How many college essays is it realistic to plan for?
Right now I’m working on my main Common App personal statement, but as I go through each school's website, I’m realizing that there are so many supplemental essays too. Some colleges seem to want two or three extra essays, and others just want the main one.
For those of you who have already gone through the process or are doing it now, how many essays did you actually end up writing in total? Were there ways you reused essays for different prompts, or did you feel like you had to start from scratch each time? Trying to figure out how much time I should set aside for writing this fall.
For those of you who have already gone through the process or are doing it now, how many essays did you actually end up writing in total? Were there ways you reused essays for different prompts, or did you feel like you had to start from scratch each time? Trying to figure out how much time I should set aside for writing this fall.
4 months ago
•
15 views
Camille Luong
• 4 months ago
Advisor
You’re definitely not alone in feeling surprised by the number of essays! The number of essays you end up writing depends a lot on the number of schools you apply to and the kind of colleges on your list. Realistically, if you’re applying to 8-12 schools (which is pretty typical), you might find yourself writing anywhere from 10 to 25 essays by the end of the process.
Here’s why: besides the main Common App personal statement, most selective colleges require at least 1-3 supplemental essays. For example, a school like Yale asks for four supplementals, while others only want one short answer. There’s also a trend of colleges introducing more short, "why us?" or community prompts that vary in length from 100 to 300 words—these might sound easy but still require thoughtful responses.
A lot of students are able to reuse or adapt certain essays, especially the "why this college?" or prompts about your academic interests or community involvement. For example, if two schools ask about a community you belong to, you can start with one draft, then tweak specific details to fit each prompt. However, essay recycling has limits. Highly specific or creative essay questions will probably require a fresh answer.
In my case, I applied to 10 schools and wrote 18 essays total. Out of those, I could rework about 5 essays into versions that covered multiple applications, but the rest needed to be written from scratch or required major customization.
To manage your time, I recommend mapping out all your schools and their essay requirements in one spreadsheet or document. Start early, and consider writing broad drafts you can later tailor. Block out time each week for essay work—most students spend September and October working hardest so that they’re ready for November 1 deadlines.
Expect to write a lot, but also know that reuse and repurposing is possible if you plan strategically around similar prompts. Don’t be afraid to ask others to look over your work for each school—sometimes a second set of eyes can help you find connections between prompts you might’ve missed.
Here’s why: besides the main Common App personal statement, most selective colleges require at least 1-3 supplemental essays. For example, a school like Yale asks for four supplementals, while others only want one short answer. There’s also a trend of colleges introducing more short, "why us?" or community prompts that vary in length from 100 to 300 words—these might sound easy but still require thoughtful responses.
A lot of students are able to reuse or adapt certain essays, especially the "why this college?" or prompts about your academic interests or community involvement. For example, if two schools ask about a community you belong to, you can start with one draft, then tweak specific details to fit each prompt. However, essay recycling has limits. Highly specific or creative essay questions will probably require a fresh answer.
In my case, I applied to 10 schools and wrote 18 essays total. Out of those, I could rework about 5 essays into versions that covered multiple applications, but the rest needed to be written from scratch or required major customization.
To manage your time, I recommend mapping out all your schools and their essay requirements in one spreadsheet or document. Start early, and consider writing broad drafts you can later tailor. Block out time each week for essay work—most students spend September and October working hardest so that they’re ready for November 1 deadlines.
Expect to write a lot, but also know that reuse and repurposing is possible if you plan strategically around similar prompts. Don’t be afraid to ask others to look over your work for each school—sometimes a second set of eyes can help you find connections between prompts you might’ve missed.
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Camille Luong
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Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
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