COMMENTS

  1. How to Write an Amazing Common App Essay (2024-2025)

    What are these mystical college essays, anyway? Let's define our terms: Personal statement (PS): When people refer to the personal statement, they're talking about the 650-word Common Application Essay, which all schools using the Common App will see. Your personal statement is your major chance to articulate the qualitative aspects of yourself to the admissions committee and the ...

  2. How to Write the Common Application Essays 2024-2025 (With Examples)

    Show, don't tell. Be specific. Choose active voice, not passive voice. Avoid clichés. Write in a tone that aligns with your goals for the essay. For example, if you are a heavy STEM applicant hoping to use your Common App essay to humanize your application, you will be undermined by writing in a brusque, harsh tone.

  3. Common App Essays

    What is the Common Application essay? The Common Application, or Common App, is a college application portal that is accepted by more than 900 schools.. Within the Common App is your main essay, a primary writing sample that all your prospective schools will read to evaluate your critical thinking skills and value as a student. Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any ...

  4. 7 Expert Common App Essay Tips

    How Important Is the Common App Essay? The Common App essay is a key part of your college application. According to a 2019 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 56.4% of colleges surveyed considered the personal statement moderately or considerably important. Highly selective institutions tended to place more emphasis on the essay.

  5. How to Write the Common App Essay

    Understanding the Purpose of the Common App Essay. The Common App essay isn't just another college essay - it is your opportunity to reveal your true personality, demonstrate your creative prowess, and convince admissions officers that you are a unique individual who has a lot to offer their institution. ... The Common App essay acts as the ...

  6. Common App Essays 2023‒2024

    Common App Essays 2023‒2024. Each year, the Common Application organization releases the prompts for the Common App essays. Often referred to as the "personal statement," Common App essays are a central part of the college application process. Students can choose from one of seven Common App essay prompts to best showcase who they are to ...

  7. How to Write the Common App Essay-Examples for 2023-2024

    Common App Essay Examples: Prompt #1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. This prompt asks applicants to write about what makes them uniquely them.

  8. How to Write the Common App Essay

    Common App Essay Tips. The whole purpose of the essay is for the admissions staff to get to know the person behind the application, so be authentic in your writing and try to tell your story honestly. Your application will be one of potentially thousands of essays that the admissions staff must read, ...

  9. How to Write a Winning Common App Essay

    The purpose of the Common App essay is to give the college admissions committees a better idea of who you are as a person and what makes you unique. It should be focused on your life and experiences, without any reference to a specific college or bias towards a specific stream (such as STEM, liberal arts, etc.). ...

  10. The 2021-2022 Common App Essay: How to Write a Great Essay ...

    The "Common App," short for the Common Application, is a general application used to apply to multiple college undergraduate programs at once.It's accepted by hundreds of colleges in the United States as well as some colleges internationally. The idea is that the Common App is a "one-stop shop" so you don't have to complete a million separate applications.

  11. 12 Common App Essay Examples (Graded by Former Admissions Officers)

    Example #1: My Shape. This essay example comes from the Essay Academy, our digital college essay course. It has a really unique structure and uses shapes as a metaphor. It's also written in response to Common App Prompt #2. Read + Analyze a Common App Essay With Me!

  12. What is the Common Application essay?

    The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student. Since this essay is read by many colleges ...

  13. How to Write the Common App Essays 2024-2025

    Although Common App essays are only expected to be 250-650 words long (around 1-2.5 double-spaced pages), they can be very difficult to write. ... so it's key that you keep its purpose in mind. Ultimately, the goal of Common App essays is to show admissions officers who their applicants are as people. Write about an event, experience, or ...

  14. What's the purpose of the Common App essay?

    8 months ago. The Common App essay is your chance to present yourself beyond grades and test scores. Admissions officers use it to understand your personality, values, and how you think. It's a platform for you to share your unique story and experiences that shaped who you are. This is where you can highlight aspects of yourself that might not ...

  15. First-year essay prompts

    Below is the complete list of the Common App essay prompts. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success.

  16. Complete Strategies: Common App Essay Prompts (2023-24)

    The exact word limit for the Common App essay has varied somewhat over the years, but the current range is 250-650 words. You must stay within this length; in fact, the online application won't allow you to submit fewer than 250 words or more than 650. Some schools will state that if this isn't enough space, you can send them a physical copy of ...

  17. Common App Essay Examples

    Sample Common App Essay #2. The second of our Common App essay examples takes the unique—and potentially challenging—approach of talking about another person. In this essay, the author describes her relationship with Sophia, a child with special needs that she meets while volunteering.

  18. Common App Essay Examples

    The Common App essay is your chance to answer these questions and leave a lasting impression. The Role of the Common App Essay in College Admissions. To begin with, the purpose of the Common App essay is to give college admissions committees a glimpse of who you are as a person, not just as a student.

  19. 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples

    Accordingly, a Common App essay's purpose gives us insight into its most important elements. Remember, a strong Common App essay: Immerses the reader into your world; Provides insight into something you value or think is important; Allows the reader to connect with you …which means that the major elements to focus on are: Details; Reflection

  20. How to apply to college with Common App

    The Common App essay prompts provide an amazing opportunity for you to tell colleges and universities about who you are and how you can contribute to your future campus experience. View the essay prompts. Explore colleges on Common App. Search more than 1,000 member colleges and universities using Common App. See application requirements ...

  21. Which Common App Essay Prompt Should You Choose?

    Prompt #1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. This is the broadest of the seven prompts.

  22. 10+ Outstanding Common App Essay Examples 2024

    Brainstorm (I think it's the most important step). Structure your essay according to your topic. Draft. Revise. Repeat. Common App essay word limit. The word limit for the Common App essay is 650. That doesn't mean you need to use all 650 words—many of the great example essays below don't.

  23. Common App announces 2024-2025 Common App essay prompts

    February 27, 2024. We are happy to announce that the Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2024-2025. Our decision to keep these prompts unchanged is supported by past research showing that overall satisfaction with the prompts exceeded 95% across our constituent groups - students, counselors, advisors, teachers, and member colleges.

  24. Common App Essay Topics To Avoid

    Writing a Common App essay is a task many college applicants must undertake. If you are looking to apply to institutions in the US, you may have heard of the Common App essay required to submit your application through the Common App portal. Common App provides a wide range of prompts, as seen here, and you are only required to answer one of ...