<p>at my school this year, we had four super-qualified seniors apply SCEA to Stanford. Three were outright rejected (our valedictoria, our salutatorian, and another brilliant kid who got into Brown)…and the fourth who was deferred and later accepted seemed the least…“spectacular”.</p>
<p>I mean our valedictorian plays varsity football, is president of a few clubs, and is editor-in-chief of our school paper. all the teachers absolutely love him.</p>
<p>our salutatorian is honor society president…but more than that, she’s one of those kids that seem super-normal but are actually super-smart too.</p>
<p>the kid who got into brown is also really smart/involved.</p>
<p>now the final girl who did get into stanford volunteers a lot at local hospitals, and wants to go into premed. but from what i hear from other seniors, she really doesn’t do anything in school, like sports or clubs. and a lot of ppl just say that she’s kinda weird. i heard from a friend that she said her essay was really “personal”…i was wondering if such an essay might be what did the trick for her and get her in when all those other qualified kids got rejected.</p>
<p>what would a personal essay be about anyway? bipolar? a divorce? depression? abuse?</p>
<p>(i also read a post here from someone whose sister got into harvard, stanford, and yale with a 1950 but incredibly amazing essay on running away from home)</p>
<p>Well, I don’t work in admissions, but I’ve read hundreds of college essays.</p>
<p>I’d say that truly spectacular personal essays are much rarer than truly spectacular test scores and grades. </p>
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<p>A personal essay isn’t necessarily about a problem or diagnosis. In fact, it can be about pretty much anything. But its topic allows the writer to be *detailed, honest, and revealing<a href=“and%20bottom%20line%20positive%20about%20him/herself”>/i</a>.</p>
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<p>If you feel that an essay is so personal that no one you know should read it, then you can get advice (preferably imho from adults) here on CC.</p>
<p>A personal essay is something where you bare your soul. I did that for mine. It was about a normal day. I’m not depressed, bipolar, biracial, abused or sick… I’m just normal. lol.</p>
<p>Edit wise: I showed it to a teacher who barely knew me before I felt comfortable enough to show it to friends. I refused to show family. And, yeah.</p>
<p>perhaps it was the fact that she was not chasing after leadership positions or sports just for college, and was doing what she wanted to do such as work at the hospital because that was her intended career path and it was something she was truly interested in. It could also be her personal essay, wich might have revealed something about her that colleges liked or further cemented her passion.</p>
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hehe there was an essay about running away from home in one of those books that harvard publishes. it was like “admissions essays that worked” or something. maybe it was hers?</p>
It was about a normal day. I’m not depressed, bipolar, biracial, abused or sick… I’m just normal. lol.</p>