Reply to Insider Perspectives from a Highly Selective Admissions Office

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[quote=Anonymous]I agree that a superb essay (of the kind I described) is hard to write and that most HS kids aren't capable of it.  But that's what it takes for the essay to make a difference at the most selective schools.  Kids with great grades and scores are going to get into very good universities, but grades and scores alone are never going to be enough to get a kid admitted to schools with single-digit admissions rates.  The essay(s) aren't crucial at those schools (with UofC being the possible exception) -- most successful candidates got in because they stood out in some other way -- but, yeah, if you're going to be able to write your way into a top school, you need to be able to write exceptionally well and to have something really interesting to say.  I don't think it's navel-gazing, but it does involve a kind of intellectualism that HS doesn't cultivate.

It doesn't strike me as unfair that kids who are extraordinarily thoughtful, who look at the world differently from most people, and who are very talented writers have an edge in admissions to elite colleges.  Those are kids who are likely to get the most out of such schools.  [/quote]

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