Should I Use the Same Essay for Multiple Colleges?
Should I Use the Same Essay for Multiple Colleges?
By now you’re in the thick of your application season. Keep working hard! We know that there is a lot of pressure on you to produce writing and other supporting material that sets you apart from your peers and we support your efforts!
Many colleges and universities require supplemental essays as a part of their evaluation process. Staring at the impending deadlines and a veritable mountain of high stakes work to complete in front of you, you may be looking for any kind of shortcut to help get you across the finish line. One tactic that students employ every year is recycling their answer to a supplement for multiple schools.
It will certainly save you time, but is it a wise strategy? The short answer: not exactly. But it’s a little more complex than “yes” or “no.” Consider our advice below before you decide whether or not to repurpose an essay.
Think About Your Reader
Although this is your first time going through the college process, the admissions officers reading your application have likely read thousands of responses to the supplemental essay in question. Some of them may even have worked at multiple institutions, gaining perspective on the vast nature of student responses to similar prompts.
If your response is broad enough to apply to any school, your reader will likely walk away from your application not feeling like their institution is special to you. Even if your response technically works, this makes it difficult to build enthusiastic advocates among the admissions office.
There are opportunities within every supplemental essay prompt to personalize your response to help you accomplish this main goal. You want to leave your reader with a clear impression that you’ve taken the time to truly understand why you are an ideal fit for their school.
Personalize Your Evidence
If more than one of the schools you apply to asks about your favorite extracurricular activity or why you’re interested in the major you’ve selected, there is bound to be overlap in your responses. Be careful to balance the portion of your answer that can be used broadly and the school-specific evidence that helps it stand out individually.
Take the time to research relevant clubs and organizations at the college you’re applying to where you might build on the legacy you described in your essay. Identify classes that would be foundational to your experience and difficult to replicate elsewhere. Familiarize yourself with the research interests of various professors who might make strong mentors for you and reflect on how you would take advantage of such an opportunity.
Go beyond simply inserting titles of clubs or courses. Wrestle with the evidence and paint a picture of the future you envision for yourself. The more thorough and personal your evidence is, the stronger your supplement will read.
Consider the Word Count
Even though you may be asked the same supplemental prompt by more than one of the schools on your list, it’s likely that the word count will vary. Make efficient use of your space. Include more detailed evidence where you have room to do so. And trim generic material wherever possible to make the shorter supplements brim with energy for your reader.
Remember, your objective is not just to write supplements that answer the question on the table. It’s also to create advocates for yourself within the admissions office. This secondary goal is about the subtext of your writing, the stuff under the surface that influences how your reader interprets your intention.
We spend a lot of our time helping students turn good writing into great writing by focusing in on tips like these. The difference a few carefully crafted sentences can make in demonstrating your intellectual curiosity and specific interest in a school for the admissions officer reading your supplements is enormous. Make sure you invest the time to positively impact your own process before you decide to simply recycle a supplement you’ve already written for another school.
The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.
Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!
Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter.