Writing Section

Writing Section Military, are Military Veterans, or Military Dependents who plan to apply for educational benefits under the GI Bill receive a waiver of the application fee. Official Fee WaiversStudents who participate in the National School Lunch Program receive a waiver of the application fee. You also may pay the fee online with a credit card via the link on your Rutgers Status screen, but only after hours have passed since you submitted the application. Online PaymentWhen you submit the online application, you may use the secure payment gateway to pay the application fee with a valid credit card. Describe a time you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Information about activities, employment, community service, and other personal experiences, though not required, can enhance your application. To send a message directly to your admission counselor, visit the map and select your state. Although optional, an essay assists the Admissions Committee in knowing you as an individual, independent of test scores and other objective data. We ask that you respond to two of the topics below. Your responses should be no longer than a total of 500 words or 7,000 characters. We recommend composing in advance, then copying and pasting into the application. Student athletes may choose test optional admission, but will be subject to NCAA eligibility standards for enrollment. Students with a GED diploma/certificate are required to submit their official results. A transcript of any and all high school work attempted is required in addition to the GED results. If you already have a SRAR account, created for use with another participating college/university, log in with your SRAR email address and password to complete the linking process for Rutgers. Students should obtain a copy of their high school transcript from their school counselor and use the transcript as a reference when completing the SRAR. We want to make sure you can compose an essay with a coherent thought and that you have the ability to string together a few sentences and express an idea. We happily accept any of the Common App essay prompts. Double-spacing, italics and other formatting will be lost, but this will not affect the evaluation of your application. You may use this space if you need to further explain or clarify answers you have given elsewhere in this application, or if you wish to share information that may assist the Office of Admissions. When all is said and done, this essay has to be for you. Do not sell yourself out hoping that will get you in. Write an essay that you are proud of and that is true to who you are, and let the chips fall where they may. Sign up for our newsletterto receive FREE articles, publishing tips, writing advice, and more delivered to your inbox once a week. If sending test scores, Rutgers has no preference about which examination a student submits. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution. Rutgers requires that you provide a short essay of your original work. Please address one of the following topics or submit an essay on a topic of your choice. To be considered, information about extracurricular activities must be included in the space provided on the application. If appropriate, include the application question number to which your comment refer. Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. This means that a look into your trip is probably not the best picture of what it’s like to hang out with you on any given day, which is what the goal of your common app essay should be. So if you’re the kind of person that has a ten-step bedtime routine that keeps the wheel in motion, and also recently went bungee jumping, you should stick with the bedtime routine. Ask yourself and others if your essay is relevant, interesting, and memorable. Do not simply repeat information found elsewhere in your application, such as extracurricular activities. Go beyond the obvious and indicate how these activities have impacted you or your choice of career. If there is no limit, two double-spaced pages is a good rule of thumb. If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.