How to Write a Common App Essay Part 1: Examples & Common Mistakes

Understand everything that you would need while crafting your essays for Common App. We have discussed about the essays that are required to be answered in the application, along with how an applicant must target them plus how to avoid some of the common mistakes. Check out the article and know about how to write a Common App essay part 1. 

Choosing the Best Common App Essay Prompt for You 

To begin with, let us understand what is the Common Application Essay or personal statement, popularly known as the Common App Essay. It is the most important essay that is submitted by undergraduate applicants, who wish to attend certain US universities. As the name suggests, it is common for the universities that are members of the Common Application portal. This 650-word piece of writing is accepted by more than 800 universities in the USA! Now, this may appear both convenient and challenging, because the applicant has to decide the prompt and content very carefully. There are seven different common app essay prompts, out of which only one has to be attempted. So, one must make the right choice and ensure that the essay is well written and convincing enough to lead to success. While this may seem intimidating, you have nothing to worry about as we are here to help you in your essay preparation. 

Common App Essay Prompts 

Let us have a look at the Common App Essay prompts:  

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.   
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?   
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?   
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?   
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.   
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?   
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.   

To gain more clarity, learn how to write a Compelling Essay for UG through video.  

Looking at these Common App Essay prompts, you must be thinking that there is a lot of flexibility and choice, which can be puzzling enough when it comes to picking up one prompt. To do away with this confusion: Do not rush to answer the prompt first, rather, begin by thinking of your own values, goals, and experiences. Once you decide the perfect topic or experience to write, it will be easier to choose the right prompt to answer. Now the question is: what to think to choose the right topic? Continue reading to learn how to identify a common app essay topic that is unique to you - the one that only you can write!  

 

Purpose of Common App Essay 

First, let us understand the purpose of a common app essay. As an undergraduate student, the authorities are not expecting you to be the master of your chosen field; rather, they want to assess if you have the capability to succeed. Hence, the goal of a common app essay is to prove that you will be successful in college and beyond. Show which qualities will make you successful, and remember that different people follow different routes to success! Given below are five personality traits that predict a successful college experience. Do not try and show that you possess all of them; most successful students will have at least two or three of them. In your common app essay too, focus on one or two of them. As you read about these traits, feel free to jot down answers to the questions, or anything else that comes to your mind!  

Check out the different types of essays here.

The Five Traits of a Successful Student

1. Drive: It is your drive that pushes you to accomplish your dreams, irrespective of the challenges that you come across! Students having the drive or motivation grow with experiences. If you feel that you have the drive, answer what is the most significant challenge you faced, and the efforts you made to overcome it? How your experience transformed you and what did you learn out of it? What skill you developed and the actions you took to develop or nurture this skill?  
2. Intellectual Curiosity: Students with intellectual curiosity do not leave a chance to learn for they find it interesting. They strive to surpass their coursework to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts that speak to their interest. To show your intellectual curiosity, describe the subject or topic that you explore just for fun. Recount how you found yourself immersed in a topic and what have you learnt to date? Show how you lose track of time when you are indulging in that topic/subject?  
3. Initiative: Students who have the confidence and ability to challenge the status quo often focus on improving the existing situation, and generate outcomes. They are potential leaders, and carry the strength to take the first step! If this sounds like you, think of a time you took the lead to challenge something? What difference did you make and what was the learning?   
4. Contribution: Students having the intent to contribute (otherwise known as a social conscience) give back to the community. They make their communities, schools, and organizations better than before. If you have similar qualities, your common app essay should highlight the time when you made someone’s life better? How do you feel when you serve people or the community?  How often do you do so, such that your presence will be missed in your community, when you will leave for college?  
5. Diversity of Experiences: Students who have experienced distinguishing life experiences and/or have a distinct background, are considered to be equipped with a ‘diversity of experience’. They are expected to add unique perspectives to the student community at the institution. If you have got a diversity of experience, write what have you done or experienced in your life that will make you stand out among other applicants? How have these experiences shaped you as a person? What is it that you know more about than anyone else in the room?  

 It is important to note that you simply cannot mention that you have the drive or intellectual curiosity in your common app essay. It is imperative to substantiate the qualities by focusing on personal experiences. Now that you have read the five traits, do any instances come to your mind? We recommend that you take your time thinking about your life and experiences, before you begin to write. It is not necessary that your experience should be larger than life, even small contributions and initiatives count. Remember that the authorities are trying to judge your thought process and personality. We have also provided a set of free brainstorming tools on our platform, for further help, if needed.  

Take a look at some examples of common app essay topics that are as per the five traits described above:  

Example 1 - After following the process election data analysis closely, I realized that the turn out in my school’s student body election was fairly low. Therefore, I decided to appeal to the students and change their outlook towards elections. Ties to: Intellectual curiosity, initiative, contribution 

Example 2 - In my Irish dance class sessions, I am the only one that belongs to a mixed race. Although my presence raises eyebrows, I love the art form, and I am determined to succeed in it. Ties to: Diversity of experience, drive  

Example 3 – During my after-school job at Whataburger, I noticed that new employees were not trained properly. I could recognize the loopholes and came up with a plan to fix it. I spoke to my manager about it and successfully presented my opinion. Ties to: Initiative, contribution 

 You might also be interested in learning: 

• Importance of Vocabulary in Your Admission Essay 
• Importance of Grammar in your Admission essays 

Common Mistakes in Common App Essays 

At Shiksha, we review scores of common app essay every year, and we have identified some common mistakes that students make. Given below are some common app essay topic traps to avoid:  

• Covering too much: The prescribed word limit is only 650 words; however, it is best to finish your essay in around 500 words only. Try not to fit in everything in one essay. Focus on a single experience or topic in your common app essay that will reveal one of your strongest traits, using it as a lens to help the reader to get to know your personality.   

• Too much drama: Students often think that they need to be dramatic and distinct from their everyday lives in their common app essay. A few of them write stories that feels like reading a fictional novel. In reality, several compelling and successful essays talk about things that might seem small or trivial, like a hobby, a fandom or a small moment or event in an applicant’s life that influenced him or her significantly. If the event that you are thinking to write in your essay did not have a positive impact on who you are now, it might not be the best topic for you.  

• Writing an academic resume: Do not include all your achievements and accomplishments in your common app essay; it is not your resume. Students have a tendency to describe everything good about them and it defeats the purpose of the essay. The common app activities list is already available for that purpose. Hence, be honest, and narrate a story that shows you as a person who fails sometimes, but knows how to accept, learn, and grow through difficult situations.  

• Spinning yarns: Another put-off for the authorities is when the students beat around the bush. Nobody wants to read about a topic, generically, or the little details of the applicant’s experiences, which are irrelevant to the context. Thus, students must be aware of what to include and should not write unnecessarily just to prove one’s mettle, or to reach the word limit. If you can describe your story, satisfactorily, in less than 500 words, it is not an issue.  

 

Learn about the importance of word limits in a college essay here. 

Also Read: 

How to Write a Common App Essay Part 2	How to Write the UCAS Personal Statement?
How to Write College Supplemental Essays?	How to Write a Graduate School Statement of Purpose

About the Author

Brad is a Co-founder and the CEO of Prompt – the #1 provider of admissions essay feedback in the world. Prompt's 150 writing coaches provide instructional, actionable feedback to help students improve their essays' content, structure, clarity, and grammar. He has advised hundreds of students who gained acceptance at highly-selective universities, and his team works with over 5,000 students per year on admissions essays. Brad is a former McKinsey Consultant and holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Management Science from MIT.