What to write for optional application essay

<p>I was filling out the Clemson application when I got up to the "Candidates Comments" section. It calls for a brief 1-2 paragraph essay about anything that could be "important in the evaluation of your application , including your academic background, other achievements. educational objectives, or career goals." I'm not too sure what to write for this. How am I supposed to write about my academic background? What educational objectives are they looking for? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks</p>

<p>I was wondering about that too when I filled out the Clemson application so I called the admissions office. They said that it is optional and that you should only really use it it if you need to explain a “blot” on your transcript (for example, why you only took 2 years of foreign language instead of 3, why you withdrew from a certain class, etc.). They are basically just looking for something that will help explain anything that might detract from your application at first glance. If you have any outstanding academic achievement that you feel would greatly benefit your application, then you could go ahead and briefly mention that too. I hope that helps! Good luck with the admissions process!</p>

<p>I think that section like BedfordTiger is just to explain anything the admissions committee may want to take into consideration when reviewing your application (family circumstances that led to poor grades for example) or something that you may want to emphasize on your application. Or it could be why you want to go to Clemson!</p>

<p>Pierre, I already submitted my application to Clemson this past Monday. I just wrote about my high school and my future ambitions with a degree from Clemson (fingers crossed)</p>

<p>Sounds great! Best of luck to you!</p>

<p>I used one of my common app essays, haha!!! I just didn’t want to leave it blank. </p>

<p>If I leave it blank, will it count against me? Will they think I don’t care as much? (Clemson is my #2)
Should I try to force something? Or is will they be able to tell if I did that?</p>

<p>Not writing it doesn’t show that you don’t care. However, writing it shows that you do. Make sense? Don’t just force something out. They will see write through that. If you can write a well thought out essay, do it! If not, it’s better not to do it because you don’t want it to hurt you</p>

<p>^agreed</p>

<p>@pierre0913‌ Hi Pierre, quick question. I have a relatively low GPA (about 3.3) at a competitive high school but my SAT scores are very good (1410 2pt, 2120 3pt). However, I was wondering if submitting the scores from a Math I subject test that I took would increase my chances at all. Does Clemson even accept/consider subject tests? Thanks for the help</p>

<p>@mcavs15‌ - they probably will look at them if you submit them but I don’t know if it would increase your chances if your SAT scores are already good (just how I see it, you can ask the admissions office if they accept/consider them and see what they say)</p>