Why Are There SO Many College Application Essays?

Hey guys, it’s Eric at Solution Prep, and today we’re talking about why some colleges that accept the Common App also request or require their own school specific application essays.

They want to get to know the applicants who are applying beyond just their grades and their scores. But, shouldn’t the Common App essay be enough for them to do that? Well, there are three other reasons why.

One is to make sure that you’re specifically interested in their college by asking you to write an essay that you would only write for them that you couldn’t have just repurposed from something else you’ve written for a different college. So they might ask you, “Why are you interested in our college?” Or they might ask you a weirdo question like, “What’s your favorite candy?” or, “If you had to wear a costume for a year, what would it be and why?” That way they know you’re just writing it for them.

Also, an essay assignment might be a way for the college to communicate to you what they value and what kind of students they’re looking for. Like if they ask you why diversity is important to you, or what’s a book you read outside of school assignments that was most meaningful to you. Now you know they’re looking for students who value that and who do that activity. And if that’s not you, you can move along to a different college because this one might not be for you.

And, a reason why colleges might assign a lot of essays is to winnow that field down of applicants to just the students who are very seriously interested in their college. Students who see they have to write 3, 5, 8, or more essays for this college application might say, “You know, I wasn’t that interested anyway” or, “You know, I’m probably not gonna get in so there’s no point. I’m not going to bother.” Great. They’re thrilled to have you not apply because that means they don’t have to waste an invitation on you or waste their time reading your essays because you weren’t serious anyway. And if you won’t do the work in the application, you probably won’t do the work as a student there at their college.

They get what they want out of their applicant pool, which is a self-selecting group of applicants who are passionate about their school and are the right fit for their school. And now they can dig into reading just those students.

So look at those essay assignments and carefully write what matters to you. And if you have questions, call us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.