Top 5 Issues with College Application Essays:
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22-10-04 09:41관련링크
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Top 5 Issues with College Application Essays:
1. Application essays sometimes help but they can hurt a LOT. In my 20+ years of helping students apply to universities, I've not seen many students get into a higher rank university than their grade/test score/activity profile indicates, but I've seen many students get denied to universities they should have gotten into. My hunch was, often times, that it was the fault of their application essay. They talk about their weakness(es), apologize for them, say they've gotten better, and end up over-emphasizing their fault first and foremost. The best defense is a great offense. Emphasize your strengths first! Surprising how often this is forgotten.
2. Application essays help the most with small private colleges, the least with big public universities. Admissions officers are given a lot more discretion in accepting students at the small private colleges, and the number one subjective element is the college application essay (next is the recommendation letter).
3. (A moving) short story of my life for private colleges, a reporting of my strengths for large public universities. Of course, both are good for all colleges, and there're a LOT of "moving parts" in this one little statement, a lot of additional caveats and concerns. However, public universities can understand better the activities applicants emphasize and expand on from their extracurricular activity list, especially if the activity is significant and not the usual activity or usual involvement.
4. Do all the optional essays and additional contributions, for the small private colleges. And, of course do them well. Again, small private colleges have a lot more subjective leeway in accepting students to "fit" their college mood and culture. What better indication that you're a fan of the college than doing all the fandom stuff: over-and-above participation (probably good to get on their social media accounts and clean up your drunken party pictures first though), showing enthusiasm by really knowing your facts (about the university) in answering your essay question, and doing the "extras" like the optional essays.
5. Recycling your essays from one application to another is ok. It's your essay, so you essentially have the "copyright" on your essay. You're not plagiarizing anyone. However, universities know this too, and the reason some universities (especially the small private colleges) have the additional essays that are really weird or unrecyclable to use in other university applications. They want you to work to show your "fandom love."
1. Application essays sometimes help but they can hurt a LOT. In my 20+ years of helping students apply to universities, I've not seen many students get into a higher rank university than their grade/test score/activity profile indicates, but I've seen many students get denied to universities they should have gotten into. My hunch was, often times, that it was the fault of their application essay. They talk about their weakness(es), apologize for them, say they've gotten better, and end up over-emphasizing their fault first and foremost. The best defense is a great offense. Emphasize your strengths first! Surprising how often this is forgotten.
2. Application essays help the most with small private colleges, the least with big public universities. Admissions officers are given a lot more discretion in accepting students at the small private colleges, and the number one subjective element is the college application essay (next is the recommendation letter).
3. (A moving) short story of my life for private colleges, a reporting of my strengths for large public universities. Of course, both are good for all colleges, and there're a LOT of "moving parts" in this one little statement, a lot of additional caveats and concerns. However, public universities can understand better the activities applicants emphasize and expand on from their extracurricular activity list, especially if the activity is significant and not the usual activity or usual involvement.
4. Do all the optional essays and additional contributions, for the small private colleges. And, of course do them well. Again, small private colleges have a lot more subjective leeway in accepting students to "fit" their college mood and culture. What better indication that you're a fan of the college than doing all the fandom stuff: over-and-above participation (probably good to get on their social media accounts and clean up your drunken party pictures first though), showing enthusiasm by really knowing your facts (about the university) in answering your essay question, and doing the "extras" like the optional essays.
5. Recycling your essays from one application to another is ok. It's your essay, so you essentially have the "copyright" on your essay. You're not plagiarizing anyone. However, universities know this too, and the reason some universities (especially the small private colleges) have the additional essays that are really weird or unrecyclable to use in other university applications. They want you to work to show your "fandom love."
