How should I approach the Common App essay if I’m applying to Drexel?

For Drexel, your Common App personal statement does not need to be tailored specifically to the school. It should stay broadly personal and focus on helping admissions understand who you are, how you think, what matters to you, and what experiences have shaped you.

The best use of that essay is to tell a story only you could tell. That usually means choosing a specific moment, challenge, interest, or value and showing it through concrete details rather than trying to sound impressive or list accomplishments.

If you force Drexel-specific details into the Common App essay, it can feel unnatural. School-specific fit is usually better handled in supplemental responses, especially if Drexel asks why you are interested, what you want to study, or how you would use opportunities there.

A good rule is this: if you could submit the essay to another college and it would still make perfect sense, that is completely fine for the Common App. The essay should be about you first, not the college.

The one exception is if Drexel is directly connected to the story in a real, central way. For example, if a Drexel summer program, campus experience, or interaction genuinely changed your goals, it could appear briefly. But even then, the focus should stay on your growth, not on praising the school.

So the short answer is: keep the Common App essay personal and not school-specific, unless Drexel naturally belongs in the story. Save direct Drexel tailoring for any supplemental writing.