An integral component of any high school senior’s college application is the essay. One must go through the rigorous process of putting one together. This is something that needs a lot of thought since it is how colleges will see you as a person, weighing heavily on your admission. It is what really sets you apart from other applicants with similar qualifications as you.

“The easy is what sets you apart in a tie break type of situation”, says Granville High School counselor Mrs. Adams.

The college essay is how admission offices learn about who you are as a person and what drives you, further showing how you will impact the campus and how well you will do. This weighs so heavily on your chances of acceptance. It can be difficult to find a topic to write on, however categories that are usually successful include funny anecdotes, a personal story, and really anything with a deeper meaning. Of course there is no set formula or blueprint to what makes a college essay good, it really depends on how you are able to reflect yourself. 

Recently there have been complications to how reliable the college essay is due to websites such as chatgpt. Chatgpt allows you to type in whatever you want an essay to be about, then the computer will write it for you. This is problematic because it is an easy way for students to craft a well written essay when they did nothing. Colleges expect academic integrity in all aspects of a student’s application, so the introduction of chatgpt is quite conflicting. It defeats the whole purpose of colleges getting to know you through your writing. A perfectly constructed essay acts as a free ticket for applicants to look good. Another variable that chatgpt affects is a college’s ability to gauge how skilled of a writer an applicant is. This is an important part to take into consideration because it shows how much you care and how you are able to write about something meaningful.

While the college essay is a key part of a student’s application, it is not necessarily the most important. It is good to remember that other factors play a huge role in one’s acceptance to a college. 

“I do feel like people put too much pressure on themselves to write the perfect essay”, says school counselor Mrs. Adams. 

With this one should take into consideration that while a good essay is important, it does not mean everything. There are many variables that account for a student’s acceptance.

When preparing to write the college essay, think of what makes you who you are, what drives you, or sets you apart from everyone else. Do not use chatgpt or other materials that would break academic integrity. Even though a lot of stress is usually placed on the essay, it is essential to have confidence with the other aspects of one’s application. Take the opportunity to be personable, but remember the essay does not define your odds of getting accepted to a school.