Applying to W&L and the Johnson Scholarship

sciencewoman
Tue, 18 Sep 2012 10:56:27 +0000

I think the essays are very important. My daughter is a Johnson and she said all the members of the interview panel (students included) had copies of her essays right in front of them and commented on them/asked questions about them during one of the interviews. One student commented that she loved her Common App. essay and they all talked about that. She also heard from another finalist that a couple of her interview panelists did not agree with the argument this finalist made in one of her essays. This finalist was not offered the scholarship. Just as with any college admissions process, there’s definitely some luck involved as far as who reads your essays, whether you click with a particular interviewer, etc., but I would advise any applicant to be true to yourself and your interests, take time and care with the essays, and practice interviewing skills.