Over the years when I’ve helped students with their writing and their preparation for college one of the things that has always amazed me is that many students have no idea what their college admission essay should be about. Simply put the essay is about YOU. No matter what the question you are writing about is, no matter how strangely or obliquely the question is phrased YOU MUST WRITE ABOUT YOU.
Although the admissions essay is becoming more important every year, it still is NOT the most important part of your application packet. For the vast majority of colleges and universities, the admissions office will use the essay as a tiebreaker. If two students are very close in grades, character, recommendations, and test scores, the student with the better essay has a better chance of being admitted. The admission official is looking for something that will push the applications over into the pile he or she will recommend for acceptance.
However, rarely, if ever is an admissions essay going to gain admittance with a weak academic record, lack of participation in high school activities, and poor test scores. So don’t bank on your admissions essay to carry the ball for you. A well-written essay that isn’t backed by academic records and test scores indicate that someone else wrote the student’s admission essay.
Take a moment and think about how the admissions official will use your essay and what he or she wants. He or she wants to know something about you. He or she wants to know what makes you more worthy of admission than someone else.When you are writing your essay make it personal. Make it about you!
For example suppose you are asked about a person who has affected you, a common question. Think of a person, say your high school German teacher and write about the important things he or she did that influenced you. Note, it doesn’t really have to be true, it just has to make the admissions staff believe that it is true and the teacher has influenced you positively. Try to indicate some growth due to the persons influence. Consider the following essay:
On my first day of German class in my freshman year, I almost walked out of the class. Like many of my classmates, I felt confused by the new larger school with the new larger schoolmates and I felt intimidated. When I arrived late to German class, the instructor, Mr. Garrison lectured me in front of the other members of the class. I felt humiliated and was ready to change my schedule. I’m still not sure why, but for some reason I stuck it out. It turned out to be a good thing that I did.
Mr. Garrison challenged me. When I didn’t do well on a quiz or mispronounced a word, I could feel Mr. Garrison’s disapproval. When I did well, I didn’t receive overt praise, but I felt proud I had met my teacher’s challenge. It wasn’t easy, but I worked as hard as I could. I ended up getting a C+ my first quarter; less than I had hoped for, but better than many of my friends. I continued to work and got a A- for the semester. I increased my efforts, determined to get a better grade. At the end of the year, I am almost positive there was a twinkle in Mr. Garrison’s eye as he handed me my grade report.
I ended up taking four years of German from Mr. Garrison. He taught me a lot, and not just German. He taught me to push myself, he taught me how to learn, most importantly, he taught me never to give up.
If I’d run out of Mr. Garrison’s classroom that first day, I don’t know if I would have ever learned these important lessons. I doubt if I would have worked so hard in high school. I doubt if many universities would even consider me for enrollment. Fortunately I didn’t drop out that first day, I have Mr. Garrison to thank for much of my success as a student and my growth as a person. I’ll always remember him and be grateful.
Notice that the essay shows progress from a poorer, immature student to one who has gained skills and has grown into a responsible young adult who wants to continue using the tools Mr. Garrison taught him while attending the university.
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