best common app personal essays

Common App Essay Example #1: Seeds of Immigration. This student was admitted to Dartmouth College. In this Common App essay, they discuss their immigrant family background that motivates them. Although family is a commonly used topic, this student makes sure to have unique ideas and write in a genuine way.

Common App Essay Examples. Here are the current Common App prompts. Click the links to jump to the examples for a specific prompt, or keep reading to review the examples for all the prompts. Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without ...

Prompt 2: Overcoming challenges. Prompt 3: Questioning a belief or idea. Prompt 4: Appreciating an influential person. Prompt 5: Transformative event. Prompt 6: Interest or hobby that inspires learning. Prompt 7: Free topic. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about college application essays.

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.

Common App Essay Prompts 2024-2025. Part 2: Pre-writing your Common App Essay. Brainstorming Common App Essay topics. Freewriting. Essay writing timelines: how to write your Common App personal statement if you have six months, three months, one month, or even less. Part 3: Choosing your Common App Essay topic Part 4: Writing your Common App ...

Best Common App Essay Examples. There's no single correct way to write a Common App essay, but the best ones grab your attention and keep it. ... Why this essay stands out: Vivid details: Personal statements can be wonderful exercises in creative writing. While that can be difficult for some students, this writer did it exactly right.

This page features all of the successful Common App essay examples available on Squired, accepted to dozens of schools including Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Common App Essays →. Harvard Essays →. MIT Essays →. Princeton Essays →.

Because the Common App essay is 650 words long and has few formal directions, organizing a response might seem daunting. Fortunately, at CollegeVine, we've developed a straightforward approach to formulating strong, unique responses. This section outlines how to: 1) Brainstorm, 2) Organize, and 3) Write a Common App essay.

The best Common App essay examples showcase traits that are both true to the author and appealing to colleges. Think about how to do this as you craft your own essays. Sample Common App Essay #5. Personal statement sample examples are incredibly personal, and this next example is no different.

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.

Achievable ACT - $129. Achievable's ACT course includes endless math quizzes, hand-crafted practice exams, and our easy-to-understand online textbook (including the Writing section) with proven strategies to hit your target score. View ACT prep course. This collection of Common App essay examples will provide you some much needed inspiration ...

A college essay is not a resume—it's the best opportunity to show off your unique personality to admissions committees. Pick your topic accordingly. #4: Get Specific. ... Common App Essay Prompt 5: Personal Growth and Maturity. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of ...

Common App Essay Examples: Essay #1. On a hot day last summer, my brother ran his bike into the mailbox. He skinned his knee, but was less worried about that and more worried about the chipped paint on his new red bike. Tears welling in his eyes, he rubbed the chip with his finger and even more paint flaked off.

2023/2024 Common Application. , the Common App essay prompts are as follows: 1. Background Essay. 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. 2. Challenge Essay.

Common App essay prompts for 2023-2024 will remain unchanged as last year's prompts received a satisfaction rating of over 95% from students, counselors, advisors, teachers, and colleges. ... we will retain any responses to questions on the Common App tab, including the personal essay. Below is the full set of essay prompts for 2023-2024. Some ...

Here are Common App's essay prompts for this year. Get tips and best practices for writing your college essays as you prepare to apply to college. ... Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging ...

Common App essay example #4. In life, some moments shine brightly in our memories. Moments where someone's unexpected act of kindness fills our hearts with gratitude. One such moment for me was when my neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, helped me during a tough time.

Common App Essay Examples: Prompt #5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. We all have had experiences that helped us grow and mature, and this prompt is therefore a good option for most—if not all—applicants.

In this prompt, insight is key to a great essay. Reflect on the moments that defined your perspective or events from which you learned something. This prompt should be about something personal to you and can be about family, friends, or an experience. Ask yourself if there's a time, event, or person that has stuck with you and what it or they ...

Admissions officers look for authenticity and thoughtfulness in your essay. They are keen on understanding who you are as an individual, your passions, and how these align with the values of their institution. They appreciate essays that narrate personal stories and express reflections on these experiences. When writing your Common App essay ...

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 ...

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.

The Common App Personal Statement. The Common App essay, known as your Personal Statement, has a 650-word maximum word count, and as a writer, you have 7 prompts to pick from. While I will list the prompts for the 2023-2024 application cycle below, I strongly encourage you to write your essay first, and then choose the prompt to match it later ...

Personal Statement Examples. Essay 1: Summer Program. Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American. Essay 3: Why Medicine. Essay 4: Love of Writing. Essay 5: Starting a Fire. Essay 6: Dedicating a Track. Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders. Essay 8: Becoming a Coach.

Sample College Essay 2 with Feedback. This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org. College essays are an important part of your college application and give you the chance to show colleges and universities your personality. This guide will give you tips on how to write an effective college essay.

Here are some tips. And here's our email: [email protected]. Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and Threads. A version of this article ...