College Admission Officers, what are some the most memorable college applicant submissions you've come across whether they were good, bad, inspiring, sad, or funny?

Honestly, after reading thousands of applications, the ones that really stick with you aren't the ones with the perfect gpa or the super fancy extracurriculars. I remember this one student who wrote an entire essay about their obsession with perfecting the crust on a sourdough loaf. It sounds totally random, but the way they connected the patience and failure involved in baking to their personal growth was honestly so refreshing compared to the usual sob stories or "I saved the world" narratives we get constantly.

On the flip side, you definitely see some cringeworthy stuff. There was this one applicant who tried to write their essay in the form of a dramatic screenplay where they were the protagonist in a movie about saving a local park. It was just way too over the top and felt like they were trying to act out a blockbuster instead of showing us who they actually were. It’s a fine line between being creative and just being plain exhausting to read.

Then there are the ones that are just straight up heartbreaking. I recall a student who wrote about living in a car for a few months with their sibling, but they managed to keep their grades up through it all. It wasn't written to make you pity them; it was just a raw account of how they managed to study under a streetlamp every night. It’s hard not to feel for them when you're looking at their file, and it really changes the way you look at a set of test scores.