Read This Before Writing That Sob Story

The reason Sob Stories or 'Trauma Essays' are so popular is that admission officers are primarily public relations specialists. Their advice on writing essays aims to perpetuate the idea that their college experience is accessible to everyone, regardless of means, and to maximize the number applications they receive, without increasing available seats, so their admission rates fall and prestige rises.

Their advice, which essentially amounts to variations of "just be yourself," is advantageous because anyone can do it, resulting in them receiving the maximum number of application fees possible. Their advice is meant to make you feel good about applying rather than optimizing your chances of acceptance.

In reality, colleges seek to build well-rounded incoming classes, not admit well-rounded individuals or prioritize authenticity. They seek applicants who will tangibly provide their incoming class and campus environment with practical value.

Sob Stories or Trauma Essays typically fail to show admission officers any positive value an applicant will bring, nor do they convey substantial benefit to the university community. No one "earns" a Sob Story, and telling one rarely conveys accomplishments, intellectual curiosity, practical skills, or well-thought-out perspectives. Anyone can write a sob story.

Some people do get into good colleges despite writing Sob Stories. You might find cases where admission officers were moved to tears and advocated for acceptance out of moral obligation. These scenarios likely encourage more such essays yearly.

However, correlation isn't causation - getting into Harvard after writing a Sob Story doesn't mean the essay helped. Most Sob Stories contain neither useful information that makes an applicant compelling nor anything offensive. They join the ranks of generic Common App essays: inoffensive but lacking a developed thesis about the applicant's value to the incoming class.

Trying to prioritize sentimentality over practical considerations is ultimately gambling, with particularly low odds given how saturated this essay genre has become.

If you want to know exactly how to write your admission essays, schedule a free consultation with us and talk to an admissions expert.