<p>Hi, I'll be applying to Tufts this fall (rising senior). I love the optional essay prompts, and I was wondering if Tufts would get mad if I sent in two or three, instead of just one. On the one hand, I think it'd show I'm interested in Tufts to write extra essays (on top of the massive required pile for all the schools i'm applying to combined), but on the other hand, I don't want to overload them with stuff they dont want to read.</p>
<p>Any opinions??
Thanks</p>
<p>finish all the required material for all the colleges first then do the additional stuff. But if you are really interested in Tufts - go for it. (Realistically thinking, even if you write more than required it won't hurt your chances;the only downfall is that if they have tons of applicants they probably won't have the time to read everything you submit.</p>
<p>Sweet. I've got rough drafts of all my essays at this point, so I'm feelin' pretty good.</p>
<p>I haven't been looking at the Tufts forum for awhile, but I noticed a poster in italics with the name DanAdmiss@Tufts, who I have an inkling feeling is involved with tufts admission. Dan, if you see this, what's say you?</p>
<p>LOL, Dan would probably say..."Goddamnit, MORE to read?" ;-)</p>
<p>Anyway, I can't speak for him, but you know what I'd do? I'd write a little note that says you were so intrigued by the topics that you wanted to do more than one, and the admissions officer can choose whichever topic most interests THEM to read, haha. Especially since I think the admissions officers sometimes come up with the questions themselves - this way they can maybe choose the one they wrote themselves? Anyway, that's just what I'd do, since I, too, would be concerned about annoying them with extra crap to do.</p>
<p>But yeah, the questions really do spark one's creativity! You sound like a Tufts match to me :) Plus it might make you stand out, who knows.</p>
<p>Hmm... interesting query. </p>
<p>Usually the question is, "Are the essays really optional?" Not "Can I write more than one?"</p>
<p>Here's the balance you have to strike: everything in your application needs to be 'Value Added' not 'Value Repeated.' You don't want the admissions person reading your app to become frustrated with more things to read that don't add greater depth to our understanding of you. We already ask for a lot - the mandatory supplement, the common app, your recs - writing two optional essays that each break new ground could be a tall order. If you feel you can do that, and are inspired enough by the topics to write two additional essays, the short note suggested sounds reasonable to me. But sending in a second optional essay and having it cover worn ground is likely to be more frustrating than fun.</p>
<p>After looking at this year's optional topics, I have essays for the first one (film) and the last one, a creative story. The first one shows depth that wasn't anywhere else in my application, like you said, but the last one is just purely creative, which I'm sure isn't a quality that shows up explicitely anywhere else in my app.</p>
<p>Would it be reasonable to have an order if I send in two? As in, if the people that review my app are only going to read one, I'd prefer if they read the first because it's more directly revealing about my character, but if they choose to read both, that's fine, too?</p>
<p>Thank you very much for responding, I appreciate it!</p>
<p>"Would it be reasonable to have an order if I send in two?"</p>
<p>More than reasonable, that sounds like the prudent thing to do.</p>
<p>Hooray!</p>
<p>Thank you again. :)</p>