Optional Essays: Should I do them?

College Essays
1

<p>I am applying to a few schools that have optional essays, and I am wondering if they are really that optional. Two schools in specific are Dickinson College and William & Mary. How much does the optional essay affect the admissions process? Would not doing them come across negatively and make me look lazy to the admissions office? These are some of my upper choice schools. I will be applying EA to Dickinson and RD to W&M. I visited Dickinson twice and W&M once with an interview. Feedback is much appreciated. </p>

2

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes. It is likely one of the best ways they “screen” out applicants whom they don’t believe to really be interested in the school. Treat those essays as required and work as hard as you would any other college essay.</p>

3

<p>Yes, do the optional essay. It can be anything you create it into and it doesn’t have to be stressful. It is true people do get in without writing the essays and according to admissions they are really optional, but from my perspective if you have an opportunity to make yourself to stand out, why not? As the admissions people say themselves, “You only have one opportunity to make a first impression.” Read more about past optional essay threads here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/19922-optional-essay.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/19922-optional-essay.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/1700193-is-the-supplemental-essay-really-optional.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/1700193-is-the-supplemental-essay-really-optional.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/129096-optional-essay.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-william-mary/129096-optional-essay.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>If other applicants are submitting optional essays and you don’t, how serious will you appear to the adcoms? </p>

<p>I was also under the impression that the optional essays was a way to weed out applicants like @Ctesiphon‌ said. </p>

<p>Remember, if you are truly serious about a particular school, nothing is optional!! </p>

5

<p>Just to beat a dead horse, any optional writing is never really optional in college admissions. </p>