How do you spark an interest from an admissions counnselor?

Question

Imagine a stack of applications sitting on your desk with an admissions deadline 30 days away. You are already drinking coffee, staying up late and have a "to do" list that is longer than her address book. A mediocre student application comes your way and reading it seems tiresome. What must be included in that essay to persuade the counselor that the high school senior is a fit?

Answer 1

Too many students approach the essay as just another part of the application. From your resume, to your essay, and to your letters of recommendations, all tell a part of your story. Your application has to be viewed holistically in the context of all your materials. Admission representatives spend less than 8 minutes on each application, so it is extremely important to know what your message/ branding is.

Your essay should be uniquely YOU and describe an interesting attribute/ decision/ period in your life/ etc that can provide admission representatives with a true sense of who are. It should not reiterate your application, but should be a deeper extension of YOU.

A quality essay takes time, and often, an unbiased person who can assess what you are trying to say (and sometimes not say). You need to make sure it comes across in a way that you truly intend. It is often hard talking about oneself in a way that comes off naturally, so do be sure that you ask others for help.

Answer 2

Do you feel your essay would make the admission officer turn to their co-worker and say, "You have to read this!" or after reading your own essay can you think of five other students in your school that if they put their name on your essay it would fit them too?

I had a student once that wrote their admission essay as if they were Harry Potter trying to get into Hogwarts. Sounds silly right? But when that student attended a college fair weeks after they submitted, the college admissions officer who read the essay lite up like fireworks after the student introduced themselves. Not only did the admission officer remember the students name (out of the thousands of essays they had read), but they eagerly introduced the student to the other college staff at the booth like the student was a celebrity.

Be confident, be authentic and be original.

Answer 3

Each student has so much to offer a college or university: their unique personality, way of seeing the world, their background, skills, achievements, and talents. To persuade the counselor that the high school senior is a fit, the student has the challenge of communicating three things- - who they are, what they want to do, and why they want to do it at a particular college- - and they've also got to do this in a way that’s clear, concise, and compelling. Most seniors are very sincere, and many write well, but they often have a hard time telling their story in an authentic and engaging manner. As a result, these wonderful students submit essays that simply don't do them justice. Unfortunately, because they look and sound just like everyone else, far too many are lost in the shuffle.

This describes what a college essay must do and how it should do it, but it doesn't capture the "magic" of a great essay. It's a bit like defining a book as a collection of pages with words on them. Why yes, of course that's what a book is- - but oh, what power can be found on those pages and through the words that enlighten, inspire, and transform us! The successful college admissions essay also harnesses the power of the written word to connect with the reader, allowing them to understand what a valuable addition this student would be to next year's class.

So how does the student connect with the admissions committee through their college essays? Not through gimmicks, tricks, or formulas. While whole books have been written on how to write strong college essays, perhaps the wisest advice is not to ask, "what do they want to hear", but rather, "what do I have to say?" The journey to answering this question brings students deep inside themselves; the best essays- - even the ones that seem light-hearted- - are the result of considerable introspection.

In summary, every student must be clear, concise, and compelling while demonstrating who they are, what they want to do, and exactly why they want to do it at a particular college or university. This can give even the most "mediocre" student an opportunity to caffeinate his/her application and persuade the admissions counselor that their file merits additional consideration.