More Unpopular Advice: Don't fill out the Additional Information Section

[ucbalumnus]

@CateCAParent

OP gives advice about how to write essays that catch attention. His own essays definitely do, and from people who read gobs of posts every day. But his posts are polarizing. I imagine that if some of the readers were AOs, they would be put off by the tone and not admit. Others would like the confidence and clarity. It goes along with OP’s “go big or go home” approach. Which isn’t for everyone, but is a valid approach. Just know the risks. He is a good example of what he is preaching, with predictable mixed results.

Note that there are tactical decisions here. For a particular college application, the applicant may choose to do things that stand out (but which may stand out in either a good or bad way, depending on the reader) in terms of essay writing and the like, or play it safe to avoid the risk of standing out in a bad way.

The tactics here can differ based on the college. For example, at a reach college like Stanford, playing it safe to avoid the risk of standing out in a bad way is likely to result in not standing out enough to be admitted, so choosing the risky essay topic to try to stand out in a good way may be the best tactic. But at a low match to likely college, the applicant will likely be admitted as long as the applicant does not stand out in a bad way, so playing it safe may be the best tactic.