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What are the top five things that make a great college application essay?

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What are the top five things that make a great college application essay?

posted at 11/5/2009 12:31 PM EST

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Jay_Mathews

First post: 5/21/2007
Last post: 2/9/2010
Total posts: 289

One of my favorite high school college counselors and adviser to the newly formed essay guidance service iAdmissions, California-based Jon Reider, just wrote a piece outlining what you need to make a college application essay work. Here are Reider's five priorities arranged in MY descending order of importance:

1. Likability (you have to make clear you are not a jerk--one bit of self-deprecating humor, like "After I lost the baseball championship by stupidly bunting with two strikes...," should do it.)

2. Vulnerability (of a piece with Likability---make sure you confess a flaw or two)

3. Insight (some indication you have learned from your experiences.)

4. Intellectuality (as Reider says, "admissions officers want to know how ideas move you.")

5. Brevity (is good, although if your essay is well done and a few words over, I wouldn't worry about it. Reider is more concerned about that he called too many "10-word adjectives" and he is right about that. Unadorned nouns and adjectives, and short sentences, are signs of good writing, particularly in this context.)

So, what are we missing, and is my order of preference wrong?

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a bit different view

posted at 11/5/2009 4:27 PM EST

lisamc31

First post: 6/22/2007
Last post: 2/9/2010
Total posts: 5077

1. Sincerity - convey clearly why you want to attend a particular school

2. Originality - when we attended the orientation meeting for my daughter's school, her Dean actually repeated something back to the orientation group that my daughter had written in her essay. It must have struck the right chord with her.

3.Present yourself as an asset to the school

4. Use proper grammar and spellcheck

5. Read it out loud to a parent/teacher or friend to test out tone and reaction.

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I agree about humor

posted at 11/5/2009 4:51 PM EST

grcxx3

First post: 3/6/2008
Last post: 2/9/2010
Total posts: 1058

During the years I spend reading grad school applications, I always liked to see a little humor. No jokes. No stories. Just something that made me smile.

Then the givens ...
- a well thought-out, organized essay
- proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar
- succinct, no rambling

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After spellchecking, get it proof read!

posted at 11/5/2009 10:37 PM EST

Fate1

First post: 2/4/2009
Last post: 1/25/2010
Total posts: 292

Heard about an essay that talked about how the kid liked to "torture" other kids. He really liked "torturing" the young ones. The spell checker did not pick up his misspelling of "tutor". The lesson, have someone proof read your essay.

Also, have it tell something about you, an experience and how you handled it.

Being easy to read helps too. It doesn't have to be riveting, just easy to follow and understand. At the end the reader should be able to understand a little about the writer and known them more than before. I guess that is "Insight".

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Re: What are the top things that make a great college application essay?

posted at 11/6/2009 8:34 AM EST

PhilipsWild

First post: 4/19/2009
Last post: 11/6/2009
Total posts: 9

Replying to:

...So, what are we missing, and is my order of preference wrong?
Posted by Jay_Mathews

Add to your list,

How to make out maker and the model of a handgun?

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I hate reading essays

posted at 11/9/2009 1:57 PM EST

MONARK

First post: 9/24/2009
Last post: 11/9/2009
Total posts: 4

1. use capitalization where required. the essay is not a txt msg u r sending to your bff

2. DON'T write your essay the same as you would a text message

(anybody seeing something with the first two?)

3. Use FIND and SEEK if you tailor your essay. I have an essay that I show to students where the student mentions STATE SCHOOL A in the first paragraph and STATE SCHOOL B in the final paragraph and then sends the essay to me (and I don't work for either STATE SCHOOL A or B).

4. Don't try and be funny. You're not Jay Leno or David Letterman (and don't even try to be like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, or Chris Rock).

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Notes on Jon's notes

posted at 11/30/2009 11:08 PM EST

aflagel1

First post: 5/29/2007
Last post: 11/30/2009
Total posts: 61

Jon's full article, with his permission (and a plug for his new book in return) is on my blog at http://notjustadmissions.com, plus a few of my own clarificatioins...

On others comments - originality and humor should be reserved for long shots - you just never know if the person reading has the same sense of humor/appreciation of your orginal-ness...and as Monark notes, most of you aren't all that funny...

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more specifically

posted at 11/30/2009 11:11 PM EST

aflagel1

First post: 5/29/2007
Last post: 11/30/2009
Total posts: 61

Sorry to clog the discussion - should have linked directly to Jon's article: http://notjustadmissions.com/2009/11/03/737/

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Follow Directions

posted at 12/9/2009 5:35 PM EST

markmeadows

First post: 12/30/2007
Last post: 12/9/2009
Total posts: 34

1. If the college says to send one essay send one. If they ask for three, send three.

2. If the college gives a length minimum or maximum stick to it.

3. If the college gives you a specific question/prompt answer/address it.

4. If the college asks for your essay electronically, digitize it. If they want paper, print it.

5. Be aware that your essay is probably not as important as your class schedule, grades, and test scores. So if you are a long shot for a particular college on those factors do not expect your essay to wow anybody all that much.

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Give yourself enough time

posted at 12/10/2009 7:05 PM EST

DCgalnSeattle

First post: 12/10/2009
Last post: 12/10/2009
Total posts: 3

I applied to nine schools and was admitted to all, including the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, W&M and UVA. (Yes, I'm a Virginian.) I also worked in my alma mater's admission office, where I interviewed prospective students.

1. Quality not Quantity. Every admissions officer I've heard speak, suggests that it's better to have a long commitment to a few activities, then minimal involvement in a 15 activities/clubs. Of course, your personal statement should be representative of your best writing and editing. And stick to the word limit!

2. The Writing Process. There's too much stress to write an essay in one sitting, especially if you wait until the last minute. Plan, write, revise, rewrite, edit, rewrite. Don't overuse the thesaurus. Have someone else read it. If you don't want anyone else to read it, at least sleep on your writing and allow yourself to look at your writing with a fresh set of eyes.

3. Don't Procrastinate. Give your counselors/teachers/advisors/coaches ample time to write your letters. (My mother is a guidance counselor and is bombarded from October-early January writing letters.) Give yourself plenty of time to complete an application.

4. Be honest but don't over-share.

5. Tell the university what you have to offer. If you think there is something that separates you from other applicants, write about it, share it an interview (if offered), or ask your letter writers to write about it. Just remember, as a high school senior, certain life events are common (death of a grandparent, a sports injury) and certain adjectives are overused (dedicated, hard-working). You risk being memorable if you sound like everyone else.

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