Become an Admissions Officer
Create a character and tell them the story of you
Your college essay is an opportunity to show admissions officers who you are and how you will contribute to their academic community. Are you the kind of person someone wants as a roommate or to work with on a group project?
However, don’t forget admissions officers are people too! People with hopes, fears, quirks, pets, kids, favorite sports teams, and food allergies are reading your essay.
Last July, I was honored to lead House of SpeakEasy’s long-running summer personal essay writing workshop in partnership with Union Settlement. This six-week workshop allowed rising seniors to brainstorm, draft, and revise their college essays. One of my favorite activities was creating an “Admissions Officer” character.
Who is this person reading your college essay? Answer these questions to create your admissions officer:
What is their name?
Where do they work?
What is their goal? What do they want?
What do they feel?
The summer students had fun with the exercise, coming up with some fantastic characters, and I remember that one had a pet iguana named Ignacio. Even though we were playing around, the students started thinking about admissions officers as people—people who tell, read, and watch stories.
An admissions officer is not a faceless automaton simply “reviewing” your college application once you hit submit. They are real people, maybe even one with a pet iguana, who want to read YOUR STORY.
Thinking about your college essay as a story someone is waiting to hear will change your approach. Do you open a book hoping that it will suck? Or pay $18 to go to a movie and then shell out even more for popcorn, candy, and a Coke because you expect a dull or lackluster experience.
No, as people, we go in with the desire to see something good. Therefore, as people, admissions officers also go in hoping for a story that will show them what is interesting about you.
Now that you’ve created an “Admissions Officer” character, tell a story that will give them a complete sense of your character.
What interests you?
What excites you?
What do you hope for?
How have you arrived at this point?
How can you create the character of YOU like authors and directors create compelling characters in their movies, novels, or video games? Thinking about it this way will help you figure out what you WANT to write about.
Not what you think you SHOULD write about, but what you genuinely NEED this person to know about you as a fully developed character, aka a future student in their academic community.
What are admissions officers looking for in college essays? is a frequently asked question. Flipping things around to create an “Admissions Officer” character is a fun way to imagine the real people reading your story. Answering Where do they work? What is their goal? What do they want? is also an engaging way to research and learn the specifics of the places where you are applying.
Stepping into the shoes of the admissions officer you created can help you determine if the college they work for and what they want is also what YOU want—academically, culturally, and socially.
Yes, your college essay is a chance to show admissions officers how you will contribute to their school. Creating an “Admissions Officer” character will also help you think about the kinds of spaces where you are the most successful and the academic community where you will thrive.
Feel free to comment or reach out with questions.