Topic: | College Applications: It’s All About the Essay |
Posted_By:
seed 2012-12-25 17:46:10 MST |
Exit interviews are tools implemented by sports teams to guide players’ off-season development. Conducted by coaches and other members of management, these meetings are meant to provide direction so that players return the next season better equipped to excel on the field or court. Many counselors complete these same types of exchanges with students as they head out the door for summer vacation. Admonishing rising seniors not to lose these precious months, we counsel them to: continue the important research they’ve begun so they can return to school with a thoughtful list of colleges; engage in meaningful activities like an internship or volunteer experience; and begin the personal statement. The dreaded college essay is the single most important element of the application still in the student’s control. Think about it. Despite the notion that an applicant’s transcript (coupled with curriculum rigor) is the most influential variable in the admissions equation—driven home by every information session you will ever attend—by the time the summer heading into senior year rolls around, six semesters worth of grades have been earned. One’s grade point average is essentially set. Sure, Brandon could get off to a hot start in twelfth grade, but if he possesses a 3.0 GPA heading into the year, even straight A’s in the seventh semester will only boost his GPA to 3.14, hardly a blip for the über-competitive colleges. Students intuitively know that the essay is critically important; thus, the ubiquitous fear. However, the real reason why students hate the personal statement is because college admission offices are asking them to do something they have been conditioned against their entire lives: focus the spotlight squarely on themselves. Tomes have been written on creating the winning essay, but it all boils down to immodesty. Sure, it should be thoughtful, spirited, maybe even funny, but in the end it’s about talking about self. And while in the natural world there is something instinctive about looking out for oneself, in the complicated social contract into which we all enter, the idea of considering one’s own needs to the exclusion of all others is, well, weird. Driving down the highway last week I saw a sports car zipping through traffic with the vanity plate: I RULE. Chuckling at the idea that the driver was maneuvering like his license plate was a code of conduct rather than an expression, my next thought was this guy must have written a terrific college essay. He understands that in a competitive world where only a handful of people are admitted to the most selective colleges, the ability to creatively engage the reader in a manner that illustrates a keen understanding of who you are and your place in this world is a distinct advantage. Check back for tips on constructing a great essay that assists the writer in highlighting her strengths. In the meantime students, as you venture into the summer sun, remember that YOU RULE! |
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