Writing about yourself seems simple until you actually have to do it. The essay, often called a personal statement or personal essay, is a crucial part of college applications. It’s a great chance to stand out from other applicants in a way that test scores and resumes can’t.

Around one-fourth of all US colleges and universities accept applications through the Common Application website. Each year, the Common App provides a set of seven essay prompts for applicants to choose from. Even schools that don’t use the Common App sometimes use similar essay questions, so it’s helpful for all college applicants to know these personal essay prompts.

Here are the essay topics for the Common App in 2023-24, along with some tips for writing your essay. If you need more assistance with your application essays, check out our guide on surviving the essay process.

What are the Common Application essay prompts?

The 2023-24 Common Application essay prompts are:

• Some students think their application lacks something special about their background, identity, interest, or talent. If that sounds like you, tell us your story.
• Sometimes tough times teach us valuable lessons for the future. Describe a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from it?
• Recall a time when you questioned or disagreed with a belief or idea. What made you start thinking differently? What happened as a result?
• Share a story about someone who did something unexpectedly kind or generous for you. How did their action make you feel, and how did it change or inspire you?
• Talk about an achievement, experience, or realisation that helped you grow personally and understand yourself or others better.
• Describe a topic, idea, or hobby that you find so fascinating that you lose track of time. Why does it grab your attention? Who or what do you turn to when you want to learn more?
• Write an essay about anything you want. It could be something you’ve already written, a response to a different question, or a topic you come up with yourself.

6 Common App essay writing tips

You get to pick which essay question you want to answer. Choose the one you find most interesting to write about. Your passion for a topic can make writing more fun and less hard. Remember, many schools want you to answer a specific essay question on top of the main one. Even though it might seem like more work, think of it as another chance for the admissions officer to learn about you. It also takes some pressure off trying to fit everything into the main essay.

These extra questions usually ask how you fit in with the college. They might talk about the college’s values or history and ask how you would contribute to that.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind no matter which question you pick.

1. Follow directions

Common App essays should be between 250 and 650 words. One easy thing you can do to stand out is to make sure your essay is the right length. The extra essay questions might have different word limits, so check those too.

2. Use specific examples

Write in a way that feels personal to you. If you’re asked about a challenge you faced, talk about a specific one. If it’s about an accomplishment, dive deep into it. Don’t be vague; share details about your thoughts, feelings, and the events you’re discussing—basically, let the reader see things from your point of view.

3. Answer the prompt

When it comes to personal stories, make sure they directly relate to the question. You don’t have much space to answer, so avoid going off-topic or adding unnecessary details. If a story is interesting but doesn’t really connect to the question, think about whether it’s the right one to share.

4. Demonstrate your skills

Even if you’re not great at writing (that’s okay, we can help), universities want you to write well. You don’t have to write a famous book or use big, hard words you wouldn’t normally use, but your writing should be clear, organised, checked for mistakes, and have good grammar.

5. Write what you know

While some people have really interesting experiences that would make a great movie, most of us have pretty average stuff to talk about. Don’t feel bad about that. With a little thought, you can make even the most boring stuff interesting. If an experience meant something to you, it can mean something to a college admissions officer too.

6. Show your personality

This article aims to help you introduce yourself to a group of people you don’t know. It’s a great chance to show who you are, where you come from, and what you’re like. Be yourself and use everyday words, facts, and descriptions to let others get to know you.

5 things to avoid in your Common App essay

1. Vagueness

Don’t use unclear, dull, or overused words. The goal of the essay is to make you stand out by expressing an important part of your life. When you use vague words (not detailed or specific phrases like fun, interesting, bad, or sad), it’s hard to understand who you are as a person—what kind of things you notice, how something made you feel, or how it affected you.

2. Exaggeration

When talking about your experiences, be genuine. There’s no need to use overly dramatic language or give too many details; talking about something thoroughly and realistically is the best way to show who you are and what you’ve been through, and people reading your essay will appreciate and respect that.

3. Writing your transcript

Admission committees already know about your school performance and extracurricular activities. The essay gives you a chance to share something unique about yourself that they wouldn’t find in your records.

4. Relationship topics

Friendships and romantic relationships are important parts of high school for many students, but they might not relate to the applicant’s identity as a student and community member, which is what the readers are interested in learning about.

5. Ignoring the rules

Being creative is valuable, and this essay is a great chance to show your unique personality and skills. But, it’s important to stick to the essay’s rules, like organising it well, formatting correctly, and keeping within the word limit. Don’t try to tackle the challenge with different kinds of writing, like songs or poems.

Common App prompts FAQs

What are Common App prompts?

Common App prompts are seven essay topics given out each year by the Common Application, a website for college applications. Students need to write one essay of 250 to 650 words in response to a prompt they choose. Around a quarter of US universities accept Common Apps, and even those that don’t often use similar essay prompts.

What are the most popular prompts?

The usual questions students answer are ‘Write about anything you want’ and ‘Talk about something you achieved.’ So, pick the one that grabs your attention. It’s better to write passionately about a less popular question than to write something average for a common one.

What are 5 tips for writing a Common App essay?

Here are five tips for writing your Common App essay:

• Stick to the instructions.
• Give specific examples.
• Address the question directly.
• Highlight your writing abilities.
• Share what you’re familiar with.