A college essay isn’t just an abstract writing assignment. It’s a piece of writing that you undertake for a very specific purpose: to give college admissions officers the evidence they need in order to admit you to their school. In order to write the most compelling essay that you can, it is crucial to ask: what do college admissions look for in an essay? And what are they not looking for?
In order to tackle these very important questions, it will help to first understand why college admissions look for an essay in the first place!
What do college admissions look for in an essay?
Four things: growth, critical thinking, engagement, and self-direction. But first, why is the essay required?
Why do college admissions require an essay?
The truth is, essays aren’t important for all colleges. Even if the college uses the Common Application, colleges may make the essay optional, or they may not give you space for an essay at all. Those colleges will be looking more seriously at other factors, such as your transcript and GPA.
However, many colleges ask for an essay because they are trying to create a diverse, interesting, intelligent college class full of students who are – well – diverse, interesting, and intelligent. Colleges want to understand what it is that you would be bringing to the campus community if you were accepted. They already know about your academic achievements, since they have your transcript, academic awards/honors, and test scores (if they are required and if you choose to submit them). They know the bare bones of your community involvement, since you have to list your extracurricular activities. Admissions officers also have some idea of the role you play in the classroom and school community, thanks to your letters of recommendation.
But what’s missing from all of that is, well, you. Your voice, your values, your perspective. Your college essay is your opportunity to advertise to colleges, in your own words, what qualities, values, and perspectives you would be bringing with you to college. What niche will you fill in the campus community? What role will you play?
Your personal essay is only 650 words, so you don’t have room to tell your whole life story or try to hit upon every possible attribute that you would bring to a college. As you look through this list of what college admissions look for in an essay, consider which of these points you would best be able to showcase or you feel most proud of in yourself.
The best essays show growth
Many people think that, since this is an application, it is important to only show their strengths and to hide any weaknesses they may have or mistakes they may have made. That is not a good strategy. College admissions look for essays that show that you are capable of reflection and growth. Colleges aren’t looking for people who are perfect, and they certainly aren’t looking for people who stubbornly think they are perfect. Colleges are looking for students who can grapple with challenging new ideas. They are looking for people who are aware and humble when they make mistakes and are not afraid to take ownership of those mistakes and learn from them. If you are afraid to be vulnerable on the page, it will be quite difficult to show that awareness, humility, bravery, and growth.
Don’t be afraid to be critical!
College is school, after all. Colleges are looking for people who will engage with challenging ideas and offer new perspectives, both in the classroom and outside of it. One way to show that you have an analytical mind is by offering some sort of critique of society. Instead of just writing a story about how you ran for prom king, for example, try weaving that story together with a critique of the very notion of prom and prom royalty.
Your essay will be even stronger if you can tie your story and critique back to some sort of book/article you’ve read, podcast you’ve heard, or show you’ve seen. Remember: the ultimate goal of education is to train your brain to think critically about the world around you. You can show that you have the potential to be a strong critical thinker by applying your analytical skills to your own life, your own values, and your own experiences, in order to draw interesting (but perhaps imperfect—see point above) conclusions from those experiences.
Use your essay to show engagement with your community
Colleges want scholars, yes, but they are also trying to cultivate a thriving community. Every community needs people of different sorts who bring diverse skills, abilities, perspectives, and backgrounds to the party. Communities need contributors: people who will jump in to solve problems, to expand opportunity, and to generally be helpful citizens. Education is about training you to be a change-maker in the context of some sort of broader community. Your essay is an opportunity to demonstrate what kind community member and citizen you are and will continue to be on campus and in the world. If you are someone who genuinely values being engaged with your community, whether that community consists of your classmates, your neighbors, your teammates, or another sort of group all together, use your essay to explore that side of yourself.
What college admissions look for in an essay is self-direction
There is certainly nothing wrong with showing up to school, work, practice, or a volunteer position and following the instructions given to you in order to achieve some sort of goal. People tell you want to do, and you do it. A teacher gives you an assignment, and you complete it to the best of your ability. You learn the rules, and you follow them.
However, as you shift from high school to college, your notion of success will (hopefully!) begin to shift as well. Instead of receiving some sort of external reward for faithfully following directions, you should begin to craft your own vision and plan for what you want to achieve and how you’ll know when you’ve been successful and work toward achieving it on your own terms.
Colleges want to see applicants who are emotionally and cognitively ready to make this transition. One way you can demonstrate that readiness is by relating a story of an endeavor you undertook that was self-directed. It can be informal. Maybe you realized one day that you haven’t interacted with many people from other cultures so you set about looking for meaningful ways to do so. Maybe after reading Pride and Prejudice for class, you realized that Jane Austen novels offer a relevant critique of modern society, so you decided on your own that you were going to read every Jane Austen novel ever written. Maybe you work as volunteer as a tutor and noticed that students weren’t doing their homework because they didn’t have internet access at home, so you created a campaign to get them hotspots. Whatever it may be, writing about some sort of self-motivated project can be a great way to show colleges that you are ready for a more mature educational experience.
What do college admissions look for in an essay? It’s the wrong question
Many students wonder what college admissions look for in an essay. The better question to ask is what do college admissions look for in an applicant. Colleges want students who will be successful on their campus both academically and socially. They want students who are hungry to learn and who will bring a unique perspective to the institution, students who will care about their classmates and invest their time, energy, and emotions into making the campus community stronger. If your college essay can show that you are that type of student, you are off to a very good start.
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