Is it okay to write and submit my college essays entirely online?

You can absolutely write your college essays entirely online; in fact, most students do! Using platforms like Google Docs is actually a great idea because they save your work automatically, make editing easy, and allow you to use tools like spell check and comments. One big benefit is that you can easily share your draft with teachers, counselors, or anyone who wants to review your essay—they just need the link.

However, it’s not a good idea to write your essay directly in the application portal’s text box, such as on the Common App. These online forms can sometimes unexpectedly refresh, time out, or have glitches that cause you to lose unsaved work. The text box also doesn’t typically include helpful tools like spell or grammar check. Instead, draft your essays in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, and only copy-and-paste your final version into the portal when you’re finished editing.

As for formatting: when you paste your essay into the Common App essay box, double check things like paragraph spacing and indentation. Sometimes, extra spaces or paragraph indents can get stripped out. The Common App generally recommends using a blank line to separate paragraphs instead of tabs or extra spaces. Before submitting, preview your essay in the application, so you can see exactly how it will look to admissions readers.

For example, if you have a line like:

I grew up in a small town.

My first time leaving home was both exciting and terrifying.

Leaving a blank line between paragraphs like above usually keeps the breaks clear when you submit. Avoid heavy formatting like bold, italics, or unusual fonts, since those don’t always transfer over.

To sum up: it's totally fine (and preferred by many) to draft your essays online, just be sure to keep backups and do a final formatting check after pasting your essay into the application. This way, you’ll avoid any stressful surprises at the last moment!