Got rejected? College essay examples that didn't work (and what did)

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molecularninja

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sharing my painful college essay examples journey... rejected from 5 dream schools before figuring it out. anyone want to see what NOT to do in college essays?
 
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your failed essays could help others! here's what worked - switched from generic "sports taught me leadership" to specific story about teaching coding to senior citizens. got into 3 top schools with that college essay
 
reading thousands of essays as admission consultant. biggest mistakes in college essay examples:
  • covid impact stories (too common)
  • childhood dreams of medicine
  • winning the big game
  • volunteer trip epiphanies
 
reviewing college essay examples daily. successful ones share authentic voice, specific moments, unexpected topics. one kid wrote about collecting rubber bands - got into Stanford
 
best college essays show, not tell. instead of listing leadership roles, write about teaching your grandma to use zoom during lockdown
 
rebel_research said:
Stuck on my application essay... anyone have good college essay examples to share? Especially looking for overcoming challenges stories
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avoid standard topics. Most memorable college essay examples I've seen are unexpected. One guy wrote about his bottle cap collection and connected it to cultural diversity.
 
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