<p>Should we write the optional essay? Does "optional" mean yes?</p>
<p>Online it says that most students do not send this .... </p>
<p>So if i do write the optional essay, does it have to be about some extenuating circumstance [like a move] or just about anything personal in general?</p>
<p>It is NOT an optional essay!!! It is ONLY for students who have special circumstances and don't have anywhere else in the app to explain them. You already get four essays, that should be plenty ;)</p>
<p>She's right. If you're begging for another essay, you got something wrong with you =)</p>
<p>I am definitely not begging for another essay =).... I have enough to write and do as it is. Actually I spoke with an admissions counselor from Yale. She said that the optional essay is not 'optional' and that she expects high caliber students to write it. So I just wanted to make sure for Stanford as well. Just want to be safe!</p>
<p>In the instructions on the online application, it specifically said NOT to include another essay. I think ^^;</p>
<p>DanceDiva, I think you might have your institutions confused.</p>
<p>Yale's optional essay is what used to be an additional mandatory essay as a supplement to their Common App. I believe last year was the first year it was optional, but it's your chance to write about anything (they make that pretty clear in the instructions).</p>
<p>For the additional space that Stanford gives you on their application, they explicitly say that they do not want an additional essay and that it is a place for you to explain any extenuating circumstances (e.g. a death in the family) so that they can view your application in a more realistic context. Since they do not use the Common App but instead accept only their own application, if they wanted you to write more, they would include it under "Short Essays" or "Long essays" (I'm assuming you're using the online application).</p>
<p>Hence, what applies to one college does not apply to another, especially when you're referring to entirely different applications and questions.</p>