<p>I know it can be considered plagiarism if you use your own work for another class, but what about college essays? Maybe not even entire essays, I'm just looking at personal statements and optional short answer questions that I have very well developed in my essays for other colleges. Just change the name of the college in the essay and it can help out a lot.</p>
<p>Let me get this straight ... are you asking if you can recycle your own essays for multiple colleges? If so, dude, that's what EVERYONE does! I mean, you're even asking about the short answers? So if one college asks what is the last book you read, if another college asks the same question, you think you have to lie and name some other book so that you won't be plagiarizing yourself? Think about it ...</p>
<p>^ hahahahaha agreed. "Stanford already asked me this!! Mmk, not Anna Karenina, NOT Anna Karenina....hmmmmm...."</p>
<p>lmao, dumb.</p>
<p>I think he may mean like if the common app asks for a topic of your choice and you use the same college essay/topic from another app. Dont' really know what to say, you should know what's right. I mean you're not stealing someone's work. IT doesn't hurt to use your own ideas though.</p>
<p>also, how can using one of your previous essays/papers for another class be considered plagiarism? by definition, plagiarism is copying someone else's work. i mean, it might be considered lazy, but past that...</p>
<p>I have a similar question. Do you guys think using the UC prompt for the common app prompt (choose your own topic) is a good/bad idea?</p>
<p>if you have a personal essay that you wrote for a class, like how readign AK influenced how you look at the world, then go for it.</p>
<p>You cannot plagiarize yourself. It isn't possible. It's called "repeating yourself." Can you repeat yourself to different entities? Again, of course you can. And no, it isn't even lazy. The only issue is whether you meet the prompt. If they ask about a book that influenced your life, don't recycle your essay about the big football game; that's just plain dumb. </p>
<p>I know lots of kids who do scientific research. They do one project and submit it to a dozen different competitions. That's what people do. It makes the effort you put into your original work worthwhile. </p>
<p>Don't waste time writing 10,000 different essays for the same prompt when you could be doing something more constructive with your life!</p>