In the article "The Truth About College Admissions Essays" the author offers some information about what they are really looking for and what they are not.
"As college admissions becomes more competitive, and more students are applying to more schools, colleges are increasingly using a student's "soft factors," including letters of recommendation, interviews, resume, and essays to transform an applicant from a series of numbers into a living, breathing human being.
Colleges don't ask you to write essays because they want to make you miserable, they are asking because they want to hear from you! They want to get to know your background, interests, goals, triumphs, failures, likes, and aversions in your own voice. When reading an essay, an admissions officer will try to determine: Who are you? Will you make a valuable contribution to your our campus community? What type of character traits do you possess? Are you responsible? Shy? Creative? A Leader? A nonconformist? How have you shown your intellectual vitality?"
The author also talks about how some colleges and universities are changing their approach to getting information about their applicants in the types of prompts they are using. Here is what she has to say:
"Other colleges take a particularly creative approach to the application essay prompt with the hopes that students will reply in kind.
This year, the University of Virginia asks: What is your favorite word and why?; Brandeis University queries "A package arrives at your door. After seeing the contents you know it's going to be the best day of your life. What's inside and how do you spend your day?" and University of Michigan's Honors Program wants students to "Explain Unicorns."
"Not only is there a large number of essays, but each requires a considerable amount of time, effort, and thought. Many schools want to know why a student is applying to that particular college. The "Why this college" essay is often the most important -- the dealmaker. Colleges want to know what you hope to gain from your education and also what you will contribute."
So yes, the college application essay is very important, in fact, it can make or break whether you are accepted to the college(s) of your choice.
She also gives you some very practical advice about the best ways to use your time to plan for all of the essays you will need to write. Take advantage of this information and you will save yourself a lot of time and grief while going through this process.
"Here are some additional tips for students writing their college essays:
- College admissions committees want to learn something about the applicant that they cannot learn from the rest of the application; avoid writing an essay that just reiterates the activities on your resume.
- Choose a single incident that defines who you are today and write a clear and creative essay about it -- a story only you can tell!
- Gimmicks (such as writing your essay in a foreign language) rarely work and often make even more work for an already over-burdened admissions officer; "sob stories," topics of public consciousness, things that happened to you in middle school, and intimate details about your dating life are not good topics.
- Don't be afraid to write about being unsuccessful. Failure is usually a growth experience."
To read the entire article and follower this author on Twitter, click on the link below
No comments:
Post a Comment