Is a college essay required for all college applications?

Not every college requires a personal statement or essay, so the amount of writing you'll need to do really depends on the schools you’re applying to. Here’s a breakdown to clarify things:

Most private colleges, especially competitive ones, do require a personal statement. When you apply through the Common App, almost all of these schools want you to submit the main Common App essay, which is a 650-word response to one of their prompts. Some schools will also require supplemental essays that ask about topics like 'Why this college?' or specific interests; these are in addition to the main essay.

For public universities, requirements are more varied. Large state school systems (like the University of California or the University of Texas) do require essays or personal insight questions, but many other public universities and state schools either make the essay optional or don’t require one at all, especially for in-state students. For example, Michigan State University, University of Alabama, and some others don’t require a personal statement as part of their basic application, but there may still be prompts for specific scholarships or programs.

Community colleges almost never require essays. Their admissions process is designed to be as accessible as possible, so usually you just need to fill out basic forms, submit your transcript, and that’s it.

To make it concrete: If you’re applying to Harvard, NYU, and Stanford, you’ll absolutely need to write a Common App essay and several supplementals. If you’re applying to Rutgers or University of Wisconsin, check their admissions sites—Rutgers does not require an essay for general admission, while Wisconsin does. If you’re applying to a local community college, you likely won’t need to write any essays at all.

The best approach is to make a spreadsheet or list of your prospective colleges and check their application requirements on their admissions websites. That way, you won’t spend extra time stressing about essays you might not need. But if you’re considering any private or competitive schools, planning ahead to draft a strong personal statement over the summer is a smart move!

If you share your college list, I can help look up the requirements for each—just let me know!