<p>Worth it? or no?</p>
<p>If you write them well, they'll be worth it. Otherwise, no. (Think about it. They wouldn't offer them if they had no chance of affecting your application.)</p>
<p>So....like any other essay, they can either hurt you or help you?</p>
<p>I don't know. I don't want to NOT submit them and have them think "Oh, this girl thinks she's too good to even submit the essays."</p>
<p><a href="mailto:d@mn....I">d@mn....I</a> should have asked them that question when I was there wednesday. oh well lol</p>
<p>If you submit the optional essays, then, yes, they can either hurt or help you. If you choose not to do them, they say they will have no effect on your application (as in they won't discredit you for not putting in more work to write one extra essay). With that taken into consideration, if you think you can write a good essay, then by all means do it--just don't write one that states that Duke's reputation as a party school is the reason you want to attend.</p>
<p>Guess I'll piggyback on this thread.</p>
<p>I'm applying RD using the Common Application and the additional asks for a one -two paragraph response. I wrote the standard 500 word essay (four paragraphs). Should I shorten it to two or should it be fine if I submit it?</p>
<p>So if we chose not to do the optional, its pretty much just whatever is on the common app?</p>
<p>I didn't write anything additional. And I'm writing you from my dorm room on East right now.</p>
<p>If we do the optional essays, do we only pick one to do or can we do two of them?</p>