<p>So what's the deal with optional essays? My instinct tells me that I should just take the time to do it - it probably shows more interest, shows you put more work and thought into your application, etc.</p>
<p>But is it really necessary, or looked down upon if you don't do the optional essay?</p>
<p>There is a 150 word optional essay for Penn's supplement, a paragraph optional essay for Chicago on a book, and an optional supplement with no specified length at the end of the MIT application.</p>
<p>If you’re really interested in a school, you’ll genuinely WANT to do the optional essay.
I don’t think anyone but the adcom knows if it’s looked down upon or not. Do it if you want to, don’t do it if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>Many times, if the essay is really optional, it’s best to do it if you think it can add something to your application- if you think you can really convey yourself more through it.</p>
<p>I was more curious to not so much the optional essays with a real prompt, but merely the optional essays that just ask if you want to include anything more about you that you didnt have a chance to speak about in the essays.</p>
<p>For example, MIT’s optional essay after the short essay section is this:</p>
<p>"(Optional) No admission application can meet the needs of every individual. If you think additional information or material will give us a more thorough impression of you, please respond below."</p>
<p>If I fill this out, I’m afraid that I might seem repetitive because I covered a lot in the short essays that supplement my biographical information pretty well.</p>