College Essays That Went Viral
About a month ago, one of my students referred me to a YouTube video about an essay that she thought was “fantastically written” and “matches (her) personality.” She had hence set her mind on imitating the style of that essay. So, she decided to write a completely new essay in place of the one she’s been working on, believing that she will stand a better chance at getting a nod from that same college the YouTuber got admitted to.
Just two days ago, another student told me about an essay that has gone viral. True enough, when I did a quick google search, I realized that it’s not only the US news outlets that are covering this student accepted to one of the most coveted Ivies; even foreign news outlets are gushing over how spectacular that essay was written. And, of course, my student asked whether she should tweak her almost-completed Common App essay to include similar things that was in that viral essay that had gotten the writer a much-coveted Ivy admission offer.
With social media, students aspiring to top colleges have access to “sample essays” so much more easily than having to wait for Amazon.com to deliver a copy of “50 Successful Stanford Application Essays” which would take a couple of days even with Amazon Prime membership. Go into YouTube or Tik Tok and tens of undergraduates enrolled in the Ivies or similarly-tiered colleges are there sharing their “essays that got me into X College.”
This type of idea-sharing is excellent for inspiring high-schoolers who aspire to top-tiered colleges. But, there could be other reasons why these students got admitted, and it may not be solely due to that essay that they shared. In fact, college admissions are never just based on an applicant’s essay(s).
So, there’s only one conclusion that can be made: these students did not mess up their essays. That’s all.
I do not watch those videos about “excellent” essays unless students refer them to me. And, for most of these referrals, my answer to my students is that I have seen better. Many students I have coached before have graduated from, or are currently enrolled in the same top colleges, and I think they had written essays that are similarly impressive. For every YouTube essay, there are thousands of essays that also got their writers admission offers from top-ranked colleges. The students who wrote them just did not share their essays on YouTube. These students could have been admitted because their excellent essays helped them stand out. But we’d never know.
Social media has the power to impress. Many are wowed by those essays read aloud with much gusto and animatedly by the writers, wearing sweatshirts of the colleges with “Class of 20XX” on the front. It’s easy to believe that these essays presented are really that great. Don’t. Remember that each application cycle, each of the highest ranked colleges send out a couple of thousands of offers. You have not read what those other successful applicants have written.
It’s also easy to forget that the college essay is only one of the factors in the admissions equations. Statistics really do not tell the full story. Discerning future clients should know that. Remember: besides the essay, there are other factors that colleges look at during the admissions consideration.
The success stories of others can sometimes be replicated, but most often not. The essays that got Student A. into UChicago or Student B. into Princeton will not be the same essay that you will be writing for your college application. So, take all these viral essays with a pinch of salt, and of course, learn what elements therein that are good. Then, spend your time writing a good story of your own rather than try to imitate what others have written.
