<ol>
<li><p>I know its called the common app, but can I change out the essays I submit to different colleges, for example can my major personal statement essay (the main one) be about my interest in finance for my Wharton application and then about my passion for debate for my Yale Essay. How does that work, I want to showcase different sides of me depending on the college, is that possible?</p></li>
<li><p>How strict are the guidelines on the common app essay, for one of my ideas, i would need some special formatting, like subheadings and possibly a logo and chart. Would that be possible, or are there strict formatting guidelines. I don't want to do something special and then have the college not read it.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, you can indeed change the essay for different colleges – Just create differernt versions.</p>
<p>This was how you were supposed to do it last year. I assume for this year it would be somthing similar:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/AlternateVersionTechnologyFAQ.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/AlternateVersionTechnologyFAQ.pdf</a></p>
<p>There are no strict guidelines. You can be as creative as you like (at your own risk though [noparse]:)[/noparse]).</p>
<p>hey, thanks for the advice, i have an even more crazy format for my essay, is there a legitimate risk of the college not reading the essay, i will submit my formatted version and a plain copy, would that work?</p>
<p>I’m sure they’ll read it. But I’m not sure how they’ll receive it though :P</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The new Common Application forbids this.</p>
<p>Edit: I mean that I do agree with that, but I also want to suggest this (inside joke :)):</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/CommonApp2011.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/docs/downloadforms/CommonApp2011.pdf</a> (see the note on page 5)</p>
<p>^Well, it was technically only a suggestion, so… :p.</p>
<p>ok so I can do the different versions thing correct? I read the note thing silverturtle points out but now am confused. Also making different versions won’t cost more will it?</p>
<p>You are not allowed to make different versions.</p>
<p>It will not cost more but THE DIFFERENT VERSION option is only if you have a mistake in the first version (Spellings an stuff!) YOU ARE NOT RECOMMENDED TO MAKE DIFFERENT VERSIONS FOR DIFFERENT COLLEGES!</p>
<p>You do have a option. Download the hard copy of the common ap, and mail the ones you want different, or mail them all.</p>
<p>Eh I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to customize. The new Common App makes this quite explicit. Just make it broad enough so that it can apply to any college.</p>
<p>anyone have anything to add on this issue? </p>
<p>if you mail them one by one is there still an issue of whether or not customization is allowed?</p>
<p>what about customization between early decision and regular decision?</p>
<p>^ The Common Application is clear: you must use the same essay for each school.</p>
<p>Mmm, so they actually explicitly forbidden that this year? That’s quite unfortunate :/</p>
<p>I actually find it beneficial that the Common App forbids different essays. Think about it, the OP wants to write an essay about his love for finance for Wharton, and wants to write an essay about debate for Yale. This is a terrible idea. Don’t write an essay about what you think the college wants to hear. Write a general essay about yourself for the common app, and leave the specific targetting to the supplemental essays.</p>
<p>^Yes, but last year I managed to only write two long essays and was able to fit them into all of the prompts by tweaking them just a little bit on each occasion, which often required some flip-flopping between the supplement essay and the main common app one. Not being able to change the essays means that I would actually have to write individual supplement essays for each school, which would’ve been a nightmare.</p>
<p>Also, being mistake-prone, I had five errors on the first application I sent out. (In fact, I tend to find errors on my application as soon as I send them out, but never before:/) Making multiple versions had been quite necessary.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to 15 schools last year. She wanted to use the paper version of the common ap in order to put in a supplement that online did not accommodate (Best decision
made in the whole ap process). There is nothing on the down loaded version of the common ap that will require you to use only one version of a essay. You are free to mark the prop you want and send any essay you want. There is no record online of the essay you send, nor do schools compare essays.</p>
<p>yeah I am considering using at most 2 different essays, its not that i am trying to appeal to the colleges, I am just trying to show different sides of myself, I don’t see why the common app should have an issue with this, the only person it can hurt is me.</p>
<p>^ Whatever the reason, the Common Application explicitly forbids that.</p>
<p>I agree with Silverturtle.
Two definite facts :</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You CAN have multiple versions of the common app, and therefore CAN have different essays for each college</p></li>
<li><p>You SHOULDN’T do what is said above, because common app is explicit in forbidding such practice</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Just follow the rules, people. Stop trying to justify yourselves by saying “the only person it can hurt is me,” because Common App TELLS YOU NOT TO DO IT. </p>
<p>If you choose to ignore that and just follow your own rules…well, the consequences will never be the same.</p>