Complete Strategies: Common App Essay Prompts (2018-19)

If you’re applying to more than one or two colleges, there’s a good chance you’ll need to use the Common Application, and that means you’ll probably need to write a typical App essay.

In this guide, I’ll cover everything you need to realize about the essay. I’ll break up each and every App that is common essay by covering:

• What’s the relevant question asking?
• What do college admissions officers want to hear from you?
• What topics can you effectively write about?
• What should you avoid without exceptions?

This will be your complete starting guide for Common App essays. At the conclusion of looking over this, you need to have plenty of ideas for your own essays and directions to write a really strong statement that is personal.

Basic Info regarding the Common App Essay

Before we dig to the nitty gritty of this individual prompts, let us quickly go over the logistics of this Common App essay and some general suggestions to keep in mind.

Most — but Not All — Schools Require the Essay

The Common Application has traditionally required you to submit a blanket personal statement although not every school in the US requires an essay as part of their application. That policy changed recently, and the essay is currently optional for many schools.

However, this policy happens to be adopted by only a handful of schools, including DePaul University, Georgia State University, Hampshire College, Old Dominion University, This new School, plus the University of Idaho. A few of them require an additional writing supplement instead.

If you’re signing up to one or more or two schools in the App that is common’ll almost certainly need certainly to write a response to your Common App prompts. As such, i would suggest sending your essay to schools regardless if they don’t explicitly require it. You’re writing it anyways plus it’s the way that is best when it comes to school to get to know you as an individual.

Additionally it is worth noting that due to the way this system is set up, you can theoretically send a essay that is different each school. However, doing this is not a essay writer use that is good of time: if schools wish to know something more specific about yourself they’ll require a supplement. Give attention to writing a single great personal statement.

Look closely at the Word Limit

The word that is exact for the Common App essay has varied somewhat through the years, but the current range is 250-650 words. You need to stay in this particular length; in fact, the application that is onlinen’t enable you to submit fewer than 250 words or higher than 650.

Some schools will suggest that if this isn’t enough room, it is possible to send them a physical copy of the essay. Don’t repeat this. In spite of how tempting it could be, adhere to the expressed word limit. Otherwise, you risk seeming self-indulgent.

In general, i would suggest shooting for an essay between 500 and 650 words long. You need to have enough space to really explore one specific idea, you don’t have to include everything. Editing is an part that is important of essay writing process.

The term limit is a lot like this barbed wire — you shouldn’t cross it, regardless of how tempted you are.

Don’t Stress Too Much Concerning The Question

As you’ll see, the most popular App prompts are very general and leave a lot of room for interpretation. Moreover, colleges interpret the questions generously — they’re more focused on learning something interesting about you than with whether your topic fits the question perfectly. Per a typical App survey, 85% of member schools ” have the prompts must be left ready to accept broad interpretation.”

You are able to write about almost anything and then make it work, so if you have an idea, don’t let the fact it does not fit neatly into one of these simple categories stop you. Treat these breakdowns as jumping off points to assist you start brainstorming, not the word that is final the manner in which you have to approach the essay.

Make certain you Understand This Year’s Prompts

The Common App change to the prompts fairly frequently, so make sure you’re familiar with probably the most up-to-date versions of the Common App essay questions. If you have friends or siblings who applied in past years, don’t assume that one may make the very same approach they did.

This guide will go within the details of all of the seven current prompts, but first let us talk about some overall advice.

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4 Tips For Finding Your Best Essay Topic

As you’re brainstorming and preparing to write your essay, it is in addition crucial to keep these tips in mind.

You’ll have to seek out the topic that is best, similar to this bird is trying to find food.

Make It Personal

The point of a statement that is personal to, well, make a personal statement, this is certainly to say, tell your reader something about yourself. As a result, your topic should be something meaningful for you.

What does it mean for an interest to be “meaningful to you personally”? First, it indicates that you genuinely worry about this issue and want to write your college essay on it — no one ever wrote an excellent essay on a subject that they felt they had to write about.

Second, it means that this issue shows off a trait or quality you want to highlight for the admissions committee. For instance, say i desired to write about my summer job utilizing the Parks Department. It isn’t enough to simply tell a tale about a raccoon to my feud that kept destroying all the progress I made repairing a bench; i might need to make it clear what that experience shows about my character (perseverance) and explain what it taught me (there are some things in life you just can not control).

Remember that the absolute most thing that is important that your essay is all about you. This advice may sound obvious, nevertheless when you are used to writing essays that are academic could be tricky to dive deep into your own perspective.

Take Your Time

Give yourself sufficient time to brainstorm and write, and that means you don’t feel rushed into jotting something down in regards to the first thing you can easily show up with and sending it next to. I recommend starting the writing process 2 months in advance of very first deadline.

On a note that is similar you need to take the essay seriously: it’s an important part of your application and worth investing the full time in to get right. That you aren’t really interested in their school if you just dash something off thoughtlessly, admissions officers will recognize that and consider it evidence.

Avoid Repetition

Your essay should illustrate something you haven’t talked about elsewhere, or take a different angle on it about you beyond what’s in the rest of your application. Try to write about a topic.

A college essay is certainly not a resume — it’s the best opportunity to show off your specific personality to admissions committees. Pick your topic accordingly.

Get Specific

The greatest topics are often the narrowest ones: essays dedicated to just one interaction, an individual phrase, or a single object. The more specific you may get, the more unique your topic will be for you. Lots of people have tried out for a school play, as an example, but each had their very own experience that is particular of so. One student saw checking out when it comes to role of Hamlet as the culmination of many years of study and hard work and was devastated not to ever obtain it, while another was simply proud to have overcome her nerves enough to experience when it comes to chorus line in West Side Story. These would make completely different essays, and even though they truly are on essentially the topic that is same.