Common App Essay Essentials
By ALYSSA PARSONS
Here's what you can expect to write when you start your Common Application essays.
Unlike much of the academic writing you’ve done in school, Common App essays are not necessarily thesis-driven. Instead, they seek to offer a narrative of development or show a match between the applicant and the program.
The application essay is a typical part of the university and college admissions process. These essays are sometimes written based on particular questions; sometimes, they’re written in response to a generic prompt. In both cases, a good personal statement carefully harmonizes its author’s history and aspirations.
While the Common Application and the Universal Application each have a required essay, many colleges include school-specific essays, known as writing supplements.
Types of Common Application Essay
- Personal Statement
This type of application essay gives a sense of who you are, the experiences that have defined you, and your hopes for the future.
The point of college essays, in general, is to show a side of you that the admissions committee can’t see by just looking at your transcript, letters of recommendation, resume, etc. Colleges look for multi-dimensional students, so show them something unique about yourself. They also look for applicants who are mature, able to reflect on and grow from experiences, and are intellectually curious – all attributes you can demonstrate in your essay.
- Favorite Activity
This type of essay is where what you love doing, maybe on a daily basis, plays a vital role. Beyond the required Activities List, this is your chance to show off your interests and accomplishments in greater detail. The answer to this prompt can range from competitive math to football to travel to debate.
The point of this essay is to demonstrate your passion, show you have a deep intellectual understanding of something, and that you notice details that others wouldn’t see – anything that makes you stand out from the crowd.
- “Why this College?”
This prompt will ask you why you want to spend the next years of your life at one particular college. This essay accomplishes two things:
- It shows your interest in the school
- Shows that you’re a good fit with the community
To approach this essay, think about how the admissions officer will see you; then, do some research.
Be as specific as possible about what about the school appeals to you: certain professors, the curriculum, student organizations, opportunities, etc. And if you’ve visited the campus or have a connection with the school, mention that!
It’s worth noting that the people reading your essays are regular human beings, which means you should write with that in mind. People love good stories! And you want to make sure that your essays flow well, make sense, and are free of grammar errors. A good way to check your tone is to read your essays, not in your head, but out loud, ideally to someone else.
Strategy to Tackle Similar Questions from Different Schools
Beyond the main Common App essay, if more than one college application has the same question with the same length criteria, it is fine to re-use your supplementary essay for more than one college, as long as the essay is relevant to the program you’re applying for. Adjust that part that is tailored to a specific school and keep the rest mostly the same – but be careful that you write the name of the right school!
Often, as you start applying to more and more schools, it is easier, as you can recycle much of the content.
If you’re reading this, you’ve already taken the first step to get started, so keep that ball rolling.
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