That first impression can color the whole discussion. The committee, for example, issued a swift rejection to a student whose essay was riddled with typos. I hope you love him as much as I do. A little warmth and humor never hurts either. Bowdoin requires a second, shorter essay on an influential teacher.
Most students opt for a boiler-plate hymn to the hardest teacher in school.
Otherwise, the student's B record would not have got him in. Admissions officers say the most successful essays show curiosity and self-awareness. While there's no one right formula for soul baring, there are many wrong ones. A self-absorbed or arrogant tone is also a guaranteed turnoff. The officers accept that student essays are often heavily edited and adapted for multiple applications.