i have heard guidance here that the common app essay should not include ECs, because they are on the application already.
But when the prompt #1 says interest or talent, won’t that be the same as EC ?
Also, should the essay be specifically replying to the prompt ?
Hi! I think it depends on what you're listing as ec's. When I talked to my school college counselor, she said that there's a lot of things you can list as ec's on the common app (thrifting, hiking, baking, etc). Things like I just listed do demonstrate an interest in different things, but they're not necessarily something that people think of as ec because they're hobbies. That being said, if you want to talk about a specific ec in your essay that's in your activity list, I don't think it's going to be detrimental to your application - especially since the activities list only allows you to briefly describe the ec. Just make sure you're not repeating yourself.
To the last question, it doesn't have to be specifically replying to the prompt, but it has to be related. If you're not sure if your essay is fitting into the prompt you want it to, just submit it under the prompt that says submit an essay of your choice. Hope this helped! :)
The idea is to use the space available to provide as much quality information u can provide. If you think you can write a compelling story for interest or a talent don't mention it again in EC
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