College Supplements: Why Did Those Colleges Delete Essays, Anyway?

I have always told students that if they couldn’t answer a “Why [name of college]?” question in an essay – or for that matter in an interview – the college shouldn’t admit them! But look what’s happened. In the last month even more colleges popular with unCommon students got rid of their supplemental-essay requirement. (Believe me, there’s nothing like reading about it in the WSJ while on vacation!)

So why are they making it so easy? They want to spur application volume, which will drive down selectivity! As reported in Inside Higher Ed, IECA, the organization in which this counselor is a Professional Member, surveyed its members and found that “the removal of such essays will lead to “inflating application volumes and admit-rate pressure.”

The University of Georgia, also interviewed by IHE, doesn’t anticipate as much of an increase in volume as UVA, which sadly eliminated the requirement last year; UGA is test-optional. Their admissions director stated, “In my years in admissions, I have read a [lot] of essays, and my team is exhausted at the end of every read season.” (UGA eliminated the supplemental question asking about a book students had read.)

Meanwhile, WashU told the Journal: “We just felt like if we were stressing people out…we might as well remove that from our process.” Fortunately, WashU is still asking students about their choice of major.

Nina Berler is the founder of unCommon Apps, a college and career readiness consultancy. Her ebook, “Supplementing the College Supplement,” offers additional guidance on essay strategy. Reach her at nberler@myuncommonapps.com or myuncommonapps.com.