Writing the College Admission Essay

"Close to Home" by John McPherson

    It strikes terror into the hearts of all college applicants: the fearsome, intimidating admission essay. How can you possibly condense your dreams, passions, and personality into five scintillating and erudite double-spaced paragraphs?

    Well, let's start with the bad news: you won't. If you're a vibrant, multi-faceted human being and not a soulless SAT testing machine, you're not going to be able to squeeze every piece of interesting information about yourself into 500 words or fewer. The good news: those same 500 words can be a great teaser. The best college essays leave us (the admission committee) wanting a conversation with the author; we want to hear more about the goofy childhood dog, the robotic submarine designed and built for a competition, the struggles of learning to play the tuba.

    What you shouldn't do in your college essay: attempt to impress the admission committee with your amazing credentials. You don't need to tell us about all your extracurricular activities -- there's a separate section of the application just for that purpose. Ditto with the AP classes you've taken -- we'll see those on your transcript. And your teachers and counselors will write raving recommendations on your behalf, enumerating your many college-worthy personal qualities. We want to know about the student behind the application. What do you do for fun when you're not high-scoring the history test or organizing a food drive? What are your hopes and dreams, not just for college but for your life? How has your family shaped you? The most essential thing you can do is make your essay personal -- rather than explaining why curing cancer is important, tell us why it's important to you.

    The best essays keep their foci small. Rather than trying to cover an entire year of Physics class, for example, pick the single class period or even the single horrific calculus problem that encapsulates the course. How did you end up solving that terrifying problem? Did you phone a friend for help, research the topic on Wikipedia, test out different approaches until four a.m.? And what did you discover about yourself in the process? Remember to evaluate your experience, not just describe it: illustrate the scene for us, by all means, but don't forget to explain what you learned from the moment. (Admission counselors are big suckers for personal growth.)

    Finally, one caveat: proofreading is important. You know that. But perfection isn't. Your college essay doesn't need to be Pulitzer-worthy; it just needs to tell us something about you, as an individual, that we won't learn from another part of your application. The essay isn't the be-all end-all of your college admission future; all you need to do in 500 words is start the conversation.

What Actually Happens in a College Interview

Lately it seems as if my job has consisted of only two activities -- traveling and interviewing -- so it's not surprising that the interview process has been forefront in my mind. When I was a prospective student oh so many moons ago, most of the interviews in which I participated were with local alumnae in my hometown of Summit, New Jersey. They were decidedly un-intimidating; I met all these women in their homes where we spoke about their careers, children, and harp playing in addition to my college aspirations. (It's hard to be scared of your interviewer when you can hear her children wreaking holy havoc in the next room.) One of these interviews, with a retired professor, lasted two hours! Maybe it's because of these very positive memories that I try to create the same informal atmosphere in the interviews that I conduct; my belief is that you can glean much more in a friendly conversation than in an all-out interrogation. Not that the interview isn't supposed to challenge you; we want to ask questions that will encourage you to reflect on your values, your hopes, questions that will tell us how you react when things aren't easy for you. But there's also room for humor and candor.

So how exactly does a college interview work? Well, here at Mudd, they last between twenty and thirty minutes, and they're conducted by both full-time staff and a group of seven well-trained current seniors. (There's no way our staff of six could handle the upwards of 800 interviews that take place on campus every year, so we are very grateful to have the help of the seniors. It's also worth noting that interviews by seniors and full-time staff are given the same weight -- we know these Mudders very well and completely respect their judgments.) Obviously we all have our own interviewing styles, but there are a few things we usually bring up in discussion:

1. Intended major. This shouldn't come as a surprise. As a college with a grand total of nine majors, it's important to admit students who are actually interested in our range of offerings.
2. Humanities and social sciences -- ditto the above. We pride ourselves on being a STEM institution with a diverse array of humanities, social sciences, and arts courses, and naturally we want to admit students who will take advantage of these opportunities.
3. A time when coursework didn't come easily. College, especially a college like Mudd, is going to provide you with new academic challenges. How have you coped with difficult classes or projects, or dealt with a teacher who wasn't ideal?
4. What you do outside of class. Don't just limit yourself to clubs and organized activities -- I've had great discussions with prospective students about everything from mountain biking to crafting to altering the physics engines in video games.
5. The college search. How did you narrow down your list of schools? What qualities are important to you?

I nearly always ask about a favorite book -- this is a completely self-interested question, as I get great book recommendations this way. Falone always works in a music-related question; Raissa will ask you to describe your high school community in more detail. But the basics are the same for almost every interview.

Keeping the friendly, personal aspect of the interview isn't quite as easy when it takes place in a generic location, like, say, the Short Hills Mall, and due to HMC's half-hour interview windows, there isn't the opportunity for leisurely two-hour conversations over tea and cookies (tea is always available in my office upon request, but you'll have to bring your own snacks). But we do our best to tailor the conversation to your activities and interests, and give you time to ask any questions you have about HMC.

One final note is that interviews are evaluative -- it's an opportunity both for you to learn about the college and for us to start to determine how you might fit into the community -- but they rarely hurt students in the admission process. (You'd need to say something really awful, like that you hate math and science, failed every class in high school, and routinely hit squirrels with rocks.) So don't let the evaluative aspect of the interview intimidate you. If Harry Potter is your favorite book, say so; don't feel you have to name a work by Kafka just because it sounds more erudite. We don't expect everything in your high school experience to be peachy keen and rosy glowed; it's okay to be honest about your frustrating grade in physics or the losing record of the soccer team. And if you've done something of which you're particularly proud, by all means, tell us, whether it's learning to throw a Frisbee in a straight line or having a conversation in French.

I have a post of Interview Do's & Don't's planned for later in the week, but for now, I hope this helps provide some context about what actually occurs in a college interview.

At the intersection of Achievement and Success

Spotted at Eastview High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota.

There was also a "Leadership Lane."

Trip #3 Complete

Minnesota could not have been more beautiful this year. The weather was gorgeous, the leaves had just started to change color, and while I didn't see all 10,000 lakes the state claims on its license plate, there are certainly plenty of small bodies of water in the Twin Cities. This pretty little lake was just across the street from Eden Prairie High School, so I spent a few minutes drinking my vanilla latte and enjoying the morning sunshine before starting my school visit.

What impresses me about Minnesota every year is the graciousness of the school counselors. The week I visit is pure zaniness -- due to the National College Fair and the MISP (independent schools) fair, there are hundreds of college reps in the region at the same time, who all want to visit the same high schools in the same time slots. And the counselors and career center coordinators couldn't be nicer about accommodating visits and making sure each admission representative feels welcome.

And there's one more thing I really like about Minnesota . . . a Starbucks in the lobby of my hotel. Could my happiness be increased? I think not.


Here I am with the Claremont contingent at the MISP fair. From left, Laura Stratton (Scripps), me, Danny Irving (Pitzer), and Iris Gardner (Pomona). CMC wasn't in attendance, but the rest of us got a chance to catch up over Dove Bars and Chex Mix during the break.

I didn't remember to get a photo of Mudd's table at the NACAC fair, but two fantastic alumni, Kim (Chem '87) and Hal (Engineering '90) came to help out for the evening session. Good thing, too, because we were astoundingly busy. Colleges with nine majors and 770 students located 2,000 miles away don't often have a long line at the college fairs, but the crowd around our table was three deep for most of the evening. Unexpected but delightful.

Here's a quick recap of the Minnesota adventure:

Miles driven: 182
Schools visited: 8
Students met at school visits: 12
Students interviewed: 11
Students met at college fairs: umm . . . a lot. A couple hundred, maybe?
Caffeinated beverages: 10 (pretty restrained, I think, given the proximity of the Starbucks)
# of times lost: 3

I got home just before midnight last night, in time to catch a few hours' sleep before today's Discovery Day program. Back to work!

What admission counselors actually do on travel

Whenever I tell someone about my travels for work, the immediate assumption is that I must live a very glamorous life. And honestly, if I picture someone on a "business trip," even I start to imagine first-class plane tickets, swank hotels, and coordinated designer luggage. But the reality, my friends, is not so snazzy -- aside from the daily Starbucks excursions, which I like very much. I took notes this year so I could give you a complete "day-in-the-life" experience. Here's a play-by-play of a day in the Bay Area.

5:15 am Rise and shine! Am so anxious about oversleeping that I've actually been awake since 4:45. Yawn.

6:00 am Ready to go. Googlemapped a Starbucks just down the street. It's still completely dark outside, and I'm the only customer. Vanilla latte = happy Colleen.

6:15 am Well, I'm definitely not the only person on the freeway! Nonetheless, I make it to Marin in 45 minutes.

7:30 am First visit of the day. I meet one student -- she's already visited HMC, so she has some good questions.

8:30 am Stop at a grocery store to pick up some snacks for lunch -- I know I won't have time later. Spend several minutes looking for my silver Honda before remembering I'm driving a rental. Oops.

9:10 am Second visit. No takers. Contemplate weirdness of a traffic flow where 3rd St becomes 2nd St turns into 4th St. San Rafael, what were you thinking?

10:05 am I'm five minutes late for my third visit. I hate that. One student.

11:00 am Arrive at parking lot of next high school. Gulp down a quick lunch of string cheese, cherry tomatoes, and homemade granola. Sing praises of stainless steel water bottle, which has kept water cool in a warm car. Try to call a few high schools in Oregon, but can't get reception. Read instead.

11:30 am Dust off granola crumbs and report for next visit. One student.

12:10 pm Am invited for lunch at San Domenico but can't stay. Have 50 minutes to make it to next high school, so not particularly panicked, but can't find the turn (thanks, Google Maps) and end up late to my 1 pm visit. Rats.

2:25 pm Spend ten minutes looking for parking. Grab another handful of granola and a quick swallow of water. Stainless steel water bottle no longer quite so effective.

2:45 pm Great chat with two seniors. Lizards and lizard treadmills much discussed.

4:00 pm Debate with self: try to make it back to hotel before rush hour traffic, or succumb to temptation and eat first full meal of day RIGHT NOW? Regretfully decide first option is more prudent. No crepes today.

5:30 pm Arrive back at hotel. So much for missing traffic.

6:00 pm Chiptole burrito bowl and HGTV! I don't have TV at home so this is a special treat.

6:30 pm Discover that the laptop's wireless isn't working. Much frustration. I've got important things to do! Settle for catching up on reports & spreadsheets and writing some e-mails I can send later. Keep an eye on HGTV. Wonder if I can befriend Sandra Rinomato.

9:30 pm Time for bed!

So that, dear readers, is what a travel day looks like -- a pre-dawn wake-up call, no proper lunch, lots of muttered curses at Google Maps, and a suspicious dearth of parking spaces and restrooms. The perks? Well, the television and the restaurant food, certainly, but I do also get to reconnect with some very nice college counselors, and in general, Mudd applicants are pretty nifty people. So it's not all suffering. That said, I'm looking forward to my own bed, my own food, and my own fluffy dog very soon.

Trip #2 Complete

. . . And it's straight into trip 3, as I elected to combine New Jersey and Minnesota this year. Seemed like a good idea to dispose of all the jet lag in one fell swoop. My trip to New Jersey was not without its perils; for only the second time in my admission career, I got so horrendously lost I missed an entire school visit. (The first time was also in New Jersey. Go figure.) Both my contact lens solution and my granola stash exploded in my suitcase (oops), and in my crowning moment of glory, I managed to leave behind my favorite pants in my parents' laundry room. Thanks for overnighting my pants, Mom!

As for the good stuff -- well, I interviewed some lovely students, and aside from that one rather large mishap, I made it to all my appointments on time. That's saying something. Here's a recap:

Miles driven: 100
School [successfully] visited: 6
Students met at school visits: 10
Students interviewed: 15 (thanks for driving to the Short Hills Mall, guys!)
Caffeinated beverages: 8
# of times lost: 3
# of students with Jersey accents: 0

In which the 21st century proves not as exciting as anticipated

You may remember a previous post in which I waxed enthusiastic about our new online registration system. While I still think getting the program launched in the first place is a major coup for an office without any technical support, there have been a few -- how shall I say it -- blips as we adjust to the new system, particularly the online booking for off-campus interviews. Like, say, an entire day of New Jersey interviews appearing fully booked when in fact vacant. Or the fact that you can spend ten minutes entering all your personal information into the computer, only to discover that the day of interviews you wanted is fully booked, and if you select a different day, you'll have to enter all of that same information again. Aggravating.

The one thing that hasn't changed is that in the more popular cities -- Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC -- the interviews, no matter how many we offer, book next to instantly and result in a lot of frustrated phone calls and e-mails. We've had to stop doing counselor interviews altogether in San Francisco, because even sixty interview slots still yielded a waitlist of forty.

In other news, I depart tomorrow for my home state of New Jersey, for a whirlwind four-day-seven-school-visit-sixteen-interview-and-hopefully-time-for-a-load-of-laundry visit, and thence directly to Minnesota, for which I am packing an umbrella, fleece scarf, and sunglasses, because the ten-day forecast shows everything from highs of 71 to lows of freezing, and how am I supposed to dress for that? Still, despite the suitcase quandary, I'm eager to go see some autumn, because we just don't have that season here in SoCal. Minneapolis, I am counting on you for some pretty fall leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.