There are plenty of examples of successful essays available online that were submitted by applicants admitted into one of the highly selective colleges. We share with you our curated list of the best essays that worked for applicants to the highly selective colleges.

Johns Hopkins University Essays

There are a total of 6 essays submitted by students from the class of 2025. Each essay is followed by a critique from the Admissions office as to why the essay worked, and a short statement from the student on their objectives in writing the essay.

This small collection of essays reflects a variety of writing styles and a diverse selection of personal experiences that worked to showcase the writer’s qualities. You can access the JHU essays HERE

Hamilton College Essays

Hamilton publishes a total of 7 essays by currently enrolled students which the college describes as exceptional. These essays describe a diversity of experiences and the impact these experiences had on each of these students. Hamilton does not provide individual critiques of the essays.

You can access the Hamilton essays HERE

Tufts University Essays

Tufts University shares a variety of essays that respond to the Common Application essay prompt, the Why Tufts? prompt and other supplemental essays. Tufts also posts a series of videos critiquing the essays and explaining why each of the essays worked.

You can access the Tufts essays HERE

New York Times Choice of 5 Essays that Stand Out

The New York Times selected these 5 essays because they stand out for sensitivity, depth of insight and sheer geekiness. The writers were admitted to Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Barnard College.

You can access these essays HERE

Emory University Essays

Emory University shares several essays that respond to one of seven Common Application prompts, and provides a critique for why the essay worked.

Emory shares a total of 3 essays that worked responding to the prompt “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

You can access these essays HERE, HERE and HERE

Emory also shares an essay that worked responding to the prompt “The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?” HERE

Harvard Recommendations for Essays that Worked

In its online college application resources for applicants, Harvard recommends 41 essays that will knock your socks off. You can access those essays HERE

AP Study Notes Feature 147 Essays that Worked

AP Study Notes features essays that worked for 26 of the highly selective colleges. You can access the 147 essays HERE

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