| The value of a College Admission Essay or graduate | | | | personal background and the limited experiences that |
| school admission essay, as part of the college or | | | | he was able to acquire given the restrictions that he |
| graduate admissions process can never be | | | | faced then. John presented all these in painstaking |
| over-emphasized. To validate the value of an | | | | detail, adding in a few of his own personal |
| admission essay or graduate school admission essay, | | | | observations as well as the lessons that the |
| let us look at the following illustration: | | | | experiences taught him. |
| James and John are two good friends who share one | | | | When the results of the admissions exams was |
| common dream: to become doctors. James wants to | | | | released including the Admission Essay, James and |
| specialize in pediatrics while John is bent on | | | | John discovered they had to go their separate ways. |
| concentrating in orthopedic surgery. After finishing | | | | John was admitted to the medical school of his |
| their respective pre-med undergraduate studies and | | | | choice while James settled for his second choice. |
| armed with almost identical grade point averages, and | | | | What did the preceding illustration seek to imply? |
| also identical scores in the standardized admissions | | | | That high grades alone is not a guaranteed passport |
| tests (SAT and MCAT) the two buddies decide to | | | | to admission in a college or university. This is |
| apply to the same Medical schools. In his Admission | | | | especially true in this modern times wherein people in |
| Essay, James decided to list and discuss his school | | | | the academe are not impressed anymore with |
| experiences, including his extracurricular works and | | | | excellent grades and a high test score. They want |
| achievements. He has quite a lot since he has a | | | | more from a prospective candidate. Specifically, they |
| number of relatives as well as close friends who are | | | | want a background profile of the candidate, a look |
| either working or used to work in various hospitals | | | | into his real self, his life and his goals, his experiences |
| and clinics. Gaining the needed medical exposure | | | | and the lessons that these gave him. The kind of |
| proved quite easy for him. He wrote them all down, | | | | information that can never be revealed by a high |
| since he figured that the more experiences and | | | | MCAT or GPA but can possibly be reflected in a |
| accomplishments he could present, the better will be | | | | Admission Essay. |
| his chances of getting admitted. | | | | But such information can only be provided by the |
| John, on the other hand, took a slightly different | | | | applicant himself. This is where the Admission Essay |
| approach. He realized that he will be stepping into a | | | | will play a key role. This is where the candidate is |
| higher level of learning, where school grades may not | | | | requested to supply the data mentioned above and |
| be the only determining factor for admission. He | | | | to supply them in clear and specific, and if possible, |
| believed that detailed and personal experiences will | | | | crisp and fresh, fashion. |
| also count a lot. So in his Admission Essay, John listed | | | | Often, it is in this part of the admissions process, i.e., |
| and discussed two memorable accounts or | | | | the Admission Essay, that could mean the difference |
| experiences. He particularly mentioned his volunteer | | | | between acceptance or rejection. Many applicants are |
| work in a housing facility for the aged in the outskirts | | | | like James. They possess a nonchalant attitude |
| of the city where he was exposed to the usual | | | | towards admission essays, thinking that it is not an |
| problems of many senior citizens in the physical as | | | | integral part of the application process, or they feel |
| well as in the emotional realm of life. | | | | over confident because they have the right grades |
| John also cited in his Admission Essay his involvement | | | | and test scores. But the truth is, school officials take |
| in a suburban clinic near the university where he was | | | | admissions essays quite seriously. And coming up with |
| then studying wherein he processed and prepared | | | | a detailed and clearly-defined admission essay is as |
| the medical documents of the clinic's senior patients. | | | | valuable as performing well in the admissions test |
| In both accounts, as listed down in his Admission | | | | itself. An applicant should not separate one from the |
| Essay, John provided a comprehensive detail of the | | | | other. If he is wishing to gain access to the college or |
| nature of his work, the particulars of the clinic he | | | | university of his choice then he should be aware of |
| worked for, and the insights he was able to collate in | | | | the fact that admission essays constitute a vital |
| the course of his work. He realized that compared to | | | | portion of the application process. As such, it should |
| his good friend James, he had limited resources, both | | | | be taken seriously and given sufficient preparation in |
| in finances and in contacts. So what he did is to | | | | the same manner that one thoroughly prepares for |
| present a lengthy and specific discussion of his | | | | the MCAT itself. |