Common App Essay Prompts: Which One Should You Pick?

When students ask me for Common App essay tips, the number one question I get asked is: Which prompt should you pick?

So in today’s video, we’re going to break down all seven of the Common App essay prompts and how to answer them. Then we’ll discuss the best one for you.

Let’s take a look at question number one. It says, “Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

This is the most open-ended of the questions where you can literally write about anything you like or anything you’re like. So who are you? What’s something that anybody who knows you knows about you? When maybe a friend is introducing you to their friend, they would say, “Oh, you remember so-and-so? They’re the one I told you about who blank,” right? What’s that defining characteristic of you? Or what are you just most proud to tell them that you’ve accomplished? It’s so open-ended, you could literally write about any topic for this if it’s important to you.

Let’s take a look at question number two. It says, “The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”

So this question can be kind of a trap because a lot of students want to focus on the challenge, the setback, the failure, an obstacle, and that can make you sound a bit like a Debbie Downer. So I advise students to work this question backwards. Instead of thinking about that negative, think about something you’re good at, maybe even great at, that wasn’t always easy for you. What were the challenges that you overcame to get as great as you are at that thing? Start with the positive and then dial it back from there.

Question number three says, “Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?”

Now, this doesn’t mean your parents said you can’t go out on Friday night and you went out anyway. It’s not about defying authority. It’s about thinking for yourself. You’re not a kid anymore. You’re a young adult, and you make up your own mind. You have your own opinions. So what is something you came to on your own, not something a parent told you and you nodded, or a teacher told you and you nodded, or all your friends went along with, but when you said, “No, you know, I think I’ve got my own views on this.”

But most importantly, it can’t just be an idea. It has to be something you put into practice that you did something about. There’s got to be a verb in this story. Otherwise, it is not interesting.

Question number four says, “Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?”

And that important word at the end is motivated you. Again, you have to have done something. You have to have paid it forward. Something I always advise students to stay away from is your parents bought you a car for your 16th or 17th birthday or whatever it is. That’s not something someone did to make you grateful in a surprising way.

Maybe somebody helped you when they didn’t have to. Maybe somebody gave you a compliment that really made all the difference and changed how you thought about how you were able to do something or who you were. And how have you repaid that out into the world to other people? Focus on that.

Let’s take a look at question number five. It says, “Describe an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.”

And this goes back to the idea that you’re not a kid anymore. You are a young adult becoming the adult you will be in your future. So when was that moment when you realized you’re not a kid anymore? What was a thing you did or an experience you had where you said, “Oh, I’m the adult now,” or “I’m doing adult things,” or “I’m in charge, I’m responsible, these are my choices.” Talk about it, and talk about how you see it playing out beyond high school into college and even thereafter.

Let’s go to question number six. It says, “Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?”

So what you don’t want to do is talk about sitting and staring at the ocean because it’s just so beautiful. It’s about an idea, a concept, a topic. Whether it’s something maybe relating to a future career, or a class you’re taking, or the kinds of projects you like to work on with your hands or on computers, or anything that you could just spend hours working on and before you know it, “Geez, it’s the end of the day already. Geez, it’s 2 a.m. already. I gotta put this on pause and come back to it in the morning” and you wake up in the morning thinking about it, ready and raring to go.

And finally, question number seven says, “Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.”

Let me tell you, this essay is a trap. I advise students not to do it. First of all, the other six questions are so open, especially that first one, that if you can’t think of anything to write about, you need to think a little bit harder. But second of all, no college wants you to just turn in some creative writing piece or some history essay that you’ve already turned in for a grade or for a competition and say, “Here, look, I can write. I’m a capable writer.” Because the point of this essay is not to see that you can dot your i’s and cross your t’s, that your grammar and punctuation is correct, or how many vocab words you know.

The point of this essay is for the reader to get a chance to meet you through the lens of what matters to you, the experiences you have, and your outlook on your life and your future.

But most importantly: read the directions carefully. Because no matter which of these questions you choose, no matter which prompt you write your essay about, you want to make sure to answer it well and thoroughly. Make sure to read the freaking question and not miss any piece. And make sure your answer is in your own voice, which is what the instructions say. So not ChatGPT’s voice. And not quotes by famous people that are not part of the prompt.

And it says, “Aside from classes, grades, and scores.” So make sure this essay is not a story about that mean teacher you had, and that’s why your grades are low, and they should accept you despite your abysmal grades. Not the kind of essay that you want to write.

Now to answer the question I posed at the top of the video: Which is the right one?

And guys, I’ve got some bad news. There is no right one. The best one for you is the one that you have a story about that you can be unique, original, stand out, and memorable. Because this is not a test to see which of the questions you chose. There’s no one that the colleges prefer over the other. And everything works if you work it.

So read through it. Brainstorm ideas. Write out maybe two or three different ideas. Eventually you’ll figure out which is the one that is really the story that encapsulates you, and maybe even the moment you became you, so the colleges know who you’re going to be on their college campus.

So if you need more Common App essay tips, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.