<p>I know MANY, MANY kids who applied and were accepted to Kenyon and Grinnell, the schools featured in the articles, with heavy duty help for their apps. The reason that consultants are hired is that they do work. In this area, many families use consultants to help them through every bit of the app process. Including the essay. I think it is not long before getting professional help in this endeavor is going to be as necessary as SAT prep. </p>
<p>I don’t know how much the essay can help a kid. My son got some very specific positive feedback on an essay that both I and his GCs felt was not personal enough. He used it anyways because he was too lazy to rewrite it or choose another topic. His essay was really an impersonal research paper with maybe a paragraph of personal insight. Maybe it stood out from all of the athletic wins, out of country, helping the poor, traumatic event essays.</p>