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Are you going to be applying to colleges soon and need to figure out how to write the Common App essay? With admissions officers reading so many essays, you need to choose an essay format that stands out and captivates the reader's attention. You may be wondering what format you should use when structuring your essay. This post is here to help give you some guidance on whether your Common App essay has to be a story so you can start planning the writing process.
Does Your Common App Essay Have To Be A Story?
To answer the above question, no your Common App Essay does not have to be a story. However, it must be noted that the Common App essay is a way for admissions officers to get to know you on a more personal level such as learning about your values, beliefs, and challenges faced. Using a narrative story format is often the most effective way of writing the Common App essay as it allows students to use anecdotes and lived experiences to answer the essay prompts, which often ask students to outline a time they grew as a person, overcame challenges, came to new realizations, and discovered a new aspect of their identity.
A story format is an efficient way to highlight these qualities and makes the Common App essay more personal to the student and unique to the admissions officers. Presenting the essay using other formats such as descriptive, argumentative, or comparative distracts the reader from learning more about you as a person. Hence, although your Common App essay doesn't necessarily need to be a story, it would be advisable to write it as one.
Let's look at some examples taken from the Clastify website of students who have used the story format well in their Common App Essays. Only a brief excerpt will be shown below but you can click on the links in blue to access the full exemplars.
Example 1
10:00 AM - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
12:30 PM - Lunch at Blacktap
2:00 PM - Wicked on Broadway
6:00 PM - Rockefeller Center and Lego Store
As the informally designated family vacation planner, I made sure to accommodate each of my family member's interests along with my personal desire to constantly make the most of each opportunity, which meant that our schedule was always filled to the brim.
Read the full example here.
This is a good example as the student has used stories of how they were the unofficial family vacation planner to demonstrate how they used to pack each day with activities, but never really took the time to enjoy any of them thoroughly. Through this story, the student answers the prompt of how they came to a realization that sparked a new understanding of themselves. This leads to the student discussing their personal growth of how they learned to take things slow and appreciate the small moments.
Example 2
I watched the man who held my future in his hand warily. As our substitute teacher moved down the register in sophomore P.E, I crossed my fingers, desperately hoping that l'd hear the right syllables. Pearl, James, Richard... and I knew by the ensuing silence he was finally reading my name. My heartbeat grew so loud you'd have thought there was someone sprinting inside my chest. Finally, he asked "Is Addy here? Addy Marina Lam?" much to the snickers and laughter of my classmates. A familiar wave of embarrassment swept over me as I feebly raised my hand.
Read the full example here.
This is a good example as the student has used a story of how their substitute teacher mispronounced their name to set up the essay which talks about the student's identity and how they slowly became comfortable with it, even though they initially were ashamed. The student has used their story to demonstrate how they realized the cultural and familial significance behind their name, thus answering the prompt of how identity or background shaped them.
Example 3
A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland. While my country-bound aunt and cousin were barely phased, the scene struck my young and sheltered eyes. Along with a whirlwind of emotions, the unrestrained act of parturition triggered a feeling of warmth I will never forget.
Read the full example here.
This is a good example as the student has used an anecdote of watching a cow give birth to explain their story of how they embraced their femininity, even though they did not follow typical norms. The student then describes their journey of how they discovered themselves and want to empower other women in the same way, which leads to them explaining why they want to study their intended major at college.
We hope that this guide has helped you understand how to approach writing the Common App essay in terms of structuring it as a story. Good luck with your college applications.
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