Common App Essay Questions for College — Application Prompts Ideas

The application period is the most stressful time for many students. They have to decide what college they want to go to, read a lot of books to recall their knowledge, and go through a lot of tests and various paperwork. But the main difficulty lies in selecting the common app essay questions. That is the most significant part of all the documents that you provide to the admissions officer. Through an essay, the admissions committee tries to understand what kind of person you are and what academic value you have as a student. Thousands of applicants have the same GPAs or scores for exams, while the college application essay shows the way you stand out from the crowd. Also, common app assignments help to assess your competence in many perspectives:

When admission board representatives read your common app writing, they not only learn some basic information about you through the grammar structures and language units used but also pay attention to the ideas you presented in your essay.

So, what are the common app essay questions and how to answer them the best way? How to get ready for the application challenge and rise to the occasion? Stop worrying and join our college application boot camp, where we will provide you with writing guidelines, a few good topic ideas, and some simple tips.

Common App Essay Questions and Answers

Common app essay questions 2020 mostly remain unchanged as compared to the previous year. Also, you have a chance to pick a topic you like the most — a good option that doesn't limit your choice. You can focus on absolutely any subject area or event that happened in your life. The main aim is to maintain the coherence and make sure the essay is related to the chosen prompt.

The Topic

Statistically, a lot of good essays written in the previous year are focused on the self-analysis app prompt. Experts recommend avoiding topics based on the description of various events or places. Those issues won't help to appropriately introduce oneself to the admissions office. Hence, we highly encourage using common app college essay questions based on introspection because those will demonstrate the power of your critical thinking skills the best way. Pay attention to the following phrases:

This way, you may present your attitude to different things that, in turn, shows what kind of person you are. People aren't interested in your picturesque descriptions — it's all about your individuality and academic objectives.

Basic Requirements

The length limit of the college essay application is 650 words. Also, your writing should be longer than 250 words. Keep in mind that an application assignment is a crucial requirement for any school. "I wanted to go to a college without having to write an essay" — let that thought remain a dream. You should be hypercritical while choosing common college application essay questions to write about. Except for your assignment, the admission board will also consider some other factors like your grades. But, your essay is a sterling opportunity to demonstrate important information about yourself, which is not mentioned in other papers.

A thing that bothers applicants most while writing the essay is different prompt options and challenges of picking the winning one. Some students experience writer's block because of their incompetence in the matter. Others cannot understand what particular questions can help them show their skills and knowledge as well as demonstrate their personalities. Hence, we would like to offer you some guidance on prompts for the best essays and a few questions to consider.

Common Application Essay Questions for Students

Neglecting a topic can lead to a poorly assessed essay. Is that how you want to make a statement and end your application process? Just think — there are so many things in your life to write common app essays about. Hence, in this section, we'll go through several relevant prompts. We'll also provide you with some topic options for you to have an opportunity to prepare a good app essay example (or examples) and see what writing strategy is winning for you.

The Talent You Have or Your Background Identity Interest

A great topic that can help introduce yourself. Here, you should keep in mind that your background is the best environmental factor that contributed to your personal development. Did your background help to form your life priorities? Or maybe you saw a bad experience of your parents and don't want to repeat their mistakes. You can cover the following topics in your essay demonstrating the importance of the identity:

Do you have something interesting and related to these topics to write about? Maybe that will be your best common application essay?

Write about Your Challenges or Failures

Any challenge and defeat help us become stronger and gain new experiences. If your goal is to impress the representatives of the admissions office, this prompt will help you do just that. You need to write about failures you've been through and demonstrate your ability to learn from any mistakes. Not every person has this skill, and you can share your experience by answering this app essay question.

After all, an unpleasant experience is also an experience you can benefit from. This sentence might sound weird, but you can try this prompt out and see what you may get.

Your Personal Ethical Dilemma

The goal is to write about the significance of a dilemma and describe the main steps you took to find a solution. One can focus on absolutely any situation. The main thing is to show your approach to problem-solving. It's also important to remember that mentioning different academic dilemmas are more beneficial — they show what features and skills you have as a student.

Different prompt ideas let you emphasize various aspects of your life. Here, the focus is on difficult decisions you make and how well you can do it.

What Is the Sparked Period of Your Personal Growth?

Not all applicants will choose this topic. Still, if you have an interesting life experience that influenced your personal growth, you must write about it in your essay.

This prompt is good for demonstrating your self-analysis skills. Such a common app essay question will let the admissions officers see what you think of yourself, what issues are important for you, and what kind of experience you value the most.

What Is Enthralling to You?

While choosing this app essay question, you have to describe the activity which inspires or stimulates you. Also, you need to explain why it is so interesting for you, why you like it, and in what way it's interconnected with your objectives.

This question is quite interesting because while writing such an app essay, you may know yourself better. And, as it was said, introspection is a winning issue for any admission assignment.

What Problem Would You Like to Solve in the Future?

There's nothing more motivating than one's certainty and commitment. And, to present yourself as a diligent person, it will be good to let the admissions board see that you have serious objectives — academic and personal. What steps would you take to approach your dreams or solve your problems?

Those are only examples of what common app essay questions and issues you can highlight in your writing. If you have different thoughts on your mind, don't be afraid to be original.

Choose the Topic Yourself

This option appeared not so long ago, but more than 22% of applicants choose it. In such a scenario, you can choose absolutely any subject matter which would be interesting for you and appropriate for the admissions office. Keep in mind that a good common app essay is the one that doesn't leave the audience indifferent. They should notice your writing in the pile of similar ones.

How to Cope with an App Essay Easily

Don't try to be someone you aren't just to impress the reader. Admission officers frequently get app essays filled with words that are rarely found in everyday communication. That's because of the student's desire to create the impression that they have a wide vocabulary. There is no need to use high-flown words when all the board wants is to see what kind of person you are. Nobody wants to dig into the dictionaries in search of complicated words and terms used.

Have doubts about a chosen common app essay question? Need professional help? Use our messenger, and one of our consultants will answer any issues of yours and help to find the best solution to your application problem. Contact 24/7 and get the academic support you deserve.

Don't waste your time Order now!

  • dmca_logo
  • safecharge
  • trustpilot