How to Write Common App Essay? Tips to Write Common Essay Topics

Curious about what the Common App is or looks like? It is an undergraduate admission application utilized by over 900 institutions globally, spanning countries such as the US, China, Japan, and parts of Europe. Every year, upwards of 1 million students set up profiles on the Common App, compile college lists, check requirements, and submit applications. This platform allows them to apply to multiple schools using a single application containing details like their name, demographic information, extracurricular activities, and personal statement or essay.

For those unfamiliar, the Common App Essay is a personal statement that undergraduate applicants must submit to colleges that accept the Common App. It forms part of a holistic admissions approach, where the admissions committee wants to understand you as an individual beyond your statistics, demographics, and test scores.

In fact, certain universities do not require a specific minimum score for the SAT or ACT. Instead, they evaluate your personal narrative, character, strengths, passions, background, and communication abilities through this essay.

Now that you understand what a Common App essay is, let us delve deeper into its significance and structure.

The Common App essay becomes crucial if you are applying to highly selective colleges with top-tier grades and scores, where a lackluster essay can easily jeopardize your application. This essay gives students a chance not only to showcase their writing style but also to emphasize motivating qualities and skills that might not appear elsewhere in their application. Therefore, make the most of this space to serve as a turning point in your academic journey!

Even after grasping the definition of a common app essay and its core purpose, many students remain uncertain about how to write one. However, there is no need to worry as we explore the following key aspects.

Aside from specific university prompts, here are several general themes you can use for your Common App essay.

• Share your story
• Explain how you learned from an obstacle
• Write about a challenging belief
• Problem-solving experience
• Your personal growth
• What captivates you
• Other topics of your choice, etc.

Next, let us examine details such as the ideal length of a Common App essay, the word count restrictions, strategies for writing a strong essay, and the exact components of a Common App format.

Are you wondering about the word limit for the Common App essay? There is no strict fixed word limit, but the essay generally ranges from 250 to 650 words. However, we advise aiming for a 650-word personal statement. This allows you to effectively choose and elaborate on an appropriate prompt from the Common App portal. Additionally, we recommend starting your sample Common App essays 3 months prior to the deadline by following a well-structured timeline.

Let us dive into the steps for writing a Common App essay and examine its required format.

• Brainstorm: Dedicate the first week to 10 days to self-reflection. This process will help you understand who you are, what makes you unique, your core passions, your future life goals, and more.

Following this, review the provided list of prompts, select 3 to 4 options, and begin brainstorming ideal responses for each.

• Freewriting: Once you have brainstormed ideas for 3 to 4 prompts, start freewriting as part of your essay preparation. Do not worry about word counts, transitions, structure, or other constraints if your thoughts are flowing naturally. The primary objective here is not to produce a final draft, but to get comfortable with regular writing, develop an authentic voice, and touch upon all vital elements. This will subsequently assist you in building a solid Common App essay outline.
• Select the Right Topic: After spending a month on brainstorming and freewriting, pick the most suitable Common essay topic to elevate your writing. At this stage, you might choose an engaging narrative hook, a specific focus such as a person, event, or experience, a topic aligned with your career ambitions, or a unique facet of your personality like an affinity for sports or environmentalism. Be sure to highlight your achievements and passions if your overall scores are on the lower side.
• Begin Writing the Draft: By this point, you will be well-prepared to compose a logical, imaginative, and conclusive essay. Nonetheless, some students may still feel anxious about the organization and conclusion of their write-up. To assist you, we have outlined several essay structures. You can choose from these options, keep the word limit in mind, and draft a structured outline for your personal statement.

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Common Application Essay Layout

The following steps outline the Common App format.

• Start with a personal, meaningful, specific, or traditional narrative style and continuously blend it with your achievements.
• You can adopt the iterative essay style to discuss your personal growth, life journey, a specific problem without a neat resolution, or hurdles you have faced, such as racism or gender inequality.
• You can apply the circular essay style to present a story or event at the beginning with no immediate conclusion. First, discuss your perspective, experience, and the impact associated with it throughout the text, and then provide a conclusion at the end.
• You can select the building challenges essay style to incorporate all the hardships you have encountered in your life.
• Finally, you can utilize the creative style, which grants you the freedom to choose a non-traditional format or structure.

Now that you understand the essay writing format, let us look into some essential Common Application essay books for your preparation.

You can review these books to prepare for your Common App essay writing.

• College Essay Essentials, by Ethan Sawyer
• 50 Successful Ivey League Application Essays, 5th Edition, by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
• On Writing the College Application Essay, by Harry Bauld
• Common App Handbook, by Michael J Youmans
• Crushing the Common App, by Julie Ferber Frank

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Below are the important tips for the Common App essay:

• Brand Yourself: It does not matter which prompt you have chosen or what topic you have decided to write about. Ultimately, the essay should focus on your role in or around it. Therefore, keep in mind that the admission counselor is reading the essay to evaluate you for a specific course.
• Details are Necessary: In the US, 1 in 10 students uses the Common App application to pursue an undergraduate degree. The chances of writing an essay on a completely novel topic are extremely low. Hence, include thorough details, and at the end, ask yourself whether anyone else could explain this scenario or story better.
• Don't Involve Many People: Although gathering feedback on your essay is paramount, sharing it with numerous editors can be risky. During the editing phase, the writing may lose its true essence and core message. Furthermore, an admission officer can easily distinguish between an article penned by a teenager and one influenced by a parent.
• Writing Related Common App Essay Tips:
• Build suspense and mystery throughout the essay.
• Avoid plain statements that are unsupported by an example.
• Make sure to answer the specific prompt you have selected from the Common App platform.
• Be deliberate, authentic, humble, natural, and transparent in your writing. The use of fabricated or unbelievable details can appear pretentious.
• Be sure to include a key takeaway in your conclusion.
• Always check for plagiarism and grammatical mistakes.

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Now you know how to draft an exemplary Common App essay. However, this is not the sole criterion required for your undergraduate admission process, as there are other critical steps as well.

Therefore, if you need guidance regarding university and course selection, scholarships, or visa applications, connect with our expert counselors by subscribing to Ashiraj Premium.

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