After talking with admissions representatives, and reading more than my fair share on the topic, again and again, people say the same thing about what makes an effective college essay. It is not the amazing service trip to Guatamala, or the zip-line through the jungle of Costa Rica. It is not the star quarterback who learned how to persevere after a season-ending injury, or the student who learned humility serving in a soup kitchen.
In fact, there is no such thing as a unique story. Even if the only essay admissions reps read were those from valedictorians, if every valedictorian applied to their particular school, they would still read over 35,000 essays! With the volume of essays, there is simply no way for someone to find a unique story to tell. They have all been told in some form before. And they will be told again.
So what makes a good essay, if what I am saying is that the topic does not matter? It is an essay with a lesson learned, often using a small moment in time, in your child's unique voice, and it is a story that only they can tell.
This last part is essential. I have read many essays by seniors with well-meaning parents who hire tutors and coaches to write the essay for the student. It is abundantly clear as a teacher who knows the student when someone else has done the writing for them. And while an admissions officer does not know the student, what comes across in these professional essays is a lack of authenticity, a lack of sincerity. They feel fake. They may be beautifully written with glorious prose, but if it does not convey the voice, the heart and the soul of your student, it will fall flat.
Better to find someone who can work with your student to flesh out his or her authentic story, even if it is harder for your student, because their writing is the only opportunity they have to show the admissions office just who they are, what they think and what. they care about.
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