Using the Common App can save you a significant amount of time.
Why?
Because the personal essay you submit through the Common App is shared with nearly every university or college on your list.
You’ll have up to 650 words for your essay and can choose from seven different prompts.
Let’s go through the prompts for Common App Essays
These prompts are designed to give you flexibility in sharing your story. As of the 2025-2026 application cycle, here are the current Common App essay prompts:
1. Background, Identity, Interest, or Talent
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.
2. Lessons from Obstacles
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Questioning a Belief or Idea
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4. Gratitude and Positivity
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
5. Personal Growth
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Topic of Your Choice
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
7. Open Topic
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
Tips to Take Your Writing from Good to Great
1. Start with a Strong Hook
Begin with a vivid anecdote, bold statement, or compelling image that draws the reader in.
Example:
“The first time I failed a test, I cried in the janitor’s closet behind the gym. It smelled like bleach and regret.”
This opening is emotionally striking, specific, and immediately pulls the reader in.
2. Show, Don’t Tell
Use specific scenes and details to illustrate your qualities instead of stating them.
Example:
Instead of saying: “I’m a hard worker.”
Try: “I spent every lunch break in the chemistry lab for three weeks, trying different ratios until my experiment finally produced a single drop of blue liquid.”
This shows persistence and curiosity through action.
3. Connect Past to Future
Explain how your experiences have influenced your goals and how they connect to your intended contribution at college.
Example:
“Tutoring my younger brother through his learning disability taught me the power of patience and creativity—skills I hope to bring to a career in special education and to the peer mentorship program at [College Name].”
The writer ties a personal experience to their academic and campus interests.
4. Be Authentic and Vulnerable
Avoid writing what you think colleges want to hear. Be honest, even about flaws, and reflect on how you’ve grown from your experiences.
Example:
“For months, I pretended I wasn’t struggling. But when I finally asked for help with my anxiety, I learned that strength sometimes looks like speaking up.”
Honest, self-aware, and growth-oriented.
5. End with Purpose
Close with a memorable insight, reflection, or callback to your opening that brings the essay full circle.
Example:
“Now, when I walk past that same janitor’s closet, I smile. Not because I failed—but because I didn’t stay there.”
This ties back to the hook, shows personal growth, and ends with emotional impact.
Here are 21 examples of common app essays you can take inspiration from.
Need More Guidance?
Led by Ruchika Kedia, Studea Advisory, has spent over a decade mentoring students to secure Ivy League admissions while shaping them into future change-makers. Her unique approach combines storytelling, strategy, and a deep understanding of each student’s strengths to create compelling narratives that inspire confidence and success.
We help students craft essays that go beyond the ordinary and reveal who they truly are and what they aspire to become. If you’re aiming for Ivy League, Oxbridge, or other elite institutions, our personalized guidance ensures you approach your essay with strategy and purpose.
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