How long will your student’s application be looked at? Fifteen minutes, tops. Maybe as little as eight minutes. Considering there is demographic data, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and activities to contend with, too, what about 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.