What admissions readers look for in an essay
A college essay is not graded like a class essay. It has no thesis to defend; it shows the reader who you are and how you think, through one story or theme told with specific detail and honest reflection. Grammar matters less than voice, but errors still distract.
That is why this page uses different criteria from a school essay: story and focus, reflection and insight, organization and flow, voice and style, and conventions, each out of 10. The total becomes a readiness score instead of a letter grade.









