I think that there's also an issue with kids just making shit up. Even if they write the essays, if they write about how abuela taught them how to make tamales and this showed how much their Hispanic heritage meant to them when in reality their Hispanic heritage consists of counting to ten in Spanish when watching Sesame street, this is just as serious a problem. As long as every multicultural sob story is held up as the perfect example of what they're looking for, then there's going to be a temptation to do that. I know that I hear a lot of joking by kids about how if what Harvard wants is more transgender folks, then they're all going to write their essays as though they're transgendered. I'm sure that every year there's someone who makes up stuff about a childhood disease, ill parent, etc. And with 25,000 applications, it's doubtful that they would fact check any of that even if it were possible to do so.

I don't think ACT/SAT essays are always indicative of what a student can do. Writing an essay on a random topic in 30-45 minutes is unlikely to show most kids in their best light and is nothing like what they will do in college. In college, you have much longer to write and are asked to reflect, revise, reconsider. I think admissions office can spot adult essays a mile away, but I'm not sure that's a reason to do away with them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you turn elite college admissions into an essay contest, don't control the environment in which the essay is written, announce the topics far in advance of the due date, and make them very broad, you're going to get lots cheating. Any professor with half a brain could tell you that. But Admissions seems really disconnected from the academic parts of universities these days. And my sense is what Admissions officers are looking for in essays isn't what faculty would look for anyway.

+1,000

The SAT or ACT essay should be all thst's needed. Add that to the ECs, grades, and a brief statement about anything else you want to tell a college should be it.

Anonymous wrote:When you turn elite college admissions into an essay contest, don't control the environment in which the essay is written, announce the topics far in advance of the due date, and make them very broad, you're going to get lots cheating. Any professor with half a brain could tell you that. But Admissions seems really disconnected from the academic parts of universities these days. And my sense is what Admissions officers are looking for in essays isn't what faculty would look for anyway.

+1,000

When you turn elite college admissions into an essay contest, don't control the environment in which the essay is written, announce the topics far in advance of the due date, and make them very broad, you're going to get lots cheating. Any professor with half a brain could tell you that. But Admissions seems really disconnected from the academic parts of universities these days. And my sense is what Admissions officers are looking for in essays isn't what faculty would look for anyway.

I should have written: *assess*. Not enough coffee yet this morning!

That's why paying someone to write your kid's essay doesn't really work in the end. A kid with B minuses in English turning in an A+ essay sets off the red flares in admissions offices. They can spot it a mile away. That's one reason AOs are given access to the SAT essays, too. It lets them access grade inflation.

Anonymous wrote:I hope this is true.

I'm an English teacher who has been approached multiple times by unscrupulous parents/students who want to pay me to write their child's college app materials. The increasing frequency of the requests over the past few years is shocking.

In your opinion, why do you think there is such an increasing frequency? I think it's because the admissions process has become so competitive. At one time a B+ in English was a very good grade, and now (with some colleges) it's an academic death sentence.

I hope this is true.

I'm an English teacher who has been approached multiple times by unscrupulous parents/students who want to pay me to write their child's college app materials. The increasing frequency of the requests over the past few years is shocking.

Anonymous wrote:I call "troll" on "college confidential".

Maybe a troll but one thing's for sure is there are a lot of kids out there who are using ghost writers and getting away with it.

I call "troll" on "college confidential".

Dishonesty doesn't pay. Screw him.

Anonymous wrote:If he/his parents are sleazy enough to hire a ghostwriter, I say they should be willing to hire someone to beat the crap out of the blackmailer and promise more to come if he breathes a word of it to any authorities or follows up on his threat.

LOL!! I can't stop laughing!

If he/his parents are sleazy enough to hire a ghostwriter, I say they should be willing to hire someone to beat the crap out of the blackmailer and promise more to come if he breathes a word of it to any authorities or follows up on his threat.

I thought this was an interesting Q&A. Hopefully the lesson learned will impact lifelong decisions. What advice would you give?

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1827779-blackmailed-from-my-college-application-essay-writer.html