<p>I've written pretty decent essays for the required ones. But all my friends told me that the standard of the optional one is really much worse. Should I still submit it??</p>
<p>There was already a thread on this (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/832646-optional-essay-write-not-write.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/832646-optional-essay-write-not-write.html</a>).</p>
<p>If your essay feels forced or if you were writing it for the sake of writing it and it really doesn’t add anything about your personality, then it might be better not to submit it. If it actually does say something and you feel it’s okay, I don’t think it could hurt you (unless you talked about a love for Hitler, have spelling mistakes, problems with syntax etc…).</p>
<p>I didn’t write in and I got in EA.</p>
<p>I feel like you give them so much writing anyways that it’s probably not that big a factor in acceptance. They already have a pretty complete picture of you.
(On the other hand, you would definitely want to do Harvard’s optional essay)</p>
<p>^Why? I know of people who got into Harvard without doing it. I think you should do the optional essay if it adds to your application. For most people another essay allows you to show another aspect of yourself or to build on the picture you’ve already created of yourself, but if you feel the application already says everything you want it to - then by all means optional means optional.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that the standard on the optional essay is worse. They’re just looking for you to express yourself based on your book, movie, and music preferences. It doesn’t have to be Pulitzer Prize quality.</p>
<p>My admissions counselor mentioned this briefly in her presentation. Her main thing was “Is this applicant interested in us?” One of the ways you show interest is by writing the optional essay. I wrote my optional essay in the ten minutes before midnight for EA. I got in. I just wrote what naturally came to me, and I think it sounded like I was talking to them. If it’s stilted and forced, then I wouldn’t submit it- but, you have more time, so I’d work on it a bit and submit it- if it’s decent, it will only help you. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, it really is optional. I didn’t submit it and I was still admitted EA. It really is up to you.</p>
<p>Yup. I didn’t do it and was admitted EA.</p>
<p>No, it’s a lie. It’s all a lie.</p>
<p>I’ll agree- it is truly optional. But why not submit it? It really can only help you, and it’s not that long. mine were ~250 words. It’s not that big of a thing to write.</p>
<p>I did not write it and I was accepted EA, so it is definitely optional. I would still recommend doing it though, unless your other essays are REALLY good.</p>