<p>Ok I was filling out my lehigh application, and I finally am at the essay section. As i'm sure you all know, the application has 5 topics you can choose between</p>
<p>A. What (who) is your favorite color/word/celebrity and why?
B. Step out the front door of your home and tell us what you would change about what you see
C. In choosing a college, you are making one of the biggest decisions of your life. Tell us what you have learned about yourself or other people in the process.
D. What specific form of discrimination concerns you?
E. In reading your file, we try to get to know you as much as possible through what you submit to us. Please provide a statement in any topical area that will increase our understanding of your unique experiences. </p>
<p>I have written a personal statement that I can send to every college I am applying to, because all of them for the 500 word essay are requiring a personal statement. </p>
<p>My question was should I submit my personal statement (which is very strong) to Lehigh, or should I write using one of their other four prompts. Will it increase my chances any if i submit one of the other four essays expressing an interest in their topics. Or would it seem like a cop-out/being lazy/not wanting to write another essay if i submitted prompt "E" my personal statement. I was just wondering this becuase if I don't need to write this essay, I could focus my attention on the other 5 essays I have to write and make them stronger. Also, Lehigh seems to be a slight reach for me.</p>
<p>I was admitted ED to Lehigh and I only wrote one personal statement, selecting choice E on the supplement. Personally, I wasn't as confident as I probably should have been after submitting it, but, I guess it worked.</p>
<p>If Lehigh is a reach, you may want to consider putting your best foot forward and explaining to the admissions officer more about you that you couldn't tie in to your personal statement due to word limitations, etc. Just make sure you vary the topic. If I were an admissions officer, I wouldn't want to sit through another essay that says the same thing about the candidate as the common app personal statement.</p>
<p>But, that's all my personal opinion and speculation. Best of luck.</p>
<p>so you wouldn't want to read through a common app personal statement about a 'significant experience'? also, they don't do common app anyway right?</p>
<p>"so you wouldn't want to read a personal statement about a 'significant experience'?"</p>
<p>No, I said that make sure you choose another topic if you choose to write the supplemental essay. I said that I doubt an admissions officer wants to read about the same significant experience in two essay. Mix it up, show yourself from different angles.</p>
<p>Honestly, if colleges use the commonapp I do not think they care what topic you choose. Just write a personal statement describing myself vividly and it should be fine.</p>
<p>If I use the commonapp, I need to submit 2 essays and 1 Why Lehigh statement? It's kind of confusing.. their regular paper app only requires 1 essay and 1 Why Lehigh essay. Is it really required that I have 2 essays? Its kind of ridiculous.</p>
<p>Why not go the "extra mile" and just do the Lehigh app?
This would let Lehigh know that you took the time to complete their app when you could've taken the "easier" way out and just used the common app.</p>
<p>"Honestly, if colleges use the commonapp I do not think they care what topic you choose. Just write a personal statement describing myself vividly and it should be fine."</p>
<p>The Common app requires a Lehigh supplement be sent in. When you fill out the regular common app to send to all of your schools, you write one personal statement. Then you fill out the Lehigh Supplemental app, which has the Why Lehigh question, and an option to write another essay. For the optional essay you can choose choice E, in which the personal statement on the common app takes the place of that optional essay. </p>
<p>You only are required to write one essay and one why Lehigh short answer. You can write another essay if you want, it can't hurt to describe yourself in another light.</p>
<p>Quoted the wrong person. What I meant to quote was: </p>
<p>"If I use the commonapp, I need to submit 2 essays and 1 Why Lehigh statement? It's kind of confusing.. their regular paper app only requires 1 essay and 1 Why Lehigh essay. Is it really required that I have 2 essays? Its kind of ridiculous."</p>