Your college application essay:

Know which is the correct answer?

It¡¯s not A. While an application essay does sometimes serve as a "tipper" ? tipping a borderline applicant one way or the other ? it probably won¡¯t "make you or break you." An extremely well-written essay will certainly help you out, but at the same time it won¡¯t make up for a terrible high school record. By the same token, unless you write an essay that the admissions committee absolutely can¡¯t stand (which is easily avoidable if you let your English teacher and a couple of other people proofread it), your essay probably won¡¯t be cause for a big black X on a basically great application.

B certainly isn¡¯t the answer, unless you¡¯re going to an extraordinarily small college (and even then, they won¡¯t be savage). The admissions committee members are going to be way too tired, rushed, and busy to ponder over every word in your essay, and they aren¡¯t going to be savage monsters. They¡¯ll just be trying to get an idea of who you are as a real person underneath all that paperwork.

C is definitely not true. While some of the biggest universities may not ask for essays, if the college to which you are applying requires an essay, it¡¯s going to count for as much or almost as much as the rest of the criteria do. As we¡¯ve already mentioned, it¡¯s the one of the only ways that the committee can really get to know you. (And you should always do your best on anything that¡¯s required of you by the college?you¡¯ll obviously make a bad impression if you blow off any part of the application as unimportant.)

If you thought D was the correct answer from your own personal experience, we are here to prove you wrong and help you out, because¡¦

¡¦we believe E is the correct answer! No matter how great your grades, test scores, and recommendation letters, no matter how numerous your awards and leadership positions, a well-written essay can help you out by separating you from all the other applicants who can boast similar qualifications. And if grades and scores don¡¯t happen to be your forte? Then the personal essay is your chance to show the admissions board why you still deserve a place on their campus, despite a not-so-hot resume.

So let¡¯s get started.

What do colleges want to see, anyway?

Where do I start?

What are some different things an admissions board would be happy to see in an application essay?

What are some common mistakes I should avoid?