Expert: Todd Johnson - 10/25/2008

Question
I recently spent a month working on a scholarship application which required 3 essays and a short answer section. I am deeply stressed at the moment because I was not successful in my efforts. I wrote several essays which were very personal in an effort to stand out. Should I keep controversial elements out of my essays: being a member of the LGBT community, poverty, facing racism, etc. out of my essay? Will waiting to apply to a top university: Stanford, Yale, or Harvard, hurt my chances? I want to wait and go see a college counselor for some extra help with financial aid. This option will allow me to better my essays, and to apply to more schools because I will not be under Early Action/Early Decision. I would like an academically rigorous environment at a diverse school or overseas university.

Answer
Kevin,

You raise several issues and I will try to address all of them. First, many outside scholarships are very competitive so don't be to concerned that you didn't qualify. You should also understand that for most people outside scholarships, those not from the college, are not generally that helpful. The reason that they are not as helpful as many people think is that if you get such a scholarship, the college will reduce your financial aid package by the amount of that scholarship. Some colleges will reduce your loan obligation so if can be beneficial from that standpoint. Some colleges will reduce your grants so there is no benefit to an outside scholarship. For further information about how financial aid work check out my webpage on basic financial aid. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/financial-aid-ba...

As to the essay question, addressing personal issues can be alright as long as the essay does not get too personal. The issues you mentioned can all work for an essay but if you get too personal it can make the reader uncomfortable. This can be a fine line to walk and it is difficult to comment further without seeing just what you wrote.

As to the issue of when to apply, Harvard has eliminated its early action programs so that is a non issue. Yale and Stanford both have restrictive early action, meaning you could apply to only one early action. Early action generally has a slightly higher admission rate than regular decision but with the deadline right around the corner you may be better off improving your application essays and holding off to apply regular decision. Of course, all of these colleges are highly selective and you should have some other less selective colleges to which you are applying where your admission chances are much better.

There are hundreds of great colleges in this country that are academically rigorous and diverse.

I hope this answers your questions. Good luck in the admissions process.