发表于 2007-12-29 08:17:00
by Stacy Blackman
Stacy Blackman Consulting
When it comes to the optional essay offered by most schools, a frequent question is - is it really optional? Many applicants feel an obligation to write something, and struggle with what that something should be.
My approach to the optional essay is the following:
1) Complete your entire application, except for the optional essay. Don’t worry about that piece of the puzzle just yet.
2) Once complete, review your application and ask yourself if there is something extra you would like to communicate to the admissions committee.
3) If there is something missing, by all means, use the optional essay as an opportunity to say what you need to say!
4) If you cannot think of a topic you would like to cover, do not waste the admissions committee’s time, (or your time, for that matter).
The following is general advice and needs to be taken within the context of your overall strategy and the school that you are looking at. However, in GENERAL, the following topics are good material for the optional essay:
1) Explaining gaps in work experience
2) Explaining choice of recommender
3) Explaining extenuating circumstances effecting GPA, GMAT or other aspects of your profile
4) Introducing information about yourself that you absolutely could not find a way to incorporate elsewhere
I have seen a full range of topics for optional essays and frequently feel that the information included could have been incorporated elsewhere. When the optional essay is approached in this way, the applicant will take what could have been three lines of material and expand it into a full essay. This is a waste of everyone’s time. Remember that the person reviewing your application has a lot of reading to do - so you want to make every word count. When brainstorming ideas for that optional essay, make sure that you cannot address the material elsewhere in the application. I frequently see the topic, “What I can contribute to your program.” This is an example of a topic that really should be addressed all throughout your application, and often fits well into the primary essay about goals and program selection. As a result it feels superfluous and redundant when used for the optional essay.
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