<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I was wondering, would it be helpful to write your Common App essay in advance?</p>
<p>I mean, more time to write/proofread/improve an essay can't hurt, and the main essay doesn't really have guidelines - they don't ask for a specific length or topic. </p>
<p>By doing this, I could get a headstart on the college application process and dedicate my senior year to specific colleges' essays, and have more time/less pressure to finish everything. Does this sound like a good plan?</p>
<p>I imagine that most people write theirs in advance. Or at least have a first outline in advance.
I’m guessing you are a junior at the moment? That is probably a bit earlier than most people write their essays.
You could write a few essays about different things. And the ones you don’t need for your Common Application might just fit the supplements. </p>
<p>But as I’m writing this, I just thought of something. The supplemental essay a college asks for might be similar to what you want to write for the Common Application. Like Tufts is “Let your life speak, describe environment you were raised in blah blah blah.” That’s along the lines of what I had initially written for my CommonApp essay. Colleges want to learn about the different sides you have, they don’t want all of your essays to be the same. If you invest so much time and work in you essay and it turns out you can’t really use it because it’s too similar to one of the supplemental essays I imagine that you’d be pretty frustrated.</p>
<p>What a great idea! Don’t be like me - I still have to finish mine…</p>
<p>It’s tough transitioning from the standard essays you have to write in school to a personal essay for college apps. The more time to practice and edit, the better!</p>