Why the College Admission Essays are Important Since the majority of college applicants are ‘self-selecting,’ meaning that they are applying to colleges for which they fit the basic academic requirements in terms of grades and test scores – or what we at AdmissionsConsultants refer to as the academic qualifications hurdle – your academic record will only get you so far at selective blogger.comted Reading Time: 1 min Feb 04, · College Admission Essays are More Important than Ever. If they wanted to, the best universities could simply rank students according to their test scores and achievements and send acceptance letters to those who had the highest qualifications. However, universities do not actually do Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins 4 rows · The Importance of the College Admission Essay College admission essays form an Essay Review Resources: Paid sites are available, but students should seek help from a teacher or family member
Why are college admission essays so important? - Quora
What Is an Application Theme and Why Is It Important? But what about the essay? Just how much does it really matter to your overall academic profile? The essay is always important, but just how much it will influence your overall application varies by the school to which you are applying, as well as your individual profile, college admission essay importance.
You might be surprised to learn that essays are that important, but keep in mind that at top schools, there are at least 4 academically-qualified candidates for every open spot. Essays are your one opportunity to share your voice, your unique experiences, and your perspective. While there is a general breakdown as to how important essays are, their actual influence will vary based on several factors:.
Huge public schools tend to have more applicants than private schools, as well as limited resources with which to evaluate candidates.
State schools tend to college admission essay importance candidates first using GPA and test scores, before reviewing extracurricular activities and essays. At these schools, essays matter less if you have particularly strong academics. The more selective the school, however, the more important essays are.
For instance, essays likely matter more at UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan compared to the University of Nebraska or University of Arizona. This is because more selective schools often have more qualified applicants, so essays are used kind of as a tie-breaker. In contrast, smaller colleges, especially liberal arts schools, tend to take a more holistic approach to evaluating candidates, since these colleges tend to be more self-selective and receive fewer applications.
Therefore, they can devote more time and resources to each individual application. Top private schools like the Ivies and similar-tier colleges also prefer to use a holistic approach when evaluating students, seeking to understand the candidate and their background as a whole. At top-tier colleges, many of the candidates are already excellent students who have stellar grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, so essays provide an additional way to differentiate candidates and understand their entire profiles and personalities.
As a result, essays are extremely important at college admission essay importance schools, even for those with stellar academics. However, your essay is unlikely to compensate for grades and test scores that are too far below average, since academics are the primary basis of evaluation. For the student who otherwise presents an outstanding profile, with a high GPA, competitive test scores, and stellar extracurricular activities, the essay may have a smaller impact on your overall application, because you have already demonstrated your ability to succeed.
However, you should still aim to write a strong essay, especially if your dream colleges are highly-selective. Even if the rest of your profile makes you a top candidate for competitive colleges, your essay always matters. In fact, your college admission essay importance could end up hurting an application for an otherwise college admission essay importance candidate if it appears hastily written or not well thought-out.
Factoring in your particular interests, talents, and intended major makes the importance of the essay even more nuanced. If you intend to study a humanities subject such as Journalism, Creative Writing, or English, and list writing-oriented extracurricular activities such as your school newspaper on your application, your essay needs to reflect your talent and chosen major. If colleges see that your focus is writing and receive a poorly-written or uninspired essay, they will be confused — and may wonder how well you understand your own strengths.
On the other hand, if your focus is clearly on a subject in which writing personally and creatively is not as essential, such as STEM, admissions committees may provide a little more leeway and judge your essay a little less harshly. You still need to present a well-written and carefully-considered essay, of course. If you know writing is somewhat of a weakness, have teachers, guidance counselors, friends, and family members read it and offer feedback. However, colleges will generally understand that your talents lie elsewhere.
Essays are an extremely important part of the college admissions process. While certain factors may impact the relative influence of essays, you should always put in your best effort. How to Write the Common App Essays with Examples! Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses.
Laura Berlinsky-Schine August 14, 4 min read 12th GradeEssay FAQsEssay Tips. How Important is the College Essay? Factors that Impact the Importance of College Essays While there is a general breakdown as to how important college admission essay importance are, their actual influence will vary based on several factors: 1.
School size and type. The strength of your profile. Your intended major. Final Thoughts Essays are an extremely important part of the college admissions process. Want more college admissions tips? We'll send you information to help you throughout the college admissions process. Loved the article?
Share it! Laura Berlinsky-Schine Senior Blogger at CollegeVine. Short bio. Laura Berlinsky-Schine is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in Creative Writing and minored in History. She lives in Brooklyn, New College admission essay importance and works as a freelance writer specializing in education.
She dreams of having a dog. Other articles by Laura. What is Greek Life in College? Is it Right for You? May 29, college admission essay importance, 4 min read Applying to CollegeClubs and Organizations.
The 10 Best Colleges in New York. May 28, 4 min read College ListsSchool Rankings. List of College Majors: Which Is Right For You? May 28, 5 min read Choosing ClassesMajors and Minors. Related CollegeVine Blog Posts.
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Writing a strong college admissions essay
, time: 2:21How Important is the College Essay?
Feb 04, · College Admission Essays are More Important than Ever. If they wanted to, the best universities could simply rank students according to their test scores and achievements and send acceptance letters to those who had the highest qualifications. However, universities do not actually do Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins An essay’s importance in the admissions process depends on the student and the college to which he/she is applying. If the student is considered a “borderline” applicant, for example, the quality of his/her college essay may decide whether he/she ultimately receives an acceptance blogger.comted Reading Time: 9 mins College admission essays are important for two reasons: (1) to answer the question of whether the potential student is literate and articulate, and (2) does the student know why they want to go to the school they are applying to. Most admissions committees do several passes through the applications
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