CA: How does your team approach the essays? What are you looking for as you read them? Are there common mistakes to avoid? Is there one key thing candidates should keep in mind as they sit down to write them?
BD: There’s always plenty of advice I can give about essays. The main thing is, people tend to overemphasize the essays. There is a logical reason for this, by the time you are getting to the point of submitting your application, your academic record is already in place, your work experience is already what it is. You have given the recommenders the recommendation forms. That’s all out of your hands. The essay is really the only thing left in your control. So people obviously very much focus on them. That’s not surprising. But because it is the last thing you are working on, last thing you have control over before you submit, don’t confuse that with being more important than any other part of the application. The main advice I tend to give applicants is, definitely do a good job on the essays, take them seriously, but don’t feel as though they are going to make or break your application.
A good essay is not going to get you in, a bad essay might raise more questions, though. The main point is, do a good job and but don’t get too cute, if that makes sense.
Essays we remember, we don’t always remember for the reasons applicants want us to remember them. Sometimes candidates try to stand out or try to differentiate themselves in ways that aren’t the most helpful to them.
If you have a unique voice, express your unique voice. If you are trying to be unique just because you think that is going to get you noticed, that is probably not great.
Getting back to the way we weight the interrelationship of the different parts of the application, I tend to council my team not to overweight the essay. I feel like a single essay should not trump however much work experience you have, four years of undergraduate experience, even the GMAT or the GRE. Having a good balance is important, both from a reviewer standpoint from the admissions committee, but also from the applicant’s perspective. Knowing that we look at the essay is important, but it is not going to be the thing that causes you to be admitted or not, one way or the other.
Hopefully this gives candidates a little bit of comfort and lowers the stress level a little bit, and it’s similar to the interview. A 30 minute interview should not outweigh four years of undergraduate. So we keep that in perspective. We obviously look at the interview, we pay attention to how well you do. But we understand that it is only one element.
CA: How many essays have you read in the course of your career, out of curiosity?
BD: It’s been over 13 years. We get a few thousand applications a year probably. So 40,000 plus applications that I’ve overseen the decisions on. In terms of essays that I have personally read, several thousand. My reading load tends to be lighter than other members of the committee. But I still see my fair share. The quality definitely runs the gamut. People do some really great work in the essays. Other people not so much. But they are always very interesting.
