Neither of those assumptions will help you get admitted. Admissions officers are, by and large, young people just out of college doing this for a few years while we figure out what else we want to do in our lives. Is every college essay read? It is my experience that everything that you send to a school is read. If you send more than the one supplemental essay suggested, there’s no guarantee they’ll read them–unless they don’t think they have enough to go on. Short Answer: Here are their answers. If you GPA and Test Scores are high enough, they may not feel that and essay is necessary. Who are the admissions officers? I do know that some schools have a group of readers, each receiving one set of essays, with each individual essay being read by just one person. I always tell students that they should be writing and essay that is to be published in the New York Times. At that point, the admissions officers may be searching for more information about you, such as explanations of grade anomalies. Other types of optional essays “The why this college?” prompt is just one of a multitude of optional essay variations inhabiting the oft-overlooked bowels (another good 5th grade Mad Libs word) of the college … Period. 1. This is an offer for educational opportunities that may lead to employment and not an offer for nor a guarantee of employment. Every essay is read. It really depends on the college. One reader admits are very rare. Home 150 Great Articles & Essays Best of 2019 100 Great Books By Subject By Author. Some places just crunch numbers and will likely not even read the essay–and will probably make it an optional piece of the process, as a result–while others give it a much greater role in their considerations, with multiple readers weighing in. It depends on the priorities of the school. Depending on the school, your essay might be read by one to three people. In this instance, the essay would be read by several people. There is not one way that all colleges work, so I always tell students to assume everyone in the admissions office could their essays so that they cannot write anything that anyone and everyone cannot read. At almost all selective colleges however, every college essay will be read by multiple people. by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site. You should also make sure your essay fits within the word count constraints. 4. International students should expect that their essays and their SAT writing portion will be read. It isn’t that these essays aren’t valuable – they are and they give admission counselors the same useful insight that great essays do (especially in terms of the student who shows a lot of raw talent but who also needs some polishing – like, for example, at that admission officer’s college), but they just aren’t as entrancing as great essays. But, yes, counselors read essays, … These schools may give applications up to three reads. Still, don’t waste the opportunity to put another dimension on your application file. Essays give admission officers real insight into the applicant. Other schools might be so overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications that they make their admit decisions based strictly on statistical requirements. It's all about building a collaborate, balanced school, not just your skills. Some colleges will choose only to look at your GPA, Course Rigor and SAT/ACT scores. It’s perfectly acceptable to call the school you’re interested in and ask them! It is my understanding that if essays are required by an institution, they are actually read. So what does this mean for you? This is only slightly behind the 30% for extracurriculars. The number of reviewers reading the essays vary from school to school. This is a college essay that worked for Duke University. With increased competition for admission, the essay has become an important factor in consideration of your admissibility to a school. In other words, if you write a generic essay to send to all your college search choices, and it is clear to the admissions officer reading your essay that you have not paid attention to what they wanted to see in the essay (subject, length, structure, etc. But, typically, they can be boiled down into four categories: the “who are you?” essay, the “personal growth” essay,the “what inspires you?” essay, and the “why this school?” essay. There are many different kinds of schools, however, so it would be impossible to know how each of them handles the essays which are submitted. How many people evaluate each application? If a student’s essay isn’t great OR good, the admission officer will probably just skim past the essay and move right on to your transcript and your test scores to evaluate your candidacy for admission. An essay is an important part of sharing who you are with a school. These tend to be smaller liberal arts schools or small selective programs within a larger university. How many officers read the college essay varies. Some colleges have a team of people read each file. If I were an applicant, I would consider the essay(s) very seriously, making every effort to create an interesting and well-formulated document, with the assumption that the essay would be read and considered by each institution to which I applied. Neither of those assumptions will help you get admitted. If they are trying to decide which of 7 or 8 quaiifed applicants to select, then every piece of the application is that much more important and the essays–products of the applicant’s own (hopefully ) work can be particularly enlightening. A poorly executed essay can cause a stellar student to get rejected. Do your best and assume that it WILL be read and that it WILL have a bearing on your admission chances. 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. I hope this is the case! Even colleges who say their essay is “optional,” you shoulod definitely write one. 3. Throughout the application process, you will likely come across many different essay questions. Program outcomes vary according to each institution’s specific program curriculum. Reading sample college essays gives you great ideas and helps to illustrate what is expected from a good college essay. If you are not a clear admit (based on the school’s admission criteria) there is a chance your application materials will be reviewed by other members of the admission committee. For students in year 12 it is probably the hardest thing they’ve had to sell: themselves. It is my understanding that if essays are required by an institution, they are actually read. The major reason for an institution to not request an essay is that essay-reading slows down the application review process. If a school uses an admissions committee the number could jump to three or more. Many large schools don’t require essays at all because they don’t have the personnel resources to process the huge number of admission essays which would be submitted. Do colleges actually read essays. They want to get to know your background, interests, goals, triumphs, failures, likes, and aversions in your own voice. I did this for 2 years, or 4 semesters, for a total of 3000 essays. November 25, 2013. 2. By providing information or agreeing to be contacted by a Sponsored School, you are in no way obligated to apply to or enroll with the school. Randi Heathman, Independent Educational Consultant, The Equestrian College Advisor LLC. The best short articles and essays, long reads and journalism to read online - examples of interesting nonfiction writing by famous authors. Every admission office is different – and most times, your essay will have the opportunity to be read by at least two – and sometimes three or four! 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. As you might already have guessed, some colleges (large public universities) might not have the staff to read all of the essays. Disclosure: EducationDynamics receive compensation for the featured schools on our websites (see “Sponsored Schools” or “Sponsored Listings” or “Sponsored Results”). Admission counselors can’t help themselves. In terms of how many officers read each essay, that also varies from school to school. "Before … 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. Admissions officers tell us they read every essay. He had what he thought was a great essay topic about how he had saved someone's life. They wrote an essay every two weeks for a semester, for a total of 2250 essays in a semester. A bad essay will prompt an admission officer to assume one of two things: 1) either you don’t care enough about your future at their school to take the time to write a good essay or 2) you aren’t academically up to attending their college or university. I’m going to be honest here: I didn’t read every essay that came across my desk when I was an admission counselor. Anything you can do to demonstrate knowledge of each prospective school and genuine interest will help your admissions cause. Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CA and NV residents). In any case, what YOU can control is how well your essay describes who you are and gives the admissions person a chance to see things in you that will be an asset to the school. It really depends on the schools to which you are applying. Our smart, simple industry leading software constantly evolves to exceed your customer delivery demands by integrating multi … We are underpaid liberal arts majors. I do know that some schools have a group of readers, each receiving one set of essays, with each individual essay being read by just one person. DO show your knowledge of the college. Do colleges really read all your essays? A lot of it depends upon the selectivity of the school. In smaller to mid size colleges they are certainly read, at least by two readers, and all Honors College essays are read. However, to be on the safe side, work diligently and thoughtfully on your essay no matter what kinds of schools are on your list! Many institutions are moving toward automatic “review” of applications. No one knows the real answer to that question. (And I would now like to apologize to those students I skimmed over.) The role of the essay varies greatly from school to school. Now, if the machine says you are “out,” the admissions staff will begin to look more closely at the eliminated applications and admit/deny these students until the admissions department reaches its enrollment goals. If a student is on the fence, not an early admit or deny, essays will probably be read multiple times by multiple people while an applicant is being discussed. While essays don’t weigh as much as grades or course selection, if you are applying test-optional or to a smaller school, more attention will be given to this section of the application. Others divide them up, and then only share files that require further discussion. As competition for acceptance to top colleges continues to rise, so too does the number of applications sent out by the average college applicant. – people. No freaking way anybody in my office would even recognize that the essay was in binary, let alone translate it back. If you are a heavily recruited athlete with the necessary grades and scores, your essay won’t matter much. Colleges had sheets of typed essays and no easy way to check them. Kimberly Liu April 3, 2020 4 min read College Essays, Essay FAQs Which Top Colleges Don’t Require A Supplemental Essay? This is a tough question to answer as there is no way to know for sure. Three former admissions officers I spoke to told me that, contrary to Steven’s observations, officers read every essay that comes across their desks. Certain colleges, especially the small private institutions, will have faculty and admissions committees read the entire application, including the essay. I hope this is the case! Schools which require essays, however, use the essay input to form a more complete picture of the applicant, over and above the numbers, grades, lists, and so on, which are entered onto the application form. If you would not want to see the work you are submitting published there in such a public way, then it is probably not in an acceptable form to submit for your application. of application files (digital or otherwise) and students are clamoring for admission, the best gift they can receive is that of a tremendous essay – so give them a great reason to tune in and read it all the way through! 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. I hope this is the case! In this instance, the essay would be read by several people. For example, Stanford reads entire application of every applicant while University of California filters any application that is below the minimum GPA. (Note: Learn about how … It is my understanding that if essays are required by an institution, they are actually read. How Important is the College Essay? 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