This Is What Admissions Officers Really Want to Read in College Essays

September 19, 2024 – In an article for VOX about what college admissions officers really want to read in college application essays, Kyra Tyler, senior director and college admissions consultant at Bright Horizons College Coach provides actionable advice for students currently in the midst of college application season.

Tyler suggests students avoid metaphor: Don’t talk about caring for your younger sibling in the context of a Bluey episode — be straightforward. (“Kids can’t get away from [metaphors],” Tyler says, “and what happens is they get stuck under them, and they can’t write.”) You’ll want to write vividly using concrete examples instead of plainly spelling everything out, White says. For instance, if you were a camp counselor who helped a nervous child come out of their shell, write a scene showing the camper interacting with other kids rather than simply saying the camper was less reserved.

Read the full article here.