If some one could please shed some light as to how to appeal to the admissions officers, are we supposed to play with their heart strings? Or should we try to make them laugh? How do we make them show some affection to our essay and thus to us? What topics should I appeal to?
Any information is really appreciated, with the application process being more cutthroat than ever.
I think you may be approaching this backwards.
Go Google some examples of admissions essays, to get a feel for the general format, and then think about YOU. Not the admissions officers…YOU.
As a creative writer, I don’t think about whom I’m trying to impress when I start a new story. I think about the story I want to tell, and the ways I can convey that story effectively. It’s less “This would get five stars on Goodreads!” and more “Does this make me feel something? Is it relatable?”
So check out the prompts given to you and think about what in your life would fit those prompts.
Thank you! I never saw it that way before.
@bodangles nailed it: you are approaching essay writing backwards.
Your essays, hopefully, will be read by the full Admissions Committee which is comprised of over 40 people, half of them full-time admissions directors and half of them full-time Harvard faculty. As it’s impossible to predict what would please every single person in the room, you shouldn’t even try. What you need to do is write an essay that gives an Admissions Committee a window into your soul, that shows them who YOU are and what YOU value.
There are many sites you can google for essay help, as well as books you can order. For example:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/tips-for-writing-an-effective-application-essay-college-admissions
http://admissions.yale.edu/advice-putting-together-your-application#essay
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/essays/8-tips-for-crafting-your-best-college-essay
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-College-Application-Essay-Anniversary/dp/0062123998
https://www.amazon.com/50-Successful-Harvard-Application-Essays/dp/0312624387
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-johnson/what-not-to-include-in-yo_b_6105062.html
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/articles-and-advice/admission/articles/application-essay-clinic/how-use-dialogue-write-attention-grabbing-application-essay/
Sign vs. Sample. When evaluating something, one can look at indirect measures of what is being evaluated, such as test scores, or records of accomplishments, or one can actually sample what is being evaluated. If one goes to a restaurant, one can look at the ingredients list of an entree, read reviews about it, look at awards the entree has recieved. Or one can taste it. With a bottle of wine, there is the alcohol content, its general classification, awards won. And then their is drinking the wine.
Your application is mostly Sign. It comprises test scores, achievements, recommendations. The one Sample of yourself included in your application is your essay, or essays. It gives the admissions committee direct contact with you.
A poorly-written essay is a waste of effort. It obscures you. It talks, unprofitably, about your achievements, or grades, or scores, or “just so” stories that put you in a flattering light. A well-written essay often wins the fat envelope from the admissions committee. It provides a clear view into who you are. It is revelatory.
Very true! The qualities I associate with a well written college essay: likability, vulnerability, intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, inclusiveness and love of learning.
I don’t think the essay always carries that much weight. They know that many are coached. It can hurt, but maybe doesn’t help as much as people think. So a neutral okay essay might be alright, but a bad or egotistical one could harm chances.
I have helped a number of students with their essays. I would say the biggest mistake applicants make is to overwrite. Meaning, trying to hard to impress with their uniqueness, creativity and use of big words (and way too many adjectives). I would offer the perhaps unusual advice not to approach this as a creative writing exercise.
Pretend the admissions person is in the room with you and you are having a conversation in which you have a chance to share something about yourself. Be straightforward, nothing self-consciously fancy (unless a big word is needed). And please don’t say you want to cure cancer someday. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve seen that.
Be yourself. That is the most important thing.
ps my kids looked at photo albums…for some reason that helped them write essays