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Q: What are characteristics of the best admission essays you've read over the years?

A: No matter how well-honed the topic, any successful essay must have the basics, such as perfect spelling and solid grammar. The best essays are focused, well-written, and offer insight into the personality of the applicant in a manner that allows us to understand him or her in a new way. Some additional elements of a great essay are those that evoke some kind of emotion or reaction -- ones that are thought-provoking, humorous, or even sentimental.
-- Eric Kaplan, dean of admissions and financial aid, Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA)

A: Essays have appealed to my sense of humor, my sympathetic side, and my imagination, but I most enjoy learning something new about the students, their families, and their culture that I might never have known otherwise.
-- Jay D. Evans, director of admissions, Austin College (Dallas, TX)

A: I prefer an essay that gives me a real sense of the writer. Ashley Flanagan of Harleysville, PA, sent a well-written essay that sticks in my mind. It began, "There is no one activity that fully describes me; I am an eclectic assortment of interests." This essay was engaging, creative, and unique. Some of the best ones I've read are those that are a welcome departure from the numerous essays we see about "the big game" or other more common topics.
-- Chris Markle, director of admissions, Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, PA)

A: The most effective essays include one aspect, one experience of a student's life,rather than an attempt to explain an entire life up to the age of 17; or plans to solve world issues; or the least effective - -writing about a topic the student doesn't know very much about. He or she is an individual with unique or unusual combinations of interests and talents. The essay allows us to understand what's important -- his or her values, challenges, or strengths.
-- Jennifer D. Winge, associate director of admissions, Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)

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