<p>The commonapp essay asks us to give reasons for transferring. my question is:</p>
<p>-Would it be "off-topic" or wrong to write about how I was doing poorly in high school (with reasons etc) for most of the essay and then dedicating my last 2 (for example) paragraphs to my improvement in college, and conclude by giving a succinct/good reason for transferring???</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>P.S If you want further details, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>hmom/entomom, where art thou?</p>
<p>yes.</p>
<p>the “why transfer” essay is supposed to be why you’re a perfect fit for the college you want to transfer into.</p>
<p>Yeah, but the commonapp is an essay that’s “common” for the 12+ colleges I’m applying to.</p>
<p>I find that pretty tricky too actually. How do you distinguish between your common app essay and an essay on a supplement that asks you specifically why it would be a good place for you (i.e. Brown, Cornell, Stanford) without making them sound the same? I’ve tried to create a distinction between the two by making my common app essay focus on general reasons for transferring and my objectives so that it could apply to all the colleges I’m applying to whereas on the supplements, I’ve tried to focus primarily on why I want to transfer into their school and why I’d be a good fit. Still though. I can see how that can be confusing especially in that you want to avoid being repetitive and get straight to the point.</p>
<p>I see what you mean. YOU seem fine… I just think that writing the essay I have in mind (check first post) would do a perfect job at showing my HS–>college transition</p>
<p>I say go for it. It doesn’t seem off topic since it eventually leads into the reasons of why you want to transfer. I don’t think you can go wrong with writing an honest and genuine essay.</p>
<p>Thanks for the support! Anyone else… this strikes me as the type of question that needs 10+ answers and a general consensus… no idea why I said that. lol</p>
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<p>If a college you’re applying to doesn’t have a supplement that asks ‘Why school X?’, as rachel referred to, then you should customize your CA main essay to state both why you want to transfer in general and why you want to transfer to that specific school. You can make alternate versions of the CA and modify essays or anything else.</p>
<p>^Agree. I also don’t know why you’d focus most of any essay about doing poorly in HS. I could see mentioning it on the way to using the space to talk about what you’ve done since.</p>
<p>hmom5 is right. Don’t spend time on the negatives. Tell how you have matured and gained focus and improved your grades in college and you are ready for more challenge, (or whatever). Don’t dwell on what you did wrong in the past.</p>
<p>I agree with the consensus, but I’d have to read it to give substantive feedback beyond a glib “yes, it’s the wrong approach.”</p>
<p>Okay. So I know exactly what to do now… Thanks, guys!</p>
<p>P.S The only school that doesn’t have a supplemental essay seems to be Vanderbilt…</p>