<p>I got an e-mail awhile ago from Yale that "encouraged" me to use my QuestBridge essays as the CommonApp essay. By "encouraged" do they mean they actually would like me to use the QB essay or do they mean that I am just allowed to if I want to?</p>
<p>Also, if I use one of my QB essays for the CommonApp essay, I would like to edit it a bit because I'm not sure if it is exactly how I want it to be. Would this be okay to do, even though the colleges would see that the CommonApp essay is clearly just an edited version of one of my QB essays?</p>
<p>You’re allowed to do it. I think they want to lighten the essay-writing load on kids, reassure them that they won’t be penalized for recycling, and perhaps read a few thousand less essays themselves. But it’s fine.</p>
<p>Go for it. Colleges know that essays are recycled. [I personally wouldn’t do this for QB partner schools, because a) they might not realize that it’s slightly different and read only the QB version (though this is unlikely) and b) I’d like the extra opportunity to explain something new about myself. Consider making alternate versions of the Common App, one for QB partners and another for other schools, and uploading different essays.]</p>
<p>Use whatever essays you feel are your best. Reusing your QB essays is fine. Editing your QB essays and using them is fine. Using new essays is fine. The schools which request the Common App and supplement have always been a little vague as to how they actually use the QB app in RD. I’ve just read references to them being used for “supplemental information.” If you feel your QB essays are your best, I would not hesitate for a second to reuse them. Students I’ve known who reused their essays have done just fine in RD. On the other hand, if you feel you have other essays now that are better, use those.</p>