Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
November 7, 2025
Many battle-worn applicants, weary from the slog of completing a dozen or so applications, encounter optional essays and requests for other non-compulsory application components, such as a resume, interview, or writing sample(s), and simply wave the white flag. On one level, this response is understandable. You鈥檝e spent years grinding out strong grades in honors and AP courses and retaking the SAT or ACT to hit your target score. You poured your heart into the Common App essay and then refined the heck out of it to squeeze under the 650-word limit. Why can鈥檛 these colleges just be satisfied with all of this and leave you the heck alone!? We get it. Accordingly, in today’s blog, we’ll be covering which types of optional college essays you should move to the top of your to-do list.
Should I write optional college essays?
The short answer is yes. Unfortunately, electing not to complete these non-mandatory tasks can severely hinder your prospects for admission鈥攅specially at highly selective colleges and universities where the line between acceptance and rejection is razor-thin. To put it in terms of obscure 1990s pop-culture references, not completing optional portions of the application can sink your chances at getting into an elite school faster than the infamous sunk Vanilla Ice鈥檚 rapping career.
Moreover, many colleges that offer optional essays鈥攍ike NYU, Duke, Northwestern, and William & Mary鈥攁lso offer multiple prompt options to choose from. Think of it this way: they’re providing a smorgasbord of opportunities to engage with them in a way that feels most authentic to you. If you don’t take them up on that opportunity, it may not be the best look.
However, there are exceptions鈥攍et’s review both types…
Optional Essays You Should Write
1) Optional 鈥淲hy this College?鈥� Essay
A popular type of optional essay is one along the lines of “Why would you like to attend our college?” Some students mistakenly think this is unimportant and skip the task entirely. Others hatch what they believe to be a plan for the perfect crime鈥攚rite a generic enough 鈥淲hy this college?鈥� statement that it can be recycled for every school to which they apply. Trust us, admissions officers can spot attempts at application Mad Libs in their sleep.
鈥淚t has always been a dream of mine to attend _______ University/College. The level of academic rigor at your institution is unparalleled and I would be proud to call myself a聽mascot name聽here聽for life.鈥�
Going this route, you might as well just fill in the blanks with 鈥渟not鈥� and 鈥渂utt鈥� like you did in 5th grade. It might at least elicit a smile from an admissions officer.
Reference specific academic programs at each prospective school, talk about a tour you took around campus, mention a restaurant where you dined, a student you spoke to about life on campus, etc. Check out the school鈥檚 website, social media, and any recent news stories about exciting developments around campus. Anything you can do to demonstrate knowledge of each prospective school and genuine interest will help your admissions cause.
2025-26 Optional “Why this College?” Examples:
Hamilton: At Hamilton, we each bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and we teach one another about the world through our individual and shared experiences. What would you like us to know about you and your interest in Hamilton? How can Hamilton inspire you on your journey to 鈥渒now thyself?鈥� (350 words)
Colgate: Colgate students immerse themselves in social and intellectual pursuits that inspire them. Tell us in 250 words or less what inspires you and why you want to pursue that at Colgate. (250 words)
Bard: Why Bard? (250 words)
2) Optional Background/Diversity Essay
The aforementioned “Why this College?鈥� prompt is just one of a multitude of optional essay variations inhabiting the oft-overlooked bowels (another good 5th-grade Mad Libs word) of the college application. Another type of optional essay is one that asks students to expand upon their background (though many have become more carefully worded in recent months):
William & Mary: How has your family, culture and/or background shaped your lived experience? (300 words)
Duke: We believe a wide range of viewpoints and experiences is essential to maintaining Duke鈥檚 vibrant living and learning community. Please share anything in this context that might help us better understand you and your potential contributions to Duke. (250 words)
If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, have a non-Caucasian ethnic background, or grew up on a hippie commune, you鈥檒l likely be able to address these questions in a compelling manner without too much consternation. However, if you resemble one of the first 43 (…or 45th, 46th, or 47th) Presidents of the United States (white, male, and financially comfortable), you鈥檒l have to get a bit more creative if you wish to reveal something about your identity in this space.
3) Optional Essays that Reveal Personality and/or Intellectual Curiosity
If you have an opportunity to reveal more about yourself as a person, whether in regard to your academic interests, hobbies, or beliefs, take it! Examples of optional essays that fall into this camp include:
College of Wooster: People are at the heart of what makes Wooster’s community a special place to live and learn. Please share something about yourself that is important for us to consider as we learn more about you through this application (there are no right or wrong answers here). (250 words)
NYU: We are looking for students who want to be bridge builders鈥攕tudents who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager for you to tell us how your experiences have helped you understand what qualities and efforts are needed to bridge divides so that people can better learn and work together. (250 words)
UNC Greensboro: Describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will impact your college experience and your contribution to the UNCG community. Consider reflecting on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship, or a call to service. (2000-600 words)
Colleges with Optional Essays That You Should Write 鈥� 2025-26
- Appalachian State University
- Bard College
- Bowdoin College
- Clark University
- Colgate University
- College of Charleston
- College of Wooster
- Colorado School of Mines
- Connecticut College
- Duke University
- Fordham University
- George Washington University
- Hamilton College
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Loyola Marymount University
- Loyola University Maryland
- Macalester College
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- Occidental College
- Pitzer College
- Southern Methodist University
- Trinity College
- University of Arizona
- University of North Carolina-Greensboro
- University of Oregon
- University of Vermont
- Wake Forest University
- Washington and Lee University
- William & Mary
Optional Essays You Don’t Have to Write
As mentioned previously, there are some types of optional essays that you truly don’t have to answer if they don’t apply to you. These essays often ask you to describe challenges you’ve faced, if applicable, or any extenuating circumstances that you’d like the admissions reviewer to be aware of. The Common App additional information section and COVID-19/community disruption essay are great examples of this type of essay, as well as the following:
UT Austin: Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.
University of Washington Seattle: You are not required to write anything in this section, but feel free to include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if 1) you have experienced personal hardships in obtaining your education; 2) your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations; 3) unusual limitations or opportunities unique to the schools you attended.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: If you have additional information about your family that you think is important for us to know, please include it here.
Are resumes optional, too?
Similar to optional college essays, some schools allow for the optional submission of a resume. Others鈥攎ostly larger state schools receiving up to 100,000 applications鈥攄o not. For some, the information contained in the resume may seem redundant. After all, you already included all of your honors, awards, work and volunteer experience, and extracurricular activities within the application itself.
On the other hand, the format in which this material is presented within the application is often less-than-perfect. Due to strict character limits, it is very difficult to convey certain key elements of your bonafides.
For example, the Common App makes it very challenging to demonstrate one鈥檚 rising responsibility in a position, say the debate team, over a four-year high school career. You may have room to state that you were the captain in your senior year, but not have room to lay out how you gradually climbed the ranks beginning in freshman year. Additionally, for certain off-the-beaten-path activities, it can be very challenging to fully convey why the credential is impressive. Perhaps the political commentary magazine you started with your faculty sponsor gained traction online, and one particular story ended up being reposted by The Washington Post; another received a handwritten letter from a congresswoman stating that she would share the opinions expressed with her colleagues.
If there are essential details and/or accomplishments (key word: essential) that you cannot fit anywhere else on the application, we do recommend submitting a resume when possible.
What about optional interviews?
We only recommend taking advantage of optional interviews if you have a miserable personality and zero interpersonal skills. Just kidding鈥ort of. Whether with a member of the admissions committee or an alumni interviewer, this one-on-one conversation is a chance to show the college of your dreams that you are a flesh-and-blood human being with innumerable intangible qualities. Making this intimate connection can go a long way, especially if your chances of admission are teetering right in between the accept and reject piles. However, these interviews are most important when they are a) evaluative in nature and b) the college takes demonstrated interest into account.
Some interviews are still conducted in person, but many are now conducted over Zoom, Google Meet, or FaceTime. For tips on how to best shine in front of an admissions rep, check out our 35 Best College Interview Practice Questions. To view a list of interview policies at 360+ of the top schools in the United States, visit our Dataverse page.
Should I include optional writing samples?
Ideally, your Common App and/or school-specific application essays will sufficiently convey your aptitude as a writer and communicator. However, if you have an artifact of which you are particularly proud that you feel showcases exceptional talent as a creative writer or budding researcher, then it may be worth including as part of your application.
The caveat here is that not every school is seeking more material from their applicants. Some schools have strict policies against including unsolicited supplementary materials. However, others welcome them. Check your prospective institutions’ policies in this area prior to submitting, but as a general rule of thumb, small liberal arts colleges are far more likely than large state universities to a) accept a writing sample; and b) actually consider it in their admissions decision.
国产第一福利影院草草鈥� Final Thoughts 鈥� Optional College Essays
For serious applicants, completing optional components of your applications are about as optional as brushing your teeth. Likewise, leaving optional fields blank on college applications, especially at competitive institutions, will undoubtedly decay your prospects of winning the admissions game.
As T.S. Eliot once said:
鈥淜ickin鈥� it up, hour after hour,聽Cause in this life there鈥檚 only one winner,聽You better aim straight so you can hit the center.鈥�
Actually, that was Vanilla Ice accompanied by four mutant reptiles, but you get the point.
Need additional essay resources? Check out the following:
