<p>I am applying for six schools as a transfer student, and I have questions on how to write the essays. I know that it's important to not repeat what you've just said in another essay for the same school, but sometimes it's just really hard to set the topics apart.
The Brown essay has a topic on: Why are you seeking to leave your current undergraduate college?
And the general common App essay question is : Reasons for transferring and objective I want to achieve.
How can I not repeat when the questions are so similar?I know their are a lot of suggestions to be specific with that school when the question is why transferring to X and general reasons for common app to "why transferring?" I don't see any specific reasons why I decided to leave my current undergraduate BECAUSE of Brown. And I wanted to add in the part of why I decided to leave my current undergraduate in my common App essay. Since the story and reasons are basically the same, how can I manage to make the two essays sound different. I also don't want to leave out some important part in the common App essay because I've written it in the Brown essay, and not let the other colleges that I'm also applying not get some important messages.
...very confused right now...
Please give me some advice, and feel free to ask me if my question wasn't clear enough.
Thank you sooo much!!:)</p>
<p>gosh, I really wish I was experienced enough to help you with this problem. I just wanted to post a reply of some sort because I know how irritating it is to watch your “viewed” numbers rise and rise but have zero actual replies! So, from my completely naive point of view, here’s the best advice I can come up with, which is probably no better than what your own common sense has already told you (but in my experience we usually tend to overcomplicate and second guess things when really we SHOULD just listen to our initial, common sense assumptions):</p>
<p>It seems to me that you’re very right about the common app thing- that part is what ALL of the schools will see, so you DEFINITELY want to have all of the most pertinent, compelling information in that essay. Go ahead and explain why you’re leaving your current school in that one.
For the Brown essay I would make a quick reference to that and then add some of the reasons why Brown in particular is the right school for you. That information appears to be crucial to admissions decisions. So, make Brown seem like the only school in the world that you could achieve all your dreams at, be very specific about programs, teachers, etc., and then my advice would be to just tell a story about yourself. Some kind of unique, interesting story that really lets them hear your voice (as in, don’t be generic, show them who YOU are, to the core) but also ties into why you want to leave and where you want to go. That will give the essays an undeniably separate sort of “flavor” but while keeping them both relevant and on-topic. </p>
<p>Again, totally naive poster here, so my advice might be worth dirt lol, I don’t know, but I hope that helps in some way. I just wanted to give you some feedback!! Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, chasethecarrot !!
I find it quite helpful. I’ll try revising my brown essay to make it more specific.
and actually I’ve come up with an idea to create an alternate version of common app
for Brown, so that I could make the brown essay and common app essay for brown
different, and still let the other college know some important parts that I’ve already put in Brown essay .Don’t know if this would work though…</p>
<p>It’s kind of hard to answer in generalities, because the specific prompts you suggest are overlapping.</p>
<p>If you would like, I would be happy to look at draft(s) that you have and suggest how you might divide the material for two different prompts. I do review a lot of essays. If you would like that, then PM your essay to me and provide an email contact.</p>
<p>In the example you give here, I would make the “why leaving your current college” focus on what you have now found are your needs/wants that are not best obtained at your current school. For the other question, I would focus more on why Brown, specifically, offers what you are seeking.</p>