How To Write A College Essay

How To Write A College Essay when admissions season started, it is not easy to read hundreds of essay during a short period of time. in the mean time, between 5-10 min is actually reasonable for a good read. there are different stages for the admissions process. At a smaller school, it is more likely that the admissions officers will have the time to look at each essay, whereas at huge universities it would seem less likely. In terms of how many officers read each essay, that also varies from school to school. Some read regionally which means that one officer reads all the applications from all the high schools in a certain geographic region. But a general guideline for the paragraphs in your college essays is that they should be about 1/3 to 1/2 of a page. Any longer, and chances are good that you have more than one main idea. In which case, you need to find the other secondary main ideas and give them their own paragraphs. Many students get excellent grades and test scores but may lack great writing skills as well as compelling ways to tell their story. Your essay is your calling card, and it’s the most important part of the application in many ways, once you’ve been screened by test scores as someone who might receive an acceptance. Often they are read in committee where several officers might look at one essay. If you want to know how you will be assessed at any given school, you should feel free to ask the admissions office. Based on my experience, we read every essay at the institutions were I served. Because that is the only way students have to “tell their story.” The essay reveals a great deal about you as a student. It may show what is important to you, how you react to events in life, how you solve problems, how you relate to others, and it might reveal something about your personality. In addition, it gives the admission office a great writing sample. That’s why you should spend a fair amount of time getting the essay right. It’s your only chance to both tell people about yourself in the application, and to show admissions officers how you express yourself in written language. normally essay does not read more than one person unless the vote must proceed and admission counselors decided to work hard for the students they like the most. Usually one to two admissions officers read an essay. Some colleges will choose only to look at your GPA, Course Rigor and SAT/ACT scores. If you GPA and Test Scores are high enough, they may not feel that and essay is necessary. This is a tough question to answer as there is no way to know for sure. But in addition to curriculum and grades, colleges also look at students’ scores on the SAT or ACT. While high scores on these exams do not compensate for low grades, colleges do value solid scores on the SAT or ACT, and like to see that they are consistent with high school grades. Typically, applications received two reads and a third if the decisions were split. The number of reads and the process for reviewing application essays vary from college to college. Among the top 250, I know my colleagues review essays because some are moved to “check” authenticity or to contact the school source to verify veracity of the context as provided by the student. Overall, college admissions typically value students with a difficult course load and grades that represent strong efforts and upward trending scores. It's one of the most commonly asked questions by high school students interested in attending a reputable college. But because students often have little understanding of what colleges look for in applicants, much of the stress as a college-bound high school student surrounds the admissions process. Your students’ college essay is their opportunity to reveal their best qualities and to show an admission committee what makes them stand out from other applicants. Work with your students to help them with this important piece of their application. Capitalize on the opportunity, and don’t fear it. It is not looked at as heavy as GPA, Course Rigor or test scores, but for some colleges it is looked at. It may be the differentiating factor between two students.