Writing your transfer Admission Essays
Every transfer applicant must submit two essays as part of their complete application. Most applicants submit the Statement of Purpose (Topic A) and the Personal Essay (Topic E).
A |
Statement of PurposeThe statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey. |
|---|---|
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? |
E |
Personal EssayChoose 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. |
Optional Essay
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.
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, you may submit them in one of the following ways:
Essay Submission Methods
Preferred Method
The preferred method for submitting your essays is through ApplyTexas at the time you submit your application.
But the option of submitting your essays through ApplyTexas is also available for all essay topics (Essays A, B, C, and D) after your application has been submitted, right up until the deadline. (Essay C is optional and cannot be used to fulfill your two-essay requirement.)
If you submitted your online application without your essays, follow these steps to submit your essays through ApplyTexas:
- 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 Status Check.
Paper Method
Although the processing takes longer, meaning that your essays will not appear in Status Check as quickly, you may mail or fax printed copies of your essays to us. Include the type of essay (Topic A, for example) at the top of the page along with your name and UT EID.
Mail essays to
The University of Texas at Austin
Office of Admissions / Essays
P.O. Box 8058
Austin, TX 78713-8058
Fax essays to 512-475-7478.
Essays that are faxed or mailed are processed individually before being scanned and loaded onto our system; it can take two or more weeks for faxed or mailed essays to appear in Status Check, especially as the deadline approaches.
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 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 honors requirements, follow the length guidelines specified by the individual program.
Although one single-spaced page may be enough to tell us what you want and need to say, the length of your essay alone technically doesn’t matter. Developing your ideas completely does matter, however. If you can do that in a single page of text, that’s good; but if it takes you three pages or so, that’s alright, too (as long as you’re not just adding words to make your essay longer). It’s not realistic to assume that you can clearly communicate your unique perspective about anything in a short paragraph or two.
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.