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What Should I Write for Optional Essays?

Gelyna Price

Head of programs and lead admissions expert, table of contents, naturally, you have a lot of questions., and remember:.

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

Picture this: college app deadlines are looming and you’re hard at work on your applications. You’ve compiled and narrowed down a college list and made a strategy for presenting your extracurriculars. Maybe you’ve even started brainstorming and drafting your supplemental essays for colleges. All this seems straightforward. Good for you! On top of all this work, you notice that a few of your applications allow for that perplexing, dark-horse component: the optional essay.   In contrast, you haven’t read anything about optional essays. Are they really optional? Maybe you should just ignore it for now…

Do you need to write optional essays for the college application? What if you don’t have anything to say? What if the readers think it is unprofessional? Would a school immediately count it against you if you don’t submit it? If you write a response and they don’t like it, would that be worse? What are the guidelines?

These are all valid concerns. Rather than let the optional essay lurk in the shadows, looming in the periphery, let’s find the truth. Let’s take a deep dive into the optional essay and how it impacts your college application from start to finish.

As a matter of fact, the intent of optional essays is to give you (the applicant) the benefit of the doubt, rather than leaving questions entirely up to an admissions officer’s interpretation. Remember: colleges do not expect everyone to submit an optional essay. That’s why it’s optional!

However, you’re right to not just dismiss them outright. There are plenty of good reasons to submit an optional essay for college applications. In some situations, it can be very helpful. So before you cross it out just to save yourself time, remember that it might also be a valuable opportunity to provide context to your story.

How to handle it:

The most common optional essay will ask, quite simply, whether there is anything else you would like to share. These are open-ended questions that could encompass a wide range of topics. For example, here’s a classic:

“Is there anything else we should know about you?”

There are a few ways you might answer this in writing. Primarily, check that you’re not repeating anything that’s already appeared on your application elsewhere. After all, this isn’t a necessary section, so the admissions readers aren’t asking you to reiterate something just for the sake of filling it out. It’s awesome to have accomplishments you’re proud of—but if it can fit anywhere else on the application, that’s probably where it belongs. You can skip it if you don’t have anything new to add.

On the other hand, however, don’t stress about “bothering” the admissions readers with additional information. They want to hear what you have to say, so long as it’s relevant to your candidacy as a student! That’s why the question is included. If you’re on the fence, take some time to write out your thoughts and then decide. The more information you have to work with, the better.

If you choose to explain any negative extenuating circumstances with this response…

If you address a negative occurrence, make sure to address the big picture and how you overcame and succeeded, and why it won’t happen again. Prove to them that you are stronger, or that you learned. If you are discussing low test scores—provide context/evidence. Excuses and complaints aren’t enough to constitute a meaningful response on their own.

If you do have a specific, sensitive personal scenario in mind for “anything else,” complete the first pass and give your draft to someone else to read. That someone could be anyone who doesn’t know you very well; a classmate, teacher, coach, or tutor. When explaining a personal crisis, it can be difficult to know where the line between just enough and too much information falls. If you notice discomfort on either side of this exchange, the admissions committee will likely feel the same, and you should probably reconsider your approach. Ultimately, you don’t have to share anything you aren’t comfortable sharing with a colleague.

Other prompts and situations may arise. Here’s a rundown of scenarios when you should, could, and definitely should not submit an optional essay response.

Should you submit that optional essay?

Yes, write the optional essay if:.

• It’s a “why us” or “good fit” question. [A few variations include: Why did you choose this school? What makes this campus/school a good fit for you and your goals? and What makes you a good fit for our campus community and/or student body?] For prompts like this, use the essay to demonstrate your interest in the school… but do NOT recycle content without customizing it thoroughly. It should be as specific and detailed as possible to your goals.
• It says “recommended”, “highly recommended”, or “encouraged” anywhere in the wording of the page or prompt. All of these are context clues that the materials will be considered important! Follow through and submit anything under this category.
• You need more glue to hold your application story together. For instance, if you changed your extracurricular thread halfway through high school from STEM to history, there may not be another place to properly contextualize that shift. That could be a good instance to use an optional essay.
• You have an additional piece of information about you that a college should know that you haven’t had a chance to demonstrate fully yet. For example, perhaps you participated in self-guided projects or unconventional extracurricular activities that the application doesn’t allow you to really explain. An optional essay response could provide this additional out-of-the-box information.
• There are more than a few optional prompts (e.g. Harvard , University of Pittsburgh )—they’re giving you lots of opportunities to show your character and personality! Take the opportunity to rise to the occasion and respond with a few clever essays. After all, the root of the word “essay” comes from the word “to try.”

Maybe, potentially write the optional essay if:

• It states that it’s truly an optional field and you shouldn’t waste reviewers’ time (sometimes, they are that blunt). If you have cause to write, it will depend on your personal situation.
• You have the start of an idea, and it’s your dream school (or one you’re super passionate about attending). If this is you, it may be worth spending the time and effort to draft and polish another writing supplement—take some time to consider what you could write about.
• You feel like you’re a borderline or “splitter” candidate. Giving more context about your performance can demonstrate self-awareness about your strengths and maturity in how you plan to address your weaknesses.

No, don’t write the optional essay if:

• You don’t have a good topic in mind right away—or the question just doesn’t apply to you (e.g. the Duke diversity prompt ). Don’t try and force certain qualities for the sake of appearing like a good candidate if it isn’t true.
• You don’t have time to make that essay as good as all your other pieces. Rushing to put down something in this space won’t pay off, and could actually hurt you if your writing is poor.
• You’ll only restate information already covered in other parts of your application.
• You’re just doing it because you think you should. It will sound fake and the readers won’t appreciate the false tone.
• You’d have to divulge personal details you’re not comfortable sharing with people you don’t know. [You don’t have to share anything on the application you choose not to share.]
• It would only consist of excuses/complaints. [This won’t reflect well on you or contextualize your performance. In fact, it reflects a weak character.]

Supplements and supplemental materials.

On the other hand, some applications will allow you to submit a resume or sample of your work. For example, Harvard allows for supplemental materials. These are a great chance to help your application stand out from the crowd and be really memorable!

Supplemental materials might include:

• video or audio recording of a performance (music, theater, dance)
• critical articles or commentary about your work by the public
• published instances of your work (articles, poems, essays, etc.)
• samples of visual art
• photographic documentation of your work(s)

If this is true for you, be sure that you take the time to get all your materials up to par. Only submit if you have some works that you’re proud of [which you should, especially if it’s in the area you want to study]. Just because a section is optional doesn’t mean that if you do submit it, the reviewer won’t assess that material at face value.

If you have the ability to attach a resume, feel free to do so—but don’t assume the admissions reader will go through the whole thing! Still include the activities in your application form. Think of the resume as an “extra credit” way to present your accomplishments. The bulk of your attention should still focus on your application itself.

Reasons you may need optional essays:

Of course, beyond reasons you may want to write an optional essay to boost your college application even higher, there are situations when you might really need to include one, in order to explain a gap or issue. A few examples of reasons you may need to write an optional supplement would be: 

• Unusually low or failing grades.
• Taking time out of school for personal reasons (medical, family issues, money, etc).
• Disciplinary actions on your record. Be very careful with your language and tone, but don’t expect any permanent records to hide away from admissions reviewers completely; sometimes honesty is the best policy.

None of these things need to make or break your application, but it’s a good idea to explain your side of the story. Focus on what you’ve learned and how you’ve changed as a result of these occurrences if you address them in an optional essay response.

So there you have it! Optional essays are a way to make the college admissions review process a little more forgiving and human—view them as a tool to help you. If you’re still wondering, “should I do the optional essays?” These details can help you uncover the best move for you. When it comes to writing optional essays for college admissions, there’s no need to be afraid of them… but it definitely is worth taking time to honestly assess your individual situation, and whether it’s necessary for you.

Tips and Tricks:

Before you go, here are a few final quick tips and tricks to always keep in mind if you do write an optional essay to accompany your college application:

• Do stick to the word limit (if none, it shouldn’t be longer than your personal statement). About 250 words will usually suffice.
• Do write an actual essay, not just a word bank. If you are going to ask the admissions committee to take the extra time to read it, you should put the effort in to submit something that is complete with sentences supporting an overall thesis.
• For writing style, generally, these essays should be direct and concise, not creative writing (unless it’s a writing sample). Get to the point.

You’ll still want to proofread and check the quality of the writing , to ensure it fits well in context with the rest of your application as well.

You can always check with a counselor to see if there is a gap in your holistic application (transcript, grades, etc) that needs an explanation to form a coherent story about yourself. If you’re looking for help or feedback from a qualified professional on your particular draft, talk to us today!

The Empowerly community can help brainstorm and edit your best possible supplemental essays for college. Not only that, but we can also connect you with supplemental essay examples from our bank of college essays that worked. For a holistic review, our former admissions officer committee reviews each season are unparalleled. Book an exploratory call to learn more about how we help students shine.

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Filling Out the Common Application for College Admissions

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Should I Complete Optional College Essays?

September 20, 2021

Many battle-worn applicants, weary from the slog of completing a dozen or so applications, encounter optional essays and requests for other non-compulsory application components such as a resume, interview, or writing sample(s) and simply wave the white flag. On one level, this response is understandable. You’ve spent years grinding out strong grades in honors and AP courses and retaking the SAT or ACT to hit your target score. You poured your heart into the Common App essay and then refined the heck out of it to squeeze under the 650-word limit. Why can’t these colleges just be satisfied with all of this and leave you the heck alone!?

Again, we get it. Yet, unfortunately, electing not to complete these non-mandatory tasks can severely hinder your prospects for admission—especially at highly-selective colleges and universities where the line between acceptance and rejection is razor thin. To put it in terms of obscure 1990s pop-culture references, not completing optional portions of the application can sink your chances at getting into an elite school faster than the infamous Ninja Rap sunk Vanilla Ice’s rapping career.

The optional “Why this college?” essay

When colleges offer optional essays, one prompt usually involves explaining why you are applying to their school. Some students mistakenly think this is unimportant and skip the task entirely. Others hatch what they believe to be a plan for the perfect crime—write a generic enough “Why this college?” statement that it can be recycled for every school to which they apply. Trust us, admissions officers can spot attempts at application Mad Libs in their sleep.

“It has always been a dream of mine to attend _______ University/College. The level of academic rigor at your institution is unparalleled and I would be proud to call myself a  mascot name here  for life.”

Going this route, you might as well just fill in the blanks with “snot” and “butt” like you did in 5th grade. It might at least elicit a smile from an admissions officer.

Reference specific academic programs at each prospective school, talk about a tour you took around campus, mention a restaurant where you dined, a student you spoke to about life on campus, etc. Check out the school’s website, social media, and any recent news stories about exciting developments around campus. Anything you can do to demonstrate knowledge of each prospective school and genuine interest will help your admissions cause.

Other types of optional essays

“The why this college?” prompt is just one of a multitude of optional essay variations inhabiting the oft-overlooked bowels (another good 5th grade Mad Libs word) of the college application.

As an alternative, Duke offers students a chance to address the following:

Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke.

If you are gay/bi-sexual, have a non-Caucasian ethnic background, or grew up on a hippie commune, you’ll likely be able to address this question in a compelling manner without too much consternation. Yet, if you resemble one of the first 43 Presidents of the United States (white, male, and financially comfortable), you’ll have to get a bit more creative if you wish to reveal something about your identity in this space.

Do I need to submit a resume?

Some schools allow the submission of a resume, others—mostly larger state schools receiving up to 100,000 applications, do not. If your prospective colleges do not outright prohibit the submission of a resume, then we recommend submitting one. For some, the information contained in the resume may seem redundant. After all, you already included all of your honors, awards, work and volunteer experience, and extracurricular activities within the application itself.

On the other hand, the format in which this material is presented within the application is often less-than-perfect. Due to strict character limits it is very difficult to convey certain key elements of your bonafides. For example, the Common App makes it very challenging to demonstrate one’s rising responsibility in a position, say the debate team, over a four-year high school career. You may have room to state that you were the captain in your senior year, but not have room to lay out how you gradually climbed the ranks beginning in freshman year. Additionally, for certain off-the-beaten-path activities, it can be very challenging to fully convey why the credential is impressive. For example, the political commentary magazine you started with your faculty sponsor gained traction online and one particular story ended up being reposted by The Washington Post ; another received a handwritten letter from a congresswomen stating that she would share the opinions expressed with her colleagues. Good luck trying to capture that entire story in a measly 150 characters or less on the Common App.

Can I skip an optional interview?

We only recommend this if you have a miserable personality and zero interpersonal skills. Just kidding…sort of. Whether with a member of the admissions committee or an alumni interviewer, this one-on-one conversation is a chance to show the college of your dreams that you are a flesh-and-blood human being with innumerable intangible qualities. Making this intimate connection can go a long way, especially if your chances of admission are teetering right in between the accept and reject piles.

Of course, with the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, many interviews will be conducted over Zoom, Skype, and Facetime. For tips on how to best virtually shine in front of an admission rep, check out our piece entitled Virtual College Admission Interview Tips. To view a list of interview policies at 360+ of the top schools in the United States visit our Dataverse page .

Should I include writing samples?

Ideally, your Common App and/or school-specific application essays will sufficiently convey your aptitude as a writer and communicator. However, if you have an artifact of which you are particularly proud that you feel showcases your talents as a creative writer or budding researcher, then it may be worth including as part of your application. The caveat here is that not every school is seeking more material from their applicants. Some schools have strict policies against including unsolicited supplementary materials; others welcome them. Check your prospective institutions policies in this area prior to submitting but as a general rule of thumb, small liberal arts colleges are far more likely than large state universities to a) accept a writing sample; and b) actually consider it in their admissions decision.

College Transitions’ final thoughts

For serious applicants, completing optional components of your applications are about as optional as brushing your teeth. Likewise, leaving optional fields blank on college applications, especially at competitive institutions, will undoubtedly decay your prospects of winning the admissions game.

As T.S. Eliot once said:

“Kickin’ it up, hour after hour, Cause in this life there’s only one winner, You better aim straight so you can hit the center.”

Actually that was Vanilla Ice accompanied by four mutant reptiles, but you get the point.

• Application Strategies
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Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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Everything you need to know to get Accepted

March 25, 2012

Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them

In this short video, Linda Abraham explores the two kinds of optional essays, who should write them, and what should go into them. Don’t miss the crucial warning at the end.

Related Resources:

•  5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays , a free guide • How to Edit Your Application Essays , a podcast episode •  3 Tips for Highlighting Your Strengths in Your Application Essays

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Should I Do the Optional College Essays?

Reviewed by:

Rohan Jotwani

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 1/5/24

Do you find yourself asking: should I do the optional college essays? How do I write the optional essay? To help you answer these questions, we’ve put together this article to help you make your decision and guide your writing process. 

Applying for college is a tasking job that takes a lot of preparation. Between writing a required personal statement, securing your letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other documents, the last thing you want to worry about is an optional college essay. 

When it comes to supplemental writing, you may be thinking, ‘oh, well, it’s optional; I don’t have to do it, and it will save me time to work on my application better.’ However, you need to sit down and ask yourself: Should I do the optional essay? Would it help my application? Or am I just wasting my time?

While it won’t count against you if you decide not to write it, writing a good optional essay will be read and taken at face value by the admissions officers. 

Are Optional College Essays Really Optional?

The answer, in short, is yes. You will not be penalized for not writing these college essays . However, if you have something meaningful or worthwhile to talk about, you should absolutely write the optional essay. Doing so will add more dimension to your application and further demonstrate your strong writing abilities.

Types of Optional College Essays

Not every college essay prompt is the same. Colleges may have different prompts for you to answer in your supplemental statement. Here are the top 7 common types of questions to give you more insight into how to write the optional essay. 

‘Why This College?’ Essay

This prompt allows you to explain why you are applying to their college. A common mistake students make is that they think this prompt does not need much thought and will therefore write a generic response.

Providing a banal explanation for wanting to get into college will not work in your favor. College admissions know how to spot pitiful attempts at this type of essay. Instead of giving a plain “It has always been my dream to attend this college” response, try to reference the specific academic programs at the college you wish to be accepted into. 

Take this time to talk about what you like about campus life and show interest in the school’s culture and environment. Demonstrating your knowledge of your prospective school is an excellent way to garner interest from the admissions committee.

Academic Interest Essay

This type of essay allows you to write about your desired area of study. This requires an insightful approach, seeing as one-third of first-year college students change their majors at least once . 

If you aren’t exactly sure what you intend to study, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Just be sure to explain your current academic interests and link them to your potential career goals. This essay allows colleges to see how passionate and dedicated you are to your studies and interests. 

Community Service Essay

The overall idea of this prompt is to allow students to talk about their involvement in their community, whether it is with family, extracurricular activities, employment, school, or volunteering. 

You should talk about how you made an impact through your involvement or any accomplishments you have achieved. Be sure to discuss how these experiences have shaped your outlook on life and, if possible, link them to your academic aspirations. 

Interest or Activity Essay

Believe it or not, colleges are interested in learning about what you do in your free time. This doesn’t just include volunteering or extracurricular activities, but anything you do that is productive and fulfilling for you. 

Suppose your interests have challenged you in a way that has allowed you to grow and learn from that experience. In that case, admissions officers are more than willing to read about them. Showing depth and longevity in your free time is crucial to making a good impression.

Challenge Essay

Every student has faced some challenges in their lifetime, be it academic or personal. This essay permits you to discuss a challenge you have faced and how you have overcome it. 

It allows colleges to see how your life experiences have shaped you as a person. Not only that, but this question also shows how you face and approach problems to find the best possible solution. 

A great way to begin these essays is with a strong hook, possibly the climax of the anecdote you’ll be sharing in your essay.

‘Social Consciousness’ Essay

This is a more specific essay, which prompts you to talk about how you have taken social action to fight for diversity and inclusion. Whether it is a place you volunteered, a fundraiser you started or participated in at school, or any news event that inspired you to take action, this essay wants to know what you think 'social justice’ means to you. 

Colleges thrive on the diversity of their students and ensuring a safe learning environment, so they look for prospective students whose morals adhere to theirs.

Interpersonal Essay Questions

How would you describe yourself to someone who does not know you? Or if you were to meet yourself, would you like you? This type of essay begs the question of how you would present yourself through someone else’s eyes. 

Imagine how you would be as a roommate or how you would fit into campus life. It is a chance for you to look deep into yourself and offer an honest insight into who you are as an individual and how others may view you. 

Unique Essays

These essays are distinctive and require you to use your creativity when answering them. These questions are not the usual prompts given by many colleges.They pave the way for you to offer an interesting perspective or idea on the question given. 

For example, they might ask you when you didn’t accomplish a particular thing and what you learned from it. Or they might ask you a situational question, such as ‘what would you do if you caught your co-worker stealing?’ These questions are out-of-the-box and designed to reflect your way of thinking.

Should I Write the Optional Essays? How to Make Your Choice

Supplemental writing is just that—supplemental. It’s not a requirement; your application will not mean any less than an applicant who did the writing. You should do the optional college essays if you feel you have the right means to create an impressive essay. 

Before you decide, here are a set of questions you must analyze before you decide whether or not to write the optional essay. 

Do they want to hear what I have to say?

Of course. Schools give an optional essay because they want to hear what you say about the prompt. You have to make sure that it is impactful. 

Would it count against me if I don’t do it?

No. An optional essay is not expected to be completed by every applicant.It is just something colleges offer to students dedicated to giving more insight to themselves. It is a way to show their characteristics to admissions officers in a unique way. 

Would it be too much to write?

If you choose to write the optional essay, you usually do not have to worry about whether your statement is too personal. However, to be safe, you can try to have someone edit and read through it and give their opinion. 

This could be a teacher, guidance counselor, or even a classmate. If you feel uncomfortable about anyone reading it, you should perhaps write about something else. 

What if I don’t know how to approach it?

It is always important to brainstorm your ideas upon reading the prompt. However, if you struggle to find the perfect pitch and then try to make it sound sincere, then the optional essay is not for you.

What should I write about?

After receiving the topic, it is entirely up to you what to write about. If you have an idea in mind, then perfect! You can write an essay. If you find yourself overwhelmed on how to approach the topic, then do not write it. There is a good chance the essay will not turn out well and greatly hinder your chances of getting accepted.

Once you have gone through each of these questions and taken a look at the college topic, you can decide whether to go ahead with the essay or not. 

How to Write the Optional College Essays

It is important to understand not only the structure of the essay question but also the points you should highlight when writing your response and how you approach the question. Below are methods on how to approach each type of optional college essay.

Why This College Essay

The question being asked is in the essay type: write about why you are interested in this college. To write a strong response, you have to have specificity. Mention any unique aspects of the college or opportunities they offer that inspire you to explore your academic interests and help you achieve your career goals. 

What you should not do is make a generic list of reasons why you want to join this college, such as ‘I like this campus’ or ‘It’s close to my home so that commute won’t be a concern.’ 

Discuss the programs they offer, the campus life, and even any partnerships they have with organizations that align with your passion. You can check out the college’s official website and social media pages to better understand your dream school. 

This essay essentially asks you: “What are your academic interests? Academic goals?” You should do background research on the program you wish to get into to respond properly to this prompt. 

Then, you can talk about your interests and goals to help the admissions officers understand where you are coming from in terms of applying for the specific program. 

If you are applying to a liberal arts college, talk about your love of liberal arts and how you wish to get into a career in the humanities. If it is a college known for engineering, talk about your dreams of becoming an engineer and how you are an avid science student. Be specific and personal. 

Even if you do not have a set interest yet, you can identify some programs that have caught your eye or even talk about events or college alumni that inspired you to attend this school.

This essay will ask you about your community service activities and how you have given back to your community. It will require you to discuss a time you volunteered somewhere that shaped your interests or an accomplishment you made that positively impacted your community. 

You can talk about your volunteer experiences, use anecdotes, and give descriptions of your position and your duties. You can talk about why you chose to volunteer, how it aligns with your interests, and even link it to your long-term career goals. 

This essay will ask about a hobby or interest you invest your time in. This can be anything from being interested in video games or sports to a hobby like dancing or writing. You should list your top interests and make sure they align with your career goals. 

Hobbies give admissions officers a preview of how you invest your time and productivity. It is also important to research your career interests and goals and talk about any links they have to your hobbies. This research should discuss how your hobbies and interests have impacted your career choice. 

You can talk about life experiences, anecdotes, or accomplishments that gave you the confidence to work towards your dream career. For example, you can talk about how winning a science competition about the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the 80s inspired you to become a scientist or disease expert and work with the WHO. 

Or how being part of a social justice club and participating in anti-racist rallies inspired you to become a lawyer and help those in need. 

This essay will have you recall a time you faced a challenge of any kind and explore how that impacted you and any lessons learned. Unless specified in the question, this could be a challenge you faced in your personal, professional, or academic life. 

You should avoid doing a common topic that every other student will probably write about. Try to find a unique topic and experience from your life that is burned in your memory. Once you have that done, you can discuss why it was so significant to you. 

Be sure to highlight any qualities you used when facing that challenge, such as brainstorming and logical thinking. 

This essay is designed to help you display your strengths and skills to the admissions officers. Be sure to focus on the impact it had on you rather than the details of the challenge. Talk about what you felt in that moment, how you came to overcome it, and how that has changed you.

Social Consciousness Essay

This is one of the more philosophical essay approaches. This prompt begs the question of what, in essence, your idea of ‘justice’ or ‘freedom’ is. This essay deals with the social sciences, humanities, and literature. 

You essentially have to talk about social issues you are concerned about and what you have done or wish to do to ensure a healthier environment for all. This essay can ask questions such as ‘what is your idea of justice?’ or ‘should race matter?’ You can also refer to personal experiences and current events if they have impacted you in any way.

For example, if you have experienced some form of discrimination and how that has impacted you, have strong opinions on police brutality, or how you felt about the O.J. Simpson trial and the relationship between race and the law, be sure to mention it in your response. 

Interpersonal Essay

This essay is more of an activity; it asks you to describe yourself from another point of view. Talk about yourself in the third person; who is this person? What are their strengths? Weaknesses? Would you be friends with this person? 

A good way to write this would be to ask friends, teachers, and classmates about who you are to give you a better idea of how others see you.

It can be hard to make an objective description of yourself, so when you have other people describe you, you can utilize those details to analyze yourself as a person and conclude that you are a positive individual.

Unique Essay

This essay can offer various prompts for you to answer. It can ask you unorthodox questions that can catch you off-guard. Do not panic about this. This type of question gives you the most leeway to use your creativity to answer it. It allows you to talk about your opinion on the prompt. 

If they ask a situational question, it allows you to be honest about which solution you would choose and why. This is a way for colleges to understand your creative ways of thinking, personality, and sense of humor if you use anecdotes. 

Still unsure about writing your own essay? Take a look at sample essays to get inspired!

FAQs: Should I Do the Optional College Essays?

Still have questions about doing the optional essays? Here are some general FAQs to offer more information regarding supplemental writing.

1. How Long Should My Optional Essay Be?

Colleges will give you a word or page limit for your response. A typical essay can be 400-650 words, and a personal statement can be 150–300 words. 

2. Can I Use the Same Essay for Different Colleges?

If the prompts are the same, then you absolutely can. Just make sure to edit it to tailor it specifically to the college you are applying to. Do not always rely on reusing an essay, though- some colleges have different prompts, so you will have to write a whole new one for them. 

3. What if I Do Not Know What to Write About?

It would help if you tried to brainstorm ideas about the prompt you are given and then pick which one would be the best to write about. You should not stress yourself out, though; if you feel overwhelmed, simply do not do the essay. It is optional, and it is better not to write an optional essay than a bad one. 

4. How Much Time Should I Give Myself to Write the Essay?

It depends on the length of the essay, the deadline, and how much time you are willing to work on it. Aim for two weeks to a month to write the essay, or more if you feel you need more time. This way, you can structure it appropriately, edit and rewrite it, and seek help for writing if you need it. 

5. What Are College Admissions Looking for in My Essay?

Colleges are looking for a multitude of things, including: 

• They want to know who you are
• They want to know if and how you will contribute value to their campus
• They want to know if you know how to write

These factors help paint an image of you for the college admissions officers to see if you are a good student to accept and if you can handle their coursework.

6. Would a Good Essay Get Me Into My College?

A good essay will help you look good to admissions officers. However, a good response to an option question doesn’t mean guaranteed acceptance. If you have a competitive academic profile, well-written essays can make or break your acceptance into college. 

7. Whom Can I Ask For Help on Writing My Essay?

Your school offers writing workshops for those seeking them, and you can even ask your guidance counselor for help on writing a college essay. There are also online resources you can check out for tips and methods for writing an excellent essay.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, not writing an optional essay won’t hinder your chances of getting into college. Remember that choosing to write an optional essay is entirely your call - you don’t have to predict what the colleges want to know; it’s your choice what to write about. 

The optional essays show whether you are willing to do the extra work to be considered, and you have nothing to lose. Take advantage of optional essays; they can only work in your favor. 

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Permanent Link: https://blogs.babson.edu/graduate/2012/08/31/the-optional-essay-and-why-you-should-opt-in/

Graduate Blog / Graduate Admissions

The optional essay and why you should opt in.

By Barbara Selmo | August 31, 2012

I have been blogging about how to embark on the MBA application process as a research project. But a recent conversation I had with a colleague (thanks, James) inspired me to jump right to an aspect of the application that many of you may not be ready for: the optional essay .

Like a lot of other business schools, Babson offers you the opportunity to submit an optional essay, that is, an essay in addition to the three required. Like other schools, we let you decide your topic. What is constantly surprising to me, though, is how few applicants really use this essay to their full advantage.   Here are five ways in which you can successfully use this option, plus: a stylistic tip and a few examples of how misusing the optional essay can diminish your prospects as well as potentially alienate a very busy Admissions Committee.

1.       Explain your undergraduate performance.

Don’t use this essay just to explain your low GPA, or why you did poorly in your major, or why in one semester you earned 3 D’s, an F, and a Withdrawal. Use it to explain what happened, how you overcame your performance. You can – and should – take time to address the bigger picture. The Committee would really like to read your answers, because they had these very questions after reviewing your transcript.

2.       Explain your scores.

Being a bad test taker may be your reason for low scores, but if you chose to use your optional essay to explain a GMAT or GRE score, I recommend you set some context for your poor test taking skills/ability and provide some hard evidence. For TOEFL/IELTS takers, this essay is a great place for giving examples of why your English skills are far better than your scores (case in point—the essay itself is an example of your English skills).

3.       Explaining your work history.

Serial temp? Travelled the world a little too long? Or, conversely, have some stupendous successes on the job? All these points can be masterfully addressed in a pithy, example-laden essay.

4.       Special circumstances

College, test taking, work settings—your performance in all of these settings can easily be affected by a major life crisis or personal challenge. If you experienced a crisis, use this essay to explain, in a succinct and sensitive way, what we should know about it and its effects on you.

5.       Successes, awards, special recognition

Although Babson, like many schools, has a section in the application in which you can enter awards and honors, you may like to describe in detail the honors and accolades you have received or the successes you have achieved. Please do.

STYLISTIC TIPS for the Optional Essay

• Stick to the word limit, if given one.  If not, 250 words suffice.
• Write an essay (lots of on-line and old school reference material on the structure of an essay are available). Three short sentences do not make an optional essay.

And finally, how NOT to use the Optional Essay:

• For excuses
• For complaints
• For repeating the contents of our website in an effort to convince the Admissions Committee that you really, really love us.

Good luck.  Think big.

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Application guide for first-year students

Get tips and best practices to give yourself the best chance at success.

What is Common App?

Each year, more than 1 million students apply to more than 1,000 Common App member colleges worldwide through our online college application platform. Learn more about applying through our first-year application by following our step-by-step guide below.

Gather materials

The information you’ll need to complete your applications

Filling out your application takes time.

And if you have to keep interrupting your progress to find information, like a certificate for a continuing education course or the address of your last internship, it can take even longer. Get a head start by collecting this information before you begin.

In the Education section you will enter your high school grades and current courses. Some colleges also need you to self report your high school transcript. You can check out your Courses & Grades section to learn more.

You can share your interests and who you are outside of the classroom in the activities section. You can share information about things like work, hobbies, clubs, and community engagement. And don't forget, family responsibilities can be important to share as well. This is the place to show colleges what makes you unique!

You may self-report scores for any standardized tests in the Testing section. Every college has different testing requirements. Some colleges will always need your test scores. Other colleges may be flexible or have a test optional policy. Be sure to check the Testing policy of the colleges on your list.

Many colleges collect this information in the Family section for demographic purposes. We will ask for your parents occupation, employment status, and education level. If applicable, we will also ask which college(s) they attended and how many degrees they have earned.

The Activities section isn't the only place to show your passion and where you excel! You will also have the chance to share any academic honors or achievements from high school.

Create an account

Get started at any time

Creating a Common App account is easy and should only take a few minutes.

You can create a Common App account even if you don’t plan on applying for another few months or another few years. You can answer questions in the Common App tab and build a college list at any time.

• If you haven’t yet attended college, select “first-year student”
• If you have college credits from dual enrollment high school courses, you should still select “first-year student” 
• If you have already attended 1 or more colleges after graduating high school, select “transfer student”. We also have a separate transfer student guide to help you out. 
• You check regularly
• Does not use inappropriate language 
• You will have access to after you graduate from high school 
• We will need some basic information about you like your name, home address, phone number, and date of birth.
• Be sure to use your legal name as it appears on official school documents and standardized tests. This will make sure colleges can match documents to the correct person.
• At the end, you will adjust your communication preferences and accept the Common App privacy policy.
• Select "create account" and you’re done!

Account rollover

Common App accounts can roll over from year to year!

With account rollover , you can start exploring Common App and save answers to questions in the Common App tab at any time.

Add colleges

Start building your My Colleges list

Once you’ve created your account and explored the colleges that accept the Common App, you're ready to start adding colleges.

The College Search tab is where you will search for and add the colleges you want to apply to. If you have a school in mind you can search by name. If you want to keep exploring, you can use the more filters button. Some filters include:

• State or country
• Distance from a zip code
• Enrollment term
• Application deadline
• Application fees*
• Writing requirements
• Standardized testing policy
• Recommendation requirement

Adding a college is easy! You may add a college using the add button in the search results list. You can also select a college and add them using the "Add to My Colleges" button from their info screen.

Once you've added colleges, you can see them on your Dashboard and in your My Colleges tab. Keep in mind you may only add up to 20 colleges. You may adjust your list of colleges at any time. Once you've submitted, you will not be able to remove those schools from your My Colleges list.

* While some colleges may charge an application fee, others have no fee to apply. And, many will offer fee waivers under certain circumstances, including financial need, veteran status, and more. 

A request to the college to remove the application fee. Using either the Common App fee waiver, which your counselor must confirm, or a college-specific fee waiver, you will not be required to pay the fee to submit your application.

Coed is a term used to describe a college or university that offers the integrated education of male and female students in same environment.

Engage supporters

Collaborate with counselors, teachers, and more

All colleges need things like official school forms. Many colleges will also ask for letters of recommendation.

Counselors, teachers, and recommenders will submit these kinds of forms on your behalf. Here are the types of recommenders you can invite in the Common App.

Counselors share their perspective using the context of the entire graduating class. They also submit the School Report and transcripts.

Parents will only need to submit a form if you apply using a college's early decision deadline. They will fill out part of your early decision agreement.

Teachers give a firsthand account of your intellectual curiosity and creative thought.

Other recommenders are usually non academic recommenders like coaches, employers, and peers. They give insight into your interests and activities outside of the classroom.

Advisors do not submit any forms. They track and check in on your application progress.

Every college gets to choose their own recommendation requirements. You can find more details on each college's "College Information" page.

If you're planning to apply this school year, you can start inviting recommenders. If you don't plan on applying until next school year or later, skip this step for now.

How to invite and assign recommenders: 

From the My Colleges tab select a college and open their "Recommenders and FERPA" section.

If you have not done so already, you will need to complete the  FERPA Release Authorization .

Invite recommenders using the invite button from each section. You may also use the "Invite Recommenders" button at the top.

Select the type of invitation you would like to send. For each invitation you will need information like their name and email address.

After you add a recommender, you can view their info using the Manage Recommenders button.

Note that teachers, parents, and other recommenders will not receive an email invitation until you assign them to a college. To assign these recommenders, go to their section within this screen. Select their name from the dropdown and use the assign button.

If your high school uses Naviance or another partner software, you will not invite your counselor or teachers here. There will be instructional text on this page explaining what to do next. You will still add other recommenders and advisors using the steps above.

In general, each college has their own recommendation requirements. For example, one college may need two teacher recommendations. Some colleges may not want any teacher recommendations. Colleges can also determine what kinds of other recommenders they want. Some may allow for any recommender type, whereas others only allow an employer recommendation.

Understanding requirements

Keep track of each college’s unique application requirements

It's important to stay organized as you work on your applications.

Each college needs you to complete common questions and add counselor. Beyond that their applications vary. Each college can determine their unique requirements for:

• Application Fees
• Personal Essay
• Courses & Grades
• Test Policy
• Writing Supplements
• Recommendations

Here are some places where you can find each college's specific requirements:

Each college's Explore Colleges profile provides lots of information about the college. You can find details on application information, campus culture, scheduling visits, and more.

In the My Colleges or College Search tab, you can learn more using a school's college information page. Here you can see requirements for testing, writing, deadlines, and more.

The  requirements grid is a comprehensive PDF that lists all the colleges that use the Common App and their requirements. You can also find the grid within the application.

We maintain a list of all Common App colleges and  their essay prompts . This resource will help as you begin planning your essays. For more help on planning essays, check out our essay planning worksheet.

You can save answers to Common App tab questions year over year. So you can get started on things like your personal essay or the activities section at any time.

Responses to questions in your My Colleges do not stay year over year. Only get started on things like college-specific questions, writing supplements, or portfolios if you intend to apply this school year. For more info, check out our account rollover FAQ .

Plan essays

Organize and plan for your writing prompts

Sometimes writings essays can feel like the biggest part of your application. With a little bit of planning, organizing, and drafting, we can help you make this task more manageable.

As you work on your applications you can find essays or short answer questions in three sections:

Colleges can either make the personal essay optional or required. In the writing section of your Common App tab, you will see a table that lists each college's requirements.

Many colleges include short answer questions or essay prompts within this section. You can find specific information about each college's individual writing prompts  here .

Some colleges use a separate writing supplement. Not all colleges have a writing supplement. Some colleges only request this supplement based on how you answer other questions. You can find more information about writing supplements on the Dashboard or your My Colleges tab.

Counselor tip

Tools like Google Drive can be very helpful when planning or writing essays. When you’re ready to apply, you can upload the text of your essay(s) using the Google Drive icon in any of Common App’s writing questions.

Use our essay best practices FAQ for more help.

Submit your application

Review and submit your application

Submission is a three-step process: 1) Reviewing your application. 2) Paying the application fee (if applicable). 3) Submitting your application.

Get ready to begin your journey

Walk through the application with us before you apply.

Need help? Contact our Solutions Center.

Should I Complete Optional College Essays?

Many applicants, tired from completing numerous college applications, encounter optional essays and other non-compulsory components like resumes, interviews, or writing samples. Understandably, some may be tempted to skip these tasks after pouring their energy into grades, standardized tests, and the Common App essay. However, overlooking these components can significantly impact admission prospects, particularly at highly-selective institutions.

The “Why This College?” Essay

One common optional essay prompt asks applicants to explain why they are applying to a specific school. Some students dismiss this essay as unimportant and skip it entirely, while others attempt a generic approach hoping to reuse the same essay for multiple applications. However, admissions officers can easily spot such attempts at application Mad Libs.

Also read College Planning Tips for High School Juniors

Crafting a Compelling Essay

A generic statement like, “It has always been a dream of mine to attend _______ University/College. The level of academic rigor at your institution is unparalleled, and I would be proud to call myself a mascot name here for life,” won’t suffice. To make a compelling case for each school, reference specific academic programs, campus tours, conversations with current students, or recent campus developments.

Research and Personalization

Conduct thorough research on each prospective school’s website, social media channels, and recent news stories to demonstrate genuine interest and knowledge. Avoid generic statements and instead, showcase your understanding of each institution’s unique offerings and culture. Taking these extra steps can significantly enhance your admissions prospects.

Exploring Other Types of Optional Essays

While the “Why this college?” essay is common, it’s just one of many optional essay variations lurking in the depths of the college application process.

Duke University’s Unique Prompt

For example, Duke University invites applicants to share perspectives or experiences that would help the admissions team understand them better. This prompt emphasizes the importance of diversity and encourages applicants to reveal aspects of their identity, community, family background, or cultural experiences.

Addressing Identity and Background

If you identify with a marginalized group or have unique life experiences, such as growing up on a hippie commune, addressing this question may come naturally. However, applicants from more traditional backgrounds may need to be creative in revealing meaningful aspects of their identity.

The Role of a Resume

Some colleges allow the submission of a resume, while others do not. Even if not explicitly required, submitting a resume can provide additional insights into your achievements, experiences, and extracurricular activities.

Also see Top Colleges for Neuroscience: Your Guide to the Best Programs

Enhancing Your Application

While the application itself may contain information about honors, awards, and activities, the resume offers a different format to highlight your accomplishments. It allows you to provide more detail and context, especially for long-term commitments or unique achievements that may not fit neatly into the application’s character limits.

Considering Optional Interviews

Skipping an optional interview might not be the best idea unless you’re extremely confident in your application or dread interpersonal interactions. However, this one-on-one conversation can humanize your application and make a significant impact, especially if you’re on the cusp of acceptance.

Adapting to Virtual Interviews

With the current pandemic, many interviews are conducted virtually via platforms like Zoom or Skype. Even though it’s not face-to-face, virtual interviews still offer a chance to shine. Check out our tips for Virtual College Admission Interview to make the most of this opportunity.

Including Writing Samples

While your application essays should showcase your writing abilities, submitting additional writing samples can further demonstrate your skills. However, not all schools accept supplementary materials, so be sure to check each institution’s policies. Generally, smaller liberal arts colleges are more open to additional materials and may consider them in the admissions process.

While optional components of college applications may seem like additional burdens, they can actually be valuable opportunities to strengthen your candidacy. Whether it’s writing optional essays, participating in interviews, or submitting additional materials like writing samples, these optional elements allow you to showcase different facets of your personality and abilities. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can provide admissions committees with a more comprehensive picture of who you are as a student and individual, potentially increasing your chances of admission to your dream school.

Are Optional College Essays Really Optional?

Written by Lisa Albro on November 17th, 2023

• college admissions advice ,
• essay prompts ,
• writing college essays ,

Find out where our team of admissions decision-makers came from and why they joined College Coach.

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Are “Optional” Application Essays and Videos Really Optional?

I am applying to the University of Chicago, which accepts an "optional" video introduction. Another school where I'm applying has a "recommended" supplemental essay available. My dad thinks I need to do these even though they aren't required. I don't really have the time. When they say "optional/recommended" do they really mean these items are basically required? Or are they really optional?

“The Dean" votes “Yes" on the essay and “No, but ..." on the video (more on that in a minute).

Personally, I deplore the ridiculous number of essays that many high school students must write as they slog through the admissions maze. But until major changes are made (not in my lifetime, I fear, although I've certainly proposed them), I agree with your dad. An “optional" essay is never really optional UNLESS the topic is not relevant to you. For example, if the prompt asks, “If there have been interruptions to your education, please describe what they were and their effect on you," then you only should write this essay if indeed you have an interruption to report. Otherwise, skip it without a backward glance.

An optional essay may ask you to discuss why the college in question is a good fit for you. While the submissions that result from this prompt are rarely interesting or compelling, and they frequently sound as if they were culled right from the website (“I am eager to join my fellow Panthers in Quackenbush Quad on Fall Spirit Day ..."), by not responding at all , you could be sending a subliminal message that suggests, “There's nothing about this place that particularly matters to me."

Yet often an optional essay is open-ended ... with a topic along the lines of, “Tell us something that the rest of your application doesn't." And even though you may feel as if your life is already an open book in admission offices nationwide, this is a valuable opportunity to consider what's important to you ... or about you ... and that isn't conveyed elsewhere. Admission folks — especially at the hyper-selective institutions — are desperate to find ways to distinguish one accomplished candidate from the next, so ultimately it may be your failed efforts as stand-up comic or your successes with homemade sushi that help you stand out in the crowd.

An optional video submission, however, really isn't mandatory, especially if you're daunted by the tech prowess it requires. In recent years, some colleges have provided this choice as a way to engage students who feel that they don't present their best selves on paper but are facile with other media. So usually “The Dean" assures anyone who wants to forego a voluntary video to do so without qualms.

Now here's the aforementioned “but" ...

The University of Chicago's optional video is about as low-key as an application assignment can get. The time limit is just two minutes, and the instructions insist that edited, polished productions are not welcome; selfie-style phone recordings are . So, as with the open-ended optional essay mentioned above, this mini movie will give you the chance to show a side of yourself that may not be apparent in the other components of your application. It also says to U. Chicago, “I care enough about you to make this extra effort."

If I ruled the world, there would be a single truly common application that every senior filled out in a proctored session at school on one October morning. It would include an essay or two and some short answer questions, but then that would be it. No supplemental essays. No supplements, period. But for now, I urge you to write the optional essay for sure and to give the Chicago video at least a try. You can always hit “Delete" instead of “Send" when it's a wrap.

If you'd like to submit a question to College Confidential, please send it along here .

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.

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Writing Supplements

What is new this year about northwestern’s essay requirements, why did you make these changes to your essay requirements.

The changes we’ve made to our essays are designed to help students focus their responses on areas we consider most important to our holistic review: how their personal experiences have shaped various ways they see themselves engaging at Northwestern, and how their vision for college aligns with the resources and community they’ll find here. You may notice we no longer ask our “Why Northwestern” question. This question has always helped us learn these things, but not effectively in every case given how broadly we’ve framed it in the past. So this year we shifted away from the rather generic, “Why our college?” to a set of more specific (and we think more dynamic!) questions—ones we hope can help applicants learn more about Northwestern in the process of helping us better understand who they are, where they come from, and what matters to them. We also made the personal essay optional so students can focus their time on our writing supplements and, where it makes sense to do so, repurpose writing they’ve done for other colleges—including copy/pasting sections of their personal essay—to answer our required questions.

What are the new writing supplement prompts?

You can see our new writing supplements here .

Can I copy/paste sections of my personal essay to answer Northwestern’s new short answer questions?

Yes! We know you are busy—please feel free to repurpose writing you’ve done for other colleges—including copy/pasting sections of your personal essay—to answer our required questions. (We will also understand if there is repeated language between an optional personal essay and your required writing supplements.)

How many of the optional questions should I answer?

You may answer 0–2 optional questions. We do encourage students to answer at least one—again, we designed these questions to help you put your best foot forward in this application in helping us imagine how you see yourself engaging, learning, and/or growing at Northwestern.

Will answering more optional questions give my application an advantage?

No, responding to more optional questions will not carry any extra “weight” in the process. We’ll give equal consideration to students who answer 0, 1, or two optional questions.

Why are your short answers optional for students applying through QuestBridge?

The QuestBridge application contains more required writing samples than the Common Application or Coalition with Scoir application, offering candidates many opportunities to reflect on personal context, experiences, perspectives, background, identity, and their vision for college.

If I choose to submit my personal essay, will you still see it?

Yes! While we no longer require the personal essay with your Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir, should you choose to submit one we will still be able to review it, just as we can any optional or supplemental application materials. 

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Optional Essays: To Write or Not to Write?

Do you have to write the optional essay? Our experts give you the honest truth.

In the past, schools asked several essay questions that covered most angles of an applicant’s personal and professional history. Most experts recommended that applicants only use optional essays to inform the admissions committee of extenuating circumstances, anomalies in their backgrounds, or in some rare cases, an extraordinary accomplishment not covered by the required prompts. While we still strongly recommend candidates use the optional essay for this reason (more on that in a bit), the idea that the optional essay be used solely for this purpose is dated.

As of late, the optional essay really ought to be referred to as the “recommended essay.” Over the past few admissions cycles, business schools have reduced the number and length of required essays... But this doesn’t necessarily mean the number of essays included in a completed application should be lower. Instead, most applicants ought to take advantage of the opportunity to share further information with the admissions committee, whether it mitigates a weakness or not.

But what information should you include in an optional essay? Well, it depends. There are two primary approaches applicants should take when determining the topic of their optional essays.

1. Further discuss that which makes you a strong candidate. By answering optional questions, you can highlight your desirable skills, experiences, or elements of your background. This will help the admissions committee get a well-rounded picture of who you are as an applicant and how you will contribute to the incoming class.

2. Mitigate any weaknesses in your application. Pay attention — this is important! If you have extenuating circumstances or other anomalies in your applicant profile, it is imperative you continue to focus your optional essays on those issues. While your experience and accomplishments are relevant and should be mentioned in other areas of your application, you must first make up for any shortcomings that may affect your candidacy. Use your essays to address these inconsistencies and demonstrate the ways you’ve worked to overcome them.

Examples of application weaknesses that should be addressed in the optional essay and how to tackle them:

→ Low GPA or test scores. If you are applying to business school with numbers that aren’t quite as high as the admissions committee would like to see, it’s not the end of the world. Your academic weaknesses may be an opportunity for you to discuss challenges you’ve faced in the past and how you’ve worked to overcome them. Be sure to highlight ways you’ve improved in your later years of college, other academic courses, test scores, and/or work performance. 

→ Non-traditional choice of recommender. Typically, MBA applicants request a recommendation from their work supervisor. Because they work closely with this person on a regular basis, the supervisor is usually able to write a knowledgeable recommendation detailing the applicant’s skills and experiences. However, not all applicants feel comfortable asking their supervisor for a letter of recommendation. This could be due to a number reasons i.e. Not working together very long, clashing personalities, or the applicant not wanting the supervisor to know their plans to get an MBA. These are all justifiable reasons to request a recommendation from another individual, but it is best to tell the admissions committee up front why you made this decision in order to prevent any speculation. 

→ Non-traditional work experience. Whether you have long gaps in your employment or have made a major career change, it’s wise to explain this to the admissions committee. In general, if you have any employment gaps over one to two months, you should use your optional essay to mention what you were doing during that time. If you were continuing your education, volunteering, or gaining new, valuable experience, your employment gap can easily turn into an application strength. If you’ve recently made a big career shift, it’s in your best interest to explain to the admissions committee your logic behind the change and reaffirm the reasons you are applying to business school. No matter what career shift you have made, it is imperative that the admissions committee understands why an MBA is the next best step for you to achieve your goals.

Whatever you do, don’t do this.

Now that you know the reasons why you might want to write an optional essay, its critical you understand some key things you ought not to do in your optional essay. 

First and most importantly: Our advice that you write the optional essay is not a license to engage in frivolity or dysentery of the keyboard. Seriously. Keep your rambling to yourself and remember that the optional essay should present as professionally as your required essays. 

When writing your optional essay, we strongly recommend you adhere to the following guidelines:

• Do not share frivolous information.
• Do not share information that appears (or can appear) elsewhere in your application (data forms, short answer, etc.).
• Only share information that enhances your candidacy.  For example: Wharton’s optional essay question follows a required question about what candidates hope to gain from a Wharton MBA. Therefore, applicants should not use the optional essay to elaborate on reasons for applying to Wharton as those should have been covered exhaustively in the required essay. If not, then applicants should re-examine their response to that essay.

To ensure your optional essay is as effective as possible, consider these potential prompts:

• Write about a formative experience that has shaped you, therefore explaining what you would bring to the incoming class and wider school community.
• Discuss a proud accomplishment and the lessons from it that you can share with classmates.
• Optional essay responses should complement required essay responses.  Using Wharton as an example: If your answer to the required question (Question 1) focused on professional factors, you might consider discussing extracurricular (athletic, community, charitable) or personal information as a response to the optional prompt. You might also take the opportunity to highlight unique aspects of yourself and candidacy. If you have accomplished a truly extraordinary feat (finished a marathon, climbed a significant mountain, played a national level college sport, published research, published a book, helped bring clean water to a village in the developing world, etc.) consider expounding upon that accomplishment. Finally, consider how the answer to this essay question can reinforce your fit with the school.

Branding MBA Personal Brand Essays Optional Essays

Joe El Rady

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When to use optional essays in college applications

We have written nearly a dozen or more blogs on various essays that one might encounter in a bschool application; from the all important career goals essay to  why MBA essay as well as some quirky ones such as the career failure essays (Read How important are MBA essays ).

We’ve also in the past shared how to write college specific MBA essays . In this post, we deal with a topic that is almost ubiquitous in its presence across MBA applications; perhaps even more so than the goals/why MBA essays. This is the optional essay in college applications. Read How to write powerful MBA essays  

Why do colleges offer optional essays?

Before we get into the aspect of how to deal with this beast, let’s develop some perspective as to why schools have this option in the first place. Most schools provide a statement with the Optional Essay that hints at the reason for it being there – it is primarily to explain any extenuating circumstance that your profile may have. This is your space to explain ghosts from the past, make excuses and reason out that one (or two) past mistake.

We will delve into various such scenarios and how to tackle shortly. There are a few times however when such riders may not be there in which case the optional essay can be more – about something positive in your profile that you have not had the chance to do justice to, in the resume or in other essays as well as rest of the online application.

So, why do schools have this? It is because they want to give you the benefit of doubt rather than leaving things to their own interpretation. Respect that and proceed with caution.  

When and how to use optional essays in MBA applications?

A short grammar primer here before we proceed (notice the italicized option in a previous paragraph – that was not a formatting error after all). The work Option is a noun – meaning, it is one of the choices available (usually implies that one of the choices has to be made).

Optional on the other hand is an adjective meaning something that is not compulsory and is left to your discretion. This simply means that you should not be compelled to write the optional essay. Use it only if there is really a reason behind the extenuating circumstance or if you have to really say something new.

Don’t make the already overloaded MBA college admission officer read through another essay just for the heck of it; if you do that, you know you are not making a friend of him/her.

Unlike regular essays, the key here is to be crisp and factual rather than creative and imaginative (unless we are talking of something beyond extenuating circumstances). Don’t be compelled to fill out the word limit provided, if any. Let us investigate various situations that may require the optional essay, when to write them and some tips on what to have.  

Low GPA/fail grades

This is perhaps the most common reason for writing the optional essay. It is not uncommon for candidates to have that one bad subject where they flunked. For some others, it may have taken them a while to transition from high school to the college environment.

At other times, a medical emergency or something untoward in the family may have distracted your attention leading to low performance for a period. All these are reasonably valid explanations. But bear in mind, just explaining the situation is never enough.

Ideally, you also need to give evidence since that event/duration that gives the confidence to the adcom that you have the potential for what it takes to manage the rigorous academic requirement of the MBA program – it is after all an academic degree apart from everything else.  

Low or imbalanced GMAT (low IR, low AWA)

Fundamentally speaking, it is tough to explain this. The simple reason is that unlike many other factors here, this one is not about your past but about the present/very immediate past. If you don’t have a good score, the expectation is that you retake the test – clear and simple; most schools don’t care as to how many times you take the test and usually consider your highest score.

So, if you’ve just taken the test once and scored low, trying to explain it by saying something about your profile/work/achievements is basically that – an excuse. If however there was some technical issue (that can be verified), medical issue (ADHD?) or you’ve taken the test quite a few times but haven’t been able to ace it yet, it might be worth explaining these situations.

Instead of trying to say I am good, the mantra here (like in most essays) is to show how you are good – not just at anything at random, but the specific aspects where the score is lacking; overall, verbal, IR, quant or AWA. Read up on what that section tests if you don’t already know and then look at your profile to see whether you can exemplify and convince the adcom that you have what it takes.

Don’t expect the essay to create wonders for you but more about communicating an honest attempt and how more is not possible or likely to mean otherwise.  

Career Break due to Medical reasons

A voluntary break is usually not a great idea, read the FAQ on handling voluntary career break in MBA applications . The main valid reasons could be medical – illness or say maternity related. Be factual and clearly explain the reason for the break.

If it was maternity related, ideally there must be something you should have done in that period. If you just decided to take time off work, it can bode quite badly for the application as well as post-MBA employment prospects unless you can explain what you did in that period. Just sitting at home and chilling or doing nothing is tough but even so, this is one aspect you simply cannot leave out.

Whatever be the reason, it is imperative to explain the reason behind the break. An unexplained break left open to interpretation can truly play havoc to your overall prospects.  

Break in Education

You tried your hand at something after high school – top engineering, medical, IAS (this last one could be after undergrad or in-between jobs too), tried really hard but could not make it. Some do this in parallel to education/work, but many decide to do it full time. If you crack the exam, great. But if you don’t, you have had to take an alternate track. While that may have been excellent in hindsight, but it does show up as a year long (or longer) break in your career.

Most schools would not take a break after high school too seriously. This partially stems perhaps from the fact that it is not uncommon for students in western countries to take a break year before starting college to travel around or pursue a hobby/passion. But a break after college or in between job begets explaining.

The most important aspect here is to try and explain how the break year was not a total loss ideally. Even if you did something completely different, try to explain what that year gave you. This is not a big blemish but giving it a positive spin (assuming it was so for you) can help have a good discussion if it comes to that.  

Career Break due to layoff or disciplinary action

This is the trickiest category of all. Being laid off from work or having had a disciplinary action taken against you in college usually has dark connotations. There usually is a temptation to hide this away. Tread with extreme caution here.

Many schools employ background check software/third parties and some of this is not difficult to find out. If that happens, you can expect instant rejection usually. It is best to come clean on this and again, provide ample evidence to explain why that thing is a matter of the past and would not repeat ever again. This is where you are sort of appealing to the basic good of human nature so some emotions might be fair to show up.  

Beyond extenuating

First, make sure you have read the optional essay prompt and are certain that the school is ok with reading more about you which is not an explanation for something untoward. If that is the case, then think of this as an opportunity to dazzle the adcom further; you’ve suddenly got more real estate to write about. But use it responsibly.

Don’t bore them with the summary of your resume or the highlights of your career (that is what a resume is for ideally). Think beyond the normal and make the words count. And whatever you do, make it relevant to the school – try to address why the school should care to know about that particular aspect of your profile.

While the above should serve as a general guideline, the exact mechanics of an optional essay has to be dealt with after reviewing the entire application/profile. Don’t look at this in isolation but in conjunction with other parts of the application (resume/recos/essays) as well.

We have many more articles on MBA essay writing tips .

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10 thoughts on “When to use optional essays in college applications”

Very good morning…Hope you doing great!

Please note below credentials of the undersigned:

CLASS X- 93% CLASS XII – 82% Mechanical Engineering – 69% (First Class) College: National Institute of Engineering, Mysore

Total experience: 10 years 3 months in Procurement, Commercial & Contracts Experience break up as below:

• 5 years 3 months(by August 2017) International Experience (Sclumberger Saudi Arabia) – Currently working and planning to quit by August 2017 • 2 years 4 months Sterlite Induatries(Vedanta Group) – previous experience • 2 years 8 months GMR Energy Limited(GMR group) – previous experience

I will be grateful if you can guide me on the MUST score in order to crack any top B schools(IIMA-B-C-I-L, XLRI,ISB,SP Jain etc) in India.

Waiting for your kind feedback to plan preparation effectively.

Subramanya, there is no minimum/must score on GMAT (read this: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2015/03/16/minimum-gmat-score/ ). In general though, aim for at least at or above your target school’s average.

Not sure about the reason to quit, but read this too: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2011/12/07/mba-application-faq-for-voluntary-career-break/

Hi Manish Sir,

I am thankful to you for giving a clear picture on MBA application. I am 24, and just have completed my C.s.e. And have started working in a good IT firm. I am loving my job. Moreover, I am planning for a MBA two years later for my keen interest in it as I have thought. I have striked out 2year MBA given my age factor. What should be my approach? I am looking to work hard and get into a top notch MBA degree.

It is good to have clarity on this early on Partha.

For folks in your situation, we have devised this: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/profile-building . The idea is to develop all the relevant aspects of the profile.

Hi Manish Does working as a software developer count as RELEVENT work experience while applying for MBA?

It absolutely does Yash!

Sir I have done bsc Nautical science and worked on ship as a navigating officer . And now I want to do something at land . So can I do MBA .

You ‘can’ Manish. But what kind of programs, when and how are the main questions. You may want to begin here: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/get-into-the-top-mba-programs

Hi sir I’ve completed my btech in mech from dce, and am now working for hyundai, in a middle management capacity. I passed with a gpa of 7.6.should I think about applying to Harvard in a few years? I haven’t given the gmat yet. Also what sort of a score should I aim for if I have a chance.

Ronnie, HBS is amongst the toughest school to get into. While it is great to aim high, make sure you are not aiming only for that school. GMAT is just one criteria so also make sure you are not focusing on that only. Since you seem to have a few years, build your profile methodically (consider this: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/profile-building )

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Test Optional and Optional Essay: What Optional Really Means

So far, 2020 has proven to be a year of big changes, and the college admissions process is no different. Some pieces of the application that used to be required are now optional, and what colleges mean by “optional” needs further explanation and clarification.

What “test optional” means

Test optional means just that: it is not mandatory for applicants to submit test scores to be considered for admission. In response to the testing disruptions caused by COVID-19, many colleges and universities have suspended their policy that applicants must submit SAT or ACT results as part of their application.

Eighteen colleges have gone test optional in the last four months. Some schools have waived their standardized test requirement only for applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2021; others waived the requirement for three years (to be followed by an assessment of what they’ll do about tests going forward); and still others made the change permanent. Look at the list of colleges you plan to apply to, and make sure you know which policy each of your schools has adopted. If any of your colleges are test optional, consider the average scores for admitted students (if that college publishes them). If you feel your scores will help your application, send them. If you feel they will hurt your application, don’t send them.

The list of test optional schools can be found at fairtest.org . If you are a client of International College Counselors, your college advisor will help you navigate the policies.

Why take the ACT, SAT, and/or SAT Subject Tests

Be aware that schools with a “test optional” policy are still considering submitted test scores. This means that students who submit strong test scores may have an advantage over students who do not submit them, as reported scores will be factored into the decision-making process. Only if a school explicitly states they have a “test blind” admissions policy (meaning they will not consider test scores even if the applicant submits them), will scores not be factored into the admission decision. There are only a few schools that have “test blind” SAT/ACT admission policies (for example, Northern Illinois University, Loyola of New Orleans, and the University of New Hampshire).

Speaking of “test blind,” several schools, including Cornell, Caltech, MIT, and Harvey Mudd have moved to “test blind” for SAT Subject Tests , meaning they will no longer consider these scores even if an applicant submits them . There are still, however, a number of colleges that still “recommend” or “consider” SAT Subject Test scores (for example, Carnegie Mellon, University of Virginia, Rice, and Northwestern).

In addition, athletes who plan to play at the college level many need an ACT or SAT score to be eligible to compete.

How standardized tests help colleges

Many college admission offices, and many college administrations, though not all, support the use of the SAT or ACT in assessing a student’s college readiness. They claim that the scores are objective, are useful in negating grade inflation, and help identify promising applicants whose high school transcripts do not reflect their potential. They will also tell you that test scores can help a college evaluate an applicant’s academic performance in relation to the rest of the applicant pool, which is applying from thousands of different high schools across the country and around the world.

Scholarships, SAT, and ACT scores

Another reason to take the SAT or ACT is that many colleges offer scholarships to students who have earned a minimum GPA as well as a high SAT/ACT score. These scholarships may range from a few thousand dollars to a “full ride.” Many states also award scholarships to students who meet certain minimum GPA and SAT/ACT requirements. Students who do not take the SAT or ACT may not be eligible for these scholarships.

“Optional” essays which aren’t optional

On the college application, students may see that an essay is “optional.” At International College Counselors, we believe that optional essays are not optional and that students should complete all “optional” essays. Optional essays may help schools differentiate between students with similar qualifications. Writing the optional essay demonstrates that a student has initiative and is serious about attending. In addition, a strong “optional” essay gives the admissions officer more information to consider in their decision.

However, there is at least one exception to the “rule” that optional essays aren’t really optional.  On their application last year, Duke included the following optional prompt: Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. If you would like to share with us more about how you identify as LGBTQIA+, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here . This prompt should only be answered by students who feel that their application would otherwise be missing an integral component of their identity and who feel comfortable sharing this information with the admission committee.

Independent college advisors are a good option

At International College Counselors, we believe in helping students develop holistically. A holistic approach allows a student to demonstrate and spotlight their strengths and best leverage their unique talents and situation. Enable us to expand your student’s options.

Looking to connect with a top SAT or ACT tutor, a college admissions essay expert, or a college advisor who can help your student develop holistically? Contact us. International College Counselors strives to be a strong resource and partner for your family. Even in these unprecedented times, we can enable your student to reach their fullest potential in the college admissions journey. We’re here to help.

For help with any or all parts of the college admissions process or decision making, visit http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com or call 954-414-9986.

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Law School Optional Essays: What to Know

Write optional essays only if they contribute to your case for admission.

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A classic mistake applicants make is to write as much as allowed, hoping that something will stick. Applicants can best show their professionalism, communication skills and respect for the reader by writing efficiently and purposefully.

Every law school requires applicants to submit a personal statement, typically limited to two or three double-spaced pages, along with a resume typically limited to two pages. These two documents provide applicants with their chief opportunities to detail their interests, goals and path to law school.

Beyond those core documents, many law schools allow other essays, usually optional but sometimes required. Most prominent is a type of essay that used to be called a diversity statement. 

Diversity, Perspective or Background Statements

Until recently, almost every law school offered an optional diversity statement. Prompts for diversity statements varied among law schools, but typically concerned an applicant’s identity and background, past hardships or potential to contribute to a diverse and inclusive campus environment.

After the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed race-conscious admissions policies in June 2023, law schools adapted diversity statements in different ways, which will likely continue to evolve over future admissions cycles.

Currently, most law schools offer one or more optional essay prompts that give applicants an opportunity to discuss their perspective, identity, personal adversity, experience interacting with diverse viewpoints or other topics related to diversity.

While it’s hard to generalize about all these essay prompts, they still differ from personal statements in many ways. They are more reflective, looking backward rather than forward. They often have tighter page or word limits.

The purpose of these optional statements is not solely for applicants to detail their unique background. Everyone is atypical in some ways . Rather, these optional essays are intended to free applicants from having to weave together their background and interests within the same two-page statement.

For example, imagine an Armenian American inspired by the trauma of the Armenian genocide to become an international human rights lawyer. This would make a great topic for a personal statement.

But what if that applicant actually feels most passionate about securities law? It would be counterproductive to force such a candidate to awkwardly cram genocide and securities law into the same essay. This is why schools allow applicants space to tell more complicated stories. 

Other Optional Law School Admission Essays

Beyond personal and diversity statements, some law schools also allow or require extra short essays. Most commonly, a school might ask about why an applicant would be a good fit for the school, often called a “Why this law school?” essay . These are almost always worthwhile to write.

Some schools have short-answer questions on topics like an applicant’s career goals or how an applicant aligns with the school’s values. A few schools, like Stanford University Law School in California and Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., have offbeat essay prompts that tend to vary from year to year.

Finally, some law schools provide dedicated space for applicants wishing to explain issues often covered by an addendum , like underperformance on standardized tests or in their transcripts. 

Are Optional Essays Worth Writing?

A classic mistake applicants make is to write as much as allowed , hoping that something will stick. Many law school applicants fear that if they fail to maximize every possible opportunity to write about themselves, they will appear lazy or disinterested. Therefore, they sabotage themselves by padding their application with redundant and repetitive text.

Applicants can best show their professionalism, communication skills and respect for the reader by writing efficiently and purposefully. Admissions officers have a limited amount of time, perhaps a matter of minutes, to review your application. Anything you write that does not contribute to a coherent argument for your admission risks wasting that time.

Thus, an optional essay is unnecessary if its key points are already adequately communicated through the personal statement or other materials. Optional essays should be used strategically to build your argument for admission. Don’t simply talk about yourself to fill space.

For example, if an optional essay prompt asks for your favorite book, there is no need to lie and claim that it is "The Common Law" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

On the other hand, before you write about your love of "Harry Potter," consider whether and how that would bolster your application. Unless you can trace your interest in justice to Hermione’s efforts to emancipate house elves, you might be better off choosing another book or skipping the essay altogether.

In sum, optional essays should convey or emphasize something about you that your personal statement and other materials fail to address. If you cannot think of anything else that would strengthen your case, then forgo the essay. Like a lawyer, show meticulousness and fine judgment with restraint, not verbosity.

20 Law Schools That Pay Off

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About Law Admissions Lowdown

Law Admissions Lowdown provides advice to prospective students about the law school application process, LSAT prep and potential career paths. Previously authored by contributors from Stratus Admissions Counseling, the blog is currently authored by Gabriel Kuris, founder of Top Law Coach , an admissions consultancy. Kuris is a graduate of Harvard Law School and has helped hundreds of applicants navigate the law school application process since 2003. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Harvard announces return to required testing

Leading researchers cite strong evidence that testing expands opportunity

Students applying to Harvard College for fall 2025 admission will be required to submit standardized test scores, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday. This new policy will be applied to the Class of 2029 admissions cycle and will be formally assessed at regular intervals.

For the Class of 2029 admissions cycle, Harvard will require submission of scores for the SAT or ACT. In exceptional cases in which applicants are unable to access SAT or ACT testing, other eligible tests will be accepted.

In a message to the FAS community on Thursday, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra foregrounded “a number of factors” that underscored the decision.

“Standardized tests are a means for all students, regardless of their background and life experience, to provide information that is predictive of success in college and beyond,” she said. “Indeed, when students have the option of not submitting their test scores, they may choose to withhold information that, when interpreted by the admissions committee in the context of the local norms of their school, could have potentially helped their application. In short, more information, especially such strongly predictive information, is valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range.”

In research published last year, Harvard Professors Raj Chetty and David J. Deming and co-author John N. Friedman used data from more than 400 institutions and about 3.5 million undergrads per year to better understand socioeconomic diversity and admissions. Standardized tests emerged as an important tool to identify promising students at less-well-resourced high schools, particularly when paired with other academic credentials.

“Critics correctly note that standardized tests are not an unbiased measure of students’ qualifications, as students from higher-income families often have greater access to test prep and other resources,” said Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics and director of Opportunity Insights . “But the data reveal that other measures — recommendation letters, extracurriculars, essays — are even more prone to such biases. Considering standardized test scores is likely to make the admissions process at Harvard more meritocratic while increasing socioeconomic diversity.”

Deming, the Kennedy School’s Isabelle and Scott Black Professor of Political Economy and a professor of education and economics at the Ed School, pointed to access as a key issue.

“The virtue of standardized tests is their universality,” he said. “Not everyone can hire an expensive college coach to help them craft a personal essay. But everyone has the chance to ace the SAT or the ACT. While some barriers do exist, the widespread availability of the test provides, in my view, the fairest admissions policy for disadvantaged applicants.”

In June 2020, as the pandemic severely limited access to standardized testing, Harvard began a test-optional policy under which students could apply to the College without submitting scores. The admissions cycle for the Class of 2028 was the fourth for which students were able to apply without submitting test scores. However, admissions has welcomed applicants to submit test scores, and the majority of those who matriculated during the past four years did so.

“Test scores can provide important information about a student’s application,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid. “However, they representonly one factor among many as our admissions committee considers the whole person in making its decisions. Admissions officers understand that not all students attend well-resourced schools, and those who come from modest economic backgrounds or first-generation college families may have had fewer opportunities to prepare for standardized tests.”

In recent years, nonprofits such as Khan Academy have offered robust test-prep tools at no charge. In her message, Hoekstra said that access to testing should never prevent a student from applying to Harvard, and included information for those who may not be able to access the SAT or ACT, as well as tools such as Schoolhouse.world and other sources for no-cost tutoring and no-cost test preparation.

“We recognize that in parts of the United States there may be fewer students than in the past taking SAT or ACT for their state universities — and international applicants can also face barriers to testing,” said Joy St. John, director of admissions. “We hope that promising students faced with such challenges will still apply, using alternative forms of testing.”

Said Hoekstra: “Fundamentally, we know that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. With this change, we hope to strengthen our ability to identify these promising students, and to give Harvard the opportunity to support their development as thinkers and leaders who will contribute to shaping our world.”

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Northwestern’s Class of 2028 is taking shape

• University News

As an elite high school fencer, Daphne Chan has crisscrossed the globe to compete at every level all while keeping her academics in balance. She does it by focusing on her dream to participate in the Olympics — a dream that will become reality this summer when she represents Hong Kong, China, in the Paris Games.

Chan, who applied early to Northwestern, also is among the first to join Northwestern’s Class of 2028. And when the Office of Undergraduate Admissions released regular decision outcomes last week, the University moved a step closer to shaping another exceptional incoming class.

Stacey Kostell, vice president and dean of enrollment, is welcoming her first class of new Wildcats and says she is inspired by the personal stories and journeys of these newly admitted students.

“They represent the best things about Northwestern — their resilience, ambition, creativity, thirst for learning and a desire to make their marks on the world,” she said. “We’re thrilled to be able to extend invitations to these students and can’t wait to see them on campus this fall.”

First-year applications for the Class of 2028 totaled more than 50,000, and the acceptance rate is around 7.5%. In recent years, the number of secondary schools represented in this pool has climbed to more than 10,000 — “a meaningful testament to our ability to reach new audiences around the world and further diversify our pool,” said Liz Kinsley, associate dean and director of undergraduate admission. The incoming class size has also grown by about 5% since pre-pandemic and is expected to be around 2,100 this fall.

The incoming class size has grown by about 5% since before the pandemic and is expected to be around 2,100 this fall.

Northwestern’s growing partnership with QuestBridge, a national organization that supports high-achieving students from lower-income households, is another sign of increased diversity. In the fall, Northwestern reviewed nearly 1,700 candidates through QuestBridge’s National Match program and will enroll a record 93 QuestBridge Match Scholars in fall. Since Northwestern invites QuestBridge National Match finalists who are not matched anywhere to apply through the early and regular decision rounds, the Class of 2028 thus far includes nearly 140 Quest Scholars — up 34% since fall 2020. And, that number will grow as regular decision admits choose Northwestern in the weeks to come.

The University also continues to grow the number of students whose parents did not graduate from a four-year college — more than 16% of early admits already committed to Northwestern are first-generation college students, compared to 14% three years ago.

In 2023, Northwestern rolled out a new set of supplemental essay questions designed to focus student responses on areas the University considers important to holistic admissions review.

“Candidates reflected with impressive substance and specificity on how their backgrounds and experiences have shaped how they see themselves engaging our campus opportunities, resources and communities,” Kinsley said. “We also read thousands of exciting proposals for interdisciplinary courses or collaborations, ideas for painting the Rock and more.”

Test-optional policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have remained in place for first-year and transfer students.

This year’s admitted students come from all over the country and the world, from all 50 states and over 90 countries of citizenship.

High school senior Sebastian Hesser, another incoming student admitted during early decision, grew up in Alaska and Maine. “My background has always been fun to explain since my mother is from Colombia and my father is from Pennsylvania,” he said. “As a family, we've been all over.

“At the beginning of the year, I had no clue about what I wanted to do in college. I love the life sciences, music and languages — there’s so much to discover and learn. Committing to just one of those fields was going to be very hard for me. But Northwestern stood out as a place that would enable me to really explore at a high level and feed my passion for learning.”

What about the FAFSA delay?

Recent changes to the U.S. Department of Education’s federal student aid application (FAFSA) promised a simpler form. However, the relaunch has been hit with delays, which means many families are waiting longer to find out how much support they’ll get in paying for college. But given Northwestern’s use of the CSS Profile alongside the FAFSA, these delays have not impacted Northwestern’s ability to provide loan-free financial aid packages that meet the full demonstrated need of all admitted students, according to Phil Asbury, University director of financial aid.

Students admitted to Northwestern through regular decision have until May 1 to accept their offer.

Wildcat Days are here again

With the arrival of spring, the Evanston campus will welcome hundreds of admitted students and their families for Wildcat Days on April 8 and 15. In these two centerpiece admitted-student days, Northwestern will present an expansive program that connects admitted students and their families with University leaders, advisers, faculty, staff and current students for a taste of campus life and Purple Pride. Admitted students can also access dozens of digital events throughout April and connect one-on-one in online “Purple Priority” conversations with current undergraduates and alumni.

Highlights during Wildcat Days include:

• Exploring academics, libraries, study abroad options and career services
• Having lunch in a dining hall
• Discussing opportunities for those who identify as first-generation, lower income
• Discovering how to make an impact through civic engagement
• Visiting “Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology” at The Block
• Seeing student startups in action at The Garage
• Touring athletics facilities
• Experiencing Evanston and walking along Lake Michigan
• Learning the traditions that bring Northwestern Wildcats together
• Meeting leaders of student clubs and organizations

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, is it better to submit an optional essay or not.

Hey everyone! I'm working on my college applications and I'm not sure if I should submit an optional essay. Is it better to submit one, or will it hurt my chances if I don't? Thanks for any advice!

Hi there! I went through the college application process with my child recently, and I can tell you that submitting an optional essay can be a great opportunity to showcase more of your personality, interests, and accomplishments. However, it's important to consider the quality of your essay. If you feel confident that you can produce a well-written, engaging essay that adds value to your application, then go for it! On the other hand, if you're short on time or don't have a strong topic in mind, it might be better to focus on perfecting the required components of your application. Colleges usually won't penalize you for not submitting an optional essay, but a poorly-written or rushed essay could potentially hurt your chances. So, do what feels right for you and your situation, and good luck with your applications!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

I was just accepted into Princeton University after the repeal of affirmative action. As a person of color, I'm feeling conflicted.

• I'm a person of color who was just accepted into Princeton after the repeal of affirmative action.
• When applying, I made sure to prove I was a person, not just a grade. 
• I'm happy I got in, but I can't stop thinking about the other POC who weren't so lucky.

The college admissions process is a game. Unlike other games, though, you don't necessarily have the chance to fail, to practice, to test-drive, or to get good; you just have to win. You just have to play the game that has been impending since you set foot in high school.

I played the game. As a recently accepted student to Princeton University, it might've been the best I ever played.

But I had to because I was in the first class to apply to college post-affirmative action . As a person of color, I was the guinea pig round of the increasingly unpredictable admissions process. I wondered what would merit admission, how I could talk about my experiences, and what the "holistic" application took into account.

Luckily, I gained admission to my dream school , but I can't help but think about the other disadvantaged peers who didn't.

I tried to show the admissions officers I'm a person — not a score

I went test-optional. I didn't want to be quantifiable. Even though I am number one in my class, have a high GPA, and took 21 AP courses throughout high school, removing the SAT put a larger weight on my essays.

I figured it would be harder to reject a person than a number, so I gave them a person. I spent my essays talking about ideas I was passionate about and went in depth about my activities and why I did them. The "why" was a large part of my application — from my involvement in local and national journalism to my work at a local farm.

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I took any chance I had to write in the margins of the application, describing my circumstances, from the small notes about being in the first generation of my family to attend college in the US to how being a low-income student prevented me from acquiring specialized academic tools. The additional information section was my solace. I didn't pay for a single summer program, extracurricular, or club. Everything I did, I wanted to do — and a good measure of that is my hope to continue many of my high school activities in college.

Of course, I had always been doing these activities, but after the repeal of affirmative action, intentionally emphasizing them was one way I felt I could add dimension to myself. I wanted to show the admissions office that I was an actual person with actual interests beyond school.

But I have bittersweet feelings about getting into an Ivy League school

I'd be lying if I said the feeling after getting into Princeton was all sunshine and roses. I often think about other students like myself, who struggled to share their circumstances or lost a spot after affirmative action. Somehow, I survived the game when others didn't.

But the truth is I didn't have to beat out other poor kids, other POCs, or other minorities. I had to beat the majority. My competition was never the people from my background or tax bracket . I had to beat out the system that went against me, the larger injustice — even though some of my peers couldn't.

I remind myself I didn't steal anyone's spot, and the bittersweet feeling associated with getting in is actually a good thing. It means I still have my humanity in a world where "climbing the ladder" is the norm. But also, it means I survived; I didn't succumb. I played the game instead of taking the back door, which was offered to many affluent students and legacy applicants . For that, I am glad.

Ironically, this same feeling was verbalized best by playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, whom I wrote about in my Princeton essay, when he says:

"This was a good thing, this was a bad. Of this, I feel guilty; of this, I feel glad…Some things I can change and some I can't fix. I'm alone, but as well, I'm part of a mix."

I do think I belong among the Ivy League mix, but like any good thing, I also feel like I have to answer for the flawed system.

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Guest Essay

Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands

By Sarah Bernstein

Ms. Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist in Brooklyn.

“I just can’t think of anything,” my student said.

After 10 years of teaching college essay writing, I was familiar with this reply. For some reason, when you’re asked to recount an important experience from your life, it is common to forget everything that has ever happened to you. It’s a long-form version of the anxiety that takes hold at a corporate retreat when you’re invited to say “one interesting thing about yourself,” and you suddenly believe that you are the most boring person in the entire world. Once during a version of this icebreaker, a man volunteered that he had only one kidney, and I remember feeling incredibly jealous of him.

I tried to jog this student’s memory. What about his love of music? Or his experience learning English? Or that time on a summer camping trip when he and his friends had nearly drowned? “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “That all seems kind of cliché.”

Applying to college has always been about standing out. When I teach college essay workshops and coach applicants one on one, I see my role as helping students to capture their voice and their way of processing the world, things that are, by definition, unique to each individual. Still, many of my students (and their parents) worry that as getting into college becomes increasingly competitive, this won’t be enough to set them apart.

Their anxiety is understandable. On Thursday, in a tradition known as “Ivy Day,” all eight Ivy League schools released their regular admission decisions. Top colleges often issue statements about how impressive (and competitive) their applicant pools were this cycle. The intention is to flatter accepted students and assuage rejected ones, but for those who have not yet applied to college, these statements reinforce the fear that there is an ever-expanding cohort of applicants with straight A’s and perfect SATs and harrowing camping trip stories all competing with one another for a vanishingly small number of spots.

This scarcity has led to a boom in the college consulting industry, now estimated to be a $2.9 billion business. In recent years, many of these advisers and companies have begun to promote the idea of personal branding — a way for teenagers to distinguish themselves by becoming as clear and memorable as a good tagline.

While this approach often leads to a strong application, students who brand themselves too early or too definitively risk missing out on the kind of exploration that will prepare them for adult life.

Like a corporate brand, the personal brand is meant to distill everything you stand for (honesty, integrity, high quality, low prices) into a cohesive identity that can be grasped at a glance. On its website, a college prep and advising company called Dallas Admissions explains the benefits of branding this way: “Each person is complex, yet admissions officers only have a small amount of time to spend learning about each prospective student. The smart student boils down key aspects of himself or herself into their personal ‘brand’ and sells that to the college admissions officer.”

Identifying the key aspects of yourself may seem like a lifelong project, but unfortunately, college applicants don’t have that kind of time. Online, there are dozens of lesson plans and seminars promising to walk students through the process of branding themselves in five to 10 easy steps. The majority begin with questions I would have found panic-inducing as a teenager, such as, “What is the story you want people to tell about you when you’re not in the room?”

Where I hoped others would describe me as “normal” or, in my wildest dreams, “cool,” today’s teenagers are expected to leave this exercise with labels like, Committed Athlete and Compassionate Leader or Environmentally Conscious Musician. Once students have a draft of their ideal self, they’re offered instructions for manifesting it (or at least, the appearance of it) in person and online. These range from common-sense tips (not posting illegal activity on social media) to more drastic recommendations (getting different friends).

It’s not just that these courses cut corners on self-discovery; it’s that they get the process backward. A personal brand is effective only if you can support it with action, so instead of finding their passion and values through experience, students are encouraged to select a passion as early as possible and then rack up the experience to substantiate it. Many college consultants suggest beginning to align your activities with your college ambitions by ninth grade, while the National Institute of Certified College Planners recommends students “talk with parents, guardians, and/or an academic adviser to create a clear plan for your education and career-related goals” in junior high.

The idea of a group of middle schoolers soberly mapping out their careers is both comical and depressing, but when I read student essays today, I can see that this advice is getting through. Over the past few years, I have been struck by how many high school seniors already have defined career goals as well as a C.V. of relevant extracurriculars to go with them. This widens the gap between wealthy students and those who lack the resources to secure a fancy research gig or start their own small business. (A shocking number of college applicants claim to have started a small business.) It also puts pressure on all students to define themselves at a moment when they are anxious to fit in and yet changing all the time.

In the world of branding, a word that appears again and again is “consistency.” If you are Charmin, that makes sense. People opening a roll of toilet paper do not want to be surprised. If you are a teenage human being, however, that is an unreasonable expectation. Changing one’s interests, opinions and presentation is a natural part of adolescence and an instructive one. I find that my students with scattershot résumés are often the most confident. They’re not afraid to push back against suggestions that ring false and will insist on revising their essay until it actually “feels like me.” On the other hand, many of my most accomplished students are so quick to accept feedback that I am wary of offering it, lest I become one more adult trying to shape them into an admission-worthy ideal.

I understand that for parents, prioritizing exploration can feel like a risky bet. Self-insight is hard to quantify and to communicate in a college application. When it comes to building a life, however, this kind of knowledge has more value than any accolade, and it cannot be generated through a brainstorming exercise in a six-step personal branding course online. To equip kids for the world, we need to provide them not just with opportunities for achievement, but with opportunities to fail, to learn, to wander and to change their minds.

In some ways, the college essay is a microcosm of modern adolescence. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a forum for self-discovery or a high-stakes test you need to ace. I try to assure my students that it is the former. I tell them that it’s a chance to take stock of everything you’ve experienced and learned over the past 18 years and everything you have to offer as a result.

That can be a profound process. But to embark on it, students have to believe that colleges really want to see the person behind the brand. And they have to have the chance to know who that person is.

Sarah Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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University News | 4.11.2024

Harvard College Reinstitutes Mandatory Testing

Applicants for the class of 2029 must submit scores..

Harvard announced today that the College will reinstitute mandatory submission of standardized test scores for applicants. | PHOTOGRAPH BY UNSPLASH

Harvard announced today that the College will reinstitute mandatory submission of standardized test scores for applicants, beginning with students applying for fall 2025 admission (the class of 2029). Until today’s decision, the College had a test-optional policy in place for applicants through the class of 2030. The announcement follows similar decisions by Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown to require standardized testing beginning with the class of 2029.

Test-optional policies were widely adopted during the pandemic, when it was difficult to sit for standardized tests, and many remained in place even as the threat of illness faded. The tests were thought to disadvantage lower-income students and those from under-resourced high schools. But a working paper coauthored in 2023 by Ackman professor of public economics Raj Chetty, Black professor of political economy and professor of education and economics David Deming, and John Friedman, a professor of economics at Brown, found standardized tests are a useful means of identifying promising students at less well-resourced high schools. In a statement, Chetty said “Critics correctly note that standardized tests are not an unbiased measure of students’ qualifications, as students from higher-income families often have greater access to test prep and other resources. But the data reveal that other measures—recommendation letters, extracurriculars, essays—are even more prone to such biases. Considering standardized test scores is likely to make the admissions process at Harvard more meritocratic while increasing socioeconomic diversity.”

As previously reported , MIT, which reinstituted a testing requirement last year—citing SAT math scores as measures of an applicant’s ability to handle a highly quantitative curriculum—recently reported enrolling its most diverse class. (In late March, Emi Nietfeld ’15 had argued in favor of mandatory standardized testing from the perspective of a disadvantaged applicant in this New York Times essay , “How the SAT Changed My Life.”)

In today’s announcement, Harvard said it will require submission of SAT or ACT scores, but that other eligible tests , such as AP exams and International Baccalaureate scores, will be accepted in exceptional cases. (Yale had previously announced a similar “test-flexible” policy, allowing applicants to submit scores from that range of exams.) “Standardized tests are a means for all students, regardless of their background and life experience, to provide information that is predictive of success in college and beyond” said Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra in an email to students and colleagues. “Indeed, when students have the option of not submitting their test scores, they may choose to withhold information that, when interpreted by the admissions committee in the context of the local norms of their school, could have potentially helped their application. In short,” she continued, “more information, especially such strongly predictive information, is valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range.” Added Deming, “The virtue of standardized tests is their universality. Not everyone can hire an expensive college coach to help them craft a personal essay. But everyone has the chance to ace the SAT or the ACT. While some barriers do exist, the widespread availability of the test provides, in my view, the fairest admissions policy for disadvantaged applicants.”

Although Harvard and other institutions can no longer consider race in admissions (following a 2023 Supreme Court decision ), the College continues to weigh all of an applicant’s qualities, in a holistic process that considers the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. Dean of admissions and financial aid William Fitzsimmons noted that “Test scores can provide important information about a student’s application. However, they represent only one factor among many as our admissions committee considers the whole person in making its decisions. Admission officers understand that not all students attend well-resourced schools, and those who come from modest economic backgrounds or first-generation college families may have had fewer opportunities to prepare for standardized tests.”

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Harvard will require test scores for admission again

The college joins other selective universities that have recently made similar decisions in the wake of new research.

Harvard College will require applicants to submit standardized test scores once again, becoming the latest Ivy League school to reinstate the requirement after making the choice optional during the pandemic .

The university had previously said it would remain test-optional through the 2025- 20 26 application cycle. But on Thursday, it said students applying to the college for fall 2025 admission — hoping to join the graduating class of 2029 — will now have to submit standardized test scores as part of their admissions package.

Harvard becomes the latest Ivy League school to reinstate the requirement after making the choice optional during the pandemic . Dartmouth College , Yale and Brown universities announced similar changes in recent weeks, after officials cited data suggesting that SAT and ACT scores were the best predictors of students’ academic performance at their schools — and that making the tests optional could further disadvantage applicants from more challenging backgrounds.

Standardized tests have been debated for decades, with critics saying they added a roadblock for disadvantaged students, among other concerns. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down testing sites across the country, many colleges made the tests optional, and then continued to provide flexibility as they studied the issue.

The changes are another pivot in an unusually tumultuous time for selective college admissions amid fallout from last year’s Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action , and a disastrous rollout of a new federal financial aid form.

Standardized tests are just one part of a package of information applicants send, including grades, essays, and recommendation letters. But millions of students study for, take, and retake the tests in hopes of optimizing their scores.

In announcing its decision Thursday, university officials cited research by Harvard professors Raj Chetty and David J. Deming, and co-author John N. Friedman of Brown University, who used data from hundreds of universities and more than 3 million undergraduate students per year to explore socioeconomic diversity and admissions.

“Critics correctly note that standardized tests are not an unbiased measure of students’ qualifications, as students from higher-income families often have greater access to test prep and other resources,” Chetty said in a statement Thursday. “But the data reveal that other measures — recommendation letters, extracurriculars, essays — are even more prone to such biases. Considering standardized test scores is likely to make the admissions process at Harvard more meritocratic while increasing socioeconomic diversity.”

In “exceptional cases” when applicants are unable to take the SAT or ACT, the school will accept certain other scores, including AP and IB tests. The policy will be formally assessed at regular intervals, school officials said.

Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra said the tests are a means for all students, regardless of their background and life experience, to provide information predictive of success in college and beyond.

“Indeed, when students have the option of not submitting their test scores,” Hoekstra said in a statement, “they may choose to withhold information that, when interpreted by the admissions committee in the context of the local norms of their school, could have potentially helped their application. In short, more information, especially such strongly predictive information, is valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range.”

Other highly selective schools remain test-optional, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania, which announced last month that it would not require the scores for the 2024-25 application cycle.