<p>I did it, it was one of the better essays I wrote.</p>
<p>Deferred. </p>
<p>Waste of time.</p>
<p>didnt do it...
i figure they have enough essays to read/ work to do so being concise will work to my advatage (plus they've already seen my writing ability both creative and serious in the common app/ other parts of suppliment so this felt somewhat redundant)
i also took "truly optional" at face value...</p>
<p>truly optional because if they cannot decide between two candidates, that little essay could make THE difference</p>
<p>Bluewhitebulldog: It absolutely doesn't.</p>
<p>I really wouldn't do it unless you've got a lot of time left over and feel like taking a stab at it. I mean, it's useless. Great writers will have already made that clear in their other essays.</p>
<p>This is just useless.</p>
<p>^^ if it was useless, im 100% sure they wouldn't have included it as part of their application ... lol....</p>
<p>Well, it doesn't help or hurt your application, so... I don't know. It's up to you, I guess.</p>
<p>why don't you guys just go through the ED official decisions thread...
people indicated whether they wrote the optional essay for not. and this way, you can also learn more about the app and really see that the essay doesn't matter</p>
<p>@ stanfordluver: the name of my wife fit in with the theme of the piece :P
But my future spouse deserves a name, right??</p>
<p>I looked at this essay more as something to show a different side of me that's non-academic, non-extracurricular, and unpolished.
I really poured my heart into this one.</p>
<p>I saw the p. 217 essay as the chance to show my creative side. I think that my Common Ap essay and my Why Penn essay were strong and well-written, but they were not "creative" per se (and based more on "fact"). I really had fun with the p. 217 essay. It projected myself about 10-12 years into the future.</p>
<p>@ Amadeuic, how could it not help / not hurt your application? I'm pretty sure if it's an outstanding essay, it will help. If it's complete c.rap then i'm sure that would hurt your application as well.. Am i missing something?</p>
<p>hmm i don't think it'll harm your application but since they've given you another section for you to express your creativity/writing skills, why not make use of it?</p>
<p>my 217 essay was sorta like a supplement to my common app essay. but it was actually my 2nd berkeley essay :P i mean, your page 217 can be your present or future right? after all it is YOUR biography, it can be written any way you like. just my opinion.</p>
<p>I was planning on writing about my life thus far. Would it be appropriate to write it about a sports injury and how I struggled through it? I kind of just want to put that on the table as an excuse as to why I had to stop participating in the sport, though. lol</p>
<p>OK
OK
OK
OK
I want to disagree now. The thing is that, they say biography. That means that, if New York Times comes to you and asks for a story, you will give the name of your wife?
If the essay was irrelevant, they would not put it up there. They probably will comapre your comm app essay to the page 217 and see if it has the same voice and expressions.
They do not use this essay all the time, but it important too.</p>