In fall 2025, the University of Michigan, one of the top public universities in the country, expects to receive over 115,000 admissions applications. This would be a record.
Suppose that there are 100 admissions officers reading essays – likely an extremely generous estimate. Even then, each officer would have to read about 1150 essays. That is staggering. Given the volume, each officer might have less than a minute to read an essay. You might spend more time on a social media post. And they will spend that time to determine your future. Because Michigan admits only 18% of applicants.
In such circumstances, it is imperative that the student use every writing technique to hold the reader’s attention – long enough to make them finish the essay. As one writer on college essays put it:
[Y]our writing should go beyond making a decent first impression. Make sure your essay is so good that your admissions reader stops in their tracks and forgets that their hand was halfway to the candy bowl. Instead, they’ll grip the sides of their desk with both hands, disappear into your work for several absorbing minutes, and mark you as an Admit.
To write an outstanding essay, consider avoiding straight narration and importing techniques from literary writing. For example, you might want to consider intercutting parallel narratives, where we mix details from two scenes.
An Example
Suppose you want to talk about learning how to overcome adversity in sports taught you to overcome adversity in the classroom. You could say this, “On the football field, I learned to grapple with pain and difficulty. That drive to overcome spilled over into the classroom, as I battled to overcome my learning disorder. I put in long hours at the sports rehabilitation center, and I put in long hours after school for the latter.” Well said.
Still, that way might not stop the admissions officer in their tracks and have them finish your essay. It might prejudice your chances to get into the 18%.
We can make this message emotionally resonate by intercutting sensory details from the two settings – the rehabilitation clinic and the classroom.
On Mondays and Fridays, with the sun sinking, in the rehabilitation center, I extended my leg muscles on the leg extension machine. The pain sometimes made me scream and clench my fists hard. The therapist sometimes put his hand lightly on my chest and reminded me that the pain meant that I was getting stronger.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, after school, I retyped what I read, slowly and carefully, like I had been taught. The frustration in overcoming my learning disability sometimes made me grind my teeth. But the teacher would lightly put her hand on my shoulder and remind me that I was going to feel frustration as I learned how to learn.
I was learning and getting better. And I intend to keep getting better.
This is something that will be memorable and will help move your application to the 18% pile. We described the experiences in similar ways and, without making the point overtly, let the reader conclude that one influenced the other. If the reader makes his own independent conclusion, that conclusion has much more staying power than it we told them what to think or conclude through a straightforward narration. And, this indirect method of making connections can be helpful in all kinds of writing.
We can use this or other literary techniques so as to immerse an admissions officer in your unique journey. We want to get them to fight for your admission.
Enjoy what you have read? Set up a free 15-minute video consultation, and we can talk about working together to help you with the next stage of your journey.
