Is it okay to submit the same Common App essay to multiple colleges?

Yes, you can absolutely submit the same Common App personal essay to all the schools you're applying to that use the Common App. In fact, that's exactly how the system is designed to function. The personal statement is meant to be your core story: something that reveals who you are, what matters to you, or what has shaped you. Admissions readers expect you to use the same personal statement across all Common App schools.

There’s no expectation to tailor your main Common App essay for each college. Instead, you should focus your energy on making sure that one essay is outstanding. This means really having a truly unique and impactful "concept", one that will leave admissions officers even thinking about it into their lunch break. It's your chance to show your voice and stand out!

The place to be college-specific is in the supplemental essays — these are the shorter questions that many colleges include in their application. A prompt like “Why do you want to attend our university?” is where personalization is crucial. For those, you should mention specific programs, values, or features unique to that college — and here's the kicker — exactly what YOU would do with those programs and how you'd fit into the values. But! Your Common App personal statement should be universal.

The only time you’d write more than one “main” essay is if you’re also applying to schools that don’t use the Common App (like the UC personal insight questions) or if you apply to a school that gives you the option to swap out the essay. In those rare cases, you might customize your main essay or write a new one. But for the vast majority of schools using the Common App, submit the same personal essay each time.

Keep refining that one essay and don’t worry about making different versions for each school. Put that extra effort into meaningful supplemental responses instead!!