<p>I just took a look at the common app and it appears that the main essay (the first and i guess the only required item under writing of the main application) will be sent to every college. The topic of the main essay is reasons for transferring; however, for schools that don't require "why here" as part of their supplements, is there a way for an applicant to work around the lack of individual attention consequent of the communal essay?</p>
<p>I remember that a general advice for "why here" essays for freshman applicants was to make it as specific as possible, but then again, most "why here" essays were included in the schools' supplements to supplement the main essay which was a general essay that conveys its writer's personality.</p>
<p>Is creating 20 different common apps the only way to go? It would be best if I could consolidate them into one application, but then again, I'm not in a position to be complaining about tediosity. As I've also read before, citing reasons for wanting out of a current state is in almost all cases inferior to explaining why an alternative destination will prove for the better--but I don't know whether the latter can be accomplished within a single common app.</p>
<p>I always recommend customizing the main CA transfer essay if there isn’t a Why College X? question on the supplement. Most schools do ask this, so generally there’s no need for anything close to 20 different versions of the CA.</p>
<p>well even if the schools have customized why here questions in their supplements, the main essay’s prompt still serves to gain insight into applicants’ reasons for transferring (although that + a repeat in the supplement would be redundant hmmm). Is it preferable to create one CA for every college I intend to apply to for specificity?</p>
<p>Version 1: For all schools with a supplemental that asks ‘Why college X’:
CA main essay: addresses ONLY why you want to transfer (since the specifics of the individual colleges will be discussed in their supplements).</p>
<p>Version 2: For school A which does not have a ‘Why college A’ in their supplement:
CA main essay: addresses why you want to transfer in general AND why you want to transfer to college A.</p>
<p>Version 3: For school B which does not have a ‘Why college B’ in their supplement:
CA main essay: addresses why you want to transfer in general AND why you want to transfer to college B.</p>
<p>And so forth. JMHO, if you have anything close to 20 versions, that’s way too many schools to be able to produce quality applications for all of them.</p>