Should I Do Optional Essays

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I live in Texas and I am in the top 2% of my class. I'm not worried about admission to my colleges that I am applying to (University of Houston, UT Dallas, UT Austin, TX A&M), but I am worried about scholarships.</p>

<p>I have a certain weakness in my writing skills and my writing is probably just average. However, if I write a bad essay but the essay was optional, will that affect my chances to get scholarships?</p>

<p>Also, will a bad essay ruin chances for a merit based scholarship?</p>

2

<p>How about if you get some editing help with your essays? Revise/edit/take criticism/etc. Because generally “optional” essays aren’t really “optional”…</p>

3

<p>I’m still doing them, but I’m just wondering if it will affect my chances of getting a scholarship if the essay is not well written.</p>

4

<p>Oh, I forgot to mention. In Texas, there is the 10% rule, where anybody in the top 10% is automatically accepted to any public schools in the state.</p>

5

<p>Well, if it has typos, grammatical errors, or the topic is not well conceived and well executed, I suppose it could. But if you have a good editor to help you brainstorm topics, then someone to review and give feedback multiple times as you work through drafts and revisions, it seems like you should be able to produce something serviceable.</p>

6

<p>What if the school gives out merit-based scholarships? I have good grades overall so I’m not worried about the grade and score requirements.</p>

<p>Can a bad optional essay hurt chances at getting a merit based scholarship?</p>

7

<p>Yes, of course it can. But so can no optional essay. The kids who do GOOD optional essays will likely do better in the scholarship competition. So the answer is to do a GOOD optional essay, not a bad one. If you need to get some editing support and go through a lot of revisions to get there, then do that. The optional essays are usually a way to add another dimension/make yourself known to the scholarship committee. It is wise to take that opportunity and put in enough work ahead of time to do a good job on it.</p>