Admission EssayI make decisions that change the course of people's lives. As an admissions officer for a university with a very competitive admissions process, I have to reject more people than I accept. It breaks my heart to disappoint students who want to enroll, and I always worry that I will make the wrong decisions. When I read an admission essay and forward it with my recommendation, I am setting in motion a series of events that have consequences for the applicant, the university, the entire professional field this applicant wants to enter, and the whole society to which the student will contribute.
So how can I make such recommendations in a way that is fair and ethical? There is an admissions committee, but the truth is that in most cases no one is going to question my recommendation after I read the student's application and essay. All the weight of responsibility is on me. To make matters worse, I truly believe that every student has potential to be excellent so I never want to deny an opportunity to anyone. To even the playing field, I will explain the “secret” I have learned about how to write a great admission essay: Explain the goals that you can only achieve if accepted into this particular school.
Why Are Goals Most Important?
Most students do not have real goals. Many do not know what field of expertise they want to make their own. Some decide to learn about making video games because they like video games, but making games is very different from playing them. Some decide they want to “be a physician” but they don't really know why, and they don't know what they would like as their specialization. Many students still do not have any idea at all what is important to them.
If you write an essay about real goals associated with your chosen major, I am more likely to recommend you, even if your GPA and test scores are less-than-impressive. Does that mean I am less likely to recommend you if you have not declared a major? Yes, it does. Most applicants are rejected, so I absolutely do favor those who have a real vision for the future.
Why Write about Goals Associated with This Particular School?
Long term goals are not really goals – just vague concepts. Anyone can say she wants to help alleviate poverty or work toward world peace, but the most impressive students have a plan for doing something right now. They are already driven and inspired.
Benjamin wants to attend this university in order to study under a professor who wrote a book that helped him choose his major.
Sarah wants to attend this university because of recent accomplishments of one student organization, The Animal Rights Society, and she wants to join their cause while working toward her degree.
These students have a special reason for wanting to enroll in this university, specifically. Of course, it is a lot harder to reject a student who is hopeful about achieving goals that can only be achieved if they attend this particular school.
Students often make the mistake of writing only about themselves, because they forget that they are only half of the equation. The other consideration is how important it is for you to attend this particular school instead of a different one. I urge you to reflect on what is most important to you. Click around the website of the school you want to attend, and think about how this particular school is better than other schools for enabling you to accomplish a goal for the near future.
After you reflect on how a professor, resource, program of study, or student organization at this particular school will empower you to achieve a specific goal, you'll be able to write a truly meaningful (and persuasive) admission essay in no time.