Have you ever had success writing an essay at the last minute?

College Essays
1

Have you ever, say, gotten into a university in which you wrote their supplement the day/night it was due??

2

No one I know has ever attempted it. There’s far too much at stake to take such a risk.

3

I know someone who rewrote their supplements for UC Berkeley and got in, but they ended up going somewhere else

4

I’m sure there is someone somewhere who can answer that question with a yes. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. A last minute essay is unlikely to be your best effort.

5

I’m currently a sophomore at Columbia University, and I honestly started my essay at the last minute. Now, I don’t recommend this for everyone, but I tend to write better under pressure and I have found that my voice is more authentic.

6

I have written college app essays in a very short period of time when a burst of inspiration comes, and had to do very little editing afterwards. I think this is common though- it’s good to start early and be ready to seize these moments.

7

Probably some schools where the essay isn’t important, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If nothing else, your last minute topics probably aren’t your best.

8

Not that I’m proud of it, but I wrote my application essay about two days before it was due. I had never applied to any colleges, so I didn’t know how important it was. I didn’t have anyone proof read it, besides my friend. I used it for FSU and UF. I did, however, write too much because I read the rules wrong so I had to resubmit a revised version to FSU. I didn’t change the content though, just cut out my fluff sentences. I got into FSU and UF both, with below average test scores. So it’s possible!

9

I wrote my common app essay the day of the Northeastern EA deadline (November 1st) and got in. I also wrote most of my supps the day they were due so we’ll find out in April how that goes lol. I am honestly just terrible at time management

10

Wow I couldn’t relate more to this reply… I submitted all my supps at like 11:56pm the day it was due. Hopefully in college I can learn better time management haha

11

I definitely write better under pressure. My son did all of his college essays in a few minutes each & got great results.

I am an adult. I spend a significant amount of time thinking about themes & approaches before I write. But when I write, it flows quickly.

12

Well, I did my USC application in less than an hour before the deadline so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll let you know how it turns out haha