Think of your application essay as an audition. The audience is narrow. The only readers who matter are the admissions officers assigned to your application. Each reader will spend just a few minutes on your essay. Those minutes may decide your next four years. Sounds strident? Yes. An exaggeration? No!
The high stakes mean that you need to know the frame into which the admission essay needs to fit. It is not a five-paragraph essay. It is not a resume. To show colleges who you are and how you think, you need to tell a story. The story should reveal your character and your thinking. It must be well-written. By its end, a great application essay leaves readers feeling that you would be a brilliant addition to the next freshman class. It leaves admissions officers eager to say, "Admit!"
The essay framework is not my invention. It comes straight from admissions offices at top colleges. Some of their comments are below. Additional insights can be found on my Blog Page.
The Essay is NOT a Resume
The biggest mistake is simply to rehash your resume. It's lazy and not creative. There's ample amount of real estate on any application for you to talk about your resume-like experiences in other sections.
Shawn Abbott
Dean of Admissions
New York University
If the admissions essay were meant for applicants to list all their awards and qualifications, it would be called a resume. The essay is more of an opportunity for the applicant to share their character, unique passions and interests, and meaningful experiences.
Liz Cheron
Associate Director of Admissions
Northeastern University
The Essay is Important
The essay can be your ticket out of the faceless applicant hordes and into First Choice University.
Harry Bauld
former admissions officer
Brown University
Columbia University
The Essay Tells a Story
Keep it simple. Tell a story.
Jeff Branzel
former Dean of Admissions
Yale University
I long ago figured out that some of the best essays I've ever read are simply stories well told.
Fred A. Hargadon
former Dean of Admissions
Princeton University
The essay provides an opportunity for students to tell colleges about something that is important to them, perhaps something that will not be found in other parts of the application.
William R. Fitzimmons
Dean of Admissions
Harvard College
Just make it the best story you can tell. What we're hoping to find, no matter how well you've done academically, is strength of character, motivation for service to others, and leadership.
Amy Jarich
Director of Admissions
UC Berkeley
Great Writing is Crucial
Your ability to write well is critical to our decision because your writing reflects your thinking. No matter what question is asked on a college application, admissions officers are looking to see how well you convey your ideas and express yourself in writing. It is our window to your world.
Janet Lavic Rapely
Dean of Admission
Princeton University
You'd be hard-pressed to find too many universities that aren't compelled by students who are strong writers, even if they are studying math or science. The ability to tell a story and be a good writer is a skill that most schools revere. A poorly written effort is the quickest way to sink an essay, even if the content is compelling and tugs at heartstrings, or inspires or entertains us. Even if that's the case, if the writing is bad the writing is bad, and probably the fastest way to sink an application.
Shawn Abbott
Dean of Admissions
New York University
In most cases, we care more about how a student writes about a topic than the topic itself. Ideally, we love to see truly fine writing that reflects mature thought, a mastery of the language and mechanics, and a topic that reveals a great deal about the applicant simply because it tells a good story.
Alyssa Sinclair
Assistant Director of Admissions
Middlebury College