For those who got in

sfeely7
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:57:15 +0000

Desi, there’s no way of knowing whether our essays got us in or not. Perhaps one student had an amazing application, but his essay was just okay, but not bad enough for Cornell to reject him. Another might have had a so-so application and a great essay that got him in.

When you’re asking Cornell admits about their essays, you will see a range of writing skills (well, except the truly disastrous).

It’s important that you do this essay on your own, albeit with some advice. Asking to see essays is generally not an acceptable tool. I can give you advice, as can many people on this forum.


Make it personal. Don’t make a broad, sweeping statement about world poverty or the plight of all artists. Tell a story and come to a conclusion.
Write about something that really matters to you. I can tell you, the hardest essays to complete are those in which you feign passion. If you don’t care about the subject you’re writing about, the essay won’t be very good.
Stop trying to impress people. The essay is primarily for admissions counselors to get a picture of you as a person, not an application. Remember that. They want your personality foremost; ostentatious vocabulary is not going to matter that much, in fact it may hurt you.