Activity 3: Essay Questions
A 1999 survey of college admissions counselors found 55 percent consider essay writing considerably or moderately important, behind grades, test scores, and class rank.2  This exercise will help students explore this important aspect of a balanced admissions profile.

Print out, copy, and distribute the Essay Question sheet. Ask each student to pair up with an adult who is not their parent and select one of the questions in the handout to talk about. Bring the group back together when they have completed the exercise. Ask for volunteers to share which question they responded to and what they feel an admissions committee would be looking for in their response.

2 NACAC Admission Trends Survey, National Association for College Admissions Counseling (1999).