Do college essays matter?

01/14/2021 Jeremy Anderson

Table of Contents

Do college essays matter?

At the top 250 schools, your essays generally account for 25% of your overall application. This is only slightly behind the 30% for extracurriculars. Essays are actually ahead of the 20% for grades and coursework, 15% for test scores, and 10% for recommendations and interviews.

Is it OK to use contractions in college essays?

It’s totally okay to use contractions — in fact, it’s ideal. It will make your statement sound more personal, and it will reduce your word count. How do I write college application essays for an undergraduate degree?

Do colleges know if you lie extracurriculars?

Usually they don’t, unless you take an interview, they’ll probably ask you questions about it and trust me, they can tell when your lying. Either way, if they don’t catch you, when you start college they’ll clearly tell that you don’t have the skills you said you did if you try to get into extracurriculars.

What do colleges want see?

See our privacy policy .High School GPA and Class Rank.AP and Honors Classes. Challenging Extracurricular Activities. Volunteer and Work Experience. Test Scores. Quality Recommendation Letters. A Well-Written Essay. Talents and Passions.