@ZBlue17 My optional essay was 518 words! I wrote about extreme couponing because that’s something that makes me unique! In middle school I was an extreme couponer and since then I’ve made homemade laundry detergent and crocheted baby blankets and such. I can send it to you after Jan. 1 if you’d like to read it haha
^ I did that too 
@gyunnzb You wrote about couponing too?!
@DreamforIvy oops no. I meant that I used my Pton essay for Harvard as well! I was referring to @MBH2017 but somehow my post got posted later hmmm
do y’all think Harvard can tell if you reuse the roommate essay from Stanford?
@TikopiaRock28 yeah they can probably tell, but that’s not an issue.
They even say on their website that students sometimes put essays from other unis that work well
@TikopiaRock28 If you’re planning to reuse your Stanford roommate essay, you may want to flesh it out a bit. But generally, a bunch of colleges have similar essays, so don’t worry about it.
I’ve decided to use an old Common App essay (because I’m indecisive and wrote about six unique essays before settling on my current one) for my Harvard supplement. Hopefully it works out.
@ZBlue17 did you get into ND?
@DryMango I’m applying RD.
@MBH2017 If it’s of any consolation I submitted my Princeton supplement to Harvard. My train of thought was that we have the option to submit anything we’d like, and that writing portrayed who I was pretty well, so why not?
Now I have a mini-dilemma…should I write a roommate essay for Harvard, or should I submit a different essay (most likely one about my major choice or something, I’m not sure) instead and save myself the work…
choices are always difficult : //
Hey guys, new to this thread. Cool ideas for your essays. I am still writing mine, it’s about my changing understanding about truth. Where else are all of waiting to hear from?
@ap012199 I’m not submitting any either! Don’t worry!
@Faultystart What is your personal statement like if you don’t mind sharing? This will probably determine what you should write about in the optional essay.
@DreamforIvy Hmm, it’s a little hard to explain? It’s about my personal development in junior year and how my classes affected that.
@Faultystart Then I would definitely write about your roommate! You already talk about academics in your personal statement and it’s kind of a mellow topic, so show another bright and joyful side of you! Good luck with it!
Are you guys including the prompt in the word file you would upload? Or, Is it just the Optional essay without indicating the prompt?
No need to include the prompt – wasted space. If a reading of your text can’t indicate which prompt you’re answering – you’re in a world of hurt already! hahahhaha
@sakibdurlob Definitely include the prompt! It wouldn’t hurt. It’s better to have it there than the admissions officer being all like, “What is he/she talking about here?” Ultimately, it’s better to have more than less!
@T26E4 Some people choose their own prompt, so it would be difficult for the admissions officer to guess what the prompt is. Since it’s uploaded on a pdf or doc, the prompt doesn’t ruin any “word count!”