applying to uni
so this is a stupid question but like. im applying to 2 universities. one has a prompt I need to answer for the personal essay. the other doesnt have any prompt at all so I can just submit one thru common app. my question is: can I use the same essay to apply to both? or does that count as plagiarism? do I really need 2 different essays? I feel too lazy
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3 answers
Not a stupid question at all, people wonder this all the time.
Yep, you can totally use the same essay for both it’s your work, so it’s not plagiarism. The only time you’d need two different essays is if a school has a really specific prompt that doesn’t fit the other. Otherwise, one strong essay is better than two rushed ones. Just double check the prompt wording to make sure it lines up.
Lazy ≠ inefficient here you’re just being practical.
nah it’s not plagiarism if u reuse ur own essay lol. unis don’t like “copy police” for ur own words, they just wanna see something. if the essay fits the prompt even loosely, u can def send it to both. deep truth tho: the point ain’t to fill boxes, it’s to show a piece of u. so one strong essay >>> two half-baked ones.
You can't plagiarize your own work, no worries there.
If you're confident in your essay for the first university, no need to switch it up for the second. You've got one personal essay (CommonApp uses the same essay for every application), so no need to change it up if you're alright with what you wrote.
Good luck getting in! :D
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