What are your chances of acceptance?
Your chance of acceptance
Duke University
Loading…
UCLA
Loading…
+ add school
Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

Colleges without essays

Hey everyone! I'm not the best writer and I've been looking into colleges that don't require essays for admission. Can anyone recommend any good ones? Would it be better for me to focus on those or improve my writing and apply to schools with essays?

8 months ago

Hello! It's perfectly normal to consider colleges without essays, especially if you feel that writing isn't your strong suit. There are plenty of schools that don't require essays for admission, including many Cal State schools and some smaller liberal art colleges. However, keep in mind that even if a college doesn't require an essay for admission, you might still need to write one for scholarships, financial aid, or certain programs within the school.

Now, before you decide to focus solely on colleges without essays, it's important to weigh the pros and cons. Going essay-free could help relieve some stress during the application process, but you'll also limit your choices. Additionally, not writing an essay could hinder your application if you have experiences, accomplishments, or obstacles that you'd like to expand upon.

On the other hand, working on your writing and applying to schools that require essays can provide you an opportunity to improve your writing skills and showcase other aspects of your personality that might not be evident in the rest of your application. Colleges value growth and resilience, so demonstrating your ability to overcome challenges such as writing might actually be appealing to some schools.

My suggestion would be to combine both strategies: Apply to some colleges without essays, but also take the time to improve your writing and apply to schools that require essays. To bolster your writing, you could seek guidance from teachers, parents, school counselors, or even peers who can help proofread and provide feedback on your essays.

8 months ago

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.