(Transfer) Customize Common App personal statement for each school or no?

Anco17
Wed, 17 Jan 2018 03:51:05 +0000

I’ve read conflicting reports on this topic. I’m currently planning to transfer from community college next fall and am looking at some top schools, however, I’m a bit lost on what to do for the common app personal statement. Here’s the prompt:

“Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. You can type directly into the box.”

I’ve had people recommend to me that I tailor it to each school and talk about what I hope to achieve at each different school, but I’ve seen sources around the internet that say to stick to the prompt and talk about what you want to achieve without including a specific school in mind.

If I should personalize it for each school, I have a further question. I’m currently applying to USC, and this is their second essay prompt:

“Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests at USC. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.”

Wouldn’t it be redundant to talk about what I want to achieve at USC specifically for the personal statement since the second essay prompt already covers it? So if I had to personalize each essay for each school, should I leave USC’s more general, so I don’t go over territory I already covered? Thanks for all the help in advanced!