<p>One of my school's English teachers just College Essay-carolled from junior classroom to classroom, and, though the conversation scared and startled me, it got me thinking about supplemental essays, too because the common app essay seems like a daunting place to start. Are there any supplements that tend not to change from year to year? I'm asking primarily about highly selective schools. Stanford, for example, seems to ask its "roommate,""intellectual vitality,"and "what matters" essays again and again, and UChicago does the same with "favorite things" and "Why UofC." Anything else to add to the list?</p>
<p>Basically “Why Our College” question almost always appears in some way on every single selective college’s supplements. You also WILL tend to see the same supplements every year, it’s just set for schools that are over a century old. Don’t feel too daunted for the college essays! Just be yourself, write what you genuinely want to express, and make the admissions officer love your personality in a few hundred words. Don’t think too much about what your topic should be, because the topic that first comes to mind will probably be the one that you can honestly write about without being pretentious or squeezing out ideas. </p>
<p>There’s also an extracurricular activity essay(usually 150 or 250 words) which many colleges use.
Some schools may even require a “topic of your choice” essay.</p>