College essays that made a difference - Princeton Review 2010
Inside the admissions office
Q & A with admissions officers
What work experience is required of people who review applications? Are there any particular qualities you look for in a reader?
Amherst: Full-time admissions officer.
Bucknell: While there is no particular work experience that is required of our admissions committee, they are all trained to be insightful and careful readers.
Cooper Union: All readers are either full-time admissions counselors or faculty who are members of an admissions committee.
Deep Springs: We look for prudence and judgment that can evaluate many aspects of a student, rather than just intellect. Readers are chosen from the student body as well as the wider Deep Springs community.
Northwestern: Our part-time readers tend to be retired high school guidance counselors or doctoral students.
UNC: Most people who review applications have extensive experience in undergraduate admissions. We also hire part-time readers who have varied backgrounds in the field of education (e.g., teachers, administrators, etc.). Readers must be able to make decisions, support their decisions with solid arguments, and debate their decisions with others who disagree.
UVA: We require no particular work experience. Our readers typically have experience in writing of one kind or another.
Wake Forest: At Wake Forest, our readers are admissions officers who are also almost without exception alumni of the university. In hiring admissions staff members, academic achievements [and] communication skills are important factors. To be an admissions officer, and thus an application reader at Wake Forest, one must be a reader, a thinker, and one who is comfortable in the academic world.
Do you use an academic or other index initially to sort applications into “probably,” “maybe,” and “long shot” piles? If not, how do you complete your initial sorting?
Bucknell: For applicants whose credentials fall in the extreme ranges of our pool, a sorting process is employed to identify the strongest group and weakest group.
Cooper Union: For sure.
Olin: We read every application and take into consideration both academic and personal qualities while ranking students. No application is denied or accepted until at least two people have reviewed it and the application reading team has discussed the candidate’s likelihood of succeeding academically and socially at Olin College.
UNC: We do not use an index to sort applications. Each application receives the same review by multiple readers.
UVA: We read holistically. We do not have indexes of any sort. We read one at a time, then make a case for offer, wait list, or deny.
Do you have an overall mission statement that guides you when looking at essays and applications?
Bucknell: Our goal is to admit the best-qualified and diverse (geographic, socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual orientation) class in order to build a rich and vibrant community at Bucknell.
Colgate: In our admission process we strive to find the best possible students who will contribute to academic life at Colgate as well as enhance the campus community. Students who are successful in the admission process have shown an ability to respond to challenges, develop their own ideas, use their imagination, and challenge themselves in and out of the classroom. As a result our admission staff looks for excellence in all areas; however, a strong academic record is absolutely essential.
Personal essays are an opportunity for students to showcase their unique writing talents and add depth to their application. Use this opportunity to say something new about yourself. Essays should complete the profile we gain from your grades, scores, recommendations, and talents. The quality of your writing is, of course, important, but the essay should tell a story about you. Despite that we receive 8,000 applications and approximately 16,000 essays, your application essays allow you to demonstrate your ability to synthesize an original thought and articulate it in a meaningful and compelling way.
Cooper Union: We want to have all readers search for the student who would add to our intellectual community. I hope, in a perfect world, each reader can leave his or her personal feelings about an issue aside.
Deep Springs: Yes, that given by the college as a whole.
Macalester: No.
Olin: We are looking for people who are a good match with Olin’s unique, hands-on curriculum and are energized about joining a community of people who want to build a college. [Good candidates are] willing to take risks, enjoy studying in a rigorous engineering program, and have an entrepreneurial spirit.
UNC: Admissions representatives are trained extensively; we use specific criteria to evaluate essays as well as other aspects of the application.
UVA: No.
Wake Forest: The nature and historical character of Wake Forest guides us in selection of the class. We seek students who are intellectually adept; have challenged themselves with a strenuous curriculum; enjoy academic rigor; and exhibit exemplary character, social conscience, and intellectual curiosity.
Does your office read every application it receives?
Amherst: Yes, at least twice.
Bucknell: Yes. Every complete application that we receive is read by an admissions counselor.
Cooper Union: Yes.
Deep Springs: Every application sent to us is read in its entirety by several readers.
Macalester: Yes—absolutely!
Northwestern: Yes, more than once. Every application is read twice.
Olin: Always.
UNC: Yes. Every application we receive is read by at least two readers.
UVA: We read every application.
Wake Forest: Absolutely. All applications have multiple readers.
Yale: We read all of every folder … every word of every essay.
How much time do you spend reading each essay/application?
Amherst: Three to 10 minutes on each essay.
Bucknell: For the Class of 2009, we received over 8,300 applications. The time required to read each application varies, depending on the content and volume of information that the applicant submits. The time devoted to reading the essay depends on its length and context. In addition, pertinent information from the essay may be highlighted and noted for consideration.
Deep Springs: As our application process consists of two parts, it is impossible to answer in general. For those who complete the entire application, each of 11 readers [will] spend approximately one-and-a-half hours on [their] application. [This] doesn’t include time spent on the interviews.
Johns Hopkins: Essays can receive anything from 1 to 15 minutes of attention.
Macalester: I average 20 to 30 minutes per file.
Northwestern: We spend 10 to 15 minutes on each, with a recommended length of 500 words.
Olin: We receive nearly 600 applications. Each application is read by two members of an application reading team, which consists of an admission office staffer, a faculty member, and one or two (trained) college staff members. On average we spend about 20 to 30 minutes reading each application and then each application reading team spends an average of 10 to 15 minutes discussing each candidate.
UNC: We receive approximately 18,500 applications a year. On average, each reading of each application takes between 5 and 10 minutes.
UVA: We get about 16,000 applications for first year admission and 2,100 for transfer admission. Some applications read very quickly: valedictorian, 1600 (now 2400) SAT, top recommendations, strong involvement in school, cogent essays. At the opposite end, we can read a student who has low grades, a weak program and testing, and modest recommendations and essays very quickly too.
We spend more time on the close cases or the cases that have special issues of one kind or another (foreign transcripts for example).
Wake Forest: [It] varies with each application.
Yale: Some of them take about an hour; some of them take six minutes. I’d say a seasoned admissions officer needs to be moving through three applications an hour. We want to use our reading time where it’s really valuable. And if it’s clear by one reading that this is not going to be someone who’s strong enough to get in, then we don’t want to waste the time.
On average, how many people on your staff review applications? How many essays does a typical staff member read?
Amherst: Eleven thousand total essays [between] 13 staff members. We read regionally—i.e., an Iowa applicant is read by the Iowa admissions officer.… A difference of opinion results in a third or fourth read.
Bucknell: For the Class of 2009, 13 admissions counselors read applications. Each counselor reads the essay for each completed application they are reviewing. The number of applications that each counselor reads varies, but, in general, our goal is to read a minimum of 40 applications per day.
Cooper Union: Three admissions counselors and as many as 30 faculty members. The number of essays read depends on the program the student applies to—some of our programs require 15 essays. Multiply that by 800 applications and you get 12,000!
Deep Springs: Each final application is reviewed by 11 people. Each of them reads 40 to 60 applications.
Johns Hopkins: Eleven staff members. We read each essay twice. Last year we had a 9,000-student applicant pool.
Macalester: Eight staff members read applications. We require two essays from each applicant. I suppose I read about 2,500 essays during the review period, perhaps more if all committee discussion cases are included. Each application is read by a minimum of two or three readers; some are read by many more.
Northwestern: Sixteen full-time and some part-time readers [read] 1,500 to 2,000 [total applications].
Olin: Of the 100 faculty and staff members at Olin College, approximately 50 assisted with the admission process, which includes reading applications, serving on the admission application committee, meeting/interviewing students at Candidates’ Weekends, and making recommendations to the admission committee.
UNC: Approximately 25 people on staff review applications. Each person reads over 1,000 essays each year.
UVA: Minimum: two. Maximum: the entire committee (16).
If we just include the longer essay question (we have short answer questions too), most read about 800.
Wake Forest: Nine [staff members each read] about 3,500 per year.
Yale: Our office has about 20 staff members. Every application will be read minimally by one person. And most applications get a second reading. And then there are some that get another one. This year we got over 15,000 applications … so that’s about 31,000 essays.
How many applications, generally speaking, go to the committee each year?
Bucknell: At Bucknell University, the only applications that go before a “committee” of admissions officers are those that are received under the Early Decision policy. In total, this can range from 600 to 800 applications. In the Regular Decision process, applications are read by different staff members based on the student’s intended major with the final approval made by the Dean of Admissions.
Cooper Union: About one-half of the initial pool.
Deep Springs: One hundred fifty to 200 (all received are read by committee).
Johns Hopkins: After the second read, it’s done.
Macalester: Roughly 25 to 35 percent of our applicant pool.
Northwestern: There’s no committee. We have over 14,000 applications; the third reader makes the final decision.
Olin: Approximately 200 for the 160 Candidates’ Weekend slots.
UNC: Several thousand applications go to the committee each year.
UVA: A very small percentage.
If you have not already explained, what is the process that each application undergoes, from receipt to decision? How many hands does it pass through on the way?
Bucknell: The application review process is hands-on, personal, and comprehensive. Each application is placed in a folder. The application profile sheet outlining vital information about the candidate is produced to assist professional staff in the review process. The staff assigns admission rating codes to each candidate, categorizing them into either the top admit, admit, waitlist, or deny group.
Each application is reviewed by two to four staff members. It is common for some applications to be reviewed more than three times. Admission is based on competitiveness—the credentials of each applicant are compared to the overall quality of the applicant pool. The staff is interested in learning how the applicant has challenged him- or herself in high school (has he or she has taken advanced courses?). Strong performance (A and B grades) along with class rank (if available) are very important. SAT or ACT test scores are considered after the transcripts where the best possible score or combination of scores is used. After accounting for quantitative factors, potential contribution to the BU community, essay, recommendations, and other personal qualities are also considered. The staff may consider financial need as a qualifying factor in the later stages of the review process, but this process affects fewer than two percent of the applicant pool.
After a decision on an applicant is made and the decision letter has been prepared, the Dean of Admissions performs a final review prior to signing the letter.
Cooper Union: As long as the application is complete, meaning the student has submitted all of the necessary documentation—i.e., transcripts, standardized exam scores, portfolio, etc., the application is read. It can actually pass through as many as ten hands. If we’re really overworked, sometimes we close our eyes and randomly pick (just kidding, of course).
Deep Springs: Each application is assigned between six and nine initial readers. We then gather around a table and deliberate over each applicant. Through successive series of deliberation, votes, and additional readers, we narrow the pool down to 40. These 40 applicants are then asked to submit four new essays and visit for an interview. All 11 members of the committee read each application. We then deliberate to come up with a final list of 13 applicants.
UNC: Applications received on-line are printed, labeled, and filed. Application materials (e.g., letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.) are added to the application file upon receipt. Once an application is complete, the file is reviewed by multiple readers. When consensus is reached regarding the admissions decision, applications are re-filed and the decision is logged into the database. An application might pass through the hands of between three and eight people.
UVA: The application goes to a reader who makes a preliminary evaluation. It then goes on to a second reader. If it is a clear case then the decision is likely finished. After going through our applicant pool, we pull out the close cases for additional review. Usually two readers are involved with a subset of cases. In some instances, additional reads occur due to special talents (the arts), special scholars programs, or the desire to recruit under-represented minorities, students of low economic means, etc.