<p>Is this 150 word essay truly optional or will the admissions committee actually be considering it as a legitimate essay? I feel like anything I try to squeeze into the word limit will be redundant or unnecessary and I'm already pressed for time. What exactly are they looking for in the essay anyway? I've already expressed all of my interests in my other essays and my activities list :/</p>
<p>Think about it this way: if you don’t do it, it will just show how much you care about matriculating.</p>
<p>Optional in the application process means mandatory</p>
<p>You should probably do it. But it’s really confusing because how can they expect you to write something significant in 150 words? You just gotta be as straightforward as you can I guess…</p>
<p>I figured as much. I wouldn’t mind filling it if the prompt wasn’t so in depth. If it was just ‘tell us something interesting about yourself’ I could write it within the world limit, but it’s asking about identity, talents, etc. and how it relates to dad-to-day life which is ridiculously broad, in my opinion, for a piece that’s supposed to be ‘short’.</p>
<p>^That’s exactly what I’m saying.</p>
<p>There are literally infinite things you could write about, or approaches you could take. Ugh. Penn. So frustrating.</p>
<p>Think: “elevator pitch”…</p>
<p>I’m not doing the “I’m good at art, music, swimming, etc” approarch. I’m going for more of a character trait that incorporates all of my activites. Sorta like a “nudge nudge” I have this kind of personality but in a subtle way. I don’t think mine is going to exceed the limit if I do it that way. :|</p>
<p>It’s actually optional. You don’t have to write anything there and I don’t think it’d be held against you.</p>
<p>However, that being said, the optional essay is a chance for you to express some aspect about yourself that you want the admissions officers to see – especially if it’s an aspect that isn’t super flushed out in other parts of your app. If the rest of your app speaks for itself, then you probably don’t have to bother with the optional essay. But in my opinion, any opportunity to show off your writing skills or present something interesting is worth taking.</p>
<p>So optional isn’t really “mandatory” – it’s optional. But it can only help your chances.</p>
<p>Very well said, legendofmax. So, just treat it as a challenging opportunity…</p>
<p>I wrote this essay for Penn… it was 330 words.
I figure that is close enough.</p>