10 Successful Harvard Application Essays

10 Successful Harvard Application Essays Most students want the college admissions board to view them as responsible, dependable, and academically ambitious. These are excellent essay goals, but you should also consider the essay in relation to your classwork. If your classwork already shows that you are studious and determined , then you may want to highlight another feature of your personality. When you have compiled all the pieces of your application and sent it to the college/university of your dreams, all of your hard work gets placed in a pile with hundreds of other applications. Students awarded a merit-based scholarship will be notified at the time of admission. Ms. Boyd has 21 years of higher education and previously served as the Director of Financial Aid and Director of Graduate Admissions and Adult Undergraduate Admissions. I am a student who is looking for a writer who can help me compile my admission essay for a PHD level program. The essay will be a narrative of my achievements and struggles in life so far and trying to explain to the college board why will I be a good candidate for this program. Sarah Fischer, the director of admissions at Grinnell College in Iowa, says that students should only write their essay about adversity if they are prepared to discuss the ways that they overcame that challenge. You have produced a list of ideas/attributes/details about yourself that colleges will find appealing. You have narrowed that list to the three or four most important ideas â€" the ones that will get you into your preferred college/university. Reading and answering the prompt may seem a bit obvious, but it’s often the obvious that people ignore. You should take the time to read and re-read the essay prompt, so you can answer it fully. Don’t be intimidated; unlike some college exams, the college application essay prompt is not designed to trick you. However, you must demonstrate that you can read and follow directions. The admissions officers are looking for a reason to disregard candidates. Don’t let them reject you because you hastily overlooked a sentence in the essay prompt. Experts also note that adversity-themed college essays are rarely mandatory. Colleges understand that students are busy and apply to multiple colleges but some schools will have a zero tolerance policy and deny admittance due to a mistake. It is simply not worth all the time and effort to submit an essay without being completely confident that it is free of error. Much like applying to a job and handing over a resume with a typo on it, spelling and grammatical errors send the message that the student either lacks attention to detail or rushed the essay. Strong writers can be just as guilty if not even more guilty of skipping the brainstorming process when writing but this step cannot be ignored. Then a small group of admissions officers will review each application, looking over the scores and coursework and reading the college application essays. The Office of Admission offers merit-based scholarships to incoming first year students who distinguish themselves academically and personally within our highly competitive group of admitted students. These scholarships are based solely on merit and financial need is not taken into consideration. About 20% of admitted students are offered a merit scholarship each year. Brainstorming actually saves time in the long run, students can get their ideas together on a scrap sheet of paper and then begin to figure out what applies and what does not to the essay. A great way to start the brainstorming process is to write down exactly what comes to mind when considering the topic, even if it is just words or phrases. Give the admissions officer a picture of who you are and the type of college student you would be if they offer admission. The essay should be more than words on paper or a glowing example of writing skills; it should be your story. You don’t have to burn the remnants of your willpower to string together several undistinguished sentences. It makes more sense to outsource the project to experienced professionals who have honed their writing skills over the years of helping students like you. Through her writing, Callie allows the admissions committee to better understand her approach to learning new perspectives. This essay highlights her personality and values and helps us imagine how she will collaborate with others throughout different spaces on campus in a diverse student body. Admissions committees put the most weight on your high school grades and your test scores . However, selective colleges receive applications from many worthy students with similar scores and gradesâ€"too many to admit. So they use your essay, along with your letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities , to find out what sets you apart from the other talented candidates. Your college admissions essay is just a means to an end, which means it is totally fine if you lack intrinsic motivation to start the writing session. The essay creates frustration for students, stress for parents, and an overall feeling of dread as the deadline for submission approaches. The essay, however, doesn’t have to be an insurmountable project. By broadening her initial anecdote and having the majority of the essay focus on her reflections and takeaways, we were able to spend even more time learning about Callie. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins. The admissions officers are expecting you to celebrate yourself, to underline your strengths and personality, so they can make a quick, accurate judgment about you. At this stage in the college admissions essay writing process, you have considered the goals and psychology of the college admissions board.