College Admissions Essay
Writing 12
Insights on The Process
• Colleges look to see
how you used your
academic
opportunities
• Admissions
counselors are
looking for a class of
students rather than
the perfect individual
Your Essay Makes a Difference!
“ [Essays] can tip the balance, • Admissions will admit,
giving students an extra edge, wait-list, or deny
or it can work against them.”- applicants
Jonathan Reider, Sr. Associate
Director of Admissions at Stanford. • If your scores or grades
are borderline with the
college’s requirements,
then the essay can make
all the difference
• Uninspired essays written
by stellar students can
tarnish a “sure thing”
admittance
Your Essays Make A Difference!
• Most colleges guarantee that your essay will be
read at least one time—more if a smaller
college.
• Because teaching writing is more of a priority in
HS than in the past, the essay has a greater
significance in the admissions process.
• Good writing skills are the mark of an educated
person. It is not necessarily what you write, but
how you write that counts.
Insights on Essays
• The Common Application
is a good place to start
• You must learn about
yourself from many points
of view
• Investigate the college’s
own resources for essay
ideas
• Avoid overused ideas
Advice from the Experts…
“The essay provides applicants with the
opportunity to become real and fully
dimensional to the readers. It also
provides a forum for the applicant to come
forward about life’s priorities; we look at
the essay as a culmination of how a
student thinks about what is important to
him or her.”-Lee Stetson, Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania
Writer’s Notebook
• What Do You Write About WS
• If It Didn’t Matter…
• “I, Me” (Immediate, Important, Issues)
• Interviews
Interviews
• Interview one parent and two friends.
• It is helpful to interview males and
females.
• The questions are to the point; expect your
answers to be the same.
• You need to write down what the person
shared with you.
• Turn in your interview notes next class.
Interview Questions
1. How have you described me to people who
haven’t met me?
2. What is the best thing anyone has ever told you
about me?
3. What’s the worst thing anyone has ever told
you about me?
4. What do you think is my most unusual or
unique character trait?
5. What was your initial impression of me when
you first met me? How has that changed?