A big myth about college applications: if your grades are poor, your SATs below average, and your list of extracurriculars nonexistent, you can still knock it out of the park with a stellar college essay.
Hmmm....
False! It’s been said that a great college essay will heal the sick but won’t raise the dead. Ultimately, admissions officers are looking for students who’ve already proven they can be citizens of a larger intellectual and social community—students who have proven through grades, test scores, and recommendations that they can not only handle college but can also thrive there. So coming up with a last-minute mind-blowing essay to right the rest of your academic wrongs isn’t realistic.
That said, college essays are an increasingly crucial part of the admissions process and many times can make the difference between an acceptance or rejection for students who are on the fence.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is to use the essay as a tool to show a different part of you. If your application already includes lists of homeless shelters where you volunteered and a curriculum heavy in math, don’t talk about that one time you taught a homeless person how to add. Talk about something completely different, something that will give admissions officers yet another glimpse of who you are.
And while almost any essay topic can work, any topic can also fail. Many students make the mistake of starting with too broad a focus. By the time you’re into the meat of the story, you’re out of word count. So cut to the chase. Don’t start with “I have always enjoyed science.” Start with “As soon as I cut that frog open I knew I wanted to be a biologist.”
Keep it lively, keep it personal, and, if possible, make them laugh. Admissions officers remember a smart, funny essay the same way we remember a good joke. It makes us want to pass it on and tell it again. That’s the way a good essay should be. And that’s a surefire way to make your essay matter.