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Of the 5 topics given on the common app, i could probably write a pretty good essay for any of them. However, my favorite topic of all is the "pg217 of your 300pg autobiography," and i believe i could write a damn good one for that.

The Common app gives us the freedom of writing an essay on any other topic. Would colleges frown on it if i were to send them the 217 essay? or would they prefer me write about one of the given topics?

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 12:50 am: Edit

they dont care. its "open ended". thats the beauty of it.

By Shaka (Shaka) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 01:15 am: Edit

im actually wondering...for the p.217 essay, does that mean you can make up things that is suppose to happen in the future? or only the things that happened already?

By Newo54 (Newo54) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 01:35 am: Edit

It's your autobiography. You can write whatever you please in it.

By Bettina (Bettina) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 03:26 am: Edit

But isn't that essay specifically asked by Penn? I think in this case it is odd to present it as your own topic since it is a topic specific to one college. It would seem like you just recycled an essay from that college, no?

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 08:19 pm: Edit

"It would seem like you just recycled an essay
from that college, no? "

thats exactly my dilemma. i've always percieved the open ended topic to be a topic you create, and i definetly did not come up with the 217.

i'm applying to Penn among other schools. of all the essays, thats my favorite and my best essay. so, my question is whether the appearance of "recycling an essay" would hurt at all?

By Interesteddad (Interesteddad) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 08:35 pm: Edit

The "p 217" prompt and the "topic of your choice" prompt are the same thing! Any good college essay that works for one would work for the other, requiring no more than minor modification, if that. For example, in answering the "p. 217" prompt, you would never write "on page 217 of my autobiography". You would simply tell a story about yourself.

The best college essays present the one quality about yourself that you most what the college adcoms to know -- the one thing you most want them to write on the index card that will be presented in committee. This is your opportunity to hit them with the number one reason for them to believe that you will add something to their campus.

By Dottys (Dottys) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 01:08 am: Edit

I gotta believe that they'll look out for potential recycled work. The top schools know one another very well. They know what questions are being asked.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't use p217. I'm just saying you should change the focus a little bit and make sure that no one will make the link between Penn's question and the essay that you're going to turn in.

Good luck

By Justin871 (Justin871) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 05:57 pm: Edit

I'm no expert, but isn't the purpose of the common application to make it easier to apply to many different schools, so that applicants don't have to write 800 different essays? Therefore, if a school chooses to use the common application, aren't they agreeing in principle to allow applicants to reuse essays from other schools? I could be wrong, especially since the PENN essay is so well-known, but it just seems logical to me the purpose of the common app is to allow you to do something like this. Hope this helps!

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 07:14 pm: Edit

has anyone ever done this?..use an essay question from another college for the common app free choice essay?

By Toshimi (Toshimi) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 10:39 pm: Edit

When I went to Washington University in St. Louis' info session last week the adcom specifically said you could recycle an essay from another college for the make up your own essay question.

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 08:27 pm: Edit

anyone know of any other schools that has blatantly said we can recycle essays?

By Sophster (Sophster) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 09:17 pm: Edit

do NOT recycle essays. It's very very bad! Colleges want to see (or wish to see) that you care about their college only. So if you recycle essays, it will only decrease your value plus it does not make you look creative.