<p>UCSB is one school. Perhaps avoid that in supplements for other schools. But for open-ended questions, there is no issue with this: [Sample</a> Admissions Essays accepted by Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and Stanford](<a href=“http://www.erraticimpact.com/html/sample_essay_princeton.htm]Sample”>http://www.erraticimpact.com/html/sample_essay_princeton.htm)
[Advice</a> on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“Advice on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions”>Advice on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)
<a href=“https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-requirements/application-tips#writing[/url]”>https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-requirements/application-tips#writing</a>
[10</a> Tips for Writing the College Application Essay - Professors’ Guide (usnews.com)](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/09/15/10-tips-for-writing-the-college-application-essay]10”>http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/09/15/10-tips-for-writing-the-college-application-essay) NOTE NO. 6
[Johns</a> Hopkins University Office of Undergraduate Admissions: Apply, Essays That Worked, Class of 2017](<a href=“http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays/]Johns”>http://apply.jhu.edu/apply/essays/)</p>
<p>Rules for writing are more like guidelines. You should know them and break them when appropriate. That said, if UCSB says “no creative writing” to answer their specific questions, then no creative writing. More generally, no creative writing is bad–no, terrible–advice. The personal statement doesn’t have many hard/fast rules: 650 words or less, don’t make stuff up, and tell us about you. Every other source I’ve seen, both online and in books, says to be descriptive and personal. That is not bad writing. UCSB probably got tired of applicants trying to be gimmicky rather than providing creative responses that are also coherent.</p>