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Let’s not sugarcoat it: getting into college is a pretty big deal! It’s a huge step and the first page of a brand new chapter in your life. But getting into a quality educational institution takes more than just willpower. You need good grades, clear aspirations, and the ability to pen a quality admissions essay.
However, far from every application works out. One internet user sparked an interesting discussion on r/AskReddit when they asked college admissions officers to share the very worst essays (and a few bizarrely good ones) they’ve ever had the ‘pleasure’ of reading. The college employees were more than happy to spill the tea. Scroll down to check out their stories below.
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#1
Read essays for a scholarship, not admissions.
Most were about mission trips through churches and how much the student had learned. Boring and mediocre. But one...
Packed with amazing imagery, the writer described her birth. Into the world of freedom and adulthood she was born. Pushing open the "doors". Light striking her face for the first time. So vivid. Got to the end and she was describing getting a luxury car at her graduation party. It was a scholarship for needy kids. She didn't get it.
#2
"My Mexican nanny was like a second mother to me and I know she felt the same way because she spent holidays with us instead of her own family.
#3
I worked in writing centers for several years and we helped people write these essays. Somebody came in with a med school essay about how she wanted to become a doctor to offer her family free surgery, so when I asked her about it and if she knew much about medical ethics, she said she thought operating on family members--esp. plastic surgery--would be just fine. I also asked her if she knew about the Hippocratic Oath and she had never heard of it.
At the core of writing a good admissions essay is one simple goal: picking a topic that clearly communicates who you are as a person and how this matches the values of the college you’re dreaming of getting into. Ideally, you want to show off your skills, achievements, and aspirations without seeming like you’re embellishing or bragging too much.
Remember, admissions officers don’t really know who you are as a person unless they’ve already met you in person for an interview. All that they have to go on is your grade transcript, possibly a couple of recommendations, and your essay. As the Harvard Summer School points out, you have to choose a topic that is consistent with you as an individual.
#4
I used to work in admissions and my boss had pinned an essay up in her cubicle with the name whited-out. The entire thing was written like the applicant was a cat. She talked about coming to learn with silly humans and how art would be a cat's true passion if cats had passions. She said that she didn't care about getting in, she just wanted to prove that she could. I don't think she was accepted, but that would have just been because of grades or text score, not the essay. That essay was legendary.
#5
A student began his essay bragging that he was "king" of his school. He was a linebacker, captain of the lacrosse team, and had been with "four older, attractive girls in the last 6 months." He was attempting to contextualize himself as a dude bro to juxtapose his discovered love of poetry, but only provided the committee with a laughs and eye rolls.
Also read numerous essays this year from middle/upper-class white kids talking about how hard it is to be Christian in the United States because they are ridiculed, mocked, and even persecuted(!) for their beliefs
#6
I was an admissions assistant at a really religious university. Everyone had to sign an Honor Code that included no tank tops, no drinking, no premarital sex or anything close, etc. I think a lot of kids have parents who make them apply because from time to time we would get unrepentant stories about drunken nights of passion. As in, "The candles flickered gently as he asked, '"Are you sure you want to do this?'" An interview with a religious leader is included in your packet and I read one that said, "Do not let this girl in under any circumstances. She belongs to a polygamous cult and may be coming to recruit."
“Readers can sense when writers are inauthentic. Inauthenticity could mean the use of overly flowery language that no one would ever use in conversation, or it could mean choosing an inconsequential topic that reveals very little about who you are,” the Harvard Summer School warns students to be true to themselves. That means finding a way to translate your own voice into words on a page.
You don’t only have to talk about strengths, though. Mentioning your weaknesses and being honest about your background can create a far more compelling and holistic view. At the end of the day, it’s better to be accepted for who you are, not some imaginary, overly perfect version that has never existed.
#7
I read essays for a scholarship foundation and the worst essay I have ever read was from a girl who wrote that she was a good person and she backed that up by stating that she was a virgin. First of all I don't think being a virgin makes you a good person or not being one makes you a bad person. Second of all, who the hell talks about their virginity on a scholarship application?
#8
Not an admissions officer, but when I was applying to colleges, an admissions officer told us about one student who wrote about tomatoes. Specifically, how people either like tomatoes or hate them; there is no in-between. She got in.
Elizabeth Elliot 1 year ago
The point about an essay is not whether it's right or wrong but whether the writer can produce cogent arguments to support their point!
#9
Not an admissions officer, but a college essay proofreader. I had a student who wrote a page worth of complete metaphorical bs that I could make zero sense of. He talked about how his fedora was his most prized possession. The best sentence, however, was something along these lines: "I delight in pondering life's endless choices, such as whether to indulge in extra guac: Is my palette worthy enough of the delicate mingling of avocado and coriander?" Had another essay where the student wrote about how adventurous she was, using the time she lit her kitchen on fire as a supporting detail. No. Just... no.
It also helps a ton if you structure your essay well. That means getting the basics right. From hooking the reader in with a strong opening to transitioning smoothly between paragraphs to ending things in a powerful, compelling way.
Aside from that, look at the essay as a serious project, not something to be done at the very last minute, right before the deadline. That means that you should start early, write multiple drafts, and have the patience and courage to revise, revise, revise! It is absolutely essential to edit your drafts and avoid repetition here because you’re competing against hundreds if not thousands of other capable applicants. And admissions officers are only human: they want to see clarity and character in your writing, not waffling about random things for a dozen pages.
#10
A applicant literally wrote something along the lines of please don't accept me I don't want to go to your school in the addendum section of our application because his parents forced him to apply.
Another time an applicant submitted a essay composed of Japanese characters that when put through google translate turned out to be a loosely translated version of cat in the hat.
#11
I remember an applicant who wrote at length about how she panics under pressure, lacks leadership skills and can't stand hospitals. It was a medical school application. I called her to make sure we weren't getting trolled. 10 seconds into the call she began panicking and said she doesn't do well with stressful phone calls and hung up. I called later to check up and she seemed to have recovered. No interview for her though.
Howl's sleeping castle 1 year ago
Can't stand hospitals and yet want to go to a medical school. To do what?
#12
I love a question I can legitimately answer!
There was a happiest place prompt. Her happiest place was the bathroom. While pooping.
A story about meeting poor people while on a service trip to South America (a frequent cliche) that ended with tossing soap and pens and pencils to a small child who danced for them, until he cried of gratitude (or perhaps because teenagers were throwing things at him)
Someone who wrote about her school trip to Ireland, where she mentioned staring out at the Pacific Ocean from her hotel
Though it’s scary and not everyone enjoys being criticized, show your essay to others. You can get their opinions on what works and what doesn’t. On top of that, having several other pairs of eyes look over your drafts can help comb out any style or grammar mistakes until things look perfect.
Last but not least, consider all the things featured in this post to see what you might want to avoid doing when it’s finally time to start typing away!
#13
I did data entry for the admissions office of the university I attended as an undergrad. Mostly I just confirmed the identification numbers on papers/e-docs that were sent in, and entered the applications components onto a sort of checklist on the applicant's profile in the system. It wasn't my job to read the applications for content, but the job was tedious as hell, so I often did anyway.
I've seen some exceptional s**t. I teach high school now, and I tell my students exactly what happens when you write an idiotically over-the-top-first-world-problem sob story or pretentious special snowflake essay. The underpaid data monkeys who process your s**t pass it around the bullpen and laugh our asses off.
The best worst one I ever read was a personal statement from a female student explaining a disciplinary action on her school report. Apparently, she and her boyfriend both ran track and attended the [University Mascot] Invitational track meet on campus. She went into detail about a fight that she and her boyfriend had at the meet, and then explained that he had asked to talk to her in private to "make up." She went on to say that they found an empty room in the field house and that he "was feeling romantic" and that they got caught having sex. She tried to play it off as her enthusiasm for the campus in the most awkward and horrible way possible. My shift got nothing done that way because we all crowded around the
computer reading it out loud. Even the supervisors got in on it.
TL;DR If you get caught f*****g while visiting a university, maybe you shouldn't apply there mere months later. Or, maybe you shouldn't try to spin it as a demonstration of your enthusiasm about attending said university.
#14
The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.
April 23, 1935
John F. Kennedy
#15
My favourite teacher in high school used to grade provincial English exams. Basically they put you in a room and you rate essays out of 5 all day. You have to do one paper every 5-10 minutes. And you're supposed to do it in absolutely stone cold silence.
He's in the middle of grading a pretty blasé paper and he can just sense the guy beside him losing his s**t. He's practically convulsing he's trying so hard not to laugh. He cracks and is openly howling and people start to get up and gather around to see what's funny.
The kid ended every single sentence in exclamation marks.
We went to the mall today!! The mall was really packed!! We went to buy shoes!! The kind I wanted weren't there!! I was sad but then I bought another pair of shoes!!!! They're okay! I like my new shoes!!
Who does that?!
#16
I know a college admissions person and one time they told me that a student wrote down that they can “Distinguish bra cup sizes by a simple glance at a woman”.
They were not impressed
#17
Admissions counselor here. I've been doing this for almost nine years, so everything kind of blends together at this point. I can't think of a specific "worst essay," but a lot of them fall into a few broad categories.
Sympathy essays
These essays are usually a big list of all the terrible things that happened to a student in hopes that we will admit them because we feel bad. Don't just tell us all the things that have happened to you and nothing else. A LOT of prospective students have gone through the divorce of their parents, death of a friend or family member, medical issues, car accident, etc. You need to explain how these events shaped you as a human being, what you learned, how you handled adversity and still managed your academics and so on.
Over-sharing essays
These are kind of like sympathy essays, only with much more graphic details. I've had some essays where students share intricate descriptions of sexual abuse they have experienced, or abusive relationships they were in with high school girl/boyfriends... This may have been a major experience that shaped you as a human being, but I don't think is appropriate for a college essay. If I feel the need to take a shower after reading your essay, that's not good for anyone. Also included here are essays where you admit that you didn't try hard in high school or take your academics seriously, but you're going to start in college. Maybe you should start in junior college then, and we'll see how it goes before you get to a four-year university.
Poorly written essays
Spelling errors, grammar mistakes, no formatting... THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. Have someone read your essay before you send it. Have several people read it! It's not cheating; we encourage you to do this. Also, if you're using the same essay for multiple colleges, make sure you change the name of the college referenced in your essay before you send it to that college.
Low-effort essays
Some students submit an essay that is about five sentences long and doesn't really say anything. If it takes you more time to attach your essay to the application than it does to write the essay, that is not a good thing.
Boring essays
Most essays are not all that interesting to read, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. If your essay doesn't stand out at all, it probably means that you answered the essay topic and didn't make any, or many, mistakes. That's about as much as we can ask for. It's not your fault that the typical high school experience for the vast majority of high school students is... typical. You probably didn't enter your freshman year thinking, "I better do some really cool stuff during the next few years so that I can write about it in my college essay." That's fine, we get that. Just do the best you can.
In reality, for most students, the essay is the weakest part of the application. We realize that, and so in every office I've worked in, the essay is the least valued part of the application file. We're much more interested in whether you challenged yourself academically, earned good grades, scored well on the SAT/ACT, and got involved in extracurricular activities. These things are all way more important.
Sylvia Schmitz 1 year ago
As a non American I would like to know why extracurricular activities are deemed important. As I see it they have no bearing on your ability to study a certain subject. Why would my being a youth group leader have any impact on my ability to study chemistry? I simply don't get it!
#18
For their GPA they put 95. One student listed their high school as “idk” One student listed their intended major as teaching and their minor in “principle” I asked one person how to spell their name and they had to ask their mother how to spell it. Multiple people have actually tried listing their IQ as a reason for admittance. If you get to write your own personal essay do not write “Why?” As the title and the entire essay be “why not?” Maybe not too ridiculous but they stuck with me
#19
I wont say how i know this person but he answered an essay question asking what he would do if he had 100 dollars by explaining he would go to the local playground where homeless people congregated and host a mini olympics where the homeless could compete for the 150 burgers he purchased with the money. The idea was to feed them but also do a study in human behaviors. This was for John Hopkin's and I'm pretty sure they were not pleased. Haha.
#20
My dad reviews college admissions for a certain not really well known college (in the middle of Buttf*ck Nowhere, Wisconsin) when he can volunteer. The prompt was of course the stereotypical, "What's an important thing in your life" or whatever. Y'know, the "big event" in your life. The kid wrote that he had Aspergers, and thus had "superior intelligence to all of the other normals" (A quote from the essay). Kept on writing on and on and on about how he's superior, and how people just dont "understand him". I didn't get to read the whole thing before he threw it away, but it just went on and on. The word limit was like 500 words? He extended it to around 2,000. Gotta give him credit for going the extra mile I guess. He didn't get into B*ttf**k Nowhere University, what a shame.
#21
Ones with text speak (r, u, 4ever), ones where kids forgot to change the name of the school for a different essay, ones where they tried to explain they're a good student despite a 2.0 gpa..
Luke Branwen 1 year ago
Unpopular opinion but even a person with seemingly bad grades can be a smart/good student. Maybe they have trouble with endless memorizing of uninteresting facts. Maybe they get anxious during oral examination.
#22
Former admissions counselor here:
The worst essays, generally, are not particularly interesting. They receive the worst scores because they are short, incomplete, riddled with grammatical mistakes, or are written by non-native speakers. It takes 30 seconds to give the lowest score and move on.
However, one memorable essay sticks out. A student (rich, white, private school) wrote eloquently about how inner city black students ought to take up more sports. Specifically, polo, lacrosse, and squash. With conviction, this particular student, woefully unaware, wrote about how inner city students could learn more about competition and overcoming adversity from taking up these sports. His proposal was to host sports camps (in the suburbs) for the students of color to attend.
María Hermida 1 year ago
Why are essays written by non-native speakers automatically given the lowest scores? That's so racist! Many non-natives are very good at English, even better than many natives.
#23
The worst CV I ever saw as part of an application to a graduate program was a barely-intelligible, un-formatted mess that included such bits of information as she likes to spend her free time reading and her favorite book is "fifty shade gray"
#24
Girlfriend is a college admissions officer. She read over a hundred essays from Chinese prospective students that all talked about "helping the blind". Had no idea that so many Chinese teenagers were active in their blind communities.
Stinky 1 year ago
I wonder if there is some kind of underground essay writing organisation that churns out these essays for students? Trying to hit the heartstrings?
David Martin 1 year ago
My friends were all impressed when I told them I enjoy volunteering on the weekend to help blind children. Until I mentioned that's a verb, not an adjective (I'll show myself out)
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 1 year ago
As a Chinese student myself, there are actually lots of charities and organizations in China which organize events like this, and they’re very abundant. Of course, no one has any idea how many of these essays are exaggerated or just fake, but I’ve personally participated as a volunteer in an event where a person could narrate a movie for visually impaired people. So, yes, not every single one of them are lying.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
I worked at Chinese schools where students were encouraged to volunteer at orphanages playing with the children and organizing fund raising events in the local community. Unfortunately, many ceased citing this experience on foreign university applications because dodgy agents had made such a cliché of it.
Load More Replies... #25
I used to intern at the admissions office at my university and got to read a couple essays from time to time. Firstly, you won't believe how many of these essays contain a sob story, or a story about how the kid went on a service trip and how it changed their lives.
Not exactly the worst, but I think the most cringe-worthy essay I read was one where this guy talked about how he thought he was more mature than anyone of his age, how he never talked to anyone in school because he thought they were too dumb for him, and how he spends his free time having conversations with scientists on the Internet. Also for some reason he felt the need to mention multiple times that he was straight edge and didn't understand how other kids of his generation found alcohol and drugs fun.
I mean, his GPA was pretty good and he seemed like a decent kid but f*****g hell was that essay hard to read.
DetongLhamo 1 year ago
Beware anyone who talks themselves up and puts other people down. Arrogance is very unattractive and often vicious.
#26
I talked with some admissions people and their biggest peeve is when someone talks about volunteering for an under-served population and they end with "I went there to help them but they ended up helping me!" chestnut.
#27
We had an applicant send in a book they wrote and published themselves. It was difficult for us to really read it, because for some reason the book really stank. We just put it in their file and shut the door.
#28
A girl in my school wrote about how she thinks the essay portion of applications should be removed because it's degrading to the student. Don't remember if she got in.
#29
He translated his essay into binary by hand.
Not a college admission officer but a lady at an engineering conference was bragging about her son's 750 Math SAT and how he was so brilliant and his application essay was so unique that he would surely get into MIT.
I'm about 90% certain that application went immediately into the trash.
CJay M 1 year ago
That actually is pretty clever… certainly stands out from the noise, and if he’s applying to be a programmer it’s a good way of showing he’s capable of sitting down and spending a long time to make something as good as he physically could. Even if the essay was garbage that’s a lot of work
#30
A kid tried to justify a massive amount of absences by explaining that he had a phobia of worms and was unable to walk to school after it had rained (as worms had crawled out into the sidewalk).
What do you think ?
Cathy McGee 1 year ago
What a strange idea. I guess this is American. In UK & i think Europe we don't have to write essays to get into university. We do have interviews after exam grades are known, only for the actual possible candidates.
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
I do remember having to write a few mini essays for my post-graduate course in the UK but they were focused specifically on my academic studies and career goals.
Load More Replies...
Sylvia Schmitz 1 year ago
How I applied to university: I took my last report card (Abiturzeugnis) to the admissions office of my local university, told them what I wanted to study, filled out a form, paid my semester ticket and got handed a Vorlesungsverzeichnis. End of story. Now, if I had wanted to study something with a numerus clausus it would have been different, but for languages this was it.
Bernd Herbert 1 year ago
I personally find it a really bizarre concept...writing an essay to get into some school
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
It should ABSOLUTELY be prohibited. It's merely a way of ensuring that students conform to all of the biases of the university.
Load More Replies...
Mabelbabel 1 year ago
The university my hospital is affiliated with does "workstation" interviews. Instead of a panel of interviewers, applicants have 10 workstations with 2 interviewers on each, and spend 8 minutes at each station. Some are basic "tell us about a time you showed leadership skills" but others are more creative e.g. a candidate is told "Imagine you're in a shopping mall with friends about to go to a movie, and you see a girl crying-she's on her own, but you think you recognise her from school. What do you do?" A couple of workstations involve role play with volunteers who act out the part of a patient, or a customer. Each candidate gets 2 scores per workstation, and places are offered to the top scorers. It means if they totally bomb on one station, they can pick up points on another, and getting a generalised score from 20 people is more accurate than an assessment from just a panel of 3.
David A Paterson 1 year ago
The whole concept of a college admission essay is heavily biased against people for whom English is a second language, isn't it?
Kim 1 year ago
If you are going to attend a university that use English then it is pretty useless if you do not understand it. 🤦🏽
Load More Replies...
Michael Largey 1 year ago
These days I'll bet a lot of these essays are being written by ChatGPT
Jason Melvil 1 year ago
This whole essay thing is just bizarre. Around here all you need are your grades, an admission fee and if it's a graduate program you have to do some assignment in what you're actually studying. Example writing a script for screenwriting, writing code for computer science etc. Why would university give a damn if I went into some mission to help people in a third world country if I'm studying math?
Cat Chat 1 year ago
The college I went to, by the time the essay comes into the picture, you are already accepted and registered for classes. They used it to determine which English class, if any is needed. More than half of the student population were from outside the US, so it made sense to do it that way.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago (edited)
Fun fact: These admission essays are simply ways universities find out the sort of information about you that they are prohibited by law from asking. Formerly, they were to make sure you a country-club blue-blood white boy. Now, it's largely about politics. And the ways they infer things is downright sinister! Let's say you care passionately about nature and you proudly report how you cleaned up all the trash in your neighborhood parks and streams. You'd never guess that this would flag you as a Republican, would you? But you just tipped off to the admissions department that you don't believe in global warming, because for all your concern about the LOCAL environment, you didn't do anything POLITICAL to organize for GLOBAL environmental protection.
Cathy McGee 1 year ago
What a strange idea. I guess this is American. In UK & i think Europe we don't have to write essays to get into university. We do have interviews after exam grades are known, only for the actual possible candidates.
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
I do remember having to write a few mini essays for my post-graduate course in the UK but they were focused specifically on my academic studies and career goals.
Load More Replies... Sylvia Schmitz 1 year ago
How I applied to university: I took my last report card (Abiturzeugnis) to the admissions office of my local university, told them what I wanted to study, filled out a form, paid my semester ticket and got handed a Vorlesungsverzeichnis. End of story. Now, if I had wanted to study something with a numerus clausus it would have been different, but for languages this was it.
Bernd Herbert 1 year ago
I personally find it a really bizarre concept...writing an essay to get into some school
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
It should ABSOLUTELY be prohibited. It's merely a way of ensuring that students conform to all of the biases of the university.
Load More Replies... Mabelbabel 1 year ago
The university my hospital is affiliated with does "workstation" interviews. Instead of a panel of interviewers, applicants have 10 workstations with 2 interviewers on each, and spend 8 minutes at each station. Some are basic "tell us about a time you showed leadership skills" but others are more creative e.g. a candidate is told "Imagine you're in a shopping mall with friends about to go to a movie, and you see a girl crying-she's on her own, but you think you recognise her from school. What do you do?" A couple of workstations involve role play with volunteers who act out the part of a patient, or a customer. Each candidate gets 2 scores per workstation, and places are offered to the top scorers. It means if they totally bomb on one station, they can pick up points on another, and getting a generalised score from 20 people is more accurate than an assessment from just a panel of 3.
David A Paterson 1 year ago
The whole concept of a college admission essay is heavily biased against people for whom English is a second language, isn't it?
Kim 1 year ago
If you are going to attend a university that use English then it is pretty useless if you do not understand it. 🤦🏽
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 year ago
These days I'll bet a lot of these essays are being written by ChatGPT
Jason Melvil 1 year ago
This whole essay thing is just bizarre. Around here all you need are your grades, an admission fee and if it's a graduate program you have to do some assignment in what you're actually studying. Example writing a script for screenwriting, writing code for computer science etc. Why would university give a damn if I went into some mission to help people in a third world country if I'm studying math?
Cat Chat 1 year ago
The college I went to, by the time the essay comes into the picture, you are already accepted and registered for classes. They used it to determine which English class, if any is needed. More than half of the student population were from outside the US, so it made sense to do it that way.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago (edited)
Fun fact: These admission essays are simply ways universities find out the sort of information about you that they are prohibited by law from asking. Formerly, they were to make sure you a country-club blue-blood white boy. Now, it's largely about politics. And the ways they infer things is downright sinister! Let's say you care passionately about nature and you proudly report how you cleaned up all the trash in your neighborhood parks and streams. You'd never guess that this would flag you as a Republican, would you? But you just tipped off to the admissions department that you don't believe in global warming, because for all your concern about the LOCAL environment, you didn't do anything POLITICAL to organize for GLOBAL environmental protection.
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