Quotes from
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What Is important to admissions officers? |
THE ESSAYS!!
"The truth is that while no essay will make an unqualified student acceptable, a good essay can help a qualified applicant stand out from the competition. A good essay just might be what turns a 'maybe' into a 'yes.'"
-- Martha C. Merrill, Dean of Admissions, Connecticut College, NYT 6/23/09
"The essays give me the best insight into who you are! Essentially, I get to know you through your essays."
-- Beth, University of Illinois Admissions Counselor, http://blog.admissions.illinois.edu, 10/21/11
"Most admissions officers will tell you that the personal statement is their absolute favorite part of the application. It's really a chance for us to get to know who you are, and it's really your major opportunity to speak up for yourself . . . [It is] your chance to say, 'Hello, this is me, and here's what matters to me and here's what I'd like to tell you about myself."
-- Marcia Landesman, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale Admissions website video,
https://admissions.yale.edu/advice-putting-together-your-application#essay
-- Martha C. Merrill, Dean of Admissions, Connecticut College, NYT 6/23/09
"The essays give me the best insight into who you are! Essentially, I get to know you through your essays."
-- Beth, University of Illinois Admissions Counselor, http://blog.admissions.illinois.edu, 10/21/11
"Most admissions officers will tell you that the personal statement is their absolute favorite part of the application. It's really a chance for us to get to know who you are, and it's really your major opportunity to speak up for yourself . . . [It is] your chance to say, 'Hello, this is me, and here's what matters to me and here's what I'd like to tell you about myself."
-- Marcia Landesman, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale Admissions website video,
https://admissions.yale.edu/advice-putting-together-your-application#essay
YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE
"I can tell the difference between the voice of a 40-year-old and a high school senior."
-- Martha C. Merrill, Dean of Admissions, Connecticut College, NYT 6/23/09
"Write naturally. Use your voice to show your personality. Be expressive, but your goal shouldn’t be to dazzle us with your word choice (or command of a thesaurus)."
-- Johns Hopkins University, https://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2014/09/tackling-the-college-essay
"I really like it . . . when a student really tells me who they are, and I hear their voice through the essay.
-- Kim Bryant, Assistant Director of Admissions, University of Michigan, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXkIzN-tmk
"Be genuine and honest in your writing."
-- University of Wisconsin Office of Admissions and Recruitment, https://www.admissions.wisc.edu/apply/tips.php
Our admissions officers are looking for something that is authentic and imperfect, and somebody who is thinking differently."
-- Amy Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania, quoted in Time Magazine, 4/18/16
"More than anything, I want to encourage students to write from the heart. Use the words that come naturally to you--avoid the thesaurus. Some of the worst college essays I’ve read were actually written quite well in terms of grammar, sentence structure, and organization, but the student’s unique voice had been lost through editing feedback from a well-intentioned adult. There is no voice more charming to an admissions reviewer than the natural writing voice of a high school senior."
-- Azure Brown, former Senior Admissions Evaluator for the University of California, printed in IndiaWest, 4/25/16
"[T]ry to convey your voice and style in your words. This is the one spot on your application where your personality gets to shine, so don't treat this like a formal school assignment."
-- Jeannine Lalonde, the University of Virginia Associate Dean of Admissions, printed in University Herald, 7/27/16
"It’s true that your voice is what we are looking for. When you write your college essay, use your authentic voice. If you’re a serious person, write your essay with a serious voice. If you’re a funny person, be funny. If you’re not a funny person, your college essay might not be the best place to try on that funny writer voice for the first time."
-- Ken Anselment, Lawrence University Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, printed in The Washington Post, 8/30/16
“Admissions officers are really looking for something they can’t learn from other parts of the application, the slice-of-life stories. It’s the authenticity of the kid’s voice that makes an essay stand out.”
-- Jeff Selingo, author of "Who Gets in and Why?: A Year Inside College Admissions," quoted in The Washington Post, 10/13/20
"The tone does not have to be formal, and the language does not have to be particularly sophisticated. In fact, sometimes those can get in the way of the reader getting a sense of you. You should approach it as if it were a conversation you were having with an adult who is particularly interested in what you have to say. Not as casual as if you were speaking with a friend or classmate, but not as formal as if it were a paper you were writing for an assignment. If you read your essay out loud, and it sounds like something you’d say to an adult sitting across from you listening to you with interest, you’ll be on the right track."
-- Christopher Guttentag, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Duke University, printed in The News & Observer, 12/1/21
-- Martha C. Merrill, Dean of Admissions, Connecticut College, NYT 6/23/09
"Write naturally. Use your voice to show your personality. Be expressive, but your goal shouldn’t be to dazzle us with your word choice (or command of a thesaurus)."
-- Johns Hopkins University, https://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/blog/2014/09/tackling-the-college-essay
"I really like it . . . when a student really tells me who they are, and I hear their voice through the essay.
-- Kim Bryant, Assistant Director of Admissions, University of Michigan, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXkIzN-tmk
"Be genuine and honest in your writing."
-- University of Wisconsin Office of Admissions and Recruitment, https://www.admissions.wisc.edu/apply/tips.php
Our admissions officers are looking for something that is authentic and imperfect, and somebody who is thinking differently."
-- Amy Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania, quoted in Time Magazine, 4/18/16
"More than anything, I want to encourage students to write from the heart. Use the words that come naturally to you--avoid the thesaurus. Some of the worst college essays I’ve read were actually written quite well in terms of grammar, sentence structure, and organization, but the student’s unique voice had been lost through editing feedback from a well-intentioned adult. There is no voice more charming to an admissions reviewer than the natural writing voice of a high school senior."
-- Azure Brown, former Senior Admissions Evaluator for the University of California, printed in IndiaWest, 4/25/16
"[T]ry to convey your voice and style in your words. This is the one spot on your application where your personality gets to shine, so don't treat this like a formal school assignment."
-- Jeannine Lalonde, the University of Virginia Associate Dean of Admissions, printed in University Herald, 7/27/16
"It’s true that your voice is what we are looking for. When you write your college essay, use your authentic voice. If you’re a serious person, write your essay with a serious voice. If you’re a funny person, be funny. If you’re not a funny person, your college essay might not be the best place to try on that funny writer voice for the first time."
-- Ken Anselment, Lawrence University Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, printed in The Washington Post, 8/30/16
“Admissions officers are really looking for something they can’t learn from other parts of the application, the slice-of-life stories. It’s the authenticity of the kid’s voice that makes an essay stand out.”
-- Jeff Selingo, author of "Who Gets in and Why?: A Year Inside College Admissions," quoted in The Washington Post, 10/13/20
"The tone does not have to be formal, and the language does not have to be particularly sophisticated. In fact, sometimes those can get in the way of the reader getting a sense of you. You should approach it as if it were a conversation you were having with an adult who is particularly interested in what you have to say. Not as casual as if you were speaking with a friend or classmate, but not as formal as if it were a paper you were writing for an assignment. If you read your essay out loud, and it sounds like something you’d say to an adult sitting across from you listening to you with interest, you’ll be on the right track."
-- Christopher Guttentag, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Duke University, printed in The News & Observer, 12/1/21
BEING LIKABLE
"As a fellow lover of pizza, I laughed out loud (then ordered pizza) after reading your application," read one note to [the student] from Yale's admissions team, while another read, "I laughed so hard on your pizza essay. I kept thinking that you are the kind of person that I would love to be best friends with."
-- Yale admissions officers' personal notes to a student who wrote about her love of ordering Papa John's pizza in response to a 200-words or less essay prompt to write about what you love to do. Printed by ABC News6/1/17,
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/girl-yale-penning-essay-papa-johns-pizza/story?id=47765374
"Ultimately, writing a memorable memoir that leaves your reader feeling connected to your point of view will give you the careful consideration you desire in the admissions process. A memoir colors you in as something fully human and leaves us rooting for you to get into our campus."
---- Azure Brown, former Senior Admissions Evaluator for the University of California, printed in IndiaWest, 4/25/16
“The best essays are the ones where we don’t just want to admit the student, we want to take them out for coffee once they’re here. We’re not admitting academic machines—we’re admitting classmates and roommates and kids who will make thoughtful contributions to our community.”
-- Macy Lenox, Associate Dean of Admissions at University of Virginia, quoted in the Washington Post, 101/14/20
-- Yale admissions officers' personal notes to a student who wrote about her love of ordering Papa John's pizza in response to a 200-words or less essay prompt to write about what you love to do. Printed by ABC News6/1/17,
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/girl-yale-penning-essay-papa-johns-pizza/story?id=47765374
"Ultimately, writing a memorable memoir that leaves your reader feeling connected to your point of view will give you the careful consideration you desire in the admissions process. A memoir colors you in as something fully human and leaves us rooting for you to get into our campus."
---- Azure Brown, former Senior Admissions Evaluator for the University of California, printed in IndiaWest, 4/25/16
“The best essays are the ones where we don’t just want to admit the student, we want to take them out for coffee once they’re here. We’re not admitting academic machines—we’re admitting classmates and roommates and kids who will make thoughtful contributions to our community.”
-- Macy Lenox, Associate Dean of Admissions at University of Virginia, quoted in the Washington Post, 101/14/20
REVEALING "WHO" YOU ARE
"The essay is more of an opportunity for the applicant to share their character, unique passions and interests, and meaningful experiences."
-- Liz Cheron, Associate Director for Admissions at Northeastern University, quoted by David Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"I'm interested in who you are, and why I should accept you as an admissions counselor. What makes you interesting is a really important aspect of your essay
-- Matthew Boyce, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at George Mason University, quoted by David
Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"We don't do interviews, so I tell students, this is your interview. Let me know who you really are."
-- Kim Bryant, University of Michigan Assistant Director of Admissions, quoted by Kim Lofton, Huntington Woods-Berkeley Patch, 1/8/13
"View it as a chance to tell the admissions committee about who you are as a person. Tell us something different from what we'll read on your list of extracurricular activities or transcript. Don't be afraid to reveal yourself in your writing We want to know who you are and how you think."
-- Carleton College, Admissions, https://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/
"What you choose to share gives us an idea of who you are and what you want to accomplish as part of our community. . . . Remember to stand out from other applicants and help us to know you beyond your GPA and test scores."
-- University of Wisconsin Office of Admissions and Recruitment, https://www.admissions.wisc.edu/apply/tips.php
"Who are you? It's about being reflective about your life, about your experiences, about what you're doing. I always tell students it's not the 'what' you're doing, but the 'how and why' you are doing them because I can clearly see 'what' you're doing, but 'how and why,' I can't see that, I can't jump into your mind. So when I put down your application, I want to feel like I just stepped out of your life."
-- Eddie Picket, Assistant Director of Admissions, Tufts University, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxBo99fwBFE, 12/6/12
"One of the biggest mistakes students make on their application essays is to make an embellished resume. We've already seen your resume, what you've done, what you're interested in. Don't use the very few words you have to tell us about yourself only to talk about what you do. I think the essay is sometimes thought of as a way to show yourself off. In reality, [the essay] is a way for us to understand why you do the things you do, how those things impact you, how those experiences have shaped your world view."
-- Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale University, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t__jNTOwePU, 8/17/14
"Consider this: the essay is the one chance you have to use your own words to tell us more about who you are. Colleges want to see what you have to offer, what you’re passionate about, and that isn’t all quantifiable in a GPA or test score.”
-- Sarah Richardson, Director of Admissions and Scholarships for Creighton University, quoted in the Omaha World
Herald, http://www.omaha.com/special_sections/let-personality-shine-through-in-college-essays/article_99ef8629-
b685-5ac1-9291-2e16ee874b4e.html
“I've always enjoyed essays that enable me to learn about the applicant's personality. Whether that's an essay about a love (or hatred) of cheese, a desire to learn multiple languages, or to study environmental engineering — I like learning how a student thinks.”
-- Christina DeCesare, former Associate Director of Admissions at New York University, quoted in Teen Vogue,
http://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-you-should-start-college-essays-early
"We always said when I was an admissions officer, we want it to be so personal to the student that you couldn't put anyone else's name on that essay and have it still be true about that other student."
-- Grace Kim, former admissions officer at Stanford University, quoted in CNBC Make It.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/20/former-stanford-admissions-officer-on-what-makes-a-college-essay-shine.html
"The essay is a unique opportunity to share your story and what is meaningful or important to you. Write about a topic that helps the university understand you as a unique individual. Write about how you would contribute to the campus community."
-- Michael Davis, UNC-CH’s Associate Director of Admissions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, printed in The News &
Observer, 12/1/21
-- Liz Cheron, Associate Director for Admissions at Northeastern University, quoted by David Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"I'm interested in who you are, and why I should accept you as an admissions counselor. What makes you interesting is a really important aspect of your essay
-- Matthew Boyce, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at George Mason University, quoted by David
Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"We don't do interviews, so I tell students, this is your interview. Let me know who you really are."
-- Kim Bryant, University of Michigan Assistant Director of Admissions, quoted by Kim Lofton, Huntington Woods-Berkeley Patch, 1/8/13
"View it as a chance to tell the admissions committee about who you are as a person. Tell us something different from what we'll read on your list of extracurricular activities or transcript. Don't be afraid to reveal yourself in your writing We want to know who you are and how you think."
-- Carleton College, Admissions, https://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/essay_tips/
"What you choose to share gives us an idea of who you are and what you want to accomplish as part of our community. . . . Remember to stand out from other applicants and help us to know you beyond your GPA and test scores."
-- University of Wisconsin Office of Admissions and Recruitment, https://www.admissions.wisc.edu/apply/tips.php
"Who are you? It's about being reflective about your life, about your experiences, about what you're doing. I always tell students it's not the 'what' you're doing, but the 'how and why' you are doing them because I can clearly see 'what' you're doing, but 'how and why,' I can't see that, I can't jump into your mind. So when I put down your application, I want to feel like I just stepped out of your life."
-- Eddie Picket, Assistant Director of Admissions, Tufts University, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxBo99fwBFE, 12/6/12
"One of the biggest mistakes students make on their application essays is to make an embellished resume. We've already seen your resume, what you've done, what you're interested in. Don't use the very few words you have to tell us about yourself only to talk about what you do. I think the essay is sometimes thought of as a way to show yourself off. In reality, [the essay] is a way for us to understand why you do the things you do, how those things impact you, how those experiences have shaped your world view."
-- Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale University, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t__jNTOwePU, 8/17/14
"Consider this: the essay is the one chance you have to use your own words to tell us more about who you are. Colleges want to see what you have to offer, what you’re passionate about, and that isn’t all quantifiable in a GPA or test score.”
-- Sarah Richardson, Director of Admissions and Scholarships for Creighton University, quoted in the Omaha World
Herald, http://www.omaha.com/special_sections/let-personality-shine-through-in-college-essays/article_99ef8629-
b685-5ac1-9291-2e16ee874b4e.html
“I've always enjoyed essays that enable me to learn about the applicant's personality. Whether that's an essay about a love (or hatred) of cheese, a desire to learn multiple languages, or to study environmental engineering — I like learning how a student thinks.”
-- Christina DeCesare, former Associate Director of Admissions at New York University, quoted in Teen Vogue,
http://www.teenvogue.com/story/why-you-should-start-college-essays-early
"We always said when I was an admissions officer, we want it to be so personal to the student that you couldn't put anyone else's name on that essay and have it still be true about that other student."
-- Grace Kim, former admissions officer at Stanford University, quoted in CNBC Make It.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/20/former-stanford-admissions-officer-on-what-makes-a-college-essay-shine.html
"The essay is a unique opportunity to share your story and what is meaningful or important to you. Write about a topic that helps the university understand you as a unique individual. Write about how you would contribute to the campus community."
-- Michael Davis, UNC-CH’s Associate Director of Admissions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, printed in The News &
Observer, 12/1/21
TELLING A STORY
"The biggest mistake is simply to rehash your resume. It's lazy and not creative. There's ample amount of real estate on any application for you to talk about your resume-like experiences in other sections. The essay is your forum to tell an admissions officer and committee a story."
-- Shawn Abbott, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Admissions at New York University, quoted by David Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"I like reading a personal story that is tied to real life. I like it when I can hear a student's voice. Storytellers are always good."
-- Kim Bryant, University of Michigan Assistant Director of Admissions, quoted by Kim Lofton, Huntington Woods-Berkeley Patch, 1/8/13
-- Shawn Abbott, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Admissions at New York University, quoted by David Kirby, HuffPost, 5/25/15
"I like reading a personal story that is tied to real life. I like it when I can hear a student's voice. Storytellers are always good."
-- Kim Bryant, University of Michigan Assistant Director of Admissions, quoted by Kim Lofton, Huntington Woods-Berkeley Patch, 1/8/13
