<p>agreed, admissionsdaniel does rock!</p>
<p>and i guess we'll all have to wait til wednesday</p>
<p>The essays were OPTIONAL??? Haha, wow, I did not even know that. Then again, I think my tour guide mentioned it when I visited the school, but that was months after I'd sent in my application.</p>
<p>I think optional is a funny word anyway. Doing any club, any extra curricular activity, any volunteer work is OPTIONAL. Taking AP classes is OPTIONAL. For many schools (including jhu, by the way) SAT IIs are OPTIONAL. Getting good grades is optional too, you know?</p>
<p>What I mean to say it... no one is going to "force" you to do anything in life, including writing some essays. But I do think it's fair that students who put in extra time and effort into their applications should at least get some recognition. It's all up to you... wow, that was far more existentialist than I meant it to be.</p>
<p>Anyway, I doubt not doing the essays will hurt you, but it won't help either. If your common app essay is solid, as is the rest of your app, you'll be fine.</p>
<p>Stop worrying! We'll find all this stuff out soon enough. GOOD LUCK to you all. :)</p>
<p>Life is optional, as Dr. Kevorkian has taught us all.</p>