Recycling Essays for Different Applications? Here’s Our Advice and a Sample!

Applying to a school, whether it is for undergraduate or graduate studies is a lot of work. However, there are ways to maximize the time you spend on each essay. One of these ways is recycling the optional essay, or a more open-ended question. We highly recommend applicants customize their essays for each application – researching intensively on specific professors, classes, and immersion experiences. However, in certain cases, recycling an essay makes sense, and even works!

The following is an essay that can be “recycled.” Happy reading!

“As the sizzling of the wok died down, we could smell the sharp and citrusy aroma of our hand-picked garlic, ginger, and cilantro blend. In front of us lay crab stock-infused vermicelli, the centerpiece a Dungeness crab we boiled, then sautéed. After trying the tender meat, Chef David Groff high-fived us congratulations for a job well done.

Cooking has always been a passion of mine. While working in San Francisco, I used my free time to enroll in classes at the professional SF cooking school and visit community markets to discover the nuances between different produce. Just like how we mixed spices and cooking styles to create our crab platter, I saw how distinct flavors, textures, and colors could be combined to make novel dishes. In the same way, I worked with strangers – from doctors to technology interns to Michelin-starred chefs – to bring new flavors to conventional creations. As we coordinated from different cooking stations, we learned to execute individual assignments to achieve “mise en place,” or “everything in its place.”

Food is a universal language and at X School, I intend to share my passion for cooking with my classmates. Just as I adapted my own rhythm to synchronize with the kitchen, I look forward to learning from and working collaboratively with them. Whether after a long day of case study discussion or following successful future partnerships, I hope to invite them for home-cooked dinners and share meals where they can expect nothing short of damn fine food.”