Is it really necessary to write 27 college essays?

Seeing that number can definitely feel overwhelming, but you're not alone—many students applying to a similar number of schools end up with 20+ supplements. Some schools are definitely more essay-heavy (think the Ivies, UChicago, Georgetown, or most liberal arts colleges), while larger public universities often only require the main personal statement or have shorter responses. It's quite typical for a 10-15 school list to yield this many essays, especially when honors programs and scholarships have additional requirements.

There are smart ways to reduce the workload. First, look for overlap in prompts: many schools ask about 'Why this major?', 'Why this college?', or a memorable extracurricular activity. You can recycle and adapt essays as long as you meet each prompt's specific requirements and personalize details. For example, if several schools ask about a community you belong to, you can draft one solid essay and tweak the ending to fit each school’s word limit or institutional vibe.

You can also batch your writing. For instance, if 3 schools want a diversity essay, brainstorm a single story with flexible details. Students sometimes keep a repository of core essays and custom-tailor introductions, closing lines, or specific references (like campus clubs or programs) for each school.

In terms of managing the work, creating a spreadsheet—as you already did—is huge. Try to break the essays down by due date, type, and word count, and tackle them in phases: brainstorm, outline, draft, revise. Setting aside specific hours each week for essays will help spread out the work and reduce last-minute stress. Some students report using their summer before senior year to complete as many drafts as possible.

Here’s a real example: One student had to write eleven supplements on top of the Common App essay. She started by writing a master 'Why This Major' essay, which she was able to trim (or expand) for any school asking variants of that prompt. For 'community' or 'diversity' prompts, she reused a formative experience, then tailored the conclusions.

In summary: yes, the number can be daunting, but recycling, smart planning, and starting early make a big difference. If you keep organized and reuse where it makes sense, 27 essays becomes much more manageable.