Common App Essays

Begin thinking about what you would like to write about in the summer before your senior year of high school. The essay is the most personal element of the college application. A lot of times, the topics that you can talk about have to do with your identity, and difficult parts of your life that you were able to overcome, among other things that give a college a feel for how you are as a person, as opposed to who you are as a student. Although there are essay topics that are about community service and other important jobs that you have completed during your time in high school, usually the essay still has an element that shows colleges’ your interests and passions as an individual. Try not to write an essay that focuses more about the experiences that you’ve had or the family members that inspire you (for examples), and lose focus on what the essay is really supposed to hone in on, which is you. Thus, you should start thinking about your essay topic at least in the summer before your last year of high school, which is when you are going to need to write it. If you have a topic that you are really passionate about that you want to write about, great! If not, that’s completely fine too; start by thinking of the things that make up your identity, as in who you are as a person. Ask yourself: What part of your being or of your experiences make you a good candidate for college? What makes you stand out? How are you different from all other college applicants? These are important questions that you should ask yourself with ample time to essentially figure it out. If you start to formulate these ideas with time, when it comes time to choose a specific topic to write about, you will be better equipped to develop your ideas in a manner that you are satisfied with and with the least amount of stress posible. 

After writing your first version of the essay, you will want another person to read it to offer a new perspective. A english teacher or history teacher (or other adult that you confide in) can help you edit/revise your essay for correct grammar or syntax, or even make recommendations of the content of your essay. This process of revision can be incredibly difficult because the essay is not that long (in fact, the essay portion has a specific amount of words, which is a very limited amount, that can be used). We can assure you from prior experience that trying to write about your life in a complex manner when you have a 650 word limit is incredibly difficult. You need to condense your ideas and present them in a way that is meaningful and clear, but at the same time, very concise. In other words, you have to make sure to communicate your ideas and messages clearly, without using  random or unnecessary personal details. This can be very difficult when you are writing about something really personal that matters a lot to you and you want to develop this in a manner that is artistic and fluid. Nonetheless, you will have to fight off the urge of writing an essay over the word limit because the Common App simply will not let you upload an essay that exceeds the word limit. A teacher that can read your story and offer advice in how to condense your story can be very beneficial during this process. 

Evelyn: My personal statement on the Common App was very passionate and personal regarding a moment that was very difficult in my life that I was able to overcome. I wanted to write about this topic because I know that this was going to give universities a clear idea of my strength and resilience emotionally and academically. But, many of my teachers and friends tried to convince me that this topic was too emotionally heavy or because of the fear that the college admission officials were going to think that I was trying to get their sympathy with the essay and in turn not expressing myself in a way that is genuine. Although I also had this fear when I was writing the essay, I always knew that I wanted to write about this specific topic because I knew how significant  of an impact it has made on my life, and I had to overcome it during my time as a student . This is why I wrote over my experience and I think everything turned out well. This goes to show that if you want to write about a specific topic, do not let anyone stop you as long as you write about the topic in a genuine and authentic way, without creating lies or trying to exploit your experiences to get sympathy from a college. Like we have mentioned before, college admission officials know when you are lying or simply presenting yourself in a way that is real and genuine. Write about the topic that you want to write about, but just remember that you should show how you have overcome difficulties in your life and why this experience shows your talents and abilities as a future student of the college. If you do this, everything will turn out well with your Common App essay!