How long will your student’s application be looked at? Fifteen minutes, tops. [1] Maybe as little as eight minutes. [2] Considering there is demographic data, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and activities to contend with, what does that leave for the essay? How long does that get? Try two, maybe up to five minutes.

Two to five minutes. Students will agonize for two to five months over something that will be read in two to five minutes. Granted, it will often be read by multiple people at each college. And it will be read at each college your student applies to. But still… two to five minutes.

Keep that in mind when it comes time for your student to write the essay. This is an important factor in their application, but it’s far from the only factor, and it’s seldom the most important factor. The title of “most important factor” is reserved for your student’s grades and the difficulty of the classes they have taken (we call this “rigor”). Especially at a test-optional college.

But these essays are still important. These essays are how your student will introduce themselves to the college. The college will get a lot of data about your student. They will hear from a couple teachers or mentors in letters. But the essay is the only place where they hear directly from your student in their own voice. Colleges ask a variety of questions to help prompt students’ thinking to get them to talk about themselves: who are they, what matters to them, what are their values and interests, and what are they like as a person?

In this series, I will explain my approach to the Common Application essays and arm you with the tools and options to help your student write their essays. You will learn

• How to understand each of the Common Application essay prompts

• How to think about word limits and general story formats.

• My seven-step process for writing a college essay.

• How to use the Additional Information section

• and we will wrap up with a Tips article of some Dos and Don’ts for your student to keep in mind as they write.

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And if you’re ready to get your student personalized help to walk them through writing their college essays, book a consultation below. If your student is willing to put in the work, we will help make the process as worry free as possible.

Citations

[1] Melissa Brock, “How Long Do Admissions Officers Read Applications?” College Money Tips, https://collegemoneytips.com/how-long-do-admissions-officers-read-applications/#:~:text=Every%20admissions%20office%20has%20a,approximately%2015%20minutes%20per%20application (Accessed: Jul 20, 2023).
[2] Melissa Korn, “Some Elite Colleges Review An Application In 8 Minutes Or Less.” The Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-elite-colleges-review-an-application-in-8-minutes-or-less-1517400001 (Accessed: Jul 20, 2023).

Curious about how you can get your student help with their essays? Click below to schedule a free consultation today!