Weekly Column Tag: college essays
Tag: college essays
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School hasn’t even started, and the college application hubbub is already in full swing. If you missed it, the Common Application (the most popular online application students use to apply to lots of schools at once) went online August 1st,, and sure enough, a student in Texas applied sent in his application to NYU 3 hours later, so he could be the first one to file an application with NYU. The question is, why? NYU has a regular application deadline of January 1, 2011—that’s five months from now. That student’s application will not be read, or acted on any sooner just because it’s in—and for those of you who think NYU will give this student some kind of plus for being first, there’s no guarantee that will occur. Sure, the student caught some press—but would that really balance out a weakness in the transcript, or an essay that needed one more close look before Submit was hit? That last point deserves some consideration. How much of the college application process encourages students to “hurry up and get it over with”, and how much asks them to reflect on themselves, their choices, and what they’ve done in high school? Tests sure don’t do that anymore; the SAT and ACT once did an OK job of reflecting what students had actually learned or could learn, but with every student taking test prep who can afford it, the tests are one more gimmick. Ditto for the essays. Between well-meaning moms whose editing of their child’s work can be seen by the way all of the Is are dotted with hearts, and essay “tutors” who want to “guide” the student to a stronger essay, how many students actually sit and think about their lives before they respond? Better yet, how many get up from a blank computer screen and spend the next day thinking about the question, then attack it with fresh gusto the next day? In too many cases, this is one more item to cross off the IPad to-do list before soccer practice. This point was raised this spring, when Common Application announced they were going to make their application available August 1, instead of July 1. Some counselors threw a fit, saying August was too busy with sports practice for students to focus on their essays. Other counselors wanted to “let the kids be kids” in July, thinking most of the Class of 2011 would spend the seventh month under the shade of a weeping willow, looking blankly at the clouds and thinking deep thoughts while they dared to eat a peach. (Truth be told, I was on that side of the argument, unrealistic as it was.) Which side is right? Actually, neither, and both. There are some students who need big chunks of time away from anything having to do with school, and others who catch their breath in spurts. They both rest, reflect, revive, and then jump back in with great gusto, and really make the college application process a learning experience.. The only time things fall apart in the college selection process is when students—usually guided by well-meaning adults—decide they need to be something they aren’t, and that’s definitely true with applying to college. Check the deadlines of the colleges you love, then figure out the best way to get the work done on time without forgetting who you are and the life you live. That wisdom will show in every essay you write, whether it’s in application Number One or Number Eight Thousand Twelve—and it won’t matter either way.
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Another group of admission representatives from highly selective colleges were in my hometown last week to talk with students and parents about their schools. They also had a breakfast meeting with counselors, and their responses to questions about the application process have a little something for every member of a college-bound family: Supplemental essays are the game-changers. We’ve talked before about the Common Application, where students fill out their name and class schedule just once, saving time and avoiding repetition. Hundreds of colleges welcome Common App, but almost every college asks you to submit an extra essay or two (or three) you’re supposed to write just for them… …and it seems this is where things begin to go badly in a hurry. Many students are putting very little thought into these essays, which can include questions like “What makes our college different from the other colleges you’re applying to?” Since the essays are much more important than your address (they assume you’ve got that answer down), you really want to make these answers count. So don’t spend 30 seconds on the college Web site and answer “Your mascot is a marsupial, and the other colleges have mammals.” You have to take the time to think about why this college is special to you; when essay time comes, come back and find out how this is done. Talking to your BFFs? I think not. The reps were also dismayed at the very revealing content of many of the essays. As a group, these admissions officers were young, so they know all about Tweeting, IMing, and News Feeding—but they also know a college essay isn’t the place to talk about what you did in the high school parking lot after homecoming, har har har. Yes, you are indeed supposed to use your own voice and be yourself in a college essay,-- but use that voice to share your vision of solving a world problem, or a life lesson you learned that isn’t R rated. Be you, but be your best you—and that’s “you”, not “u”. LOL. Write with a brainy heart, not a hearty brain. The reps also had a word for students who think they can smooth talk their way into a college by getting “help’ with their essays, or buying them online: “Sorry.” It’s one thing to have someone proofread your essays, or to ask an English teacher to tell you if the essay sounds like you. Downloading a “winning essay” and retro-fitting it, or getting someone else to give your essay a boost creates an admissions file that’s inconsistent, immoral, and just too slick for a high school student. So write your own stuff, and share your thoughts and feelings with a reasonable amount of restraint. How will they know the difference? As one rep said, “We’re savvy, too.” “Let the kids drive.” This is the advice one rep gave to parents about the admissions process, and it’s perfect. A student admitted to a highly selective college will have to have a strong set of skills to make it through the next four years. The college application process test drives these skills—time management, written and oral communication, research, stress management—and just like driver’s ed, Mom and Dad can’t take the wheel, or the student could crash once they’re really on their own. Applying to college may be a new experience for a student, but the only way they get better at those skills is with a lot of practice and a little parental help, not the other way around.
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I’m pretty sure Abraham Lincoln didn’t decide to put Thanksgiving in November just because high school seniors could use the break—then again, since Lincoln never went to college, maybe he did! It would be easy enough to talk about how this is Wall time, when the last 100 words of the big essay won’t come, or the homework due in your 15 AP courses doesn’t give you the time to work on essays anyway, or you’re bracing yourself for your Aunt Esther’s response on Thursday when she finds out you’re applying to art school—or your mom’s boss has decided to take another week or two to decide if another round of layoffs is in order. It is indeed Wall time, and that’s really saying something, since the entire country is in a Wall year. Having said that—and remember, I live in Michigan the state that is the poster child of this Wall year—it could be worse: •We started this school year with the expectation that more colleges would have less money for financial aid. Early reports indicate the opposite is true—I don’t know where they’re printing this cash, but every college I’ve spoken to has said their coffers are full. •The same was true about need conscious admissions—the expectation was more colleges would consider a student’s ability to pay as part of the admissions process. Many colleges still do this, but the number is actually down from last year. •Detroit Public Schools started the school year with the news they were laying off almost all school counselors, leaving most high schools with one counselor for 1000 students, or no counselor at all. Two weeks ago, the layoff was rescinded; counselors are all back to work, and Detroit is actually hiring school counselors for the rest of this year. •Michigan’s Promise Scholarship, a $4000 incentive to do well on a state-required proficiency exam, was cut last month, leaving thousands of college students with unexpected debt and some tough decisions. Public push-back on the issue is leading the legislature to reconsider their position—for more on this and how you can help, go to the home page at www.collegeisyours.com Of course, not everyone lives in Detroit, and many colleges don’t have as much money for aid—but if there are ideas to hold on to in Michigan, surely there are opportunities for you to consider as you build your plans. This isn’t to say the bad will simply vanish by looking at the good, but given how the year has gone, looking at the good isn’t all that bad of a plan… …and I hope your future plans include some time for rest and reflection. Another big college deadline looms next Tuesday, and I imagine many of you will be up with the chickens—or turkeys, I suppose—to crank out the rest of those early applications. Do what you need to do, but remember this is your last Thanksgiving in high school. While many of you will tromp over the river and through the dorm to get home next year, Thanksgiving can be different on the college end; so take a good look around before you jump on that essay, and if your cousin wants to see if you’ve got game with Left 4 Dead 2, let the essay wait a while, and revel in the thrill of taking out some zombies… …and no, I’m not talking about Uncle Bob.
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The real challenge for a college counselor is helping students whose first sense of application panic comes on a fall Saturday morning, when they bring a pen or laptop to the breakfast table, throw a last handful of Cocoa Doodles in their mouth, decide it’s time to take on that first application—and they freeze on the line that says “Name.” In other words, they are coming out of the “College is Crazy” hype, and thinking about what they really want out of college for the first time in a long time, or for the first time ever. I’m sorry I can’t be at the breakfast table when there’s nowhere to run to—if I could be there, I would tell them to go to their room. The good news is the colleges that are right for you will feel just like home. It may be in the dorm rooms, it may be at the library (hey, it happens), it may be the whole campus—but somewhere at those colleges, there is a spot waiting for you to reflect on the challenges of life, wonder about the possible, and text your BFFs til dawn. Once you think about college as your next home, completing the applications will be as easy as taking the written exam for your driver’s license, because both are just the paperwork that leads to a greater sense of freedom. In the end, going to college isn’t about leaving home—it’s about taking home with you. The second thing I would do is replace students’ earbuds with soundproof headphones. Some students hit the brakes because of outside opinions about their college choices. The application to a college a student loves often heads to the shredder when a well meaning neighbor asks “Where is that college?”, or Uncle Bob reports the college is nowhere to be found in the recently published rankings. If it turns out no other student at the local high school is applying to this college, this can become a trifecta for trauma. When this happens, I encourage students to make the mature choice and be selfish. By fall, college-bound students know who they are and what they want in a college—with all the research they’ve done and the campuses they’ve visited, if college selection were a term paper, they’d have about 25 sources to quote and 3000 file cards to synthesize by now. Knowing what you know about college and yourself, it’s important to keep the well-meaning insights of others in perspective—some may know you, some may know colleges, but very few (except your parents) will know both as well as you do. Everyone on your first grade soccer team got a trophy for participating, and choosing colleges works the same way—with self knowledge and college knowledge, everyone gets a best college, even if what’s best for you is different than what’s best for everyone else. So pick up the pen, and pass the Cocoa Doodles. You can do this.
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I’ve had the chance to ask college reps what they are looking for in terms of student essays. While some of these ideas aren’t new, they’re still important: It’s a personal statement, not a book report It’s often said a good personal statement will tell the college a story. That’s true—you don’t want to write an essay where you say “I love History” when you can tell them an example of when you knew History was your thing— it’s much better to show them than to tell them. The key is telling the story and include your thoughts and feelings, not just a narrative of what happened—colleges want to know the what, but they want to know about you as you went through this experience as well. So yes, by all means tell a story, but be sure to tell them your view on the story—let them see the experience through your eyes, mind, and heart. Write what you want to say, not what you think they want you to say This is still the essay that makes reps either want to jump out of windows or change to upsizing fries for a living. While books like “100 Winning Essays” mean well, they really don’t help all that much, because they seem to suggest a) the student got in because of the essay (and you never know that) and b) you can get in writing something just like one of these essays. Neither is true—they want to hear about you, as written by you. A good test of this is to read your final draft out loud. If it sounds like a thank you note to Aunt Martha for the new socks she gave you, or that sing-songy voice too many people use when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with no thought or feeling, it’s not your final draft. This is where being buddies with an English teacher is a boost—they will not only point out grammar issues, but they’ll honestly say if this sounds like you or not. Don’t overlook the small questions The second essay answer that makes reps howl at the moon is the response to the questions they ask about their school, known as the “Why Us?” question. Here, colleges want to know what it is specifically about that school that interests you—so even if it’s a small liberal arts college with a study abroad program, using that for your “Why Us” answer doesn’t work, because there are three dozen other colleges that fit that description.
Visit the college Web site, and find out what you value about that college. Try and describe that in an adjective or two, and center your “Why Us” answer on those qualities. Mentioning a specific program or activity only available at that college is fair game, and talking about why you see their college as different from other colleges can work, too, as long as you don’t mention the other college by name. When you’re done, read your answer; if you can use that answer for any other college you’re applying to, look deeper, and try again—this tiny answer can make a big difference. The same is true for any other short answer question—detail and insight. If they ask “How did you hear about us?” try something like “You were recommended by my high school counselor, and when I visited campus, I knew he was right. You offer a simulation room with live downloads from Wall Street, and your lacrosse team is the right mix of competition and cooperation for me.” Boom.
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