College Application Essay

College Application Essay Jodi Then is the High School Counselor at Boston Green Academy. Before joining BGA, Ms. Then spent 15 years working at a non-profit organization that specialized in college access and financial aid. We are a mediator throughout the process, ensuring that students take ownership over their own essays and applications, while welcoming and incorporating input from parents. Ivy Experience provides application essay consulting for students applying to any school. The college essay is not a test to see if you can read minds or anticipate what the admission office wants to hear. Conversely, you also don’t want to come across as a whiner or entitled. That’s not the kind of individual students, alums or administrators want representing their schools. Even if a school does not assign a maximum word count, that doesn’t mean you should write with wild abandon. Admissions officers have to slog through thousands of essays. They don’t have time to devote an hour to your 30 page masterpiece. Remember, these essays are simply meant to be a snapshot of you. You should not attempt to include your entire biography. There’s no need to mention either again; it won’t make the achievement seem more impressive if you elaborate. Beyond successful students, colleges are looking to create an incoming class that will complement their campuses. Use this space to show the person behind the history buff or mathlete. Ultimately, that will give your application more weight. If a college suspects an essay is not the student’s work, they don’t automatically throw him out of the applicant pool, says Krahnke, but a negative vibe is placed in the counselor’s head. Heathman believes the job of the essay coach is to help students themselves find the right way to tell their story. No one would expect a student to dash off a perfect essay. In fact, more than one professional points out that students should not have already reached their writing potential before entering college. I know parents who believe kids who can’t sit down and write essays themselves aren’t ready for four-year college. Stick to your chosen topic or theme and be concise. After all â€" a good writer knows when to edit him/herself. Your transcript already alerts people to the fact that you excelled in American history or that you nailed your SAT scores. Therefore, you must carefully consider the language you use. It’s okay to be colorful but you want to make sure it doesn’t come across as inappropriate or immature. Additionally, some essays ask you to discuss a personal accomplishment. While it’s okay to show pride, you don’t want appear cocky or a braggart. We try to make sure our students finish all their essays and applications before the start of senior year. We keep students on deadlines for all drafts and applications, providing critical feedback on every essay draft, and ultimately polishing and proofreading all essays and applications. We have years of experience helping students craft their admissions essays. Plain and simple, they want to know about you, how well you write and how self-aware you are. Applicants should realize that most admissions counselors are young and have a sense of what a teenage voice sounds like, Jager-Hyman says. Jager-Hyman said there are some who believe a 17-year-old need only “put one foot in front of the other” and apply himself to complete this task. But in reality, many otherwise-capable teens have no clue where to start. Students will be accepted “if the student’s numbers fit the academic profile of the institution,” she says. In other words, an outstanding essay may tip the scales. Some teens think their college essay, or “personal statement,” will determine their entire future, and others bristle and balk when asked to finally write it, believing it will never be read.