<p>My son did the first common app essay prompt (my story), which is very similar to the supplemental question (how are you unique). Is it a bad idea not to use the supplement, or is it really optional? He is applying ED. Thanks.</p>
<p>According to the admissions person we heard from this weekend, 90 percent of applicants do the supplement and quoting her “if you are really serious about William and Mary, you should probably do it”</p>
<p>Also, the supplement doesn’t have to be an essay. It can be anything that shows a side of the student that they feel they couldn’t show in the rest of the application - could be poetry, a writing sample from something they wrote, a link to a YouTube video of them doing something, etc.</p>
<p>My HS has over a 90% acceptance rate and I did not write the essay last year- I got waitlisted. As someone who got full tuition to both of their top choices, I am fairly confident this was the reason, so no- its not really optional.</p>
<p>In the words of my AP Lit teacher, “an optional essay is NEVER optional.” I did it and I was accepted ED, and most of the people I know did the essay as well. You don’t have to make it similar to your common app essay tho! I did the my story one for the common app to, but for the supplement, I had fun with it and made jokes and really through my personality into it.</p>
<p>Like the others, I highly recommend writing the supplement if you have the chance. William and Mary, more than most schools, seems to really value the personalities and the “stories” of the students, and perhaps the best way to show this is through the essays. When I received my admissions package, I received a nice handwritten note referencing a joke I made in my supplement. They definitely read them and take them into account.</p>
<p>Remember, you don’t have to tell the same story or anything remotely close. Use this opportunity to show another side of yourself that you haven’t been able to show in your main common app essay. The essay being so broad, in my opinion, is a good thing, so you can tell literally almost any story that demonstrates what makes you stand out (show don’t tell)</p>
<p>If you have any other supplements written, you can likely take an alternate version of one of those and adapt it for this one. Likewise, if you have any multimedia pieces, past written works, or even artistic representations that answer the supplement, you can definitely submit those. Good luck!</p>
<p>We realize we’re a bit late to the party here but we mean it when we say optional. That applies to the second essay, the interview, the fine art submission and SAT subject tests. We provide all of these avenues for students to showcase additional sides of themselves if they so choose but we do not open a file expecting any one of them to be there. No decision ever hinged on the absence of the optional essay alone.</p>