Application Essays

Application Essays The optional information below is NOT required for admissions consideration, but will be considered as part of the student’s application for admission if submitted. The following materials may be required of some students where applicable. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Admissions at to speak with an admissions counselor. You must report your entire academic record, including all college credit earned. Such coursework must be detailed on your admissions application, and you must submit official transcripts documenting the coursework. It is worthwhile to seek out someone in the field, perhaps a professor who has read such essays before. The key is to get more than one point of view, and then compare these with your own. Generally, you should plan to submit your essay in conjunction with your admissions application. Please find information below to assist you in completing your application for admission and address frequently asked questions. These optional materials will be accepted as part of the application if a student chooses to submit them. Get several people to read it and write their comments down. Your application will be full of information that illuminates dimensions of you and your abilities, but only the essay gives you a vehicle to speak, in your own voice, about something personally significant. Choose something you care about and it will flow more naturally. Seek professional helpâ€"the problem with spending so much time on what can be a relatively short essay is that you look at it so much it starts to lose its meaning for you. You know next to nothing about who will read it, let alone their senses of humor. You don’t want a college to think you are too focused on education and that you can’t have fun. But they also need to know you will be taking your education seriously. One simple joke at the start or end of your essay is more than enough. Focus on singular moments or activitiesâ€"pick the ones that stand out. It’s no jokeâ€"you’d be right to think that after working their way through a big pile of essays, the people reading yours could use a good laugh. Applicants may choose to submit either the ACT or SAT as part of their admissions application. When provided, ACT and/or SAT scores will continue to serve as just one of the many factors considered in our review of a student’s application. There is an online resource for frequently asked questions regarding submitting standardized test scores. Students may also contact the Office of Admissions at with additional questions. Ask them to judge whether the writing really sounds like you are talking. And don’t let them get away with saying your essay is just “good,” either. Don’t leave them alone until they’ve told you at least one thing you can improve, or at least specific aspects they liked. Try very hard not to dump your entire life story or all your finer points into the essay. So for the same reason you should read your work out loud or backwards, you have to get another pair of eyes and ears working on it, as well. A fresh perspective can make all the difference and keep you from settling for something terrible. A good friend, parent, or better yet, a teacher can read what you’ve written and give you a reality check. Encourage them to be constructiveâ€"it’s okay if they tell you what you’ve come up with is no good, as long as they can offer some feedback to help make it better. The priority deadline offers students the opportunity to receive their admission decision up to one month earlier. All completed applications received by November 1 will receive an admission decision by February 1, which may include a deferred decision to March 1 . ACT or SAT test scores are not required for the Fall 2021 admissions application.