I was looking through the common application, and there are a lot of optional essays such as the one for Northwestern. It It says it’s optional although highly recommended, but will it negatively affect my admission if I choose not to do it?
Can you 100% guarantee that you can get into said schools by doing the minimum? (The answer for Northwestern is definitely no). If not, it’s in your best interest to do the “optional” essays, unless it is explicitly stated somewhere that not doing so won’t affect your application.
Unless the school is somewhere that is certainly a safety, or you’re not really bothered about whether you get in, it is in your best interest to do anything that is “optional.” Colleges will see not doing so as a lack of genuine interest in applying (even if that isn’t really the case).
I would consider “Optional (Highly recommended)” on par with “Mandatory.”