Of all the tasks surrounding the college application, none takes more effort than writing the one or more required essays. Each year we highlight some suggestions for topics—and what to avoid. Again, it’s time to review some pointers.

First, though, let’s consider what this essay business is all about. Readers approach your writing as a window into your character. We’re not talking about character as in “humorous ha-ha” or “time-tested student with great record.” Rather, we mean the degree to which you demonstrate in your writing that you are alert, maturing and introspective, that you are developing a clear appreciation for how big the world is and how much you want to know about it.

So, readers are not interested in re-reading about your great deeds. Nor are they concerned with polemics about religion, politics or social issues. College admissions personnel want to taste a slice of your life, and from that slice get a flavor for who you are by how sensitively you interact with ideas and surroundings. As a former Dean of Admission at Princeton University so aptly stated, “The college application essay is an opportunity for us to unzip the top of your head so we can look inside and see what makes you tick!”

Your history of drug use? No. Life in the party lane? Uh-uh. Exposé of your couple of nights in jail? Nope. Travelogue about an adventure to Moab or Madrid? Not quite.

We often tell our students that experiences can and should evoke some self-reflection. To write about it against a well-depicted background has the chance to rivet the reader, who thinks, “Hmmm. This is the kind of student who is thoughtful, who has an angle. I think I’ll put this folder on the small pile.” And that’s where you want to be! On the small pile, the one with folders that pass the test of reader interest. There, the essays reveal a considerate human being, thoughtful and open to learning.

Next time we’ll write a few words about the “hook”—the all-important opening line or two that can draw in the reader. Stay tuned!

Greetings from Seattle, where the NACAC Conference (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) is just winding down. Yesterday, Harvard’s Dean of Admission, Bill Fitzsimmons, who led a 21-member commission in a year-long study on the use of the SAT and ACT in college admissions, announced their overwhelming conclusion: these tests — as well as preparation for them — are here to stay!

The tests have great predictability and give clarity to an application; however, the abuses that have become inherent in their use must be addressed. Although the Commission looks forward to future testing based more on curriculum, the members agree that colleges need to review their testing requirements, that they should stop using score cutoffs to determine scholarships, and that they should account for inequities among applicants when it comes to test scores. They further recommended that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation stop using cutoff PSAT scores to determine National Merit awards and that U.S. News & World Report stop relying on SAT scores for their rankings, thus inaccurately imputing an institution’s quality to its average SAT scores.

The Commission called for further research, including the value of test preparation and the effective uses and abuses of standardized test scores.

Judi

Do you wonder why Florida seniors often have trouble getting into their first-choice colleges? Blame it on the SAT!

Florida’s average combined reading and math SAT score remained the same as last year at 993 (out of a maximum of 1600). For individual exam sections, Florida’s average score was up two points in writing (481), up one point in math (497) and down one point in reading (496) compared to 2007. With the national average of 1017, Florida scores are among the lowest in the nation.

What this really means is that Florida students need to do more preparation for the SAT – and take advantage of the new selective reporting option that goes into effect starting with the class of 2010. Thus, juniors should start preparing for the SAT in the beginning of the school year – like NOW! – and take the SAT several times throughout the year since they can suppress scores they don’t like! Continued preparation, especially with real tests, coupled with actual test-taking experiences, will certainly lead to significantly increased scores!

Special notes…

[1] Students will have to “opt into” this new selective reporting service, but the College Board has not yet announced how students will do this.

[2] Students who attend public high schools in Florida will need to keep scores off their high-school transcript to prevent colleges from seeing scores they suppress. Call us to learn how to do that!

Judi