Wise Words from William and Mary and Henry too

College of William and Mary

Henry Broaddus is one of the smartest guys I know. He is able to give useful advice on the admission process to selective schools in a way that is not just helpful, but conveys the sense that the guy reading the applications is smart but also caring.

I can confirm that he is both, having known him for quite some time. Here is some advice just published  in USA Today.

Thank you Henry for the go ahead to quote you.

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Henry R. Broaddus, dean of admission at College of William & Mary

Essays and samples: Any topic can work, but the goal should be to treat that topic in a manner that reveals distinctive style and personal character. Admission officers are far more interested in essays that show personal voice than they are in reading something that’s persuasive.
Keep in mind that 500 words is a very short form. Especially in subsequent drafts, it’s often helpful to narrow the essay’s focus.
Deadlines and requirements: In college admissions and in life, there are only a handful of things completely within one’s control through careful planning. Meeting deadlines is one of those things.
Letters of recommendation: Choose recommenders who know you well and thank them effusively. Teachers who take the time to tell us the stories of their students are the unsung heroes of this process.
Other: Unfortunately, standardized tests present a dangerous illusion of empirical precision that’s at odds with the way we make admission decisions. Test scores matter to us as a limited measure of academic preparedness, but for the hardest choices between similarly qualified candidates, standardized tests play no greater role than the more qualitative information in the application.

Henry and Bailey