Using optional essay to discuss a outside work interest

I've heard it is always better to end your application with a positive optional essay rather than negative. If you didn't have a chance to express something that makes you truly unique, I would write it in the optional essay.

I used the optional essays of UCLA and Berkeley to discuss my leadership and EC activities. I would recommend against using the optional essay for negative things, unless they really need to be explained (if so, keep it SHORT). But for a different dimension to your application that you could not fit into the other essays, I would suggest using the optional essays.

Every school is different, so make sure you're not just writing an optional essay for the sake of it. Stanford didn't allow optional essays. Kellogg did, but I was able to fit everything that I talked about in the Haas/UCLA optional essays into the regular essays. Haas and UCLA didn't give me a chance to talk about my ECs (which were pretty extensive), so I added a 500 word essay there.

I think Paul Bodine's book talks about the optional essay almost as if it is compulsory, particularly for top schools. I wouldn't use to to talk about something inconsequential, but I would use to it talk about something that makes me unique, something that I can demonstrate great passion for, or something that I think would be of great interest to the adcoms. I probably wouldn't want to talk about study abroad in France or something like that, but if you lived in sub-Saharan Africa for a year in the bush, and didn't fit it in elsewhere, the optional essay would be a good place to talk about that. HTH

Thinkin about that Columbia app huh?

LOL - you got me!

I don't see how else to put my non-professional interest in without seriously jeopardizing the spirit of the failure and theory essay.

One of the reasons I am so hell-bent on writing about my non-professional interest is simply because I think it differentiates me significantly and I bring something to the community..that I want the school to be aware of.

I will wait for the formal announcement of Columbia essays but if it is just the 3 essays, I will most certainly write the optional essay..I guess I am willing to take a small risk by using the optional essay for a "different" purpose, but more importantly I want to make sure that the adcom is fully aware of what I bring.

EDITED - I now actually WANT it to be just the 3 essays! One of the benefits might be that the passion essay was just 250 words, which was not enough for me - atleast the optional essay gives me 500 words

Can I ask a sort of off topic question? I was about tell sterny and the rest of you how I was able to weave my passion + interests into my career goals/why mba essay flawlessly (in my opinion obviously). In fact, I honestly consider it so good and unique (I've been working hard, and again...it's just my opinion) that I didn't post it because I was afraid somebody would steal my ideas and rework them, or even take them word for word. I would have had to basically write out the essence of my essay in order to do that, and I was uncomfortable. Am I reaching a dangerous level of bschool applicant paranoia/neuroticism? Tell me if I am so I can catch it early.