Reply to Colleges should just get rid of the application essay

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I would be glad for the essays to go. It is just a big exercise in projecting and parroting back what one thinks admissions wants to hear. It also bugs me that the woe-is-me-type-essay seems to do so well. [/quote]
If that's what you think the essays are, then you are doing them wrong. I'm sure that what the admissions officers read is 99% (yes, I made that statistic up) this type of drivel and 1% authentic writing. The woe-is-me essay may bug you, but some kids have actually overcome serious obstacles. If those problems also appear in teacher and counselor recommendations then they are real. Not everyone is as privileged as you. Essays don't stand alone, they are part of the whole student package. Admission decisions are not made or broken based on one metric, but the essay can help a student stand out if it catches the admissions officer's eye.

I've attended my share of college information sessions and listened to admissions officers do their spiels. I distinctly remember one at an elite institution that was very well done. If you were paying attention, the officer had three layers to her story (the main points she wanted to share, the story she wrapped it in, and the humorous thread in the story). I have no doubt that if you picked up the humorous thread and wove it into your own essay, she would notice it and notice you.

Selective institutions could toss out the entire group they admitted and admit a different but equally talented group from the remaining students (MIT admin has said this.) A good essay just helps you end up in the first group.[/quote]

And you should get into a college, all things equal, because you picked up an AO's joke?  [/quote]

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