Over the summer I applied to a bunch of diversity fly-in programs. Many of them had required essays, and as I’m filling out the full applications, I’m seeing that several of the schools have the same essay prompt as the diversity fly-in program. Would it look lazy to resubmit the same essay I used for the diversity fly-in application? Even if it doesn’t look lazy, am I missing an opportunity to provide even more insight into who I am by submitting an addition version? (Also, for schools that have different essay requirements for the diversity fly-in programs and the full application, do they still look at the first essays? For WOW, Williams just asked us to submit an essay I wrote for a class, and I had a really great one. I’m kind of hoping they still have that on file and consider it as part of my full application even though they don’t ask for other applicants to submit something they’ve written for a class.)
The question is kind of general, but there’s one in particular I’m torn on. I really liked my answer to the question of why I was interested in Haverford. It had to be under I think 100 words, and I nailed it. Now that I’ve participated in the Have-A-Look program, I feel I should update my answer, but it would essentially be the same answer with just a few words changed to reflect that I’ve been to their diversity fly-in thing.
Thoughts?
It is entirely appropriate to refer to having attended the diversity fly-in program and to re-use some/most/all of your essay, assuming it answers the prompt and assuming you’re not just cutting-and-pasting it without updating and/or referencing it.
You should definitely talk about how the Have-A-Look visit exceeded your already-high expectations, why you consider Haverford to be such a great fit, and take the opportunity to reiterate your reasons for wanting to attend Haverford in the first place. I presume your essay was school-specific and you referenced things that are unique to Haverford.
The essays themselves are probably reviewed by different people – the Have-A-Look program was probably run by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (or whatever they call it there) and your Common App essays will initially be reviewed by your local admissions rep and ultimately by a full admissions committee (that may or may not include someone from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.)
Definitely don’t copy the essay word-for-word without updating and/or referencing it – that looks lazy. You can, however, use it as the base for building another essay around it.
The good news is that acceptance in and attendance at a diversity recruitment program bodes well for admissions (assuming you didn’t get drunk and make a fool of yourself or otherwise hurt your chances of acceptance).
Ha ha, no, I did not get drunk or make a fool of myself. I was very well behaved. 
That’s great insight to know that the people who are reviewing the application are different from the general admissions staff. That’s a little disappointing that Williams won’t necessarily use my writing sample from my WOW application. I’ve talked with several people at Williams, but I’ve never contacted the AO for my geographic region. I think at this point it might be weird for me just to reach out and introduce myself.
So you’re referring to the Why Us? You know it’s a bit lazy to copy entirely. If you went to a fly-in, mention how that sealed it, for you. Or whatever that works for each college.
You can’t know for certain that adcoms didn’t participate in reading the fly-in app. At some schools, they do.
And don’t call just to intro yourself. They’re in the middle of Early apps now, snowed. It makes no positive impression to just call to chat.
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And don’t call just to intro yourself. They’re in the middle of Early apps now, snowed. It makes no positive impression to just call to chat.
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Yeah, I’m not going to. I just kind of wish I had a good reason to make contact. It’s always better if they’ve at least heard of you before picking up your application. Who knows? Maybe she was looped in on the WOW thing.
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If you went to a fly-in, mention how that sealed it, for you.
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That’s a good idea. There’s such a low word count, and I really liked how I was able to point out 4 separate things I liked about Haverford without making it read like a laundry list. But I think reminding the reader that I was at Have-A-Look will probably leave a bigger impression.
@LACapplicant – While I wouldn’t call a regional AO to chat, there’s nothing wrong with making a personal connection via email to see whether or not a rep will be coming to your area. In fact, Williams states the following when you click on “Williams in your area” link:
Williams in Your Area
Williams admission officers travel around the country and across the world to meet with prospective students and families. As events are confirmed, they’ll be added to this page. Please check back occasionally for updates. In the meantime, if you’d like to contact your regional admission officer, you can do so here.
There are no upcoming events to display.
Since there are no events listed, it’s perfectly reasonable to contact your AO to find out whether and when he or she will be visiting your area.
Also, if you are URM or First Gen, you can see if there’s a Diversity AO to whom you can reach out.
It never hurts to have a couple of intelligent questions to ask (something that is not readily answered by looking at the website or the Common Data Set.)