Common App Essay Prompt 6 Guide

Are you applying to college through the Common App portal and need to complete the Common App essay? If so, you may have looked over the 2024-25 essay prompts, which can be found here. Whether you have already decided that you want to write about Prompt 6 or if you are just researching to see which prompt you would like to answer, this post is here to give you a detailed guide about how to answer Prompt 6 so that you can craft a compelling essay! 

Common App Essay Prompt 6 Guide

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? (250-650 words)

To effectively answer this prompt, you should keep the following points in mind. 

• Grab attention: Start your essay off with a story, memory, or statement that grabs attention. More information on how to craft a good hook can be found here. You can describe a time when you were taking part in the topic, idea, or concept that you found interesting. 

   

• Explain your interest: Introduce the reader to the main topic, idea, or concept that you will be talking about in your essay. Is it a subject at school, a hobby, a thought-provoking question, etc? You should clearly outline why this topic, idea, or concept is so fascinating to you. What aspects of this topic, idea, or concept do you find intriguing, challenging, thought-provoking, etc? A good example can be found here.

   

• Show curiosity: Describe how this topic stimulates your curiosity. What questions does it make you ask? In what aspects does it make you want to explore deeper and learn more? 

   

• Talk about emotions: Discuss how you feel when engaging with this topic, idea, or concept. Do you feel excited and curious to learn more? Does it make you satisfied once you have finished engaging with it? Do you feel happy to learn more about this topic? A good example can be seen here. 

   

• Show how time flies: One aspect of the prompt asks you to talk about how you lose track of time when you engage with this topic. Provide an anecdote of a time when you spent a longer time than you realized when engaging with this topic, idea, or concept. This shows the reader how time flies when you do this activity, thus showing how passionate you are about it. 

   

• Explain the intellectual challenge: Discuss how this topic challenges you intellectually. Does it make you develop your problem-solving, critical thinking, etc? Explain how this topic makes you want to work harder and learn more.

   

• Learning more from others: Describe who you go to when you want to learn or discuss more about this topic. Is it a friend, family member, teacher, counsellor, etc? Explain how their guidance and influence motivate you to learn more about this topic. Additionally, do you also refer to books and online articles when you want to learn more? A good example can be seen here. 

   

• Connect to broader themes: Discuss how this topic connects to other aspects of your life. Does it relate to your academic goals, personal values, or future aspirations? This will help the reader see how this topic, idea or concept drives you.