<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Does CMU place more emphasis on the Common App essay or the supplement essay?</p>
<p>They're both important. But I believe the supplement essay is used more for placement within schools and programs, while the common app essay is a measure of your writing skill and personality.</p>
<p>Okay.</p>
<p>Geez my supplement essay is really good but my Common App essay is mediocre.</p>
<p>I didn't realize how long this supplement essay needs to be.</p>
<p>Does the supplemental essay really need to be a full page single spaced? Will half a page look like you didn't try hard?</p>
<p>I think mine was around a page space-and-a-half or something like that.</p>
<p>My supplement is one page, single spaced.</p>
<p>Uh oh, I went all out and mine is 950-1000 words...</p>
<p>I think whichever essay makes the admissions officer say "Ooooh let's admit this kid, they sound really cool" is the important essay. Most essays are pretty dull, and don't make much difference one way or the other.</p>
<p>My supplement essay was exactly a page at 1.1 line-spacing, which is what professional typesetters use, so it looks good. I didn't think it was allowed to be longer than that. </p>
<p>My Common App essay was about a page and three-quarters, 1.1 line-spaced. About 800 words. I think it's one of the strongest essays I've written, so I sure hope it's important!</p>
<p>I'm having a hard time with the supplement.</p>
<p>But I think my Common App Essay was excellent. I've gotten good reviews.</p>
<p>Ok my supplement essay is looking to be less than half a page... i don't really have THAT much to say as to why i want to pursue a certain major...they don't expect you to explain why you chose carnegie mellon though, right?</p>
<p>It's probably a good idea to say something about why you're particularly interested in pursing that major at CMU, in the supplement essay. Don't just write things to make the essay longer, but it is your chance to say why you want to go to CMU.</p>
<p>yea, in my essay i discussed why i want to pursue my major and how carnegie mellon will aid me in my pursuit.</p>
<p>If you ranked all the colleges, does your essay need to include reason as to why your applying for all of them or just your top pick?</p>
<p>CMU told my son that he needed to specifically address each college he was applying to. I believe that if you only write about your first choice, that is the only college that will consider you. Just think, if 4 different colleges within CMU are looking at your application, and you only talk about one college, why would the others bother to look at you, if you can’t convince them you are interested in alternate majors? But you’d probably get the most accurate information if you emailed or called the admissions office.</p>
<p>Okay, I honestly can’t say which essay is more important. I have been told that 80% of essays have NO effect on a student’s admission, 10% have a positive effect, and 10% have a negative effect.</p>
<p>The most important thing you can do in a supplement essay is say “This is why I want to come to your college.” Simply put, they want to know that you will matriculate if they accept you.</p>
<p>[“Okay, I honestly can’t say which essay is more important. I have been told that 80% of essays have NO effect on a student’s admission, 10% have a positive effect, and 10% have a negative effect.”]</p>
<p>Where have you heard this? I have a feeling if this were the case, they would not require supplemental essays.</p>
<p>Well, you know what they say…47% of all statistics are made up. Or is that 43%?</p>
<p>I haven’t heard numbers, but admissions officers who have come and spoken at our school have said similar things, all the while urging students to write the best essays they can. As for which essay will get you into the school - I suspect it will be whichever essay catches the admissions officers fancy. For my son, applying to SCS his essay starting with a paragraph of snippets from online essays strung together by a computer program he wrote and going on to say he’d rather teach a computer write his essay than write one himself was probably more compelling than his “why SCS” essay, which basically said the same things, but in a more boring away.</p>