My daughter’s first choice school, on their application portal, has a place to upload optional supplemental material, including writing samples. If a school has this as an option, do most people send something? I’m thinking it might help her application. My daughter has written many good essays analyzing literature that are no longer than a page or two at most. Is it bad to send nothing, though? TBH she is so sick of this stuff, I can see her saying no…
My feeling about supplemental material is that if they ask for it you should seriously consider sending it. The real question is does it add something that they wouldn’t know otherwise? For example, my son wrote a fictional history of the US which was one of the optional prompts at Tufts his year. It showed his creative writing ability and confirmed that he was good at history (which we presume the letter of recommendation from his APUSH teacher confirmed.) Older son included a book list (optional suggestion at Harvard), which showed that in addition to being a computer nerd he was an avid reader. (Not obvious on his application otherwise except that his CR SAT score was an 800 every time.) He also sent in some outside recommendations from people he’d done computer programming for, since no one at the high school could really speak to his accomplishments there. (He took their most advanced course as a freshman.) If you think the essays are substantially different and/or better than what she’s handed in, it can’t hurt and may help.
She sent in supplemental stuff when it was offered as an option. In D’s case, it was a maker portfolio (she’s a future CS major, and wanted to show that she can do more than just program).
I think at the worst they just don’t bother to read it, and at best it can really help give them a better idea of what your kid is about.
On some of the portals, though, it specifically said “don’t upload anything here unless we ask you”, even though there was a spot for it. In that case, I’d follow directions.
Our HS guidance counselors always said that optional is not an option. I would send something.
While I tend to agree that optional mean mandatory in the college app process, in this case I would only send something if it is additive to the application. Examples of writing samples kids have sent in include - a piece they won a scholastic writing award for, a research paper that was part of a prestigious extra curricular science program, a piece of really good creative writing from an independent study project, a speech that was used to successfully compete in speech and debate competitions, a paper written for a UN internship. I don’t really think sending in a high school English paper is going to add much to the application.
I’m voting with Wisteria. An essay examining a piece of literature isn’t going to do much for the application even if it’s well written. A front page feature story from your local newspaper is additive- likely shows different writing skills (and reporting skills) than a typical HS writer might have.
But a school assignment?
I think a writing sample is just that, and that a well-done highschool assignment is fine to send. I don’t think they’re asking for the sample to uncover more aspects to the student’s personality or profile. I think it’s straightforward enough to think they’d like to see a sample of how you’d write in a “non-college essay” situation. College application essays are their own unique animal, often massaged and polished far beyond what a student would produce for an assignment. I think it would be useful to see how a student writes for an assignment. Obviously you’d send your best work.
If they wanted to know more about your personality or accomplishments, I think the request would be a question asking about your personality or accomplishments, or something that would reveal them. Not a “writing sample.”
Interesting and different perspectives here! I hadn’t thought if it as something to show personality or accomplishments either. I found the common app essay prompts frustrating, tbh. My daughter and a few of her friends said they were hard to answer if you were just a “regular person” who had not had major challenges to overcome or who had not accomplished something extraordinary. And the “event that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood”? They’re not adults when they write these, they’re 17 years old! My daughter actually wrote something and sort of fit it into that prompt, but sheesh! So I thought something written when she was able to feel more in charge of her writing might be a better reflection of her writing skills than the common app essay, which honestly felt a little forced.
@IBviolamom
Are they asking specifically for a writing sample? If so, maybe it’s fine to submit a school paper. But I took it to mean this was a space to submit some type of supplement (art portfolio, performance, published poetry) that would enhance the application and allow the ad coms to get to know you a little better, to see what makes you tick. That’s why I said I didn’t think submitting schoolwork would be particularly useful. Is there anything else she could send?
It’s a spot on the portal page where you can upload additional materials, including arts supplements, writing samples, etc. So maybe nothing is better?
IMO if they ask for an optional essay, then that is almost mandatory. But an arts supplement is for kids who have art, photography, poetry, creative writing, published writing etc. I think a lot of kids leave it blank as it does not apply to them. But check with your GC.
Tufts abandoned their optional essays because they found that students considered them obligatory. The problem is who has the confidence that their application without the extra material is good enough? I think my son’s optional essay was the best part of that application, and may well have made a difference. OTOH he got into other schools with different extra material requirements, so who knows.