Choosing the Right Common App Essay Prompt

Are you struggling to decide which Common App essay prompt is the best fit for you? Try this self-reflection exercise:

Step 1: Identify the Prompts and Types

First, identify seven Common App essay prompts and their corresponding types:

• The Unique Storyteller: Share a background, identity, interest, or talent that is meaningful to you.
• The Resilient One: Write about a challenge, setback, or failure and how you overcame it.
• The Thinker: Reflect on a belief or idea that you have challenged and its outcome.
• The Grateful One: Write about someone who has made a significant impact on your life and how it has affected you.
• The Achiever: Describe an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked your personal growth and understanding.
• The Passionate One: Write about a topic, idea, or concept that captivates you.
• The Creative One: Write about any topic of your choice.

Step 2: Reflect on Questions

Second, reflect on the following questions:

• What experiences have shaped you as a person?
• What are your values and beliefs?
• What are your interests and passions?
• What challenges have you faced, and how have you grown from them?
• What accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What topics do you find yourself drawn to?

Step 3: Assign Scores

Third, give each reflection a score from 1 to 10 based on their level of importance to you. Circle or highlight the top three prompts with the highest scores as they align most closely with your answers to the self-reflection questions.

Step 4: Develop a Unique Essay

Fourth, re-read each circled or highlighted prompt and consider how you could develop a unique and compelling essay around it. Think about the story you want to tell, the message you want to convey, and the qualities you want to showcase about yourself.

Step 5: Choose the Prompt

Finally, choose the prompt that feels most authentic and compelling to you. Remember, the goal of the Common App essay is to give colleges and universities a sense of who you are as a person and as a potential member of their academic community. Choose the prompt that allows you to showcase your best self and tell your unique story in a meaningful and engaging way.

Sample Execution

Here is the sample execution of the step-by-step guide above:

Step 1: Assign a score of 1 to 10 to each of the answers in the reflection exercise based on their level of importance to you.

• Growing up in a multicultural family and community - 8
• Traveling to different countries and experiencing different cultures - 9
• Overcoming my fear of public speaking - 7

Step 2: What are my values and beliefs?

• Respect for diversity and inclusivity - 9
• A belief in the power of education to change lives - 8
• A commitment to social justice and equity - 10

Step 3: What are my interests and passions?

• Photography and visual arts - 9
• Writing and storytelling - 8
• Environmental sustainability and activism - 10

Step 4: What challenges have I faced, and how have I grown from them?

• Struggles with anxiety and perfectionism, which I have learned to manage through therapy and mindfulness practices - 9
• Overcoming my fear of public speaking by taking speech and debate classes in high school and college - 7

Step 5: What accomplishments am I most proud of?

• Winning a national award for my photography - 10
• Publishing a personal essay in a prominent online publication - 8
• Graduating with honors from my school - 9

Step 6: What topics do I find myself drawn to?...

• Exploring the intersections of identity and culture - 9
• Analyzing social and environmental issues through a critical lens - 10
• Sharing personal stories and experiences through creative expression - 8

Based on these scores, the three prompts that align most closely with my answers are:

1. The Unique Storyteller: Share a background, identity, interest, or talent that is meaningful to you.
2. The Thinker: Reflect on a belief or idea that you have challenged and its outcome.
3. The Creative One: Write about any topic of your choice.

Based on my answers above, I am someone who values photography, cultural exploration, and identity. I would choose the Unique Storyteller prompt. Through sharing my experiences growing up in a multicultural family and community, I can connect these passions and explore how they have shaped my perspective on the world. Photography has been an integral part of my journey, capturing memories and preserving them for posterity. It has allowed me to express my identity and connect with others, regardless of cultural or linguistic barriers.