Andrew Ferguson on the absurdity of the College Essay

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/11/20/the-college-essay-why-those-500-words-drive-us-crazy.html

By the author of "Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid into College."

Here's a hint of the essay:

Amid all the Sturm und Drang, one important fact is seldom mentioned to applicants or their parents.

“For all the angst the essay causes,” says Bill McClintick of Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, “it’s a very small piece of the puzzle. I was in college admissions for 10 years. I saw kids and parents beat themselves up over this. And at the vast majority of places, it is simply not a big variable in the [college’s] decision-making process.”

Many admissions officers say they spend less than a couple of minutes on each application, including the essay. According to a recent survey of admissions officers, only one in four private colleges say the essay is of “considerable importance” in judging an application. Among public colleges and universities, the number drops to roughly one in 10. By contrast, 86 percent place “considerable importance” on an applicant’s grades, 70 percent on “strength of curriculum.”

Still, at the most selective schools, where thousands of candidates may submit identically stratospheric grades and test scores, a marginal item like the essay may serve as a tiebreaker between two equally qualified candidates. The thought is certainly enough to keep the pot boiling under parents like Meg, the lawyer-mom, as she tries to help her son choose an essay topic.