This essay showed up in my mailbox once year. It begins by telling
the admissions officer that her way of deciding who gets in is wrong, and
then goes on to say why he should be admitted even though his numbers are
bad. The statement "it would be a huge mistake to let me slip through
your fingertips" should be enough to get him rejected with great numbers; with weak numbers it's a sure killer.
| Numbers. What an impersonal way to evaluate candidates for a study and eventual
profession that in most respects relies more heavily on a person's ability
to communicate effectively. The penchant for persuasion is not
a characteristic that can be measured by numbers; it is intangible. This intangible
is passion. This passion will make me the next great lawyer to graduate from
your School of Law. Over the course of the next few paragraphs I will
illustrate why I have the skill set to flourish in law school and why it
would be a huge mistake to let me slip through your fingertips. |
And if the statement itself were not enough to get this person rejected, by saying "Over the course of the next few paragraphs I will
illustrate" the writer proves that he doesn't know how to communicate effectively.