<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Are there any rules for using an essay for multiple colleges (except the commonapp essay, of course). Most colleges I am applying to are on the commonapp, but one is not.</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>There’s no rules against using the same essay multiple times for all of your colleges, if that’s what you meant. But if you do use the same essay, you may have to change it around a little to make sure it directly responds to the question the college is asking. If it’s a “Why do you want to go to college x” essay, then change it for each school so it refers to specific aspects of the school to which you’re applying. </p>
<p>Oh, and if you’re applying to say, UChicago, don’t try to use the “find x” essay for another school, because with unique essay questions, it will be pretty obvious if you’re just using another school’s essay to apply to their school.</p>
<p>I hope that’s what you were getting at!</p>
<p>There are lots of other helpful threads on CC about responding to the pesky, “Why this college?” prompts. But here’s a hint: If you are trying to recycle one of those essays and you’re finding that you can do it pretty easily, then you might want to rewrite your essay. The good ones are very specific to the schools they are about. They shouldn’t sound like a Mad Lib. (“I want to go to a college where the weather is ___________ and where the size of the student body is ___________”).</p>
<p>Sure, you can use the same general format for each (e.g., quoting conversations you had with current students or describing atypical academic programs that cry out to you and explaining why). But if you find that one “Why this college?” essay seems very easy to use elsewhere, then this may be a sign that you should go back to the drawing board and try again.</p>