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Do colleges know if I use the same essay for multiple applications?

Hey everyone! So, I'm working on my college applications and I was wondering if it's okay to use the same essay for multiple schools? Is there any way for colleges to find out if I'm doing this and will it reflect poorly on my application if they do? Thanks!

11 months ago

Hi there! It's absolutely fine to use the same essay for multiple college applications, as long as the essay prompts are similar and you think your essay effectively answers the questions posed by each college. Colleges understand that students are applying to multiple schools and often expect that one well-crafted essay can be tailored to suit multiple applications.

However, be very careful about making sure that you customize your essay for each specific college you apply to. Double-check that you address each college's unique prompts, and don't accidentally mention another college's name in the essay. Such errors can be detrimental to your application.

In short, colleges typically won't know if you've used the same essay for different schools, and they don't frown upon it as long as you've done a good job of adapting and personalizing it for each application. Just be cautious and attentive to detail while submitting your applications. Good luck!

11 months ago

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