Fair point - they asked if they should do it.
I say no - because there’s too much risk involved. What if they make a typo.
What if they write something unrelated to the school - on the school specific essays, my kids used the same one but had to change something - the town, nickname, professor’s name…something - and there’s risk in that.
We don’t know the school the OP is applying - I was simply making a comment that the essay “may not” have as much weight as it’s portraying. As you point out, it certainly may.
Just trying to let the OP know, they’re “likely” way over thinking.
The answer to his first question is yes - and I bet it happens regularly. Why - someone applies to three or four colleges and then in re-reading finds a typo and fixes it!!
The answer to his second question is also yes - and to go further, he could even use a different essay prompt.
Thanks for steering us back to the OPs question. These posts often delve off into tangential conversations - and yes, i’m guilty!!