What Is The Common App Essay?

Are you a high school student who is considering applying to college soon? You may have heard of the Common Application (Common App) that many students use to apply to college. One of the components required to submit college applications through the Common App portal is the Common App essay. But what exactly is the Common App essay? This post is here to answer that question by providing you with some key points on what the Common App essay is so that you can tackle the essay more confidently. 

What Is The Common App Essay? 

In short, the Common App essay is a way for admissions officers to get to know you outside of an academic setting. Since you have other parts of your application to showcase your grades, standardized test scores, and academic achievements, the Common App essay is a chance for you to show your well-rounded nature. This could be by discussing something about your identity, talking about how you overcame a challenge, discussing how extracurricular activities shaped you, etc. The subsections below will guide you through various aspects of the Common App essay so that you fully understand the requirements. 

Choosing A Prompt And Brainstorming 

• Before you can start writing your Common App essay, you should have a look at the prompts given by Common App for the respective year you are applying. For the 2024-25 application cycle, the prompts can be found here. 

   

• You should initially narrow down at least 2-3 prompts. Set a timer and write as many bullet points as you can for each of the prompts. After doing this, you should be able to see which topics you can write about more naturally. The topic that is easiest to write about should be the one that you choose to write your Common App essay on. For more tips on brainstorming for the Common App essay, check this post here. 

   

• You need to ensure that your essay topic is unique and stands out to admissions officers. Many topics are overused by students and hence will not impress admissions officers even though the stories presented may seem good. For a list of what topics to avoid, see this post here. 

   

• If you need some inspiration regarding some ideas for each Common App essay prompt, read this post here.  

Word Limit

• The Common App essay has a word limit of 250-650 words. Although the minimum limit is 250 words, it is recommended to keep your essay around 500 words minimum as it would be difficult to offer an in-depth explanation of your experiences in relation to the prompt in less than 500 words. 

   

• Ensure you do not cross the upper word limit of 650 words as the Common App submission portal will not let you write or paste more than this upper limit. 

   

• For a more in-depth look at how to break down the Common App essay sections according to the word count, check out this post here. 

Schools You Can Apply To

• The Common App is accepted by over 900 institutions in the US, as well as some schools outside the US. For the full list of schools that accept applications through the Common App, read this post here in which provides a list of schools by US state. 

   

• You can apply to a maximum of 20 schools using the Common App platform. For a breakdown of how to choose which schools to apply to using the Common App, read this post here.

Structuring And Writing The Essay 

• Your essay should have a general structure of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Ensure that there is a smooth transition between paragraphs. Each body paragraph should have a mini conclusion that wraps up the main point of that paragraph before moving on to the next one. The conclusion should effectively tie together all the mini-conclusions and provide closure to your essay. For advice on how to format the Common App essay, read this post here. 

   

• You should create a draft before you start writing your main essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and allow for a smoother essay writing process. For tips on how to write a draft, check out this post here.

   

• If you are thinking of how to approach structuring your essay and are feeling a bit stuck, this post here might help give you some inspiration on how to start the Common App essay.

General Advice 

• Avoid using clichés in your essays as these phrases are overused and will not help you stand out. Instead, you should be creative and come up with your own catchphrases that suit your essay. Examples of clichés to avoid can be found in this post. 

   

• Avoiding common mistakes that students make when writing Common App essays is crucial. For a detailed breakdown of the common mistakes and how to avoid them, read this post here. 

   

• For a general overview of some tips to keep in mind when writing the Common App essay, see this post here. 

   

• Although there is no official rubric or criteria created by the Common App, click the links here to see our recommended rubric and criteria to keep in mind when writing your Common App essay. 

Common App Essay vs Other Essays 

• If you are applying to the UK in addition to the US, you may have heard of the UCAS personal statement. This is also a type of college essay, however it has a very different focus from the Common App essay. While the Common App essay is more informal and is designed for admissions committees to get to know you outside of academics, the UCAS personal statement is more academic-focused and formal. For a more detailed breakdown between the two essays, see this post here. 

   

• In addition to the Common App essay, some institutes may ask you to submit supplemental essays to support your application. While the Common App essay provides a general overview of you outside of academics, supplemental essays could ask you to explain your academic goals and why you have chosen that school in particular. The Common App essay prompts are more general, while supplemental essay prompts are more school-specific. For a more detailed breakdown between the two essays, see this post here.

We hope this guide helps you with your Common App planning and submissions. Good luck with your college applications!