You Have The Complete Attention Of The Entire Admissions Board. What Will You Share With Them That Will Set Your Application Apart?
Deans of colleges have to review hundreds (or thousands) of applications each season prior to application deadlines. Every applicant submits test scores, grade point averages, and letters of recommendation.
Your personal essay is likely the only time that the admissions board gets to meet you and hear from you directly. Through your essay you get to present yourself to be judged and scruitinized.
Your Application Essay Is Your Best Opportunity To Show How You Think, And How You Will Contribute To The Their Incoming Class
If you approach your personal statement to impress them, you’re going to be in trouble. The key is not to impress, but to speak with an authentic voice that shows how you will contribute to their incoming class.
When they accept you to their incoming class they are making a significant commitment. You will bear their name for the remainder of your life. You will participate in their classrooms, their networking events, and their alumni for decades.
Their responsibility is to gauge your contribution and assess the likelihood of your short and long-term impact on the good name of their school. Whether you are applying for college, law school, medical school, social sciences – you will represent them for better or worse long after you walk off the graduation stage.
Your personal essay provides the best opportunity they have to measure your impact. If you present yourself as a flawless candidate with a recitation of your recume and accolades, they aren’t really getting to know your thought process. You are delivering the same generic presentation that they are likely to encounter with all of the other essays they have to read.
The fundamental flaw in so many application essays is that they are built on layers of assumptions and posturing. Deep under those layers exists an authentic self that is missing from the storyline. Instead of allowing quiet moments of introspection, you’ll be tempted to write something funny, something impressive, something unique – anything that you think will achieve the desired outcome. We work to recognize those false portrayals and identify your authentic self.
As you write your application essay, remember to:
- Avoid creating a long-form resume. It misses the purpose of the essay.
- Focus on experiences and ideas you are interested in, rather than accomplishments.
- Allow yourself time to write freely without editing your grammar and punctuation.