COVID and college essays reform student admission decisions

As the college application season sets in, students are anxiously preparing portfolios, essays, and records of their cumulative academic, athletic, and personal achievements in hopes of being accepted to their dream schools. The application process brings numerous challenges about how one should convey her or his accomplishments; due to COVID, now more than ever, students must be aware of any way they can improve their image in the minds of admissions officers. With an implemented “test-optional” policy at nearly every college in the United States, a student’s ability to “sell him/herself” will be critical. As highlighted by MHS English teacher Rob Hamilton, “Many students are too humble to do what’s necessary. You need to sell yourself. You want to demonstrate through your experiences your maturity, your thoughtfulness, your ability to think critically and your achievements.” This, paired with a general inability to compile ideas of one’s own character clearly and uniquely, presents a cumbersome dilemma for rising seniors.
When crafting a college essay, students often struggle to maintain a powerful, personal voice, failing to seize the opportunity to share their unique strengths. As explained by Senior Kendyll Klingensmith, “Talk about what makes you unique, the experiences that no one else can say they’ve had quite the same way.” The essay portion is where personalities get to shine through the minefield of scholarly achievements. Joe Antrim, a senior at Milford, advises students to avoid mimicking what admissions officers would want to hear, as it sounds robotic and unnatural: “Be honest with yourself and your experiences,” he says. “Don’t paint yourself to be someone you aren’t. Colleges want to see the real you, so get rid of all the fluff and filler information.” Being authentic is the first step to ensuring consideration. “In an attempt to be ‘perfect,’ students lose their voice. You’ll want your voice to come through loud and clear. Your college essay is about you. It should sound like you,” MHS English teacher Amy Prescott states. “Your friends should be able to pick your essay out of a pile and know it’s yours.”
Originality is another important factor in deciding what to discuss in a college essay. Though everyone’s experiences during the global pandemic have varied, writing about it may not be the best choice for most students–as memorable as doing virtual school and being in isolation have been, most individuals have experienced some level of life-changing moments during this time. Simply put, “If you want to talk about how COVID-19 quarantine was a tough challenge to overcome, there will be hundreds of other students with the exact same essay,” said Hamilton. “Find unique anecdotes.” Antrim encourages students to partake in the COVID section of the Common Application rather than using their essays to share their circumstances.
Once a baseline essay is drafted, refining it to amplify one’s voice gives students the chance to portray the truest version of themselves possible. As explained by Prescott, students often do not spend enough time analyzing the prompt provided and leave parts (or even whole) questions unanswered accidentally. Clarity and organization are key components of a solid essay. “In their attempt to be formal, students often write long, meandering sentences that don’t actually say much,” Prescott explains. “Get to the point. Say what you mean. Be clear.”
The writing process is continuous; this is something many students struggle to understand. Choosing to write multiple essays gives a student more freedom to revise one or another to his/her liking. “While it’s stop and go, the best way I’ve come up with to counter this is to just continue writing, don’t delete anything and let your thoughts spill out onto the page,” Klingensmith shared. “It’s a lot easier to edit an existing essay than one that is blank, after all.” Hamilton also urges writers to view their work in a similar fashion: “I always tell students to overwrite a word count on a first draft and then to tighten the language and eliminate redundancy through revisions.” Tackling essays over various smaller periods of time allows students to write and edit drafts with a fresh perspective each time, and opens opportunities to get help if needed. Prescott and Hamilton both also advise students to seek help from teachers and counselors for feedback.
College essays–as important as they may be–are a good opportunity to explore one’s personality, perspectives, and accomplishments, and they serve a greater purpose than simply aiding the application process. They highlight different periods of a student’s growth and serve as an emblem of the high school experience. As summarized by Antrim, “Enjoy the process. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so make the most of it!” Be proud of the feats you have achieved, and start writing your essays!