Anonymous
10/17/2025 21:01
Subject: Polished Essays
The OP says usc wants polished essays, but.... I receive the usc admission tip blogs via email (still on the list from my kid last year), and today's post spoke about essays and having an authentic voice and wanting to read about your story in your own words vs perfect grammar and saying what you think they want to hear.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 18:35
Subject: Re:Polished Essays
Ha! My kid got into one of each group with the same essay and similar supplemental.
Anonymous
10/17/2025 18:33
Subject: Polished Essays
Anonymous wrote:I saw this posted in a recently bumped-up thread and saw something similar on TineoCollegePrep's page, and curious for this groups (and ANY professional's) take
(from here: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1223607.page)
Some schools like more “polished” essays. Others not as much, and it’s a “flag”. Schools that like the polished essay include:
Princeton; Stanford; Northwestern; Cornell; Rice; Emory; Michigan; USC.
From Tineo: Writing Style for College Supplemental Essays (Dec 26 2024 IG post)
These schools prefer heartfelt but straightforward lang (not overly poetic):
Harvard
Tufts
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Rice
BU
NYU
Princeton
CMU
Prefer heartfelt & elevated, almost poetic language:
Georgetown
Northwestern
Stanford
Dartmouth
UChicago
Notre Dame
In the middle
JHU
Cornell
Brown
Duke
Anyone with firsthand experience here?
Does Michigan like really polished essays?
Tineo says they like "compelling" Why Michigan essays. What is that?
Anonymous
10/07/2025 20:55
Subject: Polished Essays
Anonymous wrote:I saw this posted in a recently bumped-up thread and saw something similar on TineoCollegePrep's page, and curious for this groups (and ANY professional's) take
(from here: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1223607.page)
Some schools like more “polished” essays. Others not as much, and it’s a “flag”. Schools that like the polished essay include:
Princeton; Stanford; Northwestern; Cornell; Rice; Emory; Michigan; USC.
From Tineo: Writing Style for College Supplemental Essays (Dec 26 2024 IG post)
These schools prefer heartfelt but straightforward lang (not overly poetic):
Harvard
Tufts
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Rice
BU
NYU
Princeton
CMU
Prefer heartfelt & elevated, almost poetic language:
Georgetown
Northwestern
Stanford
Dartmouth
UChicago
Notre Dame
In the middle
JHU
Cornell
Brown
Duke
Anyone with firsthand experience here?
What a load of crap !
Whoever made the lists is misusing the word polished.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 20:34
Subject: Polished Essays
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if helpful, but my STEM kid who is a strong writer technically, but not fluffy/poetic got into schools in all categories.
I can only speak about NYU, but my social sciences DS was similar. He wrote in a low key, candid, matter of fact style with social insight while consciously avoiding exaggeration, which is his true voice.
To an extent, I doubt that an applicant has a choice. I believe that the more an applicant speaks in their voice, the more persuasive they are with an AO, and the reverse is probably true as well. If they aren't a poet, they shouldn't try to write like one.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 19:54
Subject: Polished Essays
I don’t know if helpful, but my STEM kid who is a strong writer technically, but not fluffy/poetic got into schools in all categories.
Anonymous
10/07/2025 19:51
Subject: Polished Essays
I saw this posted in a recently bumped-up thread and saw something similar on TineoCollegePrep's page, and curious for this groups (and ANY professional's) take
(from here: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1223607.page)
Some schools like more “polished” essays. Others not as much, and it’s a “flag”. Schools that like the polished essay include:
Princeton; Stanford; Northwestern; Cornell; Rice; Emory; Michigan; USC.
From Tineo: Writing Style for College Supplemental Essays (Dec 26 2024 IG post)
These schools prefer heartfelt but straightforward lang (not overly poetic):
Harvard
Tufts
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Rice
BU
NYU
Princeton
CMU
Prefer heartfelt & elevated, almost poetic language:
Georgetown
Northwestern
Stanford
Dartmouth
UChicago
Notre Dame
In the middle
JHU
Cornell
Brown
Duke
Anyone with firsthand experience here?
(from here: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1223607.page)
Some schools like more “polished” essays. Others not as much, and it’s a “flag”. Schools that like the polished essay include:
Princeton; Stanford; Northwestern; Cornell; Rice; Emory; Michigan; USC.
From Tineo: Writing Style for College Supplemental Essays (Dec 26 2024 IG post)
These schools prefer heartfelt but straightforward lang (not overly poetic):
Harvard
Tufts
Columbia
Vanderbilt
Rice
BU
NYU
Princeton
CMU
Prefer heartfelt & elevated, almost poetic language:
Georgetown
Northwestern
Stanford
Dartmouth
UChicago
Notre Dame
In the middle
JHU
Cornell
Brown
Duke
Anyone with firsthand experience here?