yourself”–is misguided. An admission reader is a total stranger. They’re going to spend 10-40 minutes on your application. They have no way of “recognizing you.” So if your Mom reads your essay and says: “Great essay! That’s so you!” That is a terrible litmus test for writing a good essay to get into an institution of higher learning. Why?
Because when an admission officer reads your file, they have open next to them a Ratings Handbook. That Handbook tells the reader what they need to rate you on. As they read your essay, they are looking for the things that help them assign a rating. Those ratings do not include: “Give a student a 1 rating if they seem interesting.” Or “Give a student a 1 rating if they seem like they’re really being themselves.”
Those ratings do include the most important trait for being a university student who takes classes with professors most of the week: Intellectual Vitality. They also include ratings for Impact and Unusually Exceptional Personal Qualities (rare.) Whether you think that’s right or wrong is irrelevant. Those are the rules of the game.
So don’t write some self-indulgent piece that is “so you” but has no intellectual vitality. Write essays that will help your admission reader give you a high rating for those qualities. When someone finishes your essay, their first reaction shouldn’t be: “Wow, that is so you!” It should be: “Wow, you are so smart. This piece is so thoughtful. I had no idea you were so excited and knew so much about X idea.”
People on CC hate hearing this advice. So I won’t go on about my essay philosophy or techniques for demonstrating those qualities you’re getting rated on while still being “authentic.” But do some research and you’ll find what you need.
Ultimately, this process is so subjective: one reader thinks your piece is try hard; another thinks it’s daring. So I’d say try to focus on writing an essay that makes you proud–an essay that you actually like. Maybe this is the best litmus test: Imagine you opened your favorite magazine–the New Yorker. And you saw a provocative title: “Hemingway’s Advice to Salinger.” And you read the essay. And you thought: “God, I loved that. It was so smart, novel, fresh. I wish the New Yorker published more articles like that.” Write that essay.
-MCS
5 Likes
Many of us have kids who got into “top schools” whose essays did not align at all with the advice offered by @anon45019500 .
3 Likes
- You see this a lot: “The essays that got me into X school!” Or comments like the one above: “well my kid wrote about x and he got it.” This looks like a causation-correlation error to me.
Students don’t get into colleges on the strength of their essays alone. Good writing is usually necessary, but it’s not sufficient. There are many reasons students get into “top schools” and it usually takes a combination: Stellar numbers and rigor; unusually impressive activities, talents, or developed interests; unusually good recommendation letters; and all sorts of affirmative action boosts you’ll never hear admitted students/parents share that really matter: legacy, recruited athlete, recruited artist, development, alumni volunteer, first-generation student, etc.
So the idea that your kid wrote about some topic that doesn’t align with my advice–unlikely, I’m sure they wrote smart and thoughtful essays which is the heart of my advice–and still got in, is not good evidence that’s what “got them in.” Or that proves my advice (to the extent you understand it) is wrong.
- To be clear: I’ve offered just one piece of advice for attacking your essays–among lots of other good advice. I’m not saying this is the only way to write an essay. Just a helpful approach I find for most students that offers a logical framework for what you’re writing about. Students if it sounds logical and helps you, try it.
-MCS
5 Likes
Agree with most of this, with some caveats. Excerpts from my Yale interviewing guide as to what to look for. I am sure there is significant overlap with what the AO’s are looking at generally:
Intellectual strengths, energy: What is your impression of the applicant’s general thinking skills? … Were his answers to your questions thoughtful, full? Did he display insight, originality, ability to support ideas with examples? Can you envision him taking an active part in classroom discussions or in lively conversations over meals in the dining hall?
Academic interests: Was the applicant able to identify some areas of particular academic interest? Does she enjoy learning in other academic areas? Is she likely to take advantage of a liberal arts education? … Is she aware of Yale-specific academic offerings? Does she have career aspirations? How well-reasoned do those aspirations seem to be?
Flexibility in thinking, openness: Did the applicant show signs that he can entertain different points of view and can offer opinions with grace?.. Did he reveal any strongly held beliefs or attitudes that could be considered strengths in the context of a university community? Or liabilities?
Expressive abilities: How skillfully and confidently did the applicant express herself? …
Nonacademic interests or talents: What are the applicant’s favorite outside interests? How did she become involved? What is her level of commitment in terms of time and energy?
Personal qualities: … What kind of classmate and/or roommate is she likely to be? What character traits are you able to detect? Do her personal traits set her apart in a positive way? In a less than positive way?
Distinctive or unusual talents and/or circumstances: Did the applicant mention rare pursuits or accomplishments? Did you learn anything about his background or life experiences that may be significant?
One essay (or interview) is unlikely to meaningfully touch on all these points, but I agree with Michael that applicants need to sell themselves based on what the school considers important, not the applicant.
A couple of caveats based on my experience as an interviewer for 30 years± with access to Yale AO’s over this time. They are not just judging your individual intellectual strength, they are looking at what you can contribute as part of an intellectual community, so they are looking for indicia of characters that support this, like leadership, teamwork, perseverance, empathy, curiosity. While I agree that it is impossible for a stranger to say, “oh this is Sarah exactly”, I think applicants who try to create a persona of who they think the AO wants through essays that is not consistent with the transcript, activities and LoR’s is not likely to succeed. There needs to be a coherence to the pitch to make it effective.
20 Likes
Nailed it. Agree with everything. This is the type of specific advice that helps students. This post should be pinned.
1 Like
The list posted by @BKSquared is for interviews, not essays.
1 Like
But I think it’s applicable to essays as well.
1 Like
Last post on this but those criteria are for the evaluator. Whether for essays or for interviews, it would be pretty hard to write an effective, natural essay OR have a productive interview if an applicant was keeping all those criteria in their head. It’s just not that complicated.
And I doubt that essays are make or break these days given the amount of coaching.
I just helped a kid with a charming essay, whose college counselor was going to ruin it by suggesting cramming in similar things from a list of criteria. Luckily he resisted. We adults can facilitate but have to stay out of the way too.
3 Likes