Reusing Essays From Last Year (NROTC)

A

ADC67

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Last year, I was awarded a NROTC scholarship with placement at Yale. Unfortunately, I decided to take a gap year, so I need to reapply for the scholarship.

How frowned upon or inadvisable would it be to reuse my essays from last year? I took countless hours editing and re-editing my essays last year, so in my opinion they came out quite good. As far as content goes, it would me more or less the same ideas only reworded if I did decide to rewrite new essays. Not much has changed in my life, so obviously not much will change in the way of reflection and new ideas!
 
Ideally, gap years offer as much value in terms of growth, challenge and development as a year in college, except in a different way. Fresh essays are the opportunity to describe those changes and improvements.

If you use the same essays, and don’t discuss the gap year at all, you risk your readers thinking “What the heck did he/she do for a year? Clearly, they didn’t do much, because they didn’t write squat about it. And I wonder if these are the same essays as a year ago, because they don’t mention it. Surely they had a year to update them.” You may leave an impression the opposite of what you intend. You’ll be compared against those coming right out of HS and stepping briskly along to college AND others who took a gap year and did some internship, service project, job, whatever, and wrote about how they invested their gap year in ways they could write about as the next developmental steps after HS. How do you want to be compared?
 
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Capt MJ said:
Ideally, gap years offer as much value in terms of growth, challenge and development as a year in college, except in a different way. Fresh essays are the opportunity to describe those changes and improvements.

If you use the same essays, and don’t discuss the gap year at all, you risk your readers thinking “What the heck did he/she do for a year? Clearly, they didn’t do much, because they didn’t write squat about it. And I wonder if these are the same essays as a year ago, because they don’t mention it. Surely they had a year to update them.” You may leave an impression the opposite of what you intend. You’ll be compared against those coming right out of HS and stepping briskly along to college AND others who took a gap year and did some internship, service project, job, whatever, and wrote about how they invested their gap year in ways they could write about as the next developmental steps after HS. How do you want to be compared?
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Thank you for the reply! I completely understand that, as it was my concern as well. Just to clarify, I don't intend on re-using them, but more so the ideas. The reason being that there isn't much room to interject reflection on my gap year in the main essay or those relating to challenges I've faced.

To be specific, during my gap year I've had a private equity internship and have worked as a research assistant with a Harvard Department of Economics professor, so it's definitely been highly productive. I do intent to mention this on the essay relating to my major of choice and what I've done to prepare for it.

I was mostly referring to the larger essays (i.e. the main why navy, the challenges faced, and why special warfare officer essay). I've already started writing the special warfare essays and it most a fresh essay with some ideas borrowed.
 
All good stuff. Ask yourself if your exposure to the world outside of HS has expanded your horizons and strengthened your desire to serve in the Navy and other “larger questions” essays. Can you work that perspective in? The Navy and the fields you are interested in didn’t take a gap year. Has anything happened professionally that has piqued your interest, have you read a book or watched a new documentary, that would show you didn’t ignore the world you are applying to join, that you have done further research into your choices and are more committed than ever?
 
In another post you mentioned you decision to take a gap year due to the COVID situation and some family issues, I believe. Those could potentially factor into the challenges faced question.
 
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