目前有约300所大学使用Common Application (通用申请，参见附录的“通用申请Common Application以及如何使用”章节)，包括顶尖的综合性名校如哈佛、耶鲁、普林斯顿等等以及几乎大部分的文理学院，而且必定有更多的学校将要加入Common Application的行列，否则这些学校就要面对失去很多优秀申请人的风险。在通用申请表里，对Essay的要求是一短一长。短Essay叫做Short Answer (短答)，字数要求是少于150单词，题目是“请简单描述你的一个活动，可以是课外活动、个人活动、或者工作经历等”，英文原文是：“Please briefly elaborate on one of your activities (extracurricular, personal activities, or work experience)”。

The first of its kind, AdmissionsEssays has been assisting its clients achieve their educational goals by helping them tackle perhaps the most challenging part of the application process - the admission essay. Whether you are applying to College, Law School, MBA School, Grad School, or Medical School, you will be required to provide an essay to help the Admissions Committee decide whether you are a good candidate for admission to their school. As such, we have created very unique services to help you with your admission essay, with the sole goal of making you stand out from the crowd and greatly increase your chances for admission to the school and program of your choice. We offer two admission essay services:

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Application essays give you an opportunity to explain -- through narrative, example, and analysis -- aspects of your personal, educational, and professional history that may have led you to pursue an advanced degree at a particular institution. Admissions committees rely heavily on these essays to put a face on impersonal test scores and grade point averages.

For this reason, it's important for you to use details and thoughtful self-presentation to make your face one that stands out in a crowd. Whether you're applying to medical school or a program in landscape architecture, your essay should demonstrate your ability to make connections between your experience, education, and the program you have chosen. The most challenging aspect of the application essay is making those connections in a relatively small amount of space.