BS/MD Admissions by College Admissions Partners

Making Medical School Dreams a Reality

  • Home
  • Testimonials
  • 11 Steps to Become the Strongest BS/MD Candidate.
  • Contact College Admissions Partners
  • Resources
  • Services
  • BS/MD Admissions
  • Parents
  • Student
  • Meet the College Admission Consultant
  • Free Consultation
  • Blog
  • Campaigns
  • Sitemap
  • #6868 (no title)

Making Medical School Dreams a Reality

  • Home
  • BS/MD
    Admissions
  • Resources
    • Admissions
    • Application Process
    • College of the Month
    • College Rankings
    • Info to Know
    • Services
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Transfer Help
    • Weekly Resource
  • Free
    Consultation
  • About Us
    • Todd Johnson
    • Kelley Anne Johnson
    • Do You Need Help?
    • How Do We Help Your Student?
    • College Admissions Partners in the Media
    • Testimonials
  • Blog

Posted on 11.13.14 by Todd Johnson 0 Comment

Who Should See Your College Essays?

Limit the people who see your college essayThere is an old saying that too many cooks spoil the broth. While this is true in many aspects of life, it is also very true when it comes to the college admissions essay.

I have had several instances each year where a student shows one or more of their essays to a guidance counselor, teacher, parent, friend, mentor etc. And almost always that person has some great suggestions on how to improve the essay. If the student would just write about this, or use this language or use this example the essay would be much better.

Almost always, the result is a mess and a much poorer essay than the student started with.

I understand that all of these people are trying to help. But college essays are not like most other essays. Yes, grammar and spelling are important. But what the student writes about, or how they structure the essay, may be very different for a college essay. Most people don’t have a clue about what colleges are looking for in these essays.

So who should see your college essays? It depends on your particular circumstance. If you are working with an independent college counselor, I would suggest not showing the essay to anyone but the counselor.  You are paying them for their expertise so don’t undermine their recommendations by having others look at the essay.

If you don’t have a college counselor, then your best bet is a two pronged approach. First, get a good book on writing the college essay. One I often suggest is “On Writing the College Application Essay” by Harry Bauld. This is not a new book but has some of the best advice I have seen for writing these essays.  This is not a book of so called winning essays. That type of book might be alright but you need to understand what colleges are looking for before you actually look at actual essays.  Second, once you have written the essay, have your English teacher look at the essay for grammar issues.

I am sure that your parents will also want to see the essay and once it is written it is fine to show them the essay. If they don’t like the essay because you haven’t written about a serious topic or explained your research experience, just hand them Harry’s book to read.

 

You can trust us to help you find the best college for your needs. We offer a FREE 1/2 hour consultation to discuss your needs for college admissions counseling. Give us a call now at 888-970-BSMD(2763) or drop us an email.

Categories: College Application Tags: college essay

Todd Johnson's avatar

Todd Johnson

Todd Johnson is the founder of College Admissions Partners. Todd regularly teaches other independent college admissions counselors and is the country's leading expert in BS/MD admissions. He is also the author of a best selling book on BS/MD admissions.

Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

02.21.23

2023 Edition of the Book is Now Available

07.07.22

Do You Need A Competitive Research Program?

07.05.22

Do You Need To Start A Club?

06.30.22

Does It Matter Who You Shadow?

Categories

  • Accelerated Medical Program
  • Activities
  • Admissions
  • Applications
  • BS/MD Programs
  • College Admissions Counseling
  • College Application
  • College Financial Aid
  • College of the Month
  • College Planning
  • College Selection
  • College Testing
  • Doctor Shadowing
  • Essays
  • General Information
  • Interviews
  • Medical School
  • Pre-med
  • Research
  • Specific Programs

Email Sign-up

Get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact Us

32039 Danbury Ave.
Northfield, Minnesota 55057
888-970-BSMD(2763)
Email: todd@collegeadmissionspartners.com or
collegeadmitguy@gmail.

Resources

  • Admissions
  • Application Process
  • College Rankings
  • Info to Know
  • Admissions Timeline

About Us

  • Meet Todd Johnson
  • Meet Kelley Johnson
  • Do You Need Help?
  • How Do We Help Your Student?
  • College Admissions Partners in the Media
  • Testimonials

Sitemap | Website by Web Savvy Marketing

© 2006 – 2018 College Admissions Counseling