I’m in the process of drafting my Common App essay and got stumped on formatting. Should I indent my paragraphs or just skip lines? What did you guys do? I don’t want to annoy the admissions officers with a block of text, but I also want to follow the proper conventions. Help!
Hi there! It's great that you're thinking carefully about the presentation of your Common App essay. Clarity and readability are indeed important to admissions officers as they review thousands of essays. The Common App essay text box does not allow for tabbed indents. Therefore, the common practice is to separate paragraphs by skipping a line.
When the essay is uploaded or pasted into the text box, just hit 'Enter' twice after each paragraph to create that necessary space. This format is widely accepted and will make your essay easier to read by providing clear visual breaks between paragraphs.
If you're worried about losing the format, you can always write and format your essay in a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word first, and then copy and paste it into the Common App to ensure spacing remains consistent. Remember to review the final look in the preview option before submitting to catch any formatting irregularities that may occur during the transition. Wishing you all the best with your essay!
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