College FAQs
Questions
- General
- Does your service ever write the essays for the students?
- Are there services out there that actually write the essays? Is this good or bad, if it gets a student into a school?
- Does myEssay.com review essays?
- The Essay: General
- How important is the application essay?
- What do you think about using the same essay for a bunch of applications?
- What are some big mistakes people make in their essay?
- What practical advice would you give student beginning to write their admission essays?
- The Essay: The Admissions Committee
- What exactly do admissions officers want to know when they ask you to write the college essay?
- Who will read and evaluate my essay?
- How do schools evaluate my essays?
- The Essay: Content
- Are there essay topics I should avoid?
- What do you mean by "be honest" in your essay?
- What can I do to get started?
- What kind of brainstorming tips do you have for the planning period?
- What should the applicant remember while choosing a topic?
- What should the applicant remember when writing the conclusion?
- The Essay: Style
- The Essay: Mechanics
- Is an introduction absolutely necessary?
- Should one avoid using quotations?
- How long should my essay be?
- If the school has a word limit, is it okay to go over?
- Should I title my essay?
- The Interview
- My mother wants to attend my interview. Is that acceptable?
- Will my chances for admission be better I have an interview with the dean of admissions rather than an associate?
- What should I wear to the interview?
- What questions should I ask?
- Recommendations
- The Application: General
- Should I include supplementary materials with my application?
- If my application is handwritten, will it count against me?
- I am a member of an ethnic minority. Should I check the box to indicate my minority status?
- Can I handwrite my application?
- The College Process: General
Answers
General
- Does your service ever write the essays for the students?
No, myEssay.com does not write essays for students ever. - Are there services out there that actually write the essays? Is this good or bad, if it gets a student into a school?
There are services that actually write the essay, but we do not recommend using them for three reasons.
1. No writing service can write a successful application essay. How can a third party write a personal essay where the applicant's character and personality shine through?
2. Admission officers can spot a phony from the other side of the room. They will know immediately that it wasn't the applicant who wrote the essay.
3. It is fraud. If you are caught you will automatically be denied admisson. And even if the school finds out years later, you may risk expulsion. - Does myEssay.com review essays?
No, myEssay.com does not provide an essay review service.
The Essay: General
- How important is the application essay?
The essay is extremely important. It offers you one of just a few opportunities in the entire admissions process to show who you are beyond your grades and test scores. It is your chance to differentiate yourself from other applicants and to make a truly unique impression on the admissions committee. And you may even find that writing your essay is a thought-provoking and personally revealing process. - What do you think about using the same essay for a bunch of applications?
If the essay questions among the schools you apply to are nearly identical, it is probably acceptable to use the same general essay. Many schools, for instance, will ask for a general personal statement, an essay on a person who has made an impact on you, or an activity that has shaped your identity. Yet you should read all essay questions extremely carefully and make the appropriate adjustments to your essay for each school. Write new essays for questions that are markedly different. - What are some big mistakes people make in their essay?
One big mistake applicants often make is writing the essay without carefully reading the question or directions. Another mistake is using vocabulary words they are not entirely comfortable with to appear more intellectual. A third mistake is failing to check spelling and grammar. Writing too long an essay is another common mistake. - What practical advice would you give student beginning to write their admission essays?
1. Begin early. Start working on your essays in the summer.
2. Visit our site (www.myEssay.com). Within the world of the application essay, we really do provide you with everything. The application kits are the best products by far available in the market today.
The Essay: The Admissions Committee
- What exactly do admissions officers want to know when they ask you to write the college essay?
No matter how an essay question is worded, its ultimate purpose is to get a sense of who you are, what you value, and how you got where you are. The entire college application is really an exercise in self-exploration, and the essay is a way to put your personal adventure into words — and to show an admissions officer you have the maturity and intelligence to reflect upon yourself in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way. You do not need to expose all your innermost thoughts, but you must share some part of yourself. The best essays shine with the personality of the writer, giving him or her depth and making him or her human. - Who will read and evaluate my essay?
Procedures vary among schools, but typically, one admissions officer will read your essay(s) and write an evaluation. If you remain a viable candidate, your essay will be scrutinized more closely by another admissions officer or perhaps by the admissions director. Some schools, particularly small liberal arts colleges, will subject your essays to further scrutiny by circulating your file among members of an admission, committee of five to seven people (admissions officers, faculty members, and, possibly, students). - How do schools evaluate my essays?
Evaluation methods vary somewhat among schools. Some schools, particularly larger institutions that process many applications, use a scoring system in which each essay receives separate scores for content, style, and mechanics. Other schools take a more holistic approach, relying on written comments from evaluators as well as discussion among admissions committee members.
The Essay: Content
- Are there essay topics I should avoid?
Avoid writing about anything so intimate or serious that it would make the admissions committee excessively uncomfortable. An admissions officer is neither your therapist nor your confessor. Also, avoid composing a laundry list of your activities, accomplishments, or experiences without providing any real insight. Colleges are often interested less in what you have done than in your capacity to look upon your experience in a meaningful way. - What do you mean by "be honest" in your essay?
We mean be realistic about who you are and who you are not. Admissions committees can spot phonies. They can also tell when someone else, like a parent, writes an essay. Write the essays yourself, openly and honestly expressing who you are. Then find a good editor. - What can I do to get started?
Try some stream-of-consciousness exercises. Pick any topic and fill up a piece of paper with words as fast as you possibly can, essentially writing down your thoughts as they come to you. You may find it helpful to impose a time limit on yourself. At this stage, don't worry about content, style, or grammar; just get the words going and you might be able to find a usable topic in that mess of words. Also try myEssay.com's innovative interactive tool, The Brainstormer™, to help generate essay topics. - What kind of brainstorming tips do you have for the planning period?
Brainstorming is an integral part of writing the essay. Most students spend zero to very little time brainstorming and as a result, end up sitting in front of a blank computer screen for hours.1. Be willing to invest a significant amount of time (time unit is days) brainstorming. Get started early so time will not be an issue.
2. But create a deadline. Don't spend weeks brainstorming, or rather daydreaming.
3. First spend time thinking about yourself and the question. You must reflect thoroughly. Ultimately you will want to focus one to two themes and develop those thoughts. Then spend time thinking about approach and style.
4. Try free writing for ten minutes at a time. Choose a topic and do nothing but write for ten minutes. Try to stay with your topic, but if you can't, just continue writing. The important thing is to keep writing and avoid any interruptions that could hinder your flow of thought, such as editing what you've written. Save the editing for later.
5. Use myEssay.com's brainstorming workshop. - What should the applicant remember while choosing a topic?
The topic itself is not important. What is important is what the essay reveals about you. So if you choose your grandfather as the topic of your essay for instance, the focus of your essay should not only be about your grandfather; instead, it should be about your relationship with your grandfather and why that relationship in particular is meaningful or significant to you.Don't ask too much of your essay. Don't try to fit your life history in one page. Share a snippet instead, a piece of yourself with the reader. Give the reader an insightful glimpse into your life.
- What should the applicant remember when writing the conclusion?
Conclusions and summaries are for term papers; endings are for admissions essays. Don't use phrases like in conclusion or in summary. First, good writing doesn't require these kinds of clauses. Second, you have a stated or implied word limit and using clauses like these is wasteful. A good ending rounds out your essay, resolves any hanging issues, and provides a lasting impact so the admissions committee won't forget you. Remember...Schools want bright, active people-- not wet blankets. So finish on a positive note. Tie up and resolve any loose or hanging issues. You don't want to leave the reader hanging.
Beginnings can also make a difference. You need to grab your reader's attention, right from the start. Why? Because if the admissions officer doesn't get beyond the opening few sentences, you've missed your opportunity. Now you're just another face in the crowd, one of a thousand applicants. With the right beginning, you draw the reader in and have him or her not wanting to put the essay down until the very end.
The Essay: Style
- Is it acceptable to be funny?
Part of writing a good essay is making yourself memorable, and one way to do that is with a little humor. You should, however, be careful. If overused or used too flippantly, humor can make the writer seem too casual, too glib, or uninterested in getting admitted. - How can I sound self-confident without sounding arrogant?
The key to differentiating confidence from arrogance is your tone. Do not be overtly boastful about your accomplishments. Rather than telling admissions committees what you have achieved just for the sake of telling them, use your specific achievements as a springboard for more personal insights. Do not, for example, just write an essay on how many state championships your soccer team won; write about why your last state championship game was so important to you, what it meant to play with your team for the last time....
The Essay: Mechanics
- Is an introduction absolutely necessary?
Most essays require an introductory paragraph to identify the topic and present the theme. Exceptions to this include short one- to two-paragraph essays, which require only a few sentences to introduce the topic. An introduction is also unnecessary in an inductive essay, which takes the reader through a discussion without a clear focus, and reveals its intention only at the end. A third exception is a narrative essay, which could survive without an introduction. Most of the time, however, it is a good idea to provide some sort of introduction. - Should one avoid using quotations?
You should quote sparingly. Using too many quotations can make your essay sound overly scholarly or, perhaps even worse, cliched. Keep in mind that your essay is supposed to reflect your ideas-what do you think it says if you use your one opportunity to express yourself in your own words to cite those of other people? - How long should my essay be?
Colleges will sometimes suggest a word limit for the main essay, usually five hundred words. While there is no definitive length that makes for a good essay, you can use five hundred as a rule of thumb. If you are given a word limit or allotted a specific amount of space on an application, adhere to it. You would be unwise to expect an admissions officer — who may review thousands of essays a year — to read extra pages, or to strain his or her eyes trying to make out your miniscule font. You should generally avoid anything smaller than a 12-point typeface. - If the school has a word limit, is it okay to go over?
Try not to go over, but nobody is going to count words or penalize you if you exceed the limit by a small margin. However, do not exceed the limit by more than ten percent. - Should I title my essay?
The use of titles is acceptable, but is superfluous to most admissions committees, who are far more concerned with the content of the essay itself. Go ahead and title your essay if you think it would help communicate your message; otherwise, leave your essay untitled.
The Interview
- My mother wants to attend my interview. Is that acceptable?
Absolutely not. You want to prove you are a mature, independent person, and you do not, furthermore, need the added pressure of your parents' nervousness. - Will my chances for admission be better I have an interview with the dean of admissions rather than an associate?
No. Don't worry if your interview is with someone other than the dean; all interviewers carry equal weight in the admissions process. You should prepare for alumni and student interviews just as you would for an interview with a member of the admissions committee. - What should I wear to the interview?
Wearing the appropriate attire is important. It is not necessary for a man to wear a Wall Street suit and power tie, but a neat appearance is very important. Khaki pants, a dress shirt, and a navy blazer or a clean sweater is perfectly fine. Do not wear jeans or sport shirts, and go light on the aftershave and cologne. Suits are unnecessary for female applicants as well. Dresses or skirts and blouses are appropriate for college interviews, as are dress slacks. Women should limit the amount of cosmetics and perfume they wear. Do not smoke or chew gum. - What questions should I ask?
Ask anything you want about the school, but be sure that you really want to know the answer. Be prepared with three to five questions about the school that are thoughtful and sincere.
Recommendations
- Who should write my recommendations?
Ask teachers and counselors who know you well, and who can write about your qualities sincerely and enthusiastically to write your recommendations. Pay careful attention, furthermore, to each college's specific requirements on recommendations; some schools, for example, ask that you provide at least one letter from a teacher in the sciences. - How do I ensure that my recommendations are good?
Ask your recommenders early, give them all the necessary materials (forms; stamped, addressed envelopes; a list of deadlines), and provide materials that will help them be as specific as possible about you (papers; presentations; your résumé). A good recommendation should relay insightful anecdotes about you and attest to your character and abilities.
The Application: General
- Should I include supplementary materials with my application?
If you feel strongly that these materials will help your chances of admission, contact the school and ask if you may send selected samples of your work to the appropriate academic department. That department will review the supplements and forward an evaluation widthe admissions office. - If my application is handwritten, will it count against me?
Admissions committees often prefer typed applications, but it is perfectly acceptable to write your application by hand if your handwriting is neat and legible. Your essay however, should generally be typed unless the specific school asks otherwise. - I am a member of an ethnic minority. Should I check the box to indicate my minority status?
Most colleges do not have official quotas to fill, but most do try to select a freshman class that covers a broad ethnic and cultural spectrum. It is generally a good idea to indicate that you are a member of an ethnic minority as there might be special opportunities available to you, such as a scholarship for people of your ethnicity. - Can I handwrite my application?
No, do not handwrite your application. Type it and make sure it's neat.
The College Process: General
- Why am I having such a hard time finding the real me?
Finding yourself is a lifelong (and rewarding) battle, and now is a good time to start. Think about all your past experiences and how you have grown from them, and ask yourself what makes you unique from your friends and classmates. - Should I apply early?
If it is offered, you should apply "early decision" (which is binding) to a particular school only if you are absolutely certain you want to attend that school more than any other school. You should apply "early action" (which is non-binding) to a particular school if you are very committed to that school and have all your application materials ready and polished well in advance of the regular deadline. Schools will offer either the early action or early decision option, but never both. - What advice might you offer for a younger student (starting high school) on compiling a resume of activities or community service for the purpose of looking good at college admissions time?
While activities are important, do not do things merely for the sake of looking good at college admissions time. Find activities you enjoy and excel in them. Be a star. Be a leader. It is far better to do a few things well, than to do many things mediocrely.