I took a gap year and I’m try to apply to the same colleges again this year. Can I use the exact same essay I used for common app last year with the same colleges or should I write a completely different one this year?
i strickly advise you to not re-apply to the same universities, as it is extremely rare for them to accept students they’ve already rejected because of exactly that: they rejected you, and they rejected you for a reason or reasons. unless you have done something extraordinary during your time off about which the colleges will love to read, i suggest looking into other universities to attend.
believe me, i had the same mindset. i, too, wanted to re-apply to the colleges that rejected me, but the more i thought about it, the less i wanted to do so because, as time went on, i realized 3/4 of them were not best fits for me, and the admissions officers saw that. however, if you still think you want to re-apply to them all, you absolutely need to re-write your common application essay. the admissions officers have already seen the old one, which would seem unoriginal and lazy of you if you used it.
i’m re-applying to colleges after taking a gap year as well, so if you ever need to talk/need some fellow guidance, then feel free to pm me at any time.
Re-write your essay.
Did it work last year?
Steer clear of using the same essay. Since you took a gap year, I’d imagine many colleges would like to hear about what you did. Was it interesting? Transformative?
I took a gap year, too, and even though it was after I was accepted, it was one of the most eye-opening years of my life. Gap years are designed to bring about change, central to some of the best essays.
That said, if you didn’t do much on your gap year, consider other times in recent memory that were transformative, but whatever you do, don’t recycle your old essay.
So…I’m not reapplying to colleges that have rejected me before, but to colleges that actually gave me some scholarships that I couldn’t take because I had to take my gap year. So yeah it worked for me the first time. And I’m not really sure I can write about my gap year since I’ve only had it for five months now. But basically you guys think that I should re-write it?
Have you asked those colleges if you can re-activate your app from last year? Some colleges will do that, saving you the time of re-applying.
@erikakh That’s interesting, but I still think you should write a new essay. When you think about it, you’re not exactly the same person you were a year ago, and your application should reflect that.
Even though you’re halfway into your gap year, you can write about what you’ve been doing so far. Is it something you’re passionate about? What have you done? And what do you hope to do with your remaining time in the gap year? How does this relate to what you want to do in college?
Also, the reason why you took the gap year matters. Some students take it because they don’t feel they’re ready for the college experience. Others take it to sharpen their academic skills and test scores. I took it because I was dealing with chronic illness. In my readmission essay, I wrote about the experience of being sick and how being away from the academic environment for the longest extended period of my life showed me how much I enjoy structured learning.
If you need any help brainstorming, let me know!