Not really. Not for me anyway. I applied to so many schools that I felt quite overwhelmed by the whole process.
Although the Common Application helps out the main essay, many schools require supplemental essays, which may be short or long depending on the question. Now, what’s really annoying, is the word limit. You want to utilize what you have, but I found it extremely difficult. I constantly cut off and substituted words, trying to make my answers fit. Even though they are annoying, these questions are very important, so do your best. Try to put as much as you can into your answer. I don’t mean that you just should list all the extracurriculars or community service activities you do. Write about them. Describe them. That’s when the word limit becomes your enemy.
Then there’s the main essay that every college will look at. I rewrote that essay about ten times before my English teacher decided that it was alright. “Alright” meaning I still needed to touch up on it. I wrote about how my aunt’s cancer changed my life. My friends wrote about their families, sports, sibling, life experiences, or passions. Some wrote about experiences that changed their lives, and others wrote about chasing dreams and passions. What you write about is up to you. It is your story, tell it to those who will read it.
As for revision, get your friends to read it. Enlist a teacher’s help. Read it to yourself quietly. Read it out loud. Is the grammar in agreement? Did you spell something wrong? Did you forget a period? Admissions officers will be paying attention to your writing. If they see a student with grammar and spelling mistakes in their essay, they may think, “Well, this student obviously sent me an unfinished essay. They’re probably not serious about this school to care enough to look their essay over.” My advice: please be careful and take this seriously.
And for those of you that go “Aw, man. I don’t want to do this”, your future is in your hands. No one will be able to write your college essay for you because your story is yours, not theirs. They cannot tell it as you can. Your college essay will help the school determine whether they want you in their incoming class or not. Take up that pencil and write. You have work ahead, and your future.