It’s college essay time again and I am flooded with students who are applying to schools with a November 30th deadline. We are scrambling to beat the clock for the University of California schools, mainly, but also early admission requirements to other colleges around the country, such as University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Tulane, Sarah Lawrence, Colorado College, and Claremont McKenna. Later, after Thanksgiving, we’ll start working on schools with a January 15th deadline. But that, at least, is then, not now.
Tension runs high with these college essays. A strong essay can make the difference in an acceptance and a rejection for a student right on the line and all of my students know this. So, we work hard to come up with deeper and more thought-provoking answers to the questions that are standard on these applications. What is an accomplishment, personal experience or personal quality you’re most proud of? Describe the world you’ve come from and how it’s shaped you into the person you are today. Why do you want to come to this particular school? Be specific. We often spend as much time coming up with a unique answer to these questions as we do on the writing. And then there’s the editing, of course, to get down to that magic number: 500 words. I must say, the essays this year are good ones – well thought-out and beautifully written.
I have a good track record with my college essay students. Almost all get into their schools of choice; some even get into stretch schools they only dreamed of attending. So far, I’ve had students make it into NYU, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Boston College, Boston University, University of Colorado, University of Michigan, University of Arizona, USC, and University of California at Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and Riverside. Also, a few graduate schools I’m proud of in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and law. Hopefully, we’ll be adding social work to the list since my daughter Rachael will be applying to those programs for a Master’s degree in just a month or so.
I am happy to have these college essay students in my life. They enrich my experience in very real ways. Just a few minutes ago, I received a text from one. It read: “The parents loved the essay. Thanks for everything again!”
Ah, that’s one of the best reasons I do this work – that connection to these sweet students. Not to mention I get to see them head off to fulfill their dreams. The satisfaction that comes with that is immeasurable.
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