3 Tips For Writing College Essays In The Age Of Covid

3 Tips For Writing College Essays In The Age Of Covid The College Report is completed by a school official, typically the dean of students, or an academic dean at the college or university. The form serves to confirm that the applicant is in good academic and disciplinary standing at the most recent institution attended. We realize that as a school counselor understanding all that colleges and universities have to offer can sometimes be overwhelming. The following events are designed to help you assist your students in making college choices that are right for them. Despite the decline in colleges requiring an SAT or ACT essay, Compass still advises many of our students to make the essay a part of their testing plans. Skipping the essay can leave a student scrambling to fit in an additional test date should his or her college plans change. Some colleges requiring the essay will not superscore test dates without the essay. Just as important, it’s uncommon for an ACT or SAT essay to be a significant negative factor on an application. With a minimum amount of practice, most students can reach the 25thâ€"75th percentile score ranges of even the most elite colleges in the country. Many admission officers would view it as a “plus factor.” It’s wonderful that your daughter did so well. If I’m understanding correctly, the only students who need to be taking the writing/essay exams are those applying to the first 9 schools on your list that are “required” or “recommended”? We are in CA so it used to be needed for the UC’s but as you noted even that has changed. So now post-Covid, do you still advise most of your students to take the writing exams, or feel that there is “more upside than downside” to taking them? My 11th grader previously did the SAT w/essay and scored 760 R&W, 650 M, and 4/4/5 on the essay. We know that one of the biggest factors in determining the right school is affordability. Because we believe talent deserves opportunity, Rice offers need-blind admission to domestic students. This means we do not consider finances when we review the application. Additionally, Rice meets 100 percent of demonstrated need â€" without loans â€" through the Rice Investment, one of the most notable financial aid programs in the country. For more information about need-based financial aid and the Rice Investment, please visit our Office of Financial Aid website. For a small college, there is a chance that you essay will only be read by a couple of individuals, but for a larger school it can make its way through several hands before being put down. While essays don’t weigh as much as grades or course selection, if you are applying test-optional or to a smaller school, more attention will be given to this section of the application. I cannot make that claim, but I do believe that most of them are read. Most schools fall in the “just don’t care” box at this point. Having at least one essay score is helpful in case a student decides to apply to a Required college, but it is unlikely to play a role at Optional colleges. As much as I rail against the essay, I still recommend that students take it â€" at least once. Your daughter didn’t waste her time, she created some options. Policies on viewing essay results are all over the place at essay optional schools. In other words, there is more upside than downside when looking at an extended test day. You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis. While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font. Some essay examples below are by students who chose to write about a challenge, while other examples may be helpful if you’re looking to write about yourself more generally. We hope students are challenging themselves with their high school curriculum which would greatly prepare themselves for college coursework. KSU requires students to meet the GPA as calculated by KSU and the stated SAT/ACT score requirements for admission. The application process is designed to accommodate the broad spectrum of experience a transfer student might bring to the process. If you do not feel that the application questions allow you to explain your circumstances to the admission committee, you may email the information to us at Still, don’t waste the opportunity to put another dimension on your application file. The role of the essay varies greatly from school to school. A lot of it depends upon the selectivity of the school. In smaller to mid size colleges they are certainly read, at least by two readers, and all Honors College essays are read. You can be certain that you did not spend all that time crafting the perfect essay in vain. How much weight a college puts on that portion of the application may differ. Just how many readers digest your words can vary as well. It is always worth an applicant’s while to write as strong an essay as possible, but its role in the process is a variable one. Keep in mind that every college is different and individual admission officers may be influenced by different factors.