Are College Application Essays Obsolete?

categories: Education and Business, Standardized Tests

Published May 22, 2009 @ 07:04AM PT

From my own experience here in Korea, where the elite families pay thousands of dollars for tutors to "help" their kids write their application essays for top-tier US colleges, my answer would be a resounding "Ya think?"

The director of admissions at Cambridge does. He says...

that his institution does not give any weight to personal essays in applications. “With the profusion of companies and Web sites offering to help draft applicants’ personal statements for a fee, no admissions tutor believes them to be the sole work of the applicant anymore,” Geoff Parks was quoted as saying in both The Times and The Guardian. “We certainly don’t assign any marks to personal statements,” Mr. Parks added in The Times.

He adds teacher references to the obsolete pile, too:

"now that students can ask to see their references, teachers have stopped saying anything interesting or controversial,” The Times reported, and those recommendations are therefore also given little weight.

While we're at it, let's add the SAT itself to the pile. It's no secret that money buys higher SAT scores, and parents who can pay are willing to. Walk down any street in Seoul, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an SAT cram school.

photo by oceandesetoiles

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Comments (9)

Ok. So, is there anything which can't be bought? I guess a personal interview would be the closest thing to the real deal, but it's not likely that colleges are going to be able to personally interview each applicant. I've thought about this all for a long time, too. Personal statement videos, portfolios...they can all be enhanced by professionals for a fee. Where does it leave us?
On a side note, I once worked for an expensive SAT prep company as a tutor. I quit for several reasons, but one thing that really got to me was the intensity of the high-stakes. I was so impressed with each of my students. They were amazing people- smart, athletic, accomplished, articulate- and I couldn't stand the level of stress they felt over this one Saturday event. It also bothered me that the tutoring was so expensive. The company promised that they offered services for free in "under-served areas" but they did not.Just my 2 cents.

Posted by Andrea Hernandez on 05/22/2009 @ 08:02AM PT
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I don't know where it leaves us, besides with one more argument for SAT-optional and "no essay" schools - that would at least, maybe, level the playing field.

Posted by Clay Burell on 05/22/2009 @ 09:48AM PT
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When I started teaching a few years ago, I helped a couple of my seniors with their essays and I was actually surprised to see that the word limit was somewhere around 250. That makes for a pretty paltry essay. I think you're right, although I am a little skeptical about the effectiveness of essay and test-prep factories.

Posted by Tom Panarese on 05/22/2009 @ 09:16AM PT
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I've seen research here and there confirming statistically significant gains on SAT after coaching.

As for essays, good ones can be bought so many ways now that the student doesn't even have to bother with writing it. It takes big bucks, though - especially for an original.

I made a pretty penny last summer only coaching students through several essays, from idea to finish. I didn't write them, but they would have been far inferior without my coaching.

Posted by Clay Burell on 05/22/2009 @ 09:50AM PT
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This really is a slap in the face to those of us who really put in the work and effort to turn out good essays.

I spent quite a bit of time on my graduate essays. I rewrote and rewrote them several times. I studied on my own and did slightly above average on my GRE (the math section foils me again). I did not ask to see my letters of recommendation. Technically I could have seen them before they went in their sealed envelops, but I played it straight.

To go through all that work just to have some admin officer say, well so many people are cheating we can't trust anyone is frankly bull dash dash dash dash. Either take the materials you asked me to provide at face value or don't ask for them. It's a complete waste of my time and yours.

(I appologize if this was a little incoherent, but I've just finished my grad admissions process in the last several months. It was a pain in the butt and tedious, so it should be no surprised that I'm a little irked)

Posted by Derek Viger on 05/22/2009 @ 01:03PM PT
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Derek, I can relate to your feeling like it's a slap in the face, but take heart in what you have accomplished. We can only hope that the authentic eventually rises to the top. I don't know enough about the college admissions process to know why an essay is required if it really is not counted as part of the package. I can only hope that admissions officers are savvy enough to see the big picture and read between the lines when looking at applications. Good luck with your grad school admissions.

Posted by Andrea Hernandez on 05/22/2009 @ 02:00PM PT
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Derek, I think we all feel your pain. It's the honest losing out because of the dishonest. And fwiw, I'm sure many schools do pay attention to the essays.

What are you going to study in grad school?

Posted by Clay Burell on 05/22/2009 @ 05:59PM PT
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If we ditch essays and SAT scores, we're left with grades. With today's formative assessments (portfolios of classwork and projects, class participation, perceived effort and initiative), grades have become more subjective than ever. They tend, in particular, to disfavor highly analytical children who don't meet our society's right-brain standards for creativity and who tend, in too many of today's classrooms, to be underachievers with "bad attitudes."

(I discuss this at: http://oilf.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-left-brainers-dont-get-high-grades.html)

Katharine Beals

Posted by Katharine Beals on 05/24/2009 @ 08:27AM PT
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It is shocking how money tromps everything. I feel that colleges should not based there applicants on their SAT score because some people are not good test takers, but know they material. It does not bother me when it comes to the college essays because your basically writing about things based upon yourself. The essays are really a great idea. I just saying that SAT should not be the first thing colleges criticize.

Posted by asiah williams on 05/24/2009 @ 07:02PM PT
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Clay is an American high school Humanities teacher, technology coach, and Apple Distinguished Educator who has taught for the last eight years in Asian international schools. According to law, he's married to his wife. According to his wife, he's married to his Mac.