CommonApp - is it OK to use an essay from another college application?

I simply have a question about if it is okay to use an essay, from another college application(University of California), on the essay portion of the CommonApp.

VVVVV Common App instructions...
"Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.

Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate button below.

Topic of your choice."
----->> Since I've chosen to write own a topic of my choice, do I just include that topic in the essay I sumbit? How does the school know what topic I'm writing on...

So the topic of my choice would be the University of California Essay Prompt #1: Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Would using my University of California Essay #1, in the CommonApp, be a good/bad decision or affect how the schools look at my application?
Thanks!

WEl, if your essay is well written they should know what your writing about without the question.

Like if the question where "talk about your family?"
You'd write about your family and they would figure it out.

Yeah. If your essay fits to your topic with Common App you can use it!
Make sure that if you write for a specific college, please check be sure whether deleted college name in the essay or not.

The common app is good, because if the topic is fit to other colleges, it does not matter to use same essay. Hopefully, it helped : )

I did it myself and i dont think that matters much, as long as it fits the questions. But i think you still need small modifications for each version.

unless you use the common application.
Because you use one essay for all the the colleges.
Which I think you should consider.

But some colleges want an additional essay.

OR some colleges aren't on the common application, and have a specfic essay you need to write.

so check on their websites

So I'm generally getting that it's fine to use my UC Prompt #1 essay for my CommonApp?

Yeah, if the prompt as the same and the word limits are similar, you should be able to reuse an essay. Many people recycle essays for different schools.

As long as UC isn't a common app school, it'll be alright.

It is appropriate to do so if the other essay fits into the topic. don't reuse an essay that isin't relevant to the prompt!

Good luck!

Definitely but make sure your essays are slightly adjusted to suit what each school looks for

Yes, but you should read your essay over and make sure that it answers whatever topic the commonapp asks for. If it doesn't, you can probably tweak a couple of sentences

i think so..the last essay option says u could write about anything

It's definitely okay to reuse an essay, as long as it's not for the same college and it answers the question. Many people do this and colleges probably won't find out that you reused it in the first place. I reused my Columbia essay for my Common App essay.

that is what i did. i kind of made some minor adjustments such as name and location and submitted almost the same content.

Alright, to sum up again, it's perfectly fine to use my UC Prompt #1 Essay for the CommonApp; and since I'd be choosing to write on a "topic of my choice"(as described by the prompt choices in the CommonApp, I could basically use any other admission essay I've written...

but, do I need to include the "topic of my choice"(the UC Prompt #1...) in the writing itself, or no?

of course it is! That's what I did - but of course, I had to modify a sentence or two here and there... but it's perfectly fine to do so. You can Hit two(or more) birds with stone. um i had the same question as u for topic of my own choice, I did include the prompt at the beg. but i might take that out n put it in additional info. section idk

thanks lekha; putting to prompt in the additional info section would be a good idea.