The college essay is one part of the application process that gives students the opportunity to inform admissions officials about their special abilities, interests, and qualities, or about any significant factors that might set them apart from a large number of qualified applicants. As many colleges begin to doubt the usefulness of standardized test scores, college essays are being given more weight than ever in the admissions process. While a superb essay will not cancel out a poor high school record, a well written essay can make a student with a good record stand out from the other applicants. Colleges that ask students to write essays really do want to know the person behind the numbers. A good essay can present the student as an interesting and valuable person who is worth knowing, who is genuine, thoughtful, engaging, and able to handle what he or she has set out to do. An essay can also comment on any setbacks the student has suffered or explain any gaps in the academic record.

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In general, essays are evaluated on three basic criteria:

• The student’s ability to use standard written English that is correctly written, punctuated, and contains correct grammar, usage, and syntax.
• The content, substance, and depth of insight which reflects the student’s ability to think about him/her self and to convey authentic feelings or opinions about a topic.
• Creativity and originality which shows an individual who would bring qualities such as intellect, initiative, energy, and a fresh viewpoint to the college community.

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Students writing college essays would do well to avoid the following:

• Inflating experiences, trying too hard to impress, or adopting a pompous or overly intellectual tone.
• Expressions of anger or hostility toward others.
• Mere repetition of information that is available elsewhere in the application.
• Undue influences by parents or other adults in the writing of the essay. The voice of an adult can easily come through an essay too strongly and drown out the authentic voice of the student writer.
• General statements and clichés that make the essay unremarkable from hundreds of similar essays which admissions officials read. Telling details and specifies make the essay “live.”
• Being overcautious or too eager to please the admissions committee. A mediocre essay won’t hurt the applicant much, but a truly good one can help immensely.