Many colleges and universities will require you to answer supplemental essay questions in addition to the Common App’s Personal Statement. These essays tend to be shorter, and it’s tempting for some students to give them significantly less attention than their primary essay. This is understandable – you’ve probably worked really hard on the first essay and may feel like you’ve run out of steam.

But supplemental essays should be taken seriously, since they are a terrific opportunity to round out the picture of yourself you present to a school. The questions posed may ask you to explain your interest in a particular college, or to describe the extracurricular activities you’ve enjoyed in the past. Take advantage of this chance to introduce a completely different aspect of yourself to the admissions committee. For example, if your Personal Statement describes your work with Habitat for Humanity, the secondary essay should steer clear of volunteer work and focus instead on your acappella singing group or your involvement with Model U.N. Use the supplemental essay to highlight a different facet of your character or experience.

It may be helpful to check out a particular school’s supplemental essays before writing your Personal Statement (especially if the school is one of your top picks.) Since there isn’t always a choice in supplemental essays, you may want to rethink your Common App essay to avoid being redundant.

These questions are also useful to show that you are a good match with a particular school, so do your homework and make sure that your essay reflects a strong knowledge of the school, its culture and course offerings. It’s important to treat the supplemental questions as a significant part of your overall application – these essays are not secondary and they shouldn’t be second-class.