What Makes A Great College Essay?

What Makes A Great College Essay? It appears to at least be one factor considered by a number of universities looking to build more complete profiles of applicants. The higher a person's affinity index, the more resources the school is likely to spend trying to recruit that student. Great college essays are the kinds that when your best friend reads them, he or she says, “This is totally you.” You only get limited space on the application to share what you want to share about yourself. So don’t waste it trying to wedge in a hardship just because you think that’s a good strategy. Pick a topic that actually means something to you, something that you’d be excited to share, that hasn’t been described in detail elsewhere on the application, and that would pass the best friend litmus test. But it's also a unique opportunity that can make a difference at decision time. Admissions committees put the most weight on your high school grades and your test scores . However, selective colleges receive applications from many worthy students with similar scores and gradesâ€"too many to admit. But a general guideline for the paragraphs in your college essays is that they should be about 1/3 to 1/2 of a page. Any longer, and chances are good that you have more than one main idea. In which case, you need to find the other secondary main ideas and give them their own paragraphs. At Story To College we teach how to find their most honest and authentic stories and shape them into powerful essays that admissions officers will remember. We provide college application essay courses and admissions courses to help all our students achieve their best results. The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. It is very easy for a rep to recognize an essay that has been coached someone other than the student. Unfortunately, too many cooks spoil the pot, so to speak…and kids easily get confused when parents, English teachers, their counselor, and their friends all have different advice. Students should familiarize themselves with the campuses to which they are applying , understand the prompt, and answer from the heart. Now parents â€" you all know the difference between fixing typographical errors and making massive substantive changes to your child’s essay, right? One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got inâ€"college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre. For students getting ready to apply for college, this may come as a surprise. Students already have their social media profiles subject to review in the admissions process, but other online activity represents a new concern. We are excited to host our first application essay courses in Atlanta this summer, starting May 29th. Find the course that’s right for you at storytocollege.com/courses, or call us to talk to an expert at . Essays give admission officers real insight into the applicant. You might wonder how a huge school would manage reading thousands of essays, but you can trust that they hire extra staff, if necessary, to make sure the entire application gets a close look. The number of readers depends on how “borderline” the applicant is, and the number of applicants being processed. Remember â€" the admissions officers read thousands of essays every admissions season, and they can spot an overly polished essay a mile away. So â€" yes â€" it’s fine to take a quick read to look for spelling errors, but it’s not fine to write your child’s essay for him or her. You will also have to learn to bulk up the content of each paragraph. I dislike giving rules or formulas to students when it comes to college writing because nearly every rule or formula has both weaknesses and exceptions. So they use your essay, along with your letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities , to find out what sets you apart from the other talented candidates. The essay is supposed to be reflective of the STUDENT, not the parent, and admissions reps are hoping to get a better picture of the applicant’s individuality and unique attributes. If the story that fits the criteria is a hardship, go ahead and share it. But if not, be thankful that you’ve had a pretty good life, and share another story about it. It may sound like a chore, and it will certainly take a substantial amount of work.