Brainstorming Common App Essay topics
Need inspiration for your Common App personal statement? Click below for instant access to 25 full-length example essays including advanced breakdowns of why they resonate with admissions committees.
Gain instant access to 25 exclusive full-length examples covering all seven prompts, plus comprehensive analyses for each to help you craft stellar essays.
Throughout this guide, we’re going to refer to a few Common App Essay examples. These examples are closely based on essays we have worked on with students over the past two decades—students who successfully met their admissions goals, including getting into multiple Ivy League and other top-tier schools.
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Gain instant access to 25 exclusive full-length examples covering all seven prompts, plus comprehensive analyses for each to help you craft stellar essays.
Invest time in applying for various , especially local ones with small dollar amounts, which are likely easier to win and more reflective of your background and interests. It will be easier for you to write an authentic and compelling essay if the scholarship topic is meaningful to you.
The folks at the have officially announced that the Common App essay prompt menu for the upcoming 2024-25 admissions cycle will remain exactly the same as it was the previous year. In the opinion of the College Transitions staff, the decision to stay the course was a wise one. A quick look at the data shows that the prompts, as presently constituted, received rave reviews across the board—more than 95% of admissions officers, guidance counselors, parents, and students rated the selections positively.
Need inspiration for your Common App personal statement? Click below for instant access to 25 full-length example essays including advanced breakdowns of why they resonate with admissions committees.
2023-2024 Common App essay prompts
Furthermore, keep in mind that the contains an optional, 250-word space to describe. Therefore, you do not need to use your Common App Essay to provide this context. That said, it’s also perfectly fine to write about or touch on COVID-19—if the pandemic is a backdrop that allows you to shine a light on what’s unique and interesting about you in the manner we described above.
How to Write an Amazing Common App Essay (2024–2025)
If you need space beyond the Common App personal statement to discuss extenuating circumstances or provide essential context, there are two optional spaces available to you: the Additional Information section and the COVID-19 essay, the latter of which as been slightly re-branded as the “Community Disruption” prompt.
The Common App: A How-to Guide - College Essay Guy
In the Additional Information section, you have 650 words at your disposal to discuss everything from research projects to long-term illnesses to academic situations. You can learn more about how—and whether to—utilize this section in our blog:
How to Write the Common App Essays 2024–2025
If you’re having trouble coming up with an essay topic, consider the second half of the prompt. What motivates you? For many people, their source of motivation is positive. Maybe you have witnessed the power of medicine in saving lives, and you are motivated to become a doctor. Or maybe a classmate’s kind words about a story you wrote gave you the confidence to start composing a novel. For instance, you could structure this essay as a thank-you note to someone important in your life, before expressing how their gift to you—literal or figurative—motivates you to this day.
Which Common App essay prompt should I choose? - Scribbr
This essay is a great opportunity to sell yourself to the admissions team of your dream school. By describing who you were both before and after this event, you will not only illustrate your growth to the reader, but you will provide them with a vivid picture of who you are today, have been in the past, and are becoming in the future. Because college tends to be a period of growth in one’s life, the admissions team may be able to extrapolate how you may develop during your education based on the growth you display in your essay.
We do not consider the Common App essay
The Common App essay word limit remains at 650 words. There is also a minimum floor of 250 words. Wondering how much to write? We recommend shooting for between 500-650 words.