Well, it's that time of the year! Perhaps you may have thought I was referring to the holiday season. Yes, that may be true, but I was actually referring to the time of the year when applications literally come flooding into college admission offices. The flooding does only occur at the most popular colleges and this looks like another record setting year for the University of New Haven. We are already running over 40% ahead of last year; in fact, we are on pace to possibly receive 8,000-9,000 applications for the incoming class.
What does this mean for you as a prospective student? It means that it helps to get your materials in as early as possible and make sure your admission essays have a "hook"! This means that there has to be something that sets you apart from the rest of the applicant world and get the colleges to which you applied a reason to really read that essay. It can make or break your admissions decision.
At the University of New Haven, we require a 250-500 word personal essay along with the standard transcripts, SAT or ACT scores, and a letter of recommendation. The essay is an opportunity for us to get to know the student and see how they express themselves and organize their thoughts. It is about 10-15% of the decision to get into UNH so make it count.
Here's two things to avoid: #1: A life history account in which the student indicates the year in which he or she was born, how many siblings they have, how stressed their family became, and how many activities they participated in over the years. Not exactly providing a hook here. However, if the student discussed why the events of their life had an impact on what they were planning to do with their college experience - and if they were creative with it - that would be ok; #2: Mentioning the name of another college in your essay and sending it to UNH is not a good idea. In fact, we did deny two applicants who did this. There were grade factors involved here, but the name of the other college did not help these candidates. An archaic method known as proofreading may have helped.
Recently, I was interviewed for a popular college preparation and advising company, First Choice College Placement. This interview can be seen at www.admissionhook.com - this is a website that can greatly assist those of you who still need to write their college essays. It is a great tool and can really get you thinking the right way - and look for your hook!!
