Expanding Higher Ed Access With The Great College Essay Project

Expanding Higher Ed Access With The Great College Essay Project This academic assignment should be written withi specific word count. In 2020, the application essay length is still limited to 650 words in most institutions. Read on to learn how long a perfect college essay should be. You may have an amazing story to tell for your college application essay, but your writing is going to fall flat if it doesn't use an engaging and effective style. Admissions officers have to slog through thousands of essays. They don’t have time to devote an hour to your 30 page masterpiece. Remember, these essays are simply meant to be a snapshot of you. Plain and simple, they want to know about you, how well you write and how self-aware you are. Jodi Then is the High School Counselor at Boston Green Academy. Before joining BGA, Ms. Then spent 15 years working at a non-profit organization that specialized in college access and financial aid. She also worked as a consultant for the Boston Public Schools District and the Department of College Counseling. Ms. Then has presented her work for local, regional, and national organizations, including the National School Counselors Association and the National College Access Network . She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston University and a master’s degree from Bridgewater State College in School Counseling. A more concrete reason for this prompt is that colleges want to have a high yield, the ratio of accepted students who end up attending. News and World Report and contribute to the overall reputation of the school. This essay is one way for them to gauge how likely you are to attend and help them attain a high yield. If you seem genuinely passionate about the college, then they can assume you’re more likely to matriculate if offered a spot in the freshman class. It’s okay if you haven’t won the Nobel Peace Prize. Or built a school brick by brick, with your bare hands. We read essays about the most mundane things - solving a crossword puzzle, taking a walk with a sibling, collecting zany socks - but the way the applicant writes the piece makes it effective. Like it or not, schools use your essay to gauge your personality and character. Therefore, you must carefully consider the language you use. It’s okay to be colorful but you want to make sure it doesn’t come across as inappropriate or immature. Additionally, some essays ask you to discuss a personal accomplishment. While it’s okay to show pride, you don’t want appear cocky or a braggart. Conversely, you also don’t want to come across as a whiner or entitled. That’s not the kind of individual students, alums or administrators want representing their schools. Even if a school does not assign a maximum word count, that doesn’t mean you should write with wild abandon. You should not attempt to include your entire biography. Stick to your chosen topic or theme and be concise. After all â€" a good writer knows when to edit him/herself. When we begin evaluating your application, everything can seem pretty standard - grades, test scores, activities, lists of AP classes. Yes, your letters of recommendation tell us about you, but they’re written from someone else’s perspective. Thus, the college essay is an invaluable component of your application because you're able to speak to us directly. You have the space tell us what you’re thinking about and how you’re thinking about it. The college essay is not a test to see if you can read minds or anticipate what the admission office wants to hear. College admissions committees are looking to build a student body that will contribute to and sustain the community. They want to attract students and eventual alumni who are innovators and creators, and they want to have a hand in shaping those minds. When you’re responding to the “Why Us” prompt, you’re telling them exactly how an education there will shape your intellectual and professional journey. This essay isn’t just about the college; it’s about you, too. For your essay to truly shine, you need to pay attention to not justwhat you say, but also how you say it. These style tips can help you turn a bland and wordy admissions essay into an engaging narrative that improves your chances of being admitted. We help every applicant, no matter their prior comfort level with writing, compose a powerful personal essay that transmits who they are in the most important ways. We work with students at our labs in small-group workshops, private sessions, and also at schools and partner CBOs.