Not Your Father’s (or Mother’s) College Essay August 31, 2009

Ian Welham on the importance of the essay in getting into college.

The age-old saying in real estate is “location, location, location.”

When it comes to getting into college these days, the appropriate adage is “essay, essay, essay.”

Twenty years ago, the college essay stood last or next-to-last among the factors that get you accepted or denied – behind GPA, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, recommendations and extracurricular activities. However, over the last few years, the essay has been growing steadily, and significantly, in importance.

According to our database, which ranks selection criteria on a school-by-school basis, the essay enjoys the highest ranking it’s ever had in the 10 years we’ve been keeping track. Surprisingly, the essay now ranks ahead of even SAT/ACT scores at many colleges and universities.

Many New Jersey high school students don’t realize the importance of the college essay. However when we interview college freshmen and sophomores about what they learned from the college application process and, in retrospect, what they would have done differently, over 90% say they should have spent more time on their application and essays. They also acknowledge that the colleges into whose essays they put the most effort were the ones that sent acceptance letters.

With the growing number of applications flooding top schools, the essay is your chance to personalize your application and leap out of the pack. Grades and standardized test scores can only take you so far. An essay helps paint a full picture of you; it shows the side of you that can’t be measured in numbers or statistics, and demonstrates what special qualities you have to offer the university.

An essay is even more important if you have a special situation – maybe you went through a difficult time, struggle with learning disabilities, endured a sickness or had extenuating family circumstances. It’s your chance to explain why your numbers may not be as high as other applicants – but why you deserve consideration nonetheless.

Last year we had a student — a class valedictorian with perfect SAT scores, stellar recommendations and impressive extracurricular activities — who was rejected by Harvard because of his essay. On the flip side, we’ve had students with decent but not exceptional scores get admitted to top tier schools on the strength of an excellent essay.

To already-stressed high school students, the essay can seem painful. Admittedly, some of the questions are esoteric or downright strange. The University of Chicago used to ask applicants to “describe yourself as a mathematical equation.” Where do you begin on that one, “My Life as a Cosecant”?

Other essay questions are so broad, students find it difficult to pick a topic, or conversely, to edit their submission down to 500 words.

Our college essay class and editing service is here to help. We offer comprehensive guidance in how to pick a winning topic, then proven strategies for effective writing and editing. Once your student has an essay draft, s/he can send it to our “secret weapon,” an English professor at one of the top-12 ranked universities in the country. Because he’s on the “inside,” he knows what college admissions officers are looking for, and will make suggestions on how to edit and fine-tune the essay to be the best it can be.

With the growing importance of the college essay, that can give your student a tremendous advantage.