When I was in college admissions at Brown and was reading applications the first thing I always read was the personal essay. Many of my colleagues looked at the transcript and test scores first, but I wanted to get a sense of who the student was and what their story was. I then went back to the application to see how the application supported the story I got from the essay – courses taken, extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation. I must also admit that I often developed a fondness for a student from their essay and hoped the rest of the application supported my initial impression. Maybe this will reinforce why the college essay is so important.
One common mistake that many applicants make is to believe that colleges are looking for the applicant who has tried many different things while in high school, with a laundry list of various activities, clubs or sports. Then they write an essay that is simply a recitation of all those activities. What most universities are looking for, however, is passion, a commitment to something the student is good at and loves to do. Colleges are not looking for a well-rounded student but rather a well- rounded class, made up of talented individuals in a wide range of specialties. Early in middle school and even at the start of high school it’s great to try new things. The goal, however, is to identify one or two things you really enjoy and continue to develop your interests and talents in those areas in your later years of high school.
This can come in a wide range of activities. The most obvious might be being good at a sport, art or a musical instrument and performing at a high level in those areas that might get the attention of the university. I see passion in a much broader sense beyond just those. I see a student who is passionate about the environment, taking courses that support that, volunteering for a wide range of environmental causes or doing an internship in the summer that demonstrates that commitment. I see passion in the student who loves STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) who takes the most demanding STEM courses at their school or neighboring colleges. That student will often demonstrate an aptitude for future fields of study in these areas, with summer course work or actual work experiences or success in regional or even national science competitions. And better yet if it is a female STEM student. I’ve worked with a female student who loves jazz and physics and talks with me about how they interconnect. I get excited when I see a student with passion for the classics or a love of language and the ability to speak multiple tongues. And I see it in the student who wants to make his community and the world a better place through service for those around them through their activities and action. Being a leader in a specific area in high school also sends a message to the college that the student will be a leader on their campus.
Where students often mess up is not sharing all that passion with universities somewhere in their application or through the words of the people who support their application. Make sure your counselor and teachers know all that you do and what you care about most. As I mentioned earlier, after reading an essay, I looked to see how the guidance counselor noted this passion or how teachers linked that interest to the student’s work in the classroom. I remember the story of a young numismatist (coin collector) who brought some of his collection to his Latin class and taught the class the connection between the coins, history and what they were reading. This talent of a student to cross multiple academic disciplines, when supported by the teacher in their letter, made this student stand out in an admission pool. One of the most beautiful essays I ever read was by a student who told the story of discovering hand written notes to her throughout the library of her deceased grandfather and how much she felt he was still speaking to her. When her counselor reinforced this student’s love of reading and the written word, admitting her was an easy decision. Seeing that what a student writes in their essay is supported by others in the school and community sends a powerful message to an admission committee.
When I first meet a student, I ask them to tell me their story. Often, they are confused what I’m looking for but I get them to start talking while I listen and take notes. I start to see patterns of things they care about, things they thought weren’t that important that actually support their story. As I question them more they start to talk about their dreams and aspirations for the future, and how what they’ve already done, what they plan to study at university and what they hope to do after their undergraduate days tie together. Creating a college essay becomes so much easier after that self-reflection, and my goal is to simply help them build upon what they’ve shared with me. The reality is that every college applicant has a story – they often just need a little help and a nudge to see what their story is.
What is often the most fun is discussing all of this with a student is watching them grow and evolve before my eyes as they add to their story. By knowing what their passion is, and sometimes with my advice, they select activities, summer courses or internships that develop their story to an even higher, clearer level, which in turn strengthens their college application and tells more about whom they are. Just as every student has a story, they also have a journey and working with them on how the two go together is perhaps the most important and rewarding thing we can accomplish as college counselors.