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“About 80% of the essays we receive are McEssays,” the admissions officer at the University of Virginia told our group of alums. “They are just okay. Another 10% are not so good, while only 10% are top-tier.”
For seniors applying to a competitive college, the essay has never been more crucial. Acceptance rates at top universities continue to decrease to as low as 4.7% (Stanford) with other top schools like Duke at 11.8%, Vanderbilt at 11.7% and Davidson at 22.1%.
The Common App, accepted at 517 schools, has released its essay prompts for 2016-2017.
– Jan Schroder, College Essay Coach