Applying to DePaul using CommonApp, it indicates personal essay is optional.
Should I include personal essay or not since it is not required?
Is there any harm in not including it?
My daughter opted to include it as she thought it would bring a little more of ‘her’ to the application process. Show the admissions counselor that she was more than just the numbers and classes on her transcript or activities.
She was admitted within two weeks. And if your essay is already written I say go for it.
There is nothing optional in an application in the sense that every part of if contributes to the impressions you make, even blanks. What message do you think leaving an essay blank would convey?
It won’t “harm you” but relative to the application pool, you would not look as good as a student who cared enough about the school to fill out all the optional parts of their application.