College Essay Advisors

College Essay Advisors Having someone else proofread an applicant’s essay is fineâ€"any writer can benefit from another set of eyes that might pick up a typo or a minor grammar mistake. However, true editing starts to move into the substantive writing process and in the end the writer of the college essay should be the applicant. Too much assistanceâ€"even from parentsâ€" however well intentioned, serves to undermine the process and raise questions about the legitimacy and integrity of the whole application. Yes, the stakes can seem high, but it is ultimately the applicant’s record and work that is being evaluated and it should be theirs that is submitted as well. Both ACT and SAT scores are used for college admissions decisions and awarding merit-based scholarships. Most colleges do not prefer one test over the other. Neither the SAT or ACT is harder than the other. Different students tend to do better on one test over the other. Many times however, when a parent tries to help, they do more harm than good. It is very easy to spot an essay that has been overly edited by a parent and that is not good for the students chances of admission. If possible, mom and dad should stay out of the essay writing business. However, some parents are able to understand that over-editing essays is not a good thing. Editing is a part of the writing process, like development and revision, where another person can be helpful. There is nothing theoretically wrong with that person being a parent if they are skilled and sensitive to helping while allowing the student’s own voice to remain dominant. Everything should be spelled correctly, with correct grammar and punctuation, but the essay should sound like a high school student wrote it. Most of the time I see that parents get into an essay and take away the student voice…they make it too polished for a high school student. Colleges get suspicious when they receive an essay that sounds like a PhD wrote it. Many students and parents begin the college prep process by comparing the ACT and SAT tests. The SAT and ACT generally cover the same topics. Typically, the higher your SAT score, the greater your chances are of getting into a top school, but it's just one component of an application. It's considered in tandem with your grades, any essays or statements submitted, as well as extracurriculars, charity work, and more. That being said, it's still a good goal to do as well as possible on your SAT. That said, it is imperative that for each school on your college list, look up the school-specific SAT essay policy. You can always call the school if the information is not readily available online. Some schools don’t require the essay, but they may recommend taking it. Other schools may not even look at your essay score in the admissions process. Once you do your research, you will have a clearer idea on how to approach taking the essay. If the schools on your list want nothing to do with the SAT essay, feel free not to take it! Since the essay is optional, there is an additional fee in order to register for it, and additional fees can interfere with a school’s policy of equal access to as many students as possible. A great college essay gives the reader a glimpse of the person behind the page. Lots of counselors tell students to “tell a story only you can tell,” and I definitely agree with that. But sometimes students misinterpret this to mean â€" “tell me about a totally unique experience” â€" and they get totally stressed out because they don’t feel that they have any unique experiences. Telling a story “only you can tell” means that you tell the reader a story from your perspective. So you don’t need to have great exotic vacations or heartbreaking stories of community service in some far off land â€" you just need to reveal your point of view about a topic. When you can show the reader a slice of your genuine self â€" you are on your way to a great college essay. The uniqueness of an essay stems not from some external experience, but your internal responses. Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. What is considered a good SAT score depends on the colleges and universities that you are applying at. However, if the schools on your list recommend (but don’t require) taking the essay, you should do so, aiming to score as high as possible. Schools that do not require the essay feel that they have enough writing material to evaluate applicants via personal statements and supplemental essays. Many of these schools also cite the potential burden that cost may impose upon underprivileged students.