two stupid questions

Applying to College
1

I know that what I’m asking will seem funny to many, but in my country we get no information for american colleges, so this is the only place i can ask for advice.

  1. In order to verify our ECs we have to include some cerificates. Do we attach the real ones or a photocopy of them?
  2. Most applications require essays and LORs. Should these be different for every college or can we have one and use it for all applications?
    Once again I know these questions are stupid, but i cant help asking them here
2

Your questions are not stupid. With that clearified, its just an honor system, they don’t ask for proofs of ECs but often varify it with your high school. You use same LORs and recycling an essay is perfectly fine.

3
  1. AFAIK, applicants do not have to attach certificates to verify their EC. In rare cases, AOs might request further information, but for the most part, you do not have to worry about supplying verifiable documents.
  2. If you apply through the Common Application, most if not all colleges will require a maximum 650-word personal statement essay. This essay will be submitted to all colleges that you apply to. Aside from that, some institutions require supplemental essays that are specific to each school.
  3. Speaking from my personal experience, teachers write general LORs to be sent to all colleges that you apply to. However, my guess is that this might be a matter of personal preference, so it would be best to ask your teachers or counselors to double-check.
4

@CupCakeMuffins thank you very much!

5
  1. No you do not have to verify your ECs. It is entirely a take you at your word thing. However, please note that some schools have been known to verify, UC schools will randomly verify applications from time to time. 2 years ago someone on the 2016 Parent thred had a kid that was asked to prove a claim about Science Fair participation.
  2. You should be certain that your essays reflect the writing prompt. Sometimes you can use an essay multiple times, others you will have to write a specific response. The Common Application,and the Coalition Application, which many schools use, booth use one main essay promote response (you choose which essay to respond to from a set of 5 or so topics). However some schools then also have supplemental essays that are individual to the school. So it really depends on the schools you are applying to. My own kids had approximately three main essays that they were able to use to respond to the majority of their essays prompts with just some minor reworking. It is not unusual for a student applying to approximately 8 schools to write upwards of 16 essays. Also know that honors college applications and scholarship applications have essays that are often very specific and it is nearly impossible to re use essays in that situation.
  3. LORS, again if you are using the Common Application, your teachers will write one letter and it will be uploaded to multiple schools so it is usually pretty generic.

So it really depends on the specific schools your are applying to and what application platform you are using. Good Luck.

6

With so many applicants, schools can defer verification of submissions until after admissions have been decided, when they can afford to be thorough.

7

@ultimatesat @labegg @vonlost Thank you all for the useful information!

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If you want information about American colleges in your country, go to educationusa.state.gov and it will refer you to an advising center in your country.

9

@constantdoer on the LOR, my son applied to two colleges (ED for one and the other was rolling prior to the ED cycle. If he was rejected, he had more schools lined up to apply to) and each set was personalized to both the applicant (my son) and the university for which he was applying.

At the end of his junior year of HS (next to last) he approached the two teachers and one coach/teacher who he wanted to recommend him and asked them in a note card (not an index card, but stationary) if they would write applications for him. He told them he was going to apply to the US Naval Academy which requires not only recommendations to the institution but also to his congressmen (3) and the University of Chicago. In the note he stated that he felt that the US Naval Academy would be looking for examples of his leadership and integrity and if the recommendor thought he displayed those characteristics, would they include that in their recommendations. He then offered that the University of Chicago would be looking for a genuine love of learning and integrity and again if they felt that he did display that to include it.

In the end he was accepted to both (chose UChicago). He never read his recommendations, but believed that the teachers put a lot of effort in them and probably these were a big plus in his application. I say this, because some teachers get asked for many of these letters and sometimes they don’t put in a lot of thought. My oldest son knows for a fact that when he applied two years prior to the son mentioned above, that one of his recommenders sent in a form letter that didn’t include my son’s name.

So while, you may find it acceptable to use the same LORs for every school you apply, it might not be the best to do so, depending on the school you are applying.

So some lessons learned:
1> ask early
2> ask formally and give some insight on what the university might like to see
3> Thank them afterwards (my son did that with a very nice thank you note)
4> Update them when you get accepted or not. This feedback will be appreciated. Again my son included a gift (coffee mug of his future university) with the update.

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@bopper @BrianBoiler thank you both very much!