Application Tips: Admissions Essays

Rebecca Goodman,
Associate Director of Admissions

The admissions essays are a great opportunity to showcase your unique story and personality through your application.  Take advantage of this important section to share your ambitions and accomplishments

Do: Start your essays early!  You can start working on your essays even before you begin an application.  Our essay topics are listed here.

Don’t: Forget to proofread – and that doesn’t mean just using spellcheck on your computer.  There are many common errors that computers will miss, whether it is improper grammar or inserting the wrong school name.  Make sure to proofread your essays several times, and then have a friend with a fresh perspective help proofread as well.

Do: Answer the question.  I know, you wrote an amazing essay for another application, and it kind of, sort of, fits our essay question and you just really want to recycle it.  You may think all that matters is a great essay, but we want a great essay that actually answers our question. 

Don’t: Submit an optional essay just because it is there.  The optional essay is not required, and again shouldn’t be a place just to put another awesome essay you wrote for another school.  This is a great place to explain resume gaps, GPA discrepancies, or other special circumstances not otherwise clarified in your application.