<p>Hiya all! I'm finally buckling down and starting my supplement essay <em>Gulp</em></p>
<p>Meh. To be honest, I don't like any of the prompts. So...option #5 is staring at me. Does is look bad if I pick the choose your own prompt? I know it's there for a reason, but should it be more of a last resort? </p>
<p>Also, I was looking at some previous UofC essay prompts and found quite a few that are right up my alley. Would I be allowed to answer one of the older prompts under option 5, or would that not be considered "Create a prompt of your own" or whatever the exact words are on the common app.</p>
<p>I have one that I'm already itching to write and let me tell you, that's a very refreshing feeling after almost two months of writers block. </p>
<p>So send me some feedback or ask questions and what not, thanks! :)</p>
<p>Don’t sweat it. I wrote mine the week before I sent in my EA application.</p>
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<p>Why would that look bad? If it did, then they wouldn’t offer it as a choice. If you can come up with a prompt better than the ones they have, then by all means write on it.</p>
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<p>This is debatable. Look around for some other threads on this. There are at least two fairly recent ones.</p>
<p>Writing your own prompt gives them an extra little bit to understanding who you are – it can be a good thing. Just make sure to draft your prompt around what’s there and the ones of the past, or could end up being a bad thing.</p>
<p>I wrote my opinion on another thread that JB is referring to, but I can offer my advice here as well (look at those other threads for more opinion). Unless you have an incredibly unique concept to the prompt, I wouldn’t do it. Those essays have already been discussed, and therefore, the admissions office <em>might</em> think “hmmm, are they taking the easy way out and found an idea from another essay?” Do they think that? I don’t know, as I’ve never been involved with the admitting process…</p>