It’s true that, as colleges are focusing less on standardized tests (ACT and SAT) to influence admission decisions, they are focusing more on subjective things like the activity resume, recommendations and essays. You can find more information about the resume here, and more information about recommendations here.
However, the importance of the college essay can lead some students to become nearly paralyzed when trying to write it. They often feel like they have to get in front of a computer and, in one sitting, write the best essay they have ever written. Talk about pressure! That would be nearly impossible for anyone to do.
You’re told time and time again that the college essay needs to be personal. It needs to give the reader a clear sense of who you are as a person; it’s a way to let the college that you are applying to know all about you. But, occasionally College Counselors and Essay Specialists read personal essays that are a little too personal. We then need to clarify this for students and parents, so allow us to do that here.
If it seems as though college applicants are having more and more essays to write as part of the college process, you would be right. It’s not uncommon for students to have four, six, or maybe even ten additional essays to write. The all-time high for a student I have personally worked with was 18! While some are shorter and some are longer, it’s still 18 different pieces of writing, and, sometimes the shorter essays are actually more difficult to write.
With that being said, in this blog we give some practical advice about how to manage all the possible essays you will have to write, and explain why getting an early start is essential.
It’s essay-writing season. You know what that means… you sit down to your computer, open a Word document and within an hour you have written a beautiful, funny, poignant essay that will get you into any college in the world.
Writers block can happen to anyone at any time, but it’s especially awful when you’re trying to write the ever-important college essay! But have no fear; we tapped into the mind of one of Campus Bound’s most experienced Essay Specialists to help you out.
About once a month we ask our highly experienced team of former college admission counselors questions that could provide some inside information about college admissions that could potentially help you. This month we asked, “What was the best college essay you ever read, and what made it stand out to you?”
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