Students and parents getting started with Essay Coaching often ask about the “right” Common App essay prompt: There are seven options. Which is the best one to choose?
Our first, and hopefully most reassuring response is to guide students’ attention to that gorgeously open-ended Prompt No. 7:
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.
We love beginning our work together in this way because it wipes away all preconceived notions of a “right” answer. There is no one “right” prompt, just as there is no “right”—or wrong—topic! The best choice is the one that most inspires you to write.
If your writing is already underway, and you’ve chosen one of Prompts 1 through 6, here are few things to keep in mind.
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 offers a great opportunity to share something essential that may not come through in other parts of your application. When you’re choosing your story, keep in mind the qualities that admissions officers are looking for in their future freshman class. (A few examples: growth mindset, leadership, persistence, dedication.) Now, ask yourself: Why do you care so deeply about your connection to your family history, and how is that reflected in the way you spend your time? How does your passion for a certain subject, or sport, affect your plans for the future?
prompt 2
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?
Did you decide to do something that was difficult for you, or did you unexpectedly encounter find a challenge? As you draft the essay, describe the setback in detail, but spend more time focusing on your response to it. We often tell students working on an an essay about a life challenge that three-quarters of the essay should be focused on the positive side of this experience, rather than the “problem.” How has facing this obstacle changed your outlook and, most importantly, your actions?
prompt 3
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Describe the experience in detail. Where were you? What was said or done in the moment that you remember most, and how did you react? Be specific about how you’d learned the belief or idea that was challenged in the moment. Were you raised with it, or was it something that you had read about or come to on your own? What did you learn from this challenging moment, and how has it impacted your behavior moving forward? Remember to be respectful of friends, family, and adults; for example, don’t say, “I helped because my coach had no idea what he was doing.”
prompt 4
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?
The most important part of Prompt 4 is the question that comes at the end, which should push you to write more about doing than about feeling. What is an action that you have taken as a result of this connection or relationship with another person? Notice that this question doesn’t define the “someone.” The person you choose to write about does not have to be a close friend or family member. It could be someone on a rival team, a younger student who has inspired you, or even a person you admire but barely know.
prompt 5
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Put away your measuring stick: There are no extra points here for the top of the class, the team captain’s winning goal, or the landslide student council victory. The question to ask yourself here is: How can the experience I describe best show the type of college student I’ll be? For example, did you unexpectedly find yourself in a leadership role for a school project and rise to the occasion? Did something happen at home or at an after school job where you had to drop everything and help while already juggling tough classes and time-consuming extracurriculars? How did the experience change you?
prompt 6
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
It probably goes without saying that you’ll want to avoid pure escapism—scrolling social media, or, in fact, scrolling of any kind. Here, you have a chance to connect something you love to do with a characteristic or skill that makes you an ideal fit for your dream skill. You will want to show yourself in action, likely in a detailed scene and possibly some dialogue. If you can, connect this topic or idea to your past (“I’ve been foraging for mushrooms with my parents since I was eight”) and/or your future (“so now I am interested in being a botanist”). If not, don’t force it. Instead focus on specific examples and being direct about your interest and excitement.