Essays are an essential component of college applications. Many students have managed to steal admission last minute with the strength of their essays as they help the administrators get a deeper understanding of the applicants. Let’s learn about ‘Do Colleges Look At Essays?’.
Do Colleges Look At Essays?
Admission officers look through every essay submitted to them, and yes they matter. Although grades and extracurriculars are more important, when it comes down to students with similar scores, the admission office would look at essays to decide who deserves the seat in their college.
In fact, in more than 250 top schools, essays for the most part account for 25% of your application. They set you apart and can make the ultimate difference between getting into your dream college or being left out. They are your one chance to show that you are more than the score you received because they help you showcase your unique talents and personality.
So, what should a perfect college essay comprise?
Authenticity
Admission officers read loads of essays every year, so they can tell very easily when you are just trying to sound smart and cliche.
If you don’t try to put your authentic self forward, your chance of getting in would be damaged. They want to learn about you, and who you are, so make sure you don’t end up sounding fake.
So many students try to add components that will make them look like the perfect candidate, but you should focus on what’s important to you.
Your Story
When it comes to college essays, they want to hear your story. Events or circumstances that shaped the person you are right now, should be a part of it. However, don’t go overboard with sharing your life story, and remember to keep it real. You are not submitting a movie script. Your story should be able to put across your values, and the lessons you learned from your journey. This will help the Administrator connect to you personally and learn about your character.
Strengths
This is important especially if your test scores and grades are very similar to other candidates. It will do you good to highlight some qualities or strengths that might set you apart. Your strengths will also tell the Admission officers exactly what you can bring to their institution. Although make sure you still sound real and if you are confident enough, why not share your weaknesses too, and what are you doing to overcome them?
Major and interests
Your essay is supposed to represent you and your skills. When you add your hobbies, interests and skills that align with the major you applied for, it will work in your favour.
For example, if you are applying for a major that’s more creative, make sure you show your creativity in the essay. However, if your major is something technical, add relevant skills, certificates and interests.
Conclusion
In conclusion, keep your major in mind, while writing your essay.
Grab their attention
Make sure when they pick up your essay and read the first few lines, they are hooked. As mentioned above, Admissions officers go through hundred if not thousands of essays each year, so try to grab their attention in the beginning. This way, they will read your essay more carefully and won’t miss any important details. You are also more likely to be remembered by them if you add a little humour to your essay and make the Admission officers fascinated. Although, be careful with this as you don’t want to sound tacky.
Add Personality
When Admission officers read your essays, they should see the person behind the words. Instead of blindly following the norm, try to add some personality to your essay. Make sure, whatever you write is telling them more about you as a person, not only as a student. Write about things that are unique to you, be it experiences or anything else. The Admission officer should be able to assess your personality after reading the essay.
Get Proofreaders
Never submit your essays before getting others to proofread or edit them. You might have written a stunning essay from your perspective, but it’s equally important to get someone else’s perspective too. The best thing would be to get a teacher or a college administrator to proofread them. Also, try to be open to suggestions and make changes accordingly. Even after getting them to proofread, make sure to check them again and again for spelling and grammatical errors.
Now We’ve learnt about ‘Do Colleges Look At Essays?’, Writing college essays might be a complex job, but they are worth the effort. Don’t fool around and write as many drafts as you can. You don’t have to take the most complicated approach, just try to keep it simple, unique and transparent.
Work on your writing skills and ask for help, but make sure you write it yourself because you want it to be authentic to you.
Good luck!
