Contractions?

Can contractions be used in college essays? (Common app or supplemental)
I normally use contractions (saying this since essays are supposed to sound like me) and it also saves word count…

Yes.

I think it depends.

Some, like “don’t” or “can’t” are great alternatives to the more stilted options.

But somehow, every time I read “should’ve” or “could’ve”, I think that it looks too casual.