Monica Jones, Assistant Director of Admission for Colorado College, talks about “Living, Loving, & Experiencing"

Q. Do you remember writing your college essay and if so, what did you write about?

A. Strangely enough, I remember my main college essay very well. I was talking about being African-American. One of the things about being African-American is an environment of being the only one, kind of a sense of isolationism. There are a bunch of feelings that come with it and there was a moment w…

Kevin Cutro, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission for The College of William and Mary, tackles the college application and the essay — “simple, sincere, and good-humored”

Q. What happens to a student’s application after it’s been received by W&M?

A. Once an application is complete (meaning we received all required components — test scores, recommendation letters, etc.), it is read at least two times between December and February — once by a regional dean, once by a non-regional dean. Each dean i…

My second, Natalie Martin, @Lehigh University, 1 of 18 college visits.

Recently I was on the phone with a parent who stated, with a mixture of disbelief and incredulousness, “It all comes down to a feeling my kid gets in 15 minutes. This decision (choosing a college) will impact his entire life and costs a quarter of a million dollars, and it is made on a feeling.”

I responded, “Yes, and that feeling is often disproportionately influenced by your tour guide and the level of caffeine in your te…

The reality is that admissions officers are interested in what each individual student has to say---and something only that student can say. It’s impossible to identify the exact topic or tone that comprises a winning essay, but we know that a student writing in his or her voice is a great place to start: The student should come alive and be present in the essay; after all, this is designed to be the part of the application process that demands each student take a close look at his or her essen…

This depends on each student’s willingness to be honest with him- or herself, with me, and with the admissions committees. It is worth mentioning, too, that in reality it’s not just one good essay—it’s many good essays. The common application has a choice of essay prompts as well as a short response. Once a student completes the common application, he or she moves on to the supplements. The more selective the school, the more rigorous and lengthy the supplements.

How many schools does the typical…