What does the admissions committee look for in an admissions essay?
This is for an undergraduate transfer application.
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5 answers
Hey @Githa! It depends on the essay prompts for the transfer application, but if you have the opportunity to write about why you are transferring, I think that the admissions officers will be very interested in hearing why you want to transfer to their school. Emphasis on "to THEIR SCHOOL." You have had a valuable experience at another school and should be able to explain why the transfer makes sense - they probably don't want to hear you simply complain about the other school. They'll want to know what exactly it is about their school that makes transferring a good decision for you. What did you learn about yourself and what you want from your college education while at your current school? How does the new school meet those needs? They'll want to hear that you're thoughtful, intentional, and committed to their school. Don't just copy and paste generic facts from their website -- really make sure you've thought about it. You have a really interesting perspective as "transfer student YOU" vs. "high school YOU." Use that to your advantage! Be confident in what you want and make your case in your essay :)
For any essay that isn't about you transferring, I think all the advice here that applies to applications for high schoolers also holds true for your transfer application essays.
Good luck!!!!
Not sure about transfer specifically, but to get an idea of what a specific school might be looking for, try adding it to your list to see what's on the essay guide: https://app.collegevine.com/essays
I don't think there is a one size fits all answer here. Different colleges are going to be looking for different answers. What an AO is looking for is probably going to vary based on the major you're interested in, the schools you're applying to, and your reasons for transferring. I'd recommend taking a look at the essay guides like @rgbcolor suggested but would also look on the website of the specific schools you are applying to. Typically they have certain values they are looking for in their students so I would do my best to incorporate those in your essays.
growth mindset, strong involvement, and passion
They look for such as like about yourself and about your life story and so on. But it will always mostly be about your self
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
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Nothing too generic or out of touch in a sense (like a ski trip to Aspen) and don't think you have to write some heart wrenching essay about a traumatic event in your life just talk about something that has a lot meaning to you and helps admissions to understand the type of person you are and what you plan to do during and after college.