One of my favorite parts about reviewing an application is when I finally get to read the admissions essay. In my opinion, it is one of the most crucial parts of the application and I always look forward to getting a glimpse of who the applicant is. Now, that being said, there are definitely some essays that make me cringe. Let's see here....how about the ones where Norwich is spelled wrong? Or they call us "Norwich Academy"? Or, this is even worse, they write "...this is why I would like to be considered to join the class of 2011 at West Point." NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My soul just died a little bit :-( People, people! I cannot stress enough how important it is to PROOFREAD your essays! In addition to the cardinal sin of calling a school by the wrong name, here are some other essay no-no's:
1. This is Norwich University, not Norwhich University
2. Please make sure that all of your sentences are coherent! Here is an example of an incoherent sentence..."During my last four years at high school I was always felt challenged to do better." Eh?!?! That makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!! And yes, that came out of a real application essay that I had the pleasure of reading.
3. Do not use slang! This is a college admissions essay, not an email to one of your buddies. Using "words" such as "u, wicked, mad, sweet, gr8, r" are not going to impress your Admissions Counselor.
4. If you have chosen to use your application essay to explain some discrepancies on your transcript(s), please do not place blame on others. Yes, we all experience hardships in life but what we, as Admissions Counselors, want to see is how you learned from your mistakes and have become a stronger student. We do not want to read how you failed English because your teacher was simply irrational and hated you. Come on now folks...that won't fly.
5. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever submit an essay that has spelling/grammatical errors in it!! In this world where you don't even need to know how to spell to know something is spelled incorrectly due to the glory that is Word, there should be NO misspellings in your essay! This goes for grammatical errors as well. Do you see a green little squiggle under one of your sentences? That means it's grammatically incorrect! FIX IT! And please guys, remember to have an adult read your essay before sending it in.
Ok so now that we've gotten the main "Don'ts" out of the way, how about some application essay "Do's". Here at Norwich we do not tell you what to write your essay on...that is completely up to you. However, please keep in mind that the goal of this essay is to relay as much about yourself as you can to your Counselor. We want to know what makes you tick and get at least a small glimpse of your personality. If you can make us laugh, you will be our hero. Here are a few snip-its of great essays I've read:
"They say you are what you eat. In that case I'd be Shaw's Brand Spiral Macaroni and Cheese. But more than that I believe you are what you wear, and if this is true, then I'm sweatpants."
"Everyone has a hobby. Whether it's restoring cars, cooking, or an obsession with Readers Digest, we all do it for the same reason: Hobbies help us get through stress, find accomplishment, and use our time. That's why I crochet." (This coming from the Prom King...)
"They were staring, all of them. The looks ranged from pity to awe, from shock to disgust. The jaws dropped, creating the prime hideaway for assorted insects. The walls of the bus were suddenly too close, too confining, creating a prison of metal and bodies. They were staring at me, trying to look into my soul, trying to see if I was damaged goods without the disclaimer. I was the ant, and they held the magnifying glass that could singe off my antennae."
Other "Do's" include...
1. Be original! If any other student, at any other high school, could write your essay, choose another topic!
2. Write about something that genuinely interests you. We can tell when you're actually passionate about something, or if you're just writing to get this essay over with!
3. Make sure you sound like yourself when you write. Sitting at your desk with a giant thesaurus is not going to help! There is no need for you to sound uber-intelligent so please refrain from using words that you normally wouldn't.
4. HAVE FUN! Do not let your friends, your teachers, your parents, or your siblings psych you out over this essay. There is no magic formula to follow, and making yourself nervous over what you write will probably result in a poor essay. So relax!
So now you know the basics of the college essay. At the very least I hope this inspires all of you to go back to your essay and skim it over to make sure the right college is named, and that everything is spelled correctly. If you at least do those two small things, I shall be a happy camper :-)
