<p>I got in early and it was probably my supplement essay that was the biggest help for me. Start on your CommonApp (adding schools, filling out simple questions) as soon as it becomes available. I mean in mid-August. Take a look at the questions and you can take a week or two to ponder over them before you start answering. Make sure you get it edited several times and tell the editor of the theme or message you want your essay to deliver.</p>
<p>I got in EA. A lot of the advice on here is pretty good, but really for essays it is whatever you feel is “right”. Personally, I wrote my commonapp about Scrabble, specifically how personalities are reflected through play styles. For my supplement, I wrote about saying “Why not?” instead of “Why?” The only sure advice I can give though is to START EARLY and to find something really unique. Whenever I wasn’t doing anything this summer, instead of lying around I wrote essays, or at least thought about what I would write. It definitely paid off in the end. And sometimes thinking and brainstorming is more important than the essay itself. For the Scrabble essay, I spent months thinking about what I would write, but wrote the actual essay in an hour or two and just submitted it. For Notre Dame specifically, if you are applying EA, take the unique topic advice seriously. They are more strict with EA applicants (they only accept the best from that field, so they suggest RD for most), so make sure your essays really stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>Could I read your essay?</p>
<p>Hey is there any chance I can read your essay, really interested in your topic!!Thanks!!</p>