College-Essays-White-Paper-by-Jaclyn-Corley

8 Impact of Recent Admission Trends on College Application Essays New Findings: The Art of Writing to Admissions 2 3 New Findings: The Science Behind a Successful Essay Picking the rig

Master the College Application Essay

U s i n g t h e A r t o f W r i t i n g a n d t h e S c i e n c e o f S u c c e s s

A white paper by Jaclyn Corley, Founder of

TheCollegeEssayCaptain.com

Table of Contents Executive Summary

Introduction

How are new trends in college admissions impacting the college essay?       4

How have these changes impacted students?       6

Where are students getting guidance?       7

What are the current requirements?       8

Impact of Recent Admission Trends on College  Application Essays New Findings: The Art of Writing to Admissions         2

       3

New Findings: The Science Behind a Successful Essay Picking the right topic      9

Methods       10

Effective strategies      11

Mindset and performance      14

Effectively coping with stress      15

Executive Summary 

With frequent changes to college essay prompts, a rising number of application submissions, a student- to-counselor ratio at public schools nearly double the recommended ratio, and increasing selectivity at elite universities, it can be challenging for college applicants to navigate the complex world of writing to

a college admissions audience. 

College applicants, teachers, guidance counselors, and advisors can benefit from understanding and implementing the strategies and principles of writing effective college application essays

The findings for this paper indicate that the best approach for mastering a college application essay is one that combines the art of writing and the science of success This conclusion is based off of the

recommendations of admissions officers, writing experts, and on scientific research on the adolescent mind

According to recent data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the importance of the college application essay for admission consideration has increased in the past two decades A well-received college application essay can make the difference between a rejection and an acceptance letter at selective universities

The college application essay refers to the essays or series of essays requested by a university as a

component of a student’s application for admission consideration Although some universities may request creative pieces, this paper will focus on application essays written as personal narratives  

This paper will review the recent trends in college application essay expectations and will detail

common advice from admissions officers and writing experts It will focus on the art of writing for a college admission audience, and it will demonstrate how recent findings on adolescent mindsets may be used to support applicants during the writing process. 

How are new trends in college

admissions impacting the college essay? 

The number of college applications received by universities has risen exponentially, and this trend,

along with increased enrollment, is projected to continue

Several factors contribute to this rise including more students who plan to attend 4-year institutions, the widespread acceptance of The Common Application, and  increased selectivity from top universities with acceptance rates as low as 5% Other factors may include increased availability of online

information about universities and software platforms like Naviance that assist students with college and career readiness

The prevalence of online application submission has made it easier for students to apply to multiple universities, and they have

“According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling

(NACAC), in 1990 just 9 percent of students applied to seven or more colleges

In the class of 2014, according to Naviance, 16.5 percent of seniors using the

system said they intended to apply to 11 to 20 colleges (Naviance did not have

figures on how many applications were actually filed.)”

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This increase in applications has changed the way applications are processed by admissions officers While grades and standardized test scores are still considered the most important contributing factors for admission, there are now more students who meet the grades and scores for acceptance

The increase in highly-qualified applicants has prompted admissions officers to place more weight on other parts of the application to make decisions These include application essays and letters of

recommendation from teachers and counselors

According to data from NACAC’s Admissions

Trend Survey, 61% of universities responded

that application essays were of considerable

(22.1%) or moderate importance (39.0%)  By 

comparison, in 1994, only 14% of universities

stated that essays were of considerable

importance. 

Admissions officers use the college application

essay to learn about a candidate’s

personality, which can help determine whether

a student will fit in with a school’s culture and

how he or she compares with other potential

applicants. 

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*Graph data based off surveys by the National Association for College Admission Counseling* 

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How have these changes impacted students?

The NACAC’s State of Admissions 2015 Report indicates that although the average acceptance rate

across all ranked schools was 64.7% in 2014, admission rates have become more competitive

Pressure to be accepted into selective colleges has contributed to higher levels of chronic stress in teens according to a multi-method study of teen stress at private school serving affluent students  

In one of this study’s surveys, getting into college was the third leading source of teen stress behind grades (#1) and homework (#2)

The lead author noted that although her team chose to study private school students, there is “no doubt students in selective public high schools also experience high rates of chronic stress.”

Grades Getting into

college

Homework

Reported sources of chronic stress in teens at private schools:

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Where are students getting essay guidance?

A study by the NACAC found that the average secondary school student-to-counselor ratio was 436:1 The national recommendation is 250:1

In the NACAC’s most recent survey, there were clear distinctions between private and public school’s college counseling The following figure shows that private schools were almost 2.5x more likely to have

a counselor specific for college guidance and spent twice the amount of time on post-secondary

counseling While private school counselors spent 55% of their time on college counseling, public school counselors spent just 22%

These figures correspond with a boom in the independent educational consultant industry In 2012,

families spent $400 million on college consultants. 

Percentage of time

guidance counselors

spent on college

guidance:

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What are the current requirements?

Once an essay without guidelines, bounds, or word limits, the application essay has seen a shift in

requirements and expectations over the past few decades Most schools now request responses to

specific prompts and include a word limit  

The Common Application is a platform that is currently used by over 700 universities It has 7 prompts, which were revised in 2017 to reflect feedback from several thousand students, admissions officers, and guidance counselors

The Universal College Application asks candidates to “write an essay that demonstrates your ability to develop and communicate your thoughts Some ideas include: a person you admire; a life-changing

experience; or your viewpoint on a particular current event.”

Both The Common Application and The Universal College Application impose a 650-word limit

Other schools may require a response to an original prompt in lieu of or in addition to the “Common” or

“Universal” application prompt, which may request a more creative or persuasive style Certain

universities also request supplemental essays, which are generally 100-300 word responses to specific

questions. 

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What makes a winning college

application essay?

Critiques of a college essay are subjective; however, upon review of essays favored by admissions

officers, there are recognizable patterns and strategies that may be considered and modeled by college applicants. 

Candidates should research the schools to which they are applying and the type of essay(s) they will need There is widely accepted advice from writing experts and admissions officers regarding topic

choice. 

Picking the right topic

Although the same essay may be used to apply to multiple schools, research suggests that submitting the same essay may not be an effective strategy when applying to highly selective schools

According to a recent study, Harvard preferred essays about challenges, whereas Stanford preferred stories that were creative or passionate

The art of writing to admissions

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The most common college application essay response is a personal narrative, which is a form of prose that details a personal experience and is told in first person It includes both storytelling elements and personal reflection

According to research by neuroeconomist Paul J Zak, there is scientific explanation for why telling a story is a more effective method for writing a college application essay than stating facts or listing

accomplishments His research found that compelling stories activate more parts of our brains than facts and cause us to release oxytocin, the hormone responsible for empathy and connection

Psychology professor and researcher Dan P McAdams discovered that people remember information longer and more completely when told as part of story Additionally, people are persuaded more quickly and effectively when information is communicated through story

This research indicates that a well-told story provides an opportunity for the applicant to make the

admissions officers feel connected to him or her, which can be a persuasive tool during the decision- process

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Effective Strategies

Paul J Zak’s research references a specific element an effective story: capturing the audience’s attention The literary term for this is “hook.”

Andrew Stanton, the award-winning writer and director for Pixar, is responsible for creating some of the most well-received animated stories He argues that storytellers should construct anticipation so the audience wants to find out what happens next. 

Upon review, nearly all the authors of Johns Hopkins University’s “Essays That Worked” samples employ the use of a hook in the opening line of their essays    In interviews with Barron’s, an educational test preparation company, admissions officers from competitive universities frequently listed lengthy, non- engaging introductions as a style that negatively impacted their perception of essays

Hook

Show Don't Tell

Paul J Zak’s research suggests it’s equally important to maintain the audience’s attention throughout a story for the story to be effective

In order to execute this idea, Pixar film writers employ a storytelling device referred to as the “unifying theory of two plus two.” This refers to the concept that the storyteller should provide enough detail to allow the audience to come to a conclusion instead of providing the conclusion for them Room for

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In writing, this technique is referred to as “show don’t tell.” Writers using this technique use action, dialogue, strong verbs, and imagery over adjectives, exposition, and/or summary

For example, instead of writer stating "I am compassionate, motivated, and thoughtful," she would

develop a scene in which she displays those qualities in order to keep the reader's attention. 

In addition to telling a personal story, the college application essay prompts are designed for personal reflection

In an interview, Liz Cheron, Associate Director for Admissions at Northeastern University, stated:

Self-reflection is a crucial aspect of a well-crafted application essay It provides admissions officers

insight into how an applicant interprets events

Of the 16 sample “Essays That Worked” for Connecticut College, all included self-reflection in addition

to story  

Reflection

“Most applicants can tell a story with their essay, but many will miss the part of the question that asks them to relate that topic back to themselves The story gives us context, but the second part is the most vital It is an opportunity for the student to demonstrate an awareness

of their ability to learn from and be shaped by personal experiences.”

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Aside from initially hooking the reader, there is no agreed upon structure for the application essay

In reviews of submitted essays, college application essay advisors and admissions officers argue for

essays that are thematic and clearly organized The writer should be intentional with pacing and flow

Research from AdmitSee, an educational technology company, indicates that students who took risks with their essay’s structure tended to be more successful provided it was well-executed and purposeful

In comments on submitted essays, admission officers at Ivy Leagues and other competitive universities alluded to flaws in writing style as a common problem

Essay reviewers frequently pointed to diction and tone as main culprits

In a study to assess essays submitted to top schools, five admissions officers were asked to grade a series

of essays and explain their reasoning The admissions officers indicated that top essays used an

authentic voice and conversational tone Students who added in large or complex words in an attempt to impress admissions officers often ended up having the opposite effect

The use of positive and negative words also affect tone AdmitSee’s research discovered that highly

selective universities often differ in their preference with Harvard preferring essays that relied more

Structure

Style 

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What's the science behind a successful essay?

As a parallel to learning the art of writing for a college admissions team, applicants can benefit from learning to appropriately navigate the stress related to completing their college application essays. 

Mindset and performance

Applicants’ beliefs about their intelligence may affect their ability to craft compelling college

application essays

Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck and her team researched the non-cognitive

factors of academic tenacity, or a student’s ability to “look beyond short-term concerns to longer-term

or higher-order goals, and withstand challenges and setbacks to persevere toward these goals.” Their research discovered that students with “growth mindsets,” or those who believed that intelligence is malleable and can be improved had more academic tenacity than students with “fixed mindsets,” or those who believed that intelligence was something you either possessed or didn’t possess

Growth mindset Fixed mindset

Thoughts

Feelings

Actions

"I'm stupid"

Humiliated Give up

"I should try a different approach"

Excited for a challenge

Persist

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