Topics and information details Admission Essays
To be complete, your application must include at least two essays. Most students should submit personal essays A and B. However, if you’re applying to architecture or a fine arts major, you may need to submit Essay D. International applicants are also encouraged to submit a response to Essay C (see below).
|
A |
Personal Essay 1Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you. |
|---|---|
|
B |
Personal Essay 2Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope—and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation. |
|
D |
Submit this essay in place of Essay A when applying for admission to architecture, art history, design, studio art, or visual art studies/art education. Major-specific essayPersonal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area? |
Optional Essay (recommended)
In addition to the two required essays, some applicants choose to submit a response to Essay C. Essay C is optional and cannot be submitted in place of a required essay.
Students submitting Essay C do so in order to submit additional information to the university about special circumstances, such as socio-economic standing; educational goals; cultural background; employment, internships, etc.; race or ethnicity; personal experiences and hardships; personal responsibilities; and any additional information submitted by the applicant.
As an international applicant you are encouraged to submit a response to Essay C in order to provide additional information to the Office of Admissions about your goals, what drew you to the major that you’ve requested, and why you’ve chosen to apply to UT Austin.
Special Circumstances: Essay C
There may be personal information that you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment.
Submitting Your Essays
The best admissions essays are written using a process—drafting them in a word processor and editing them until they reflect your best response to the topic. Composing your essays in this manner also means that you will have a copy of your work for future reference.
Once you’ve composed your essays, it’s best to plan to submit them at the time you submit your ApplyTexas application.
However, if you submit your application without including one or more of your essays, you can return to the ApplyTexas site and submit your essays (Essays A, B, C, and D) at any time up until the deadline. Follow these steps to submit your essays:
- Enter your username and password to log in to ApplyTexas.
- Select the “My Essays” tab on you’re “My Account” page.
- From the “My Essays” page, select the link in the far right column that corresponds to the application for which you want to submit essays.
- Follow the directions in the “Essay Topics & Requirements” section on the “submit essay – application for admission” page to submit one or more essays. Each essay must be submitted individually.
Essays submitted this way may take a couple of days to appear in MyStatus.
E-mail essays not accepted
Essays should not be submitted by e-mail. If you submit your essays by e-mail, they will be discarded.
Tips on Essay Writing
Plan ahead
By reviewing requirements for your major choices, scholarships, and programs, you may be able to keep the number of essays you write to a minimum while satisfying admission and other requirements.
Essay length
If you’re writing your essays to fulfill your admission requirements only, you should try to keep them no longer than one page (single-spaced). If you plan to use your essays to fulfill admission and scholarship or honors requirements, follow the length guidelines specified by the individual program.
Take your time
Spend plenty of time writing and fine-tuning your essays, and ask for feedback from people you trust before submitting your essays.
Quality matters
Remember that your goal is to share important things about yourself while skillfully expressing yourself in writing.