Is Every College Essay Read? How Many Admissions Officers Read Them?

Is Every College Essay Read? How Many Admissions Officers Read Them? Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through. Most selective colleges require you to submit an essay or personal statement as part of your application. If you ask a teacher or parent to proofread your essay, they will be able not only to catch mistakes, but also to check if the writing sounds like you. The format of a 500-word scholarship essay is similar to a shorter essay. Each paragraph is about words, and it consists of 3-5 well-written sentences. After reading so many examples and following all those instructions, it’s hard to tell if what you just wrote is a statement of who you really are or not. Enlist the help of others to make sure that your essay is immaculate. If you are writing a story or personal anecdote, the formatting can be more like a novel than a news article. Yes, every college essay is read if the college has asked for it . The number of readers depends on the college’s review process. It will be anywhere from one reader to four readers. Make sure that your teachers and colleagues understand the role of the essay in college applications. According to the College Board report Admissions Decision-Making Models, admission officers have expressed concern about how much assistance students receive in preparing an essay. You have a unique background, interests and personality. The best way to tell your story is to write a personal, thoughtful essay about something that has meaning for you. Many institutions now ask applicants to sign a statement avowing that the essay submitted is their own work. Warn students not to write about high-minded topics or exotic locales simply to impress the reader. College admission officers look to the essay for evidence that a student can write well and support ideas with logical arguments. They also want to know something about the personality of the student. Some essays work well chronologically, where the events are presented in the same sequence that they happened in time. Yet, it is still short enough that it does not need footnotes and cited resources, usually. 500-word essays do not have to be exactly 500 words, but they should be as close as possible. Argumentative essays are often emphatic, where the least important points are presented first and build up to the most important. Connect with our featured colleges to find schools that both match your interests and are looking for students like you. How well do you understand the college admissions process? What you write in your application essay or personal statement should not contradict any other part of your applicationâ€"nor should it repeat it. This isn't the place to list your awards or discuss your grades or test scores. A student who can make an admissions officer laugh never gets lost in the shuffle. What you think is funny and what an adult working in a college thinks is funny are probably different. We caution against one-liners, limericks and anything offâ€"color. The essay prompt may say “in under 500 words” or “in at least 500 words,” which would state whether 500 is the minimum or maximum word count. If that information is not specified, write as much as you need to comprehensively address the prompt without frivolous content.