<p>I don’t know who said 500+… but there is NEVER a minimum. Shorter is almost always better.</p>
<p>If you are only applying to one school through the common app is it okay to get specific/ include the school you are applying to in your main common app essay?</p>
<p>This thread is somewhat helpful as I’m writing this essay right now (took a break to search this forum for tips and advice).</p>
<p>I think that if you’re apply to multiples schools, it’s best to keep the main common app essay a general explanation of why you want to transfer and what you hope to be able to do at a new school. The supplements are where you give specific reasons for applying to X University.</p>
<p>Some schools don’t have a section for that in their supplements, so in those cases, you should create another version of your application on the common app site (there is a way to do this without creating a separate account) and add in specific details about the school in the main common app essay.</p>
<p>If you’re applying to one school, you should probably keep the main essay general and save the details for the supplement if it gives you such an opportunity.</p>
<p>If one of the schools I’m applying to doesn’t require a supplement essay (Vanderbilt), should I be specific in the common app essay?</p>
<p>FYI, I’m also applying to Northwestern, which does require a supplement essay.</p>
<p>@ChicagoBears1</p>
<p>Yes. You would have to create an alternative CA. For Vandy, describe specific details about the school, etc. Create an alternative version for Northwestern and generalize the “Why Transfer.” For the supplement customize the “Why X” to Northwestern.</p>
<p>500ish is a pretty good rule of thumb, the CA says the minimum is 250. Two pages double spaced is likely over 600 words, I wouldn’t recommend going much past that.</p>
<p>Definitely make alternate versions of the CA main essays for schools that don’t have a supplemental ‘Why college X’ essay.</p>
<p>should the essay be single spaced or double spaced? and I am applying to UVA. The supplement asks how does career option relate to your planned course of study. In this essay I go into specific areas teachers/programs UVA can help. In the main essay I touch on academics, but it is mainly social and what I hope to achieve at UVA, this is also specific would this be okay?</p>
<p>My essay now has a word count of 631 after making additions pertaining to my reasoning for applying to Vandy.</p>
<p>I want to ask when the adcom reads it, do they do it online or do they print our application out ?</p>
<p>How exactly do you go about specializing the common app essay for schools without a supplemental essay(like Vanderbilt)? I thought the essay you submit to the common app was sent to all schools. </p>
<p>Did you mean creating a separate account altogether?</p>
<p>There is a way to create multiple versions of the common app under the same account. Search for how to do it on the common app site in the Help section.</p>
<p>Before submitting the app, you’re asked which schools you’d like the application sent to. Simply choose the school you’d like it sent to, then change the essay and have it sent to the other school.</p>
<p>I’m a bit confused about the whole making different versions of the “Why Transfer” essay though - doesn’t the question stipulate that “the Common Application essay should be the same for all colleges. Members that wish to review custom essay responses will request them on their Supplement form”</p>
<p>So would it really be better to individualize them if a school, like Dartmouth hasn’t provided a supplement? Could it possibly mean that they don’t “wish to review custom essays?”</p>
<p>^ Remember that most people who are using the Common Application to apply to schools aren’t applying to schools where they usually even bother to read your essay, let alone care about it being custom made - it’s usually just a straight up GPA evaluation. For the select few people that decide to apply to, say, top 20-40 schools, it’s a different ball game.</p>
<p>Not correct, MonkeyKing. Not at all. Many people - at least on this board - use the common app for highly selective schools which require essays and sometimes supplemental essays. And for many of them, the essay is, in deed, important.</p>
<p>@Andale: So are you advocating that it would be better to personalize the main common app essay when schools such as Dartmouth haven’t provided a supplemental question, or the follow the original instructions and write a general “why transfer” essay for all the schools?</p>
<p>Ah Andale I think you misunderstood me - I was meaning by “a different ball game” that if you are to apply to top schools, you should personalize your essay - my apologies for being unclear.</p>
<p>I mean that the Common Application wording is designed for those applying to colleges at large, for most applicants that does not mean prestigious colleges - however on CC, that is very different because CC is part of the small subset of people who do apply to elite colleges. </p>
<p>For example, if you’re applying from a Cal State school to say, University of Arizona, they really aren’t going to give much of a darn about anything beyond your GPA and disciplinary record. [Many UC’s will refuse to read your recommendation letters if you send them as a transfer, because to them they don’t really care at all about your whatever personal stuff].</p>
<p>Many transfer applicants also are community college students who wish to simply gain admittance to their local state university (and not be ambitious and apply to big famous private schools), which doesn’t really need a whole lot of personal reasons. That is why the wording is as such - because for “most” applicants, it really doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>For applicants to prestigious colleges, it really really does matter.</p>
<p>I swear this post my entomom should be stickied. </p>
<p>@hachan14
</p>
<p>Ah, thank you. Yes, that post should be stickied…</p>