Common App Essay Length, Word Limit, How To Write

Common App Essay Length, Word Limit, How To Write Be creative and present yourself in such a way that embodies the real you. High achieving students should take on a challenging high school curriculum consisting of at least five core courses per semester. In fact, many colleges will recalculate GPA based only on core subjects alone, such as math, science, English, social studies, foreign languages, etc. She clearly wasn’t prepared for the writing section, so she just took it again and scored a bit lower on her composite but the same on the essay. Then we went to a college fair and spoke to a Michigan Admissions Officer who said Michigan has decided NOT to require writing. She wants to apply to both as Early Action, but doesn’t have time to retake ACT without writing for that deadline. Do you think reporting her 33 ACT with the poor writing score will hurt her at UNC or Michigan, even though they say it is not required, and UNC says it is discouraged? Your encouragement, ideas and overall support can go a long way in helping your students write their essays. Emphasize to students the importance of writing an informed essay. For example, they should not write about a fantasy meeting with a famous artist and get the titles of the artist’s paintings wrong. The essay is an integral and important part of the application process. For some students, it can make the difference between getting in or being deferred, or even of being rejected. With that said, the Essay is dying a quick death. Most schools fall in the “just don’t care” box at this point. OR should we send her 1450 SAT without a writing score? They are so different that they can’t really be compared. Also, we know that the 25th-75th percentiles scores at the most competitive colleges are 8-10, so your essay score should not be a concern. As much as I rail against the essay, I still recommend that students take it â€" at least once. Your daughter didn’t waste her time, she created some options. Having at least one essay score is helpful in case a student decides to apply to a Required college, but it is unlikely to play a role at Optional colleges. My daughter is trying to get in as an out of state student to University of North Carolina and University of Michigan as her top 2 choices. She scored a 33 on ACT with a 6 writing, which she took because Michigan said it was required. Policies on viewing essay results are all over the place at essay optional schools. Many admission officers would view it as a “plus factor.” It’s wonderful that your daughter did so well. Son is sophomore who will be taking the September ACT. He is not a great writer, does not like writing, and does not want to take the writing portion. He likely will score in the range and apply to a variety of schools (a couple top [sub-10% acceptance rate] privates and top publics, as well as some less competitive universities and colleges). How many people read each essay varies by institution with two being somewhat standard. A well-written application essay that offers insight into your personality, values, and goals can go a long way in helping you stand out during the admissions process. Your college application essay should be both highly personal and thoughtful. Not only should your essay reflect well-constructed writing, but it's your opportunity to tell your unique story. Do you think lacking the writing score â€" which likely would be average â€" will hurt him? Put another way, would doing the writing help him at schools where it is “optional” assuming his score is not great but not terrible? You can often find out how a file is reviewed by attending an information session at the schools on your college list. Most colleges hire readers during the application season. It's also recommended to take AP and honors classes, as an advanced curriculum is preferred to straight A’s in less challenging courses. Keep in mind that every college is different and individual admission officers may be influenced by different factors.