<p>so the essays on the duke supplement are optional. would you recommend writing them or not</p>
<p>Not writing them won't hurt you, but writing them will almost certainly help.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure that my why-duke essay was what got me in! </p>
<p>I would definitely recommend u writing them!</p>
<p>I concur. Always do the optional stuff if a place is your first choice. When I applied I did the "submit a tape of you performing" and I think that probably helped me get in.</p>
<p>i did all the optional stuff, the 2 essays and the extra rec but wat if i have nothing in the arts like music, dance and stuff to submit, does that hurt?</p>
<p>Of course it helps if you're a talented artist. That's a good thing. But trying to submit something just for the sake of submitting something is definitely a bad idea.</p>
<p>I wrote my "Why Duke" essay on my visit there and why I felt the school was an excellent fit. It worked! I know of people who got in without writing the essay but it certainly can't hurt you.</p>
<p>yea for some reason i liked my why duke essay a lot too becuase i visited and fell in love. i think thats my best essay but we'll see</p>
<p>so it's okay to just write about the essay topics that apply to you? you don't have to write all the optional essays right, you can pick just one maybe?</p>
<p>yea i would think thats fine, b/c not everyone has an outside research activity.</p>