With all the admissions consultants and pay-for-essay websites floating around these days, it is not surprising to hear that university admissions officers are paying more attention on substance rather than style. What they want from a personal essay is deep insight into the character of the writer. Today, too slick a package, and admissions officers start getting suspicious.

Of course, this is the same whether we are talking about undergraduate or graduate admissions, but it seems we’re seeing more of such “unnecessary” resources being used in graduate admissions – a stage where applicants generally have more money at their disposal.

So, their (admissions officers) advice is to stick to your own writing skills, spend lots of time on the essay, and get someone close to proofread it for you. In my humble opinion, that kind of generalised advice is precisely why so many well-to-do applicants turn to admissions consultants, but I suppose there is really no way around the problem. Worse still, as universities become more discriminating (academically and essay-wise), more and more students will turn to “help” – no matter where they have to get it from.

[News via The Ticker]