Is it okay to reuse my college essays for different schools?

Reusing parts of your essays for different colleges is actually a common and practical strategy—especially when you encounter similar prompts, like the "Why this major?" or the classic "Tell us about an activity that's important to you." As long as you personalize your responses appropriately for each school, admissions officers generally won’t view it negatively. What matters most is that the essay fits the prompt and feels tailored, especially for the supplements.

For instance, if a prompt at two schools asks about overcoming a challenge, it's fine to adapt the same story. But be sure to read each prompt carefully and adjust your essay’s focus or wording if needed to match what they’re specifically asking. Where you need to be most cautious is with "Why this school?" essays. These should be as school-specific as possible because admissions readers are looking for evidence that you’ve really thought about what excites you about their particular community, resources, or programs. Copy-pasting generic content here can definitely come across as disinterest or lack of effort.

A good rule: share core stories and themes that truly represent you, but tweak intros, conclusions, and school-specific details so you’re answering the prompt authentically each time. For example, you might use your personal statement about growing up in a bilingual household for multiple schools, but you’d want to change up your response if you’re applying to a language-focused program versus a STEM program—emphasizing the aspects about communication or problem-solving that match the major and the college’s values.

In short, it’s totally fine to reuse essays wherever prompts overlap, just make sure the content is relevant and the reader can tell you wrote it with their school in mind. This will save you time without risking your applications. Many students do this successfully each year!