<p>if the college has an optional essay, does it hurt NOT to do it?</p>
<p>Well, what is the prompt?</p>
<p>LOL! Depends on the prompt, your major and strengths, your writing ability and the school. Some schools say optional and they are looking for creativity and such stuff to put more meat on the bone so to speak. Others have too many essays to read already and dont really want another one unless you think it will substantially aid them in determining your abilities and your fit to the school. There is no one pat answer to this question.</p>
<p>Know thyself and know thy school is my answer.</p>
<p>the prompt, for most schools that I'm looking at, is basically...TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF BECAUSE THE COMMON APP MAY BE INSUFFICIENT</p>
<p>thanks friedokra...you've helped me out on multiple threads</p>
<p>If it's worded like that, I wouldn't say it's optional. Wording which is optional is something like:</p>
<p>Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you?</p>
<p>And either way . . . say something!! If you're on the bubble, it could help you get accepted. When it's left blank, it's usually interpreted as "this applicant has nothing interesting to say and therefore won't be an asset to our school" or "He doesn't care enough to say something therefore I'm going to admit someone who does care."</p>
<p>^ BUT if your common app essay does say enough about you, I wouldn't bother to write it (if time/stress are factors).</p>
<p>The common application essay will not explain why you think this particular school is a good fit for you, so there should always be something you can say.</p>