Better College Decisions, Admissions Advice & Application Data

Better College Decisions, Admissions Advice & Application Data Put another way, would doing the writing help him at schools where it is “optional” assuming his score is not great but not terrible? Your encouragement, ideas and overall support can go a long way in helping your students write their essays. Many admission officers would view it as a “plus factor.” It’s wonderful that your daughter did so well. Son is sophomore who will be taking the September ACT. He is not a great writer, does not like writing, and does not want to take the writing portion. He likely will score in the range and apply to a variety of schools (a couple top [sub-10% acceptance rate] privates and top publics, as well as some less competitive universities and colleges). Do you think lacking the writing score â€" which likely would be average â€" will hurt him? Having at least one essay score is helpful in case a student decides to apply to a Required college, but it is unlikely to play a role at Optional colleges. My daughter is trying to get in as an out of state student to University of North Carolina and University of Michigan as her top 2 choices. She scored a 33 on ACT with a 6 writing, which she took because Michigan said it was required. She clearly wasn’t prepared for the writing section, so she just took it again and scored a bit lower on her composite but the same on the essay. Then we went to a college fair and spoke to a Michigan Admissions Officer who said Michigan has decided NOT to require writing. Most colleges hire readers during the application season. How many people read each essay varies by institution with two being somewhat standard. As I dug deeper into the history of college, I began to realize that different historical aspects were still present in the current college experience. Many colleges still put a strong emphasis on prestige; in fact, some colleges, such as Ivy League schools, have built their entire business model around the promise of prestige. It’s also on full display at college commencement ceremonies in which students and faculty don elaborate outfits and accessories that signal importance. Keep in mind that every college is different and individual admission officers may be influenced by different factors. With that said, the Essay is dying a quick death. Most schools fall in the “just don’t care” box at this point. Did you separate dialogue correctly from the rest of your text? Check out our article on the most common mistakes in college essays for more tips to ensure your essay reads well. Other schools might be so overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications that they make their admit decisions based strictly on statistical requirements. You can often find out how a file is reviewed by attending an information session at the schools on your college list. Emphasize to students the importance of writing an informed essay. For example, they should not write about a fantasy meeting with a famous artist and get the titles of the artist’s paintings wrong. In my opinion, one of the best ways to write a successful college essay for your college application is by learning from real college essay examples that worked. Yes it would save time, and can save time, but only under certain circumstances. See, many colleges will ask for similar questions or essay prompts to include with your application. If you’ve already written an essay that happens to fit with another college’s similar prompt, then it should take you no time at all to spruce it up and submit it. Many schools have a strong commitment to a holistic review of each application and sometimes have two or three readers for each file. A really good essay can be a strong addition to the application file. As much as I rail against the essay, I still recommend that students take it â€" at least once. Your daughter didn’t waste her time, she created some options. Policies on viewing essay results are all over the place at essay optional schools. She wants to apply to both as Early Action, but doesn’t have time to retake ACT without writing for that deadline. Do you think reporting her 33 ACT with the poor writing score will hurt her at UNC or Michigan, even though they say it is not required, and UNC says it is discouraged? OR should we send her 1450 SAT without a writing score? They are so different that they can’t really be compared. Also, we know that the 25th-75th percentiles scores at the most competitive colleges are 8-10, so your essay score should not be a concern.