Should I fill out the optional supplemental essays/questions for my safety schools?
I would assume that if I don’t fill out these questions they’ll easily realize that they’re the safe option (they wouldn’t be wrong).
For some reason these are the longest essays and questions too. Baylor has a 650 word optional essay and Providence has a 500 while my matches and reaches generally have 250 words prompts.
Fill them out, even if it’s just copying and pasting a supplement (do make sure to change names!!) you used for another school. There are, in most cases, no “optional” supplements if you truly want to maximize your chances of admission.
Hope that helps!
I have a different viewpoint. Using Baylor as an example, their CDS (https://www.baylor.edu/ir/doc.php/350794.pdf ) shows that essays are only considered while test scores, class rank, and rigor are very important. I wouldn’t worry about optional essays but do work on the required ones. IMO the optional ones are for students on the edges. Good Luck
If they are admissions-type essays/questions, I would think an AO would look at an applicant that didn’t bother with them as one who isn’t really that interested. It may not make a different in the decision, but I would think it might knock out a candidate on the borderline.
If it’s a “are there extenuating circumstances”-type question, then no.
If you’re going to answer them, then make the effort to answer them effectively. Unless it’s on the exact same topic, cut and pasting an answer that doesn’t address the topic is probably worse than leaving it blank.