Admissions essays are thought of by many as less scientific than other parts of the college application process -- a chance to share a personal story, to inject personality into the process, to become more than just a grade-point average or test score.
But it may be that statistical analysis can be applied to application essays -- and that some words and some topics correlate with better performance in college. That's the conclusion of a new study published in PLOS One that analyzes the words used in application essays with grades earned once enrolled.
The study found that the essays that predicted the most academic success demonstrated "categorical thinking," which involves writing that categorizes things, and that connects concepts and ideas. Generally, writing with categorical thinking uses many articles such as "the" and prepositions such as "on" and "of."
Essays that show "dynamic thinking," in contrast, predict lower G.P.A.s in college. This writing tends to use pronouns such as "I" and "they" and to rely on personal narratives.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/01/08/new-study-links-certain-application-essays-and-college-success