What Do Admissions Officers Look for in College Essays?

When applying to college, high school students face a complex and increasingly competitive admissions process designed to assess not only their academic achievements but also their potential to contribute to the campus community. College admissions profiles typically include high school transcripts, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and personal essays. Each element highlights a different side of a student’s strengths, background, and experience, helping admissions officers evaluate candidates holistically and determine how well they align with the institution’s values and goals.

While academic metrics of grades and standardized tests are impersonal markers of academic abilities, essays provide insight into the person behind these achievements. An SAT score or transcript cannot show intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and other aspects of personal character. A compelling application essay can be pivotal in showcasing these attributes of a student’s individuality and life experiences. As such, understanding what makes an essay stand out can be crucial in making a lasting impression and enhancing your chances of admission.

In this blog, we’ll review 6 things admissions officers are looking for in college essays, so you can ensure your applications have the best odds of moving forward!

1. Self-awareness & reflection

Strong college essays show insight into the applicant’s personality and character, whether it’s the Personal Statement or an academically oriented supplement. Schools are searching for mature and thoughtful students who are prepared to transition into college life and be a positive presence on campus. The ability to reflect critically on your development throughout high school shows that you’ve not only grown throughout high school but that you’re aware of how this has occurred and played an active role in this process. Ideal students demonstrate that they’ve put work into becoming who they are today and are willing to make changes in their lives that make them better friends, classmates, and students. 

In your essays, you should explore realizations you’ve had about yourself and “turning points” in your life. You might write about extracurricular experiences that shaped you into a better leader, personal difficulties that have made you more confident and resilient, or ways you’ve identified problems in the world or your community that you’d like to solve. By shaping a clear narrative of where you began, how you changed, and why it was significant to you, you can write a powerful essay that demonstrates a self-awareness colleges love to see.  

2. Examples & anecdotes

A common refrain in writing is to “show, not tell.” This is essential to remember when writing college essays. Think about the tip above—it’s not possible to write a story of personal development without showing what this actually looked like in action. This is where examples come in. If you’re speaking about how being in student government shaped your planning and leadership skills, share anecdotes of specific initiatives you took on and how you executed them. Walk the reader through the events you describe, explaining your thoughts and actions in such a way that they can imagine the scene in detail. A vague description won’t cut it; the reader might miss the point or find the essay lacking in substance. View the essay as a story about yourself and ensure that the narrative is always detailed and engaging. 

3. Effective structure

Each essay you write should have a narrative arc, clearly showing the evolution of your personal growth or interest development. One essay topic where this structure is particularly important is “why this major?” prompts. Students often write that they’ve “always had a passion for” their chosen field of study. This is rarely (if ever) true. Perhaps someone enjoyed historical fiction or documentaries as a kid, but that’s very different from their 18-year-old goal of majoring in Medieval Studies at college! 

The lesson: interests evolve over time. While you may start by mentioning the first signs of your academic passion, show how it’s built up to the current point. To return to the example of Medieval studies, this student might speak about interning at museums, enrolling in extra History classes, or studying Latin to refine their interests and prepare for advanced college-level study. 

Tracing the steps you’ve taken to develop your skills, interests, and goals is always more powerful than stating them as facts or inherent traits. Well-structured narratives demonstrate an ability to define and pursue your goals and to reflect on your evolution as an individual.  

4. Level of interest and fit

Since there are so many colleges in the US, Admission Officers want to see that you’re actually interested in attending and have done your research on the college to confirm this. This is usually framed as the question of “fit” in college admissions—are you the type of student who would thrive at this school? Would you take advantage of the opportunities they offer?

Even the most high-achieving student isn’t always what a college is looking for. A student who can only work independently and is uncomfortable with collaboration would probably not be a good fit for MIT, even if they’re an incredible scientist. Another student could be a rising star in their field but would not be accepted to a school that lacks that major. The student couldn’t benefit from the college’s academic offerings and resources if they do not fit the student’s skills and goals, which makes them an unlikely candidate for admission. 

The majority of schools require essays asking “Why do you want to attend this school?” or “Why do you want to study your chosen major here?” In these essays, you must draw from specific details about the college—course offerings, research opportunities, school culture, and professors—and link them to your own background and goals. An effective essay will show how your prior experiences have shaped your academic plans in college and a clear rationale for how this specific school could support your intellectual goals.

5. Community-mindedness

An ideal applicant doesn’t just care about themselves; they want to be an active member of the college community. Schools aren’t looking for students who view college study as an independent endeavor but as a collaborative experience with their fellow students. Showing a passion for undertaking collaborative projects, participating in rigorous discussions and debates in the classroom, and joining clubs and organizations is key. 

While it’s more than acceptable to have individual passions and goals, you should emphasize how the learning community around you will support these pursuits. Colleges like to emphasize the collaborative nature of their student body, so ensure you show a commitment to this aspect of campus life. 

In college-specific essays, link features of the curriculum, student life, and on-campus activities to your discussion of what you want to pursue at the school. In Personal Statements or extracurricular essays, emphasize your care for those around you and how they’ve been a positive force in your life. This will show admissions officers that you’re someone they—and your peers—would like to have on campus.

6. Strong writing abilities

While it might seem like a no-brainer, it’s critical that your college essays show high-level writing abilities. Even if you have all As in English classes, colleges usually don’t read your high school papers and assignments. As colleges hold their students to high standards, they want to ensure that the applicants they admit can handle the coursework. Sloppy essays with grammatical errors or unengaging writing styles will send a message that you’re not as skilled a student as they’re looking for. Or it’ll seem like you rushed through the writing process and didn’t care enough to carefully brainstorm and edit your essays.

If you’d like to be extra confident in the quality of your essays, services like Early Bird offer application reviews by college admissions experts. This can be a great way to ensure that your essays both fit the priorities of admissions officers and demonstrate powerful skills in academic and reflective writing. 

One other option—Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are interested in doing university-level research, then you could consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.