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Exhibiting one’s true passions

Each year as more students are applying to colleges, they are submitting more applications than ever before, ensuing in colleges…

Exhibiting one’s true passions

Representational image (Getty Images)

Each year as more students are applying to colleges, they are submitting more applications than ever before, ensuing in colleges receiving record numbers of applications. As a result, the volume of applications to highly selective colleges has reached new heights. Considering that admissions counsellors have only a few minutes to read through each application, students need to view their essays as an opportunity to showcase their talents and interests, and to tell their story.

With this vast number of applications, it was quite surprising when in February an admissions counselor from Duke University wrote in an acceptance letter to one of Ivy Coach’s students (two months earlier than expected) that she was really impressed about how the young man combined his passion for music with his dedication to community service.

In four separate essays, without being too boastful or too shy, the student wrote about different aspects of his life, exhibiting his true passions. In a tightly woven fabric, by taking threads from each of his essays, he gave Duke’s admissions counselors a glimpse into his life and submitted an exceptional application, one that proved to be memorable.

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While grades, courses and standardised test scores are always going to be the most significant factors in the admissions process, the other parts of the application, and especially the essays, can sometimes make all the difference between an acceptance and a denial.

It is important for the student to view the essays as an opportunity to speak directly with the admissions committee. Your grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation are already part of your application, so there is no point in discussing any of this, for it would only be redundant. You need to view your essay as a means of selling yourself to the admissions committee.

This is a time to flaunt your talents and your accomplishments, but be careful not to do so in a self-serving, pompous way. The essay portion is the only part of the application where you have complete control, so take advantage of it and express your individuality.

So what are these essays? There’s always the personal statement, and usually the significant activity. Then some colleges ask about academic interests, or the intellectual experience.

In addition, there could be an essay about your reaction to a code like, “tell us when you gained respect for diversity”; the person of significant influence; the song you would choose to sing in a talent show; the story of a street, real or imagined or metaphorical; the world you come from; the one issue that you would raise if you had an hour to meet with a government official; the values that you believe are important in fostering a cohesive, successful, and supportive campus community; a daily routine or tradition of yours that may seem ordinary to others but holds special meaning for you; the one accomplishment that you achieved in an unlikely way; or the letter to a future roommate.

Then after writing three or four different essays, there’s yet another part — my space essay, something you find fun and humorous, anything else you want to tell or the optional statement. All of these take considerable time and sometimes an extraordinary degree of imagination, creativity, and out-of-the-cube thinking. Whatever it is that you decide to write about, keep in mind that the best essays tell a story about the applicant. Admissions counsellors want to feel that by reading they have managed to get a glimpse into your life.

Your ultimate goal should be to be your best written work. So think about your daily life, what you like to do and what’s important to you. Sometimes an inconsequential item or happening such as a rubber band ball, a fond memory, or a debate that happened in French class can turn into an excellent personal statement.

The writer is co-founder, Collegify

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