Should I Indent My Common App Essay?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You are submitting a PDF version of your essay that you have full control over, and the college or counselor explicitly asks for indented paragraphs to aid visual flow.
• Good fit: Your high school’s college counselor recommends standard manuscript style (indentation) for polished, print‑ready essays, and you are confident the formatting will remain intact.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: The Common App online editor automatically removes leading spaces, so any indentation you add will be lost when the essay is displayed to admissions officers.
• Warning sign: The college you’re applying to states in its instructions that essays should contain no special formatting beyond double‑spaced paragraphs, making indentation a violation of guidelines.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Indentation can make paragraph boundaries clearer, especially in printed or PDF formats, helping the reader follow your narrative.
• It demonstrates attention to traditional writing conventions, which may impress reviewers who value polished presentation.

Cons

• Most online submission systems strip leading spaces, so the effort may have no effect and could create formatting inconsistencies.
• If a college’s guidelines forbid special formatting, indentation could be seen as non‑compliant, potentially hurting the impression you make.

Decision Checklist

• Does the submission platform you’re using preserve leading spaces or indentation?
• Has the college or the Common App explicitly mentioned formatting preferences for essays?
• Can you test a sample paragraph in the editor to see how it will appear to admissions officers?

Alternatives to Consider

Instead of relying on indentation, use a blank line (double‑spacing) between paragraphs, which is universally accepted and guaranteed to survive any formatting conversion. You can also employ a subtle increase in line spacing or a slight left margin shift if you’re submitting a PDF, provided the college permits it.

Final Recommendation

For most applicants, the safest approach is to use double‑spaced paragraphs without indentation, unless you have confirmed that the college or your counselor specifically requests indented text and you are submitting a format that preserves it. When in doubt, follow the Common App’s default formatting or consult your college counselor for clarification.