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How to Write the University of Oklahoma Essays 2021-2022

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a large public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. OU has an active student body and is known for its competitive football team and strong campus community. 

Any student hoping to be a Sooner is required to respond to one of the Common Application Essay Prompts . Additionally, on your OU application you will see the optional scholarship section. Answering these scholarship questions—which address the topics of leadership, community service, and career interests—will put you in the running for a variety of scholarships that can help out with the cost of attendance.

Want to know your chances at OU before getting started? Calculate your chances for free right now.

University of Oklahoma Scholarship Prompts

Prompt 1: The University of Oklahoma believes strongly in educating leaders of communities in Oklahoma, as well as across the country and the world. Please share your leadership experiences and why they are important to you. (650 words)

Prompt 2: The University of Oklahoma is the home of a vibrant, diverse and compassionate University community that is often referred to as “the OU family.” Please describe your cultural and community service activities and why you chose to participate in them. (650 words)

Prompt 3: What is your career area of interest, and why do you have a desire to work in this particular field? (650 words)

The University of Oklahoma believes strongly in educating leaders of communities in Oklahoma, as well as across the country and the world. Please share your leadership experiences and why they are important to you. (650 words)

These essays have high word counts, which means they have potential for greatness, but also means that you need to stay focused and organized. 

Start by brainstorming your leadership experiences. Common responses include holding a leadership position in a school organization or being captain of a school team, but keep in mind that the word “leadership” can encompass many other experiences. The admissions committee will be drawn to students who are leaders inside and outside of the classroom, so try including examples of both!

A leadership experience can include any time you “took the initiative” or served as a positive role model for your community (at your church, at your after-school job, at a place you volunteer, or in your apartment complex or neighborhood). Some examples:

• You noticed that the students at your school weren’t properly identifying recyclable materials and printed posters explaining the difference between trash, recycling and compost
• You heard some girls talking about how their homes are loud and they have nowhere to study and organized a Tuesday night study group at the coffee shop down the street from your school
• You have been a VBS counselor for eight years and one of your students made you a card with all the reasons they want to be like you when they grow up
• Your apartment complex wasn’t accessible to your neighbor’s mother who uses a wheelchair so you wrote your landlord a letter and got automatically-opening doors installed 

After figuring out what experiences you want to talk about, you need to find a way to organize your essay. This might take a few tries and some creativity!

One way to organize your essay is to center it around one or two defining values. Ask yourself: why do I value leadership? Some examples of centering your essay around values could include writing about:

• How you feel it is important to give back to your community. You could discuss your experiences as a charity organizer and as the director of your school’s peer mentoring program.
• How leaders are important for creating positive work environments. You could describe the open forums you led for your school’s advisory board.
• How leaders are important for making sure things run efficiently. You could share the ways you delegated tasks when leading your school’s robotics team to nationals, as well as the system you organized at work that allows coworkers to easily trade shifts.

Another option is to organize your essay through a central anecdote. This is valuable if one of your examples is stronger than the others because you can focus on one experience and use the others as supporting evidence. This could look like:

• Sharing your experience as a camp counselor and how, when you noticed your campers uninterested in the camp’s activities, you integrated activities you learned at the daycare you worked at to keep them interested
• Writing about your experience as the captain of the school’s swim team and how, when interpersonal drama started affecting the team, you used the skills you learned working on a restaurant staff to help your team learn to separate personal life from work life

If you are really stuck, you might want to spend some time thinking about the qualities of a good leader, then thinking about how you can show admissions officers that you embody those qualities. Some qualities of a good leader include:

• Having strong communication skills
• Knowing how to utilize the strengths of your team
• Creating a positive working environment for others
• Showing compassion
• Looking for opportunities to grow
• Being committed to inclusive and ethical practices

If the university selects you for a leadership scholarship, they are saying that you represent the university’s value of leadership. Make sure to present your leadership experiences as fundamental to your identity and leave them thinking “now that’s someone who really sees the value of being a good leader!”

The University of Oklahoma is the home of a vibrant, diverse and compassionate University community that is often referred to as “the OU family.” Please describe your cultural and community service activities and why you chose to participate in them. (650 words)

Responding to this prompt will put you in the running for community service-based scholarships, so you should try to show admissions officers that you have been extensively involved in community service and are passionate about it. While this essay invites students to explore cultural activities, it is important to make sure you ultimately bring your essay back to ideas of service .

In the same way that “leadership” can be broadly-defined, “community” can be broadly defined. Your community can be your neighborhood, your school, a sports team, a cultural community, a church body, or any other group. You have freedom to stretch this prompt and talk about unconventional ways that you have served unconventional communities—maybe you help the elderly people in your apartment bring their groceries upstairs or you take candy to the altar boys at church on Sundays. 

That being said, it will also be valuable to ground your essay with some examples of typical community service. These include:

• Being involved with an in-school community service organization
• Volunteering outside of school at a local community service organization
• Participating in events that involve giving back to your community
• Identifying the needs of your community and taking the initiative to satisfy those needs

As you identify the ways you give back to your community, you may start to see a central theme emerge. Students often get involved with things they care about, so lean into those themes and show your passion around them.

For example, a student who is part of a cultural assembly at their school might also be involved with activism regarding racial equity. A different student might be involved with the feminist club at their school and volunteer at Planned Parenthood on the weekends. Identifying a theme like racial justice, women’s rights, animal activism, sustainability, or decreasing the suffering of poverty can lead to a structured and compelling essay. (Though, keep in mind that OU is a more moderate school, and plan your essay accordingly).

If you don’t notice themes that connect your community service experiences, try focusing on your values or organizing your essay around an anecdote about a formative experience serving your community or the origin story of how you became involved with community service.

The goal of this essay is to position yourself as dedicated to community service and passionate about the community that you serve, so write with intensity and make sure your essay shows how much you really care.

What is your career area of interest, and why do you have a desire to work in this particular field? (650 words)

Only students whose majors offer major-specific scholarships will have the opportunity to answer this prompt. The prompt may or may not appear in your scholarship section depending on the academic preferences you list in your application. 

If you do have this prompt, your first step should be identifying your career area of interest and making sure that it connects to your future major and the academic preferences you indicated. With a deeply personal prompt like this one, it is important to identify your initial responses to the question: why do you have a desire to work in your particular field? 

Some other questions that might help guide you include:

• When did you first become interested in your chosen field?
• What part of your future career gets you excited?
• What do you value that aligns with the values of your future field?
• Why do you think your career will make you happy?
• What is your dream job?
• What do you picture when you picture your future career?

One of OU’s essay writing tips is to “Be Open, Be Honest.” This advice is particularly important for this prompt. While you should be honest about your passions and motivations, there are some answers you should avoid when responding to this prompt. Do not write about financial stability. Do not write about job security. Write about your passions, your interests, your curiosities. If you write about aspects of your future career that excite you and the stories behind them, your passion will shine through. Just be sure to tie in your personal experiences, as it can be easy to write a general essay about the benefits of this career, which doesn’t tell admissions officers more about you . 

An easy format for this essay would be to start with an anecdote, include some reflection, and look towards the future. For example, a student who wants to be a teacher might share an experience where they were really struggling in school because of their family’s financial instability, but their English teacher went out of her way to check in, provide resources to help meet basic needs, and advocate for the student when administration wanted to fail them. The student could share how they later went on to get an A and become an English tutor. From there, they could discuss how they feel it’s important for teachers to understand barriers to education and nurture students where they are. That’s why this student wants to become a teacher in a high-need area and eventually create educational policy to support low-income students.

Another potential format is to envision yourself in your future career. What will your day look like? What will you be doing, what will you be feeling, and how will you be making a difference? How did you get here, and why did you work towards this goal?

Of course, you can use any format that suits you as long as your career interest and reasons for pursuing that career are clear. For this prompt, you have complete freedom to show your passion! 

Where to Get Your OU Essays Edited for Free

If you’ve already written your OU scholarship essays, it is time to get them edited. Having peers read your essays will help you to identify areas for improvement and, ultimately, will help you maximize your chances of getting a scholarship at OU. By creating a free CollegeVine account , you will have access to CollegeVine resources like our free peer-review service. We also recently added a paid expert option with College Essay Guy’s team.

We’re here to help you put your best foot forward and feel prepared throughout this application season—because we know how overwhelming it can get.

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Common App Essays | 7 Strong Examples with Commentary

Published on November 19, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

If you’re applying for college via the Common App , you’ll have to write an essay in response to one of seven prompts.

Table of contents

What is the common application essay, prompt 1: background, identity, interest, or talent, prompt 2: overcoming challenges, prompt 3: questioning a belief or idea, prompt 4: appreciating an influential person, prompt 5: transformative event, prompt 6: interest or hobby that inspires learning, prompt 7: free topic, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

The Common Application, or Common App , is a college application portal that is accepted by more than 900 schools.

Within the Common App is your main essay, a primary writing sample that all your prospective schools will read to evaluate your critical thinking skills and value as a student. Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs. Instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

Regardless of your prompt choice, admissions officers will look for an ability to clearly and creatively communicate your ideas based on the selected prompt.

We’ve provided seven essay examples, one for each of the Common App prompts. After each essay, we’ve provided a table with commentary on the essay’s narrative, writing style and tone, demonstrated traits, and self-reflection.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

This essay explores the student’s emotional journey toward overcoming her father’s neglect through gymnastics discipline.

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.

When “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” began to play, it was my signal to lay out a winning floor routine. Round off. Back handspring. Double back layout. Stick!

Instead, I jolted off the floor, landing out of bounds. Over the past week, I hadn’t landed that pass once, and regionals were only seven days away. I heaved a heavy sigh and stomped over to the bench.

Coach Farkas saw my consternation. “Mona, get out of your head. You’re way too preoccupied with your tumbling passes. You could do them in your sleep!”

That was the problem. I was dreaming of tumbling and missing my landings, waking up in a cold sweat. The stress felt overwhelming.

“Stretch out. You’re done for tonight.”

I walked home from the gym that had been my second home since fourth grade. Yet my anxiety was increasing every time I practiced.

I startled my mom. “You’re home early! Wait! You walked? Mona, what’s going on?!”

I slumped down at the kitchen table. “Don’t know.”

She sat down across from me. “Does it have anything to do with your father texting you a couple of weeks ago about coming to see you at regionals?”

“So what?! Why does it matter anymore?” He walked out when I was 10 and never looked back. Still, dear ol’ Dad always had a way of resurfacing when I least expected him.

“It still matters because when you hear from him, you tend to crumble. Or have you not noticed?” She offered a knowing wink and a compassionate smile.

I started gymnastics right after Dad left. The coaches said I was a natural: short, muscular, and flexible. All I knew was that the more I improved, the more confident I felt. Gymnastics made me feel powerful, so I gave it my full energy and dedication.

The floor routine became my specialty, and my performances were soon elevating our team score. The mat, solid and stable, became a place to explore and express my internal struggles. Over the years, no matter how angry I felt, the floor mat was there to absorb my frustration.

The bars, beam, and vault were less forgiving because I knew I could fall. My performances in those events were respectable. But, the floor? Sometimes, I had wildly creative and beautiful routines, while other times were disastrous. Sadly, my floor routine had never been consistent.

That Saturday afternoon, I slipped into the empty gym and walked over to the mat. I sat down and touched its carpeted surface. After a few minutes, my cheeks were wet with the bitter disappointment of a dad who only showed up when it was convenient for him. I ruminated on the years of practices and meets where I had channeled my resentment into acrobatics and dance moves, resolved to rise higher than his indifference.

I saw then that my deepest wounds were inextricably entangled with my greatest passion. They needed to be permanently separated. While my anger had first served to launch me into gymnastics, before long, I had started serving my anger.

Anger is a cruel master. It corrupts everything it touches, even something as beautiful as a well-choreographed floor routine.

I changed my music days before regionals. “The Devil” no longer had a place in my routine. Instead, I chose an energetic cyberpunk soundtrack that inspired me to perform with passion and laser focus. Dad made an obligatory appearance at regionals, but he left before I could talk to him.

It didn’t matter this time. I stuck every landing in my routine. Anger no longer controlled me. I was finally free.

Word count: 601

This essay shows how the challenges the student faced in caring for her sister with autism resulted in an unexpected path forward in her education.

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?

I never had a choice.

My baby sister was born severely autistic, which meant that every detail of our home life was repeatedly adjusted to manage her condition. I couldn’t go to bed without fearing that Mindy would wake up screaming with that hoarse little voice of hers. I couldn’t have friends over on weekends because we never knew if our entire family would need to shift into crisis mode to help Mindy regain control.

We couldn’t take a family vacation because Mindy would start hitting us during a long car ride when she didn’t want to sit there anymore. We couldn’t even celebrate Christmas like a normal family because Mindy would shriek and run away when we tried to give her presents.

I was five years old when Mindy was born. For the first ten years, I did everything I could to help my mom with Mindy. But Mom was depressed and would often stare out the window, as if transfixed by the view. Dad was no help either. He used his job as an excuse to be away from home. So, I tried to make up for both of them and rescue Mindy however I could whenever she needed it.

However, one day, when I was slowly driving Mindy around with the windows down, trying to lull her into a calmer state, we passed two of my former classmates from middle school. They heard Mindy growling her disapproval as the ride was getting long for her. One of them turned to the other and announced, “Oh my God! Marabeth brought her pet monster out for a drive!” They laughed hysterically and ran down the street.

After that day, I defied my parents at every turn. I also ignored Mindy. I even stopped doing homework. I purposely “got in with the wrong crowd” and did whatever they did.

My high school counselor Ms. Martinez saw through it all. She knew my family’s situation well. It didn’t take her long to guess what had probably happened.

“Marabeth, I get it. My brother has Down syndrome. It was really hard growing up with him as a brother. The other kids were pretty mean about it, especially in high school.”

I doubted she understood. “Yeah. So?”

“I’m guessing something happened that hurt or embarrassed you.”

“I’m so sorry. I can only imagine how you must have felt.”

It must have been the way she said it because I suddenly found myself sobbing into my trembling, cupped hands.

Ms. Martinez and I met every Friday after that for the rest of the year. Her stories of how she struggled to embrace living with and loving her brother created a bridge to my pain and then my healing. She explained that her challenges led her to pursue a degree in counseling so that she could offer other people what no one had given her.

I thought that Mindy was the end of my life, but, because of Ms. Martinez’s example and kindness, I can now see that Mindy is a gift, pointing me toward my future.

Now, I’m applying to study psychology so that I can go on to earn my master’s degree in counseling. I’m learning to forgive my parents for their mistakes, and I’m back in Mindy’s life again, but this time as a sister, not a savior. My choice.

Word Count: 553

This essay illustrates a student’s courage in challenging his culture’s constructs of manhood and changing his course while positively affecting his father in the process.

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

“No son of mine is gonna march around a football field wearing tail feathers while all the real men are playing football!”

I took a step backward and tried not to appear as off-balance as I felt. In my excitement, I had blurted out more information than my father could handle:

“Dad! I made the marching band as a freshman! Nobody does that—I mean nobody!”

As soon as I had said it, I wished I could recall those words. How could I forget that 26 years earlier, he had been the starting wide receiver for the state-champion Tigers on the same field?!

Still, when I opened the email on that scorching hot August afternoon, I was thrilled that five months of practicing every possible major and harmonic minor scale—two octaves up and two octaves down—had made the difference. I had busted reed after reed, trying not to puff my cheeks while moving my fingers in a precise cadence.

I knew he had heard me continually practicing in my room, yet he seemed to ignore all the parts of me that were incongruous with his vision of manhood:

Ford F-150 4x4s. Pheasant hunting. The Nebraska Cornhuskers.

I never had to wonder what he valued. For years, I genuinely shared his interests. But, in the fall of eighth grade, I heard Kyle Wheeling play a saxophone solo during the homecoming marching band halftime show. My dad took me to every football game to teach me the plays, but that night, all I could think about was Kyle’s bluesy improv at halftime.

During Thanksgiving break, I got my mom to drive me into Omaha to rent my instrument at Dietze Music, and, soon after, I started private lessons with Mr. Ken. Before long, I was spending hours in my room, exploring each nuance of my shiny Yamaha alto sax, anticipating my audition for the Marching Tigers at the end of the spring semester.

During those months of practice, I realized that I couldn’t hide my newfound interest forever, especially not from the football players who were going to endlessly taunt me. But not all the guys played football. Some were in choir and theater. Quite a few guys were in the marching band. In fact, the Marching Tigers had won the grand prize in their division at last year’s state showdown in Lincoln.

I was excited! They were the champions, and I was about to become a part of their legacy.

Yet, that afternoon, a sense of anxiety brewed in my belly. I knew I had to talk to him.

He was sweeping the grass clippings off of the sidewalk. He nodded.

“I need to tell you something.”

He looked up.

“I know that you know about my sax because you hear me practicing. I like it a lot, and I’m becoming pretty good at it. I still care about what you like, but I’m starting to like some other things more. I hope you’ll be proud of me whatever I choose.”

He studied the cracks in the driveway. “I am proud of you. I just figured you’d play football.”

We never talked about it again, but that fall, he was in the stands when our marching band won the state championship in Lincoln for the second time. In fact, for the next four years, he never left the stands during halftime until the marching band had performed. He was even in the audience for every performance of “Our Town” at the end of my junior year. I played the Stage Manager who reveals the show’s theme: everything changes gradually.

I know it’s true. Things do change over time, even out here in central Nebraska. I know because I’ve changed, and my dad has changed, too. I just needed the courage to go first.

Word count: 626

The student demonstrates how his teacher giving him an unexpected bad grade was the catalyst for his becoming a better writer.

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?

I stared in disbelief at the big red letter at the top of my paper: D. 

Never in my entire high school career had I seen that letter at the top of any paper, unless it was at the beginning of my first name. 

I had a 4.796 GPA. I had taken every pre-AP and AP course offered. My teachers had praised my writing skills! However, Mr. Trimble didn’t think so, and he let me know it:

“Darwin, in the future, I believe you can do better if you fully apply yourself.” 

I furiously scanned the paper for corrections. Not even one! Grammar and syntax? Perfect. Spelling? Impeccable. Sentence and paragraph structure? Precise and indisputable, as always. 

Was he trying to ruin my GPA? Cooper was clearly his favorite, and we were neck and neck for valedictorian, which was only one year away. Maybe they were conspiring to take me down. 

Thankfully, AP Composition was my last class. I fled the room and ran to my car. Defiant tears stained my cheeks as I screeched my tires and roared out of the parking lot. When I got home, I shoved in my AirPods, flopped on my bed, and buried my head under the pillow. 

I awoke to my sister, Daria, gently shaking my arm. “I know what happened, D. Trimble stopped me in the hall after school.”

“I’m sure he did. He’s trying to ruin my life.”

“That’s not what he told me. You should talk to him, D.”

The next day, although I tried to avoid Mr. Trimble at all costs, I almost tripped over him as I was coming out of the bathroom.

“Darwin, can we talk?” 

He walked me down the hall to his room. “Do you know that you’re one of the best writers I’ve ever had in AP Comp?” 

“Then why’d you do it?” 

“Because you’re better than you know, Darwin. You impress with your perfect presentations, and your teachers reward you with A’s and praise. I do frequent the teacher’s lounge, you know.” 

“So I know you’re not trying.”

I locked eyes with him and glared. 

“You’ve never had to try because you have a gift. And, in the midst of the acclaim, you’ve never pushed yourself to discover your true capabilities.”

“So you give me a D?!”

“It got your attention.”

“You’re not going to leave it, are you?”

“Oh, the D stands. You didn’t apply yourself. You’ll have to earn your way out with your other papers.” 

I gained a new understanding of the meaning of ambivalence. Part of me was furious at the injustice of the situation, but I also felt strangely challenged and intrigued. I joined a local writer’s co-op and studied K. M. Weiland’s artistic writing techniques. 

Multiple drafts, track changes, and constructive criticism became my new world. I stopped taking Mr. Trimble’s criticism personally and began to see it as a precious tool to bolster me, not break me down. 

Last week, the New York Public Library notified me that I was named one of five finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award. They described my collection of short stories as “fresh, imaginative, and captivating.” 

I never thought I could be grateful for a D, but Mr. Trimble’s insightful courage was the catalyst that transformed my writing and my character. Just because other people applaud you for being the best doesn’t mean you’re doing your best . 

AP Composition is now recorded as an A on my high school transcript, and Cooper and I are still locked in a tight race for the finish line. But, thanks to Mr. Trimble, I have developed a different paradigm for evaluation: my best. And the more I apply myself, the better my best becomes. 

Word Count: 627

This student narrates how she initially went to church for a boy but instead ended up confronting her selfishness by helping others.

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Originally, I went to church not because I was searching for Jesus but because I liked a boy.

Isaac Ono wasn’t the most athletic boy in our class, nor was he the cutest. But I was amazed by his unusual kindness toward everyone. If someone was alone or left out, he’d walk up to them and say hello or invite them to hang out with him and his friends.

I started waking up at 7:30 a.m. every Sunday morning to attend Grace Hills Presbyterian, where Isaac’s father was the pastor. I would strategically sit in a pew not too close but close enough to Isaac that when the entire congregation was instructed to say “Peace be with you,” I could “happen” to shake Isaac’s hand and make small talk.

One service, as I was staring at the back of Isaac’s head, pondering what to say to him, my hearing suddenly tuned in to his father’s sermon.

“There’s no such thing as a good or bad person.”

My eyes snapped onto Pastor Marcus.

“I used to think I was a good person who came from a respectable family and did nice things. But people aren’t inherently good or bad. They just make good or bad choices.”

My mind raced through a mental checklist of whether my past actions fell mostly into the former or latter category.

“As it says in Deuteronomy 30:15, ‘I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.’ Follow in the footsteps of Jesus and do good.”

I glanced to my left and saw Margaret, underlining passages in her study Bible and taking copious notes.

Months earlier, I had befriended Margaret. We had fourth-period Spanish together but hadn’t interacted much. She was friends with Isaac, so I started hanging out with her to get closer to him. But eventually, the two of us were spending hours in the Starbucks parking lot having intense discussions about religion, boys, and our futures until we had to return home before curfew.

After hearing the pastor’s sermon, I realized that what I had admired about Isaac was also present in Margaret and other people at church: a welcoming spirit. I’m pretty sure Margaret knew of my ulterior motives for befriending her, but she never called me out on it.

After that day, I started paying more attention to Pastor Marcus’s sermons and less attention to Isaac. One year, our youth group served Christmas Eve dinner to the homeless and ate with them. I sat across from a woman named Lila who told me how child services had taken away her four-year-old daughter because of her financial and living situation.

A few days later, as I sat curled up reading the book of James, my heart suddenly felt heavy.

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”

I thought back to Pastor Marcus’s sermon on good and bad actions, Lila and her daughter, and the times I had passed people in need without even saying hello.

I decided to put my faith into action. The next week, I started volunteering at the front desk of a women’s shelter, helping women fill out forms or watching their kids while they talked with social workers.

From working for the past year at the women’s shelter, I now know I want to major in social work, caring for others instead of focusing on myself. I may not be a good person (or a bad one), but I can make good choices, helping others with every opportunity God gives me.

Word count: 622

This essay shows how a student’s natural affinity for solving a Rubik’s cube developed her self-understanding, academic achievement, and inspiration for her future career.

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?

The worst part about writing is putting down my Rubik’s cube so that I can use my hands to type. That’s usually the worst part of tackling my to-do list: setting aside my Rubik’s cube. My parents call it an obsession. But, for me, solving a Rubik’s cube challenges my brain as nothing else can.

It started on my ninth birthday. I invited three friends for a sleepover party, and I waited to open my presents right before bed. Wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows flew through the air as I oohed and aahed over each delightful gift! However, it was the last gift—a 3 x 3 x 3 cube of little squares covered in red, green, blue, yellow, white, and orange—that intrigued me.

I was horrified when Bekka ripped it out of my hands and messed it all up! I had no idea how to make all the sides match again. I waited until my friends were fast asleep. Then, I grabbed that cube and studied it under my blanket with a flashlight, determined to figure out how to restore it to its former pristine state.

Within a few weeks, I had discovered the secret. To practice, I’d take my cube with me to recess and let the other kids time me while I solved it in front of them. The better I became, the more they gathered around. But I soon realized that their attention didn’t matter all that much. I loved solving cubes for hours wherever I was: at lunch, riding in the car, or alone in my room.

Cross. White corners. Middle-layer edges. Yellow cross. Sune and anitsune. 

The sequential algorithms became second nature, and with the assistance of a little black digital timer, I strove to solve the cube faster , each time attempting to beat my previous record. I watched speed solvers on YouTube, like Australia’s Feliks Zemdegs and Max Park from Massachusetts, but I wasn’t motivated to compete as they did. I watched their videos to learn how to improve my time. I liked finding new, more efficient ways of mastering the essential 78 separate cube-solving algorithms.

Now, I understand why my passion for my Rubik’s cube has never waned. Learning and applying the various algorithms soothes my brain and centers my emotions, especially when I feel overwhelmed from being around other people. Don’t get me wrong: I like other people—just in doses.

While some people get recharged by spending time with others, I can finally breathe when I’m alone with my cube. Our psychology teacher says the difference between an extrovert and an introvert is the situations that trigger their brains to produce dopamine. For me, it’s time away, alone, flipping through cube patterns to set a new personal best.

Sometimes, the world doesn’t cooperate with introverts, requiring them to interact with many people throughout the day. That’s why you’ll often find me in the stairwell or a library corner attempting to master another one of the 42 quintillion ways to solve a cube. My parents tease me that when I’ve “had enough” of anything, my fingers get a Rubik’s itch, and I suddenly disappear. I’m usually occupied for a while, but when I finally emerge, I feel centered, prepared to tackle my next task.

Secretly, I credit my cube with helping me earn top marks in AP Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics. It’s also responsible for my interest in computer engineering. It seems I just can’t get enough of those algorithms, which is why I want to study the design and implementation of cybersecurity software—all thanks to my Rubik’s cube.

Just don’t tell my parents! It would ruin all the fun!

Word count: 607

In this free topic essay, the student uses a montage structure inspired by the TV show Iron Chef America to demonstrate his best leadership moments.

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.

Iron Chef America: College Essay Edition

The time has come to answer college’s most difficult question: Whose story shows glory?

This is … Iron Chef America: College Essay Edition!

Welcome to Kitchen Stadium! Today we have Chef Brett Lowell. Chef Brett will be put to the test to prove he has what it takes to attend university next fall.

And the secret ingredient is … leadership! He must include leadership in each of his dishes, which will later be evaluated by a panel of admissions judges.

So now, America, with a creative mind and empty paper, I say unto you in the words of my teacher: “Let’s write!”

Appetizer: My first leadership experience

A mountain of mismatched socks, wrinkled jeans, and my dad’s unironed dress shirts sat in front of me. Laundry was just one of many chores that welcomed me home once I returned from my after-school job at Baskin Robbins, a gig I had taken last year to help Dad pay the rent. A few years earlier, I wasn’t prepared to cook dinners, pay utility bills, or pick up and drop off my brothers. I thought those jobs were reserved for parents. However, when my father was working double shifts at the power plant and my mom was living in Tucson with her new husband, Bill, I stepped up and took care of the house and my two younger brothers.

Main course: My best leadership experience

Between waiting for the pasta water to boil and for the next laundry cycle to be finished, I squeezed in solving a few practice precalculus problems to prepare for the following week’s mathletics competition. I liked how the equations always had clear, clean answers, which calmed me among the mounting responsibilities of home life. After leading my team to the Minnesota State Finals for two years in a row, I was voted team captain. Although my home responsibilities often competed with my mathlete duties, I tried to be as productive as possible in my free time. On the bus ride home, I would often tackle 10 to 20 functions or budget the following week’s meals and corresponding grocery list. My junior year was rough, but both my home and my mathlete team needed me.

Dessert: My future leadership hopes 

The first thing I ever baked was a chocolate cake in middle school. This was around the time that Mom had just moved out and I was struggling with algebra. Troubles aside, one day my younger brother Simon needed a contribution for his school’s annual bake sale, and the PTA moms wouldn’t accept anything store-bought. So I carefully measured out the teaspoons and cups of various flours, powders, and oils, which resulted in a drooping, too-salty disaster.

Four years later, after a bakery’s worth of confections and many hours of study, I’ve perfected my German chocolate cake and am on my way to mastering Calculus AB. I’ve also thrown out the bitter-tasting parts of my past such as my resentment and anger toward my mom. I still miss having her at home, but whenever I have a baking question or want to update her on my mathlete team’s success, I call her or chat with her over text.

Whether in school or life, I see problems as opportunities, not obstacles, to find a better way to solve them more efficiently. I hope to continue improving my problem-solving skills next fall by majoring in mathematics and statistics.

Time’s up! 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this tasting of Chef Lowell’s leadership experiences. Next fall, tune in to see him craft new leadership adventures in college. He’s open to refining his technique and discovering new recipes.

Word count: 612

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

The Common App essay is your primary writing sample within the Common Application, a college application portal accepted by more than 900 schools. All your prospective schools that accept the Common App will read this essay to understand your character, background, and value as a potential student.

Since this essay is read by many colleges, avoid mentioning any college names or programs; instead, save tailored answers for the supplementary school-specific essays within the Common App.

When writing your Common App essay , choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story.

No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development , insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

• Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
• Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

A standout college essay has several key ingredients:

• A unique, personally meaningful topic
• A memorable introduction with vivid imagery or an intriguing hook
• Specific stories and language that show instead of telling
• Vulnerability that’s authentic but not aimed at soliciting sympathy
• Clear writing in an appropriate style and tone
• A conclusion that offers deep insight or a creative ending

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, May 31). Common App Essays | 7 Strong Examples with Commentary. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/common-app-examples/

Is this article helpful?

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• Unconscious bias and excluded voices: What do you know about the identity of the author(s)? Considering your research as a whole, have you included diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences (e.g. from different countries including the Global South)? Are you selecting sources which confirm your own biases or seeking a diverse range of perspectives on an issue?
• Opinions: Some sources present unsubstantiated theories for debate. Look out for opinion presented as fact.
• Language: Look out for language that is either emotionally charged or vague.
• Sponsorship: Sometimes research is funded by a sponsoring body. For example, academic research may be sponsored by industry or government. This does not necessarily make the research less objective, but it may make its interpretation selective. Make sure that all vested interests are clearly identified and that the sponsors are happy to give access to the actual research data.

For this aspect of PROMPT we do not refer to the evaluation of research methods themselves, but to the information produced as a result of using particular methods. 

Do not assume that because research has been published, its methodology is rigorous or inclusive.

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• Are the results produced consistent with the methods stated?
• Are the methods suitable for your needs? Do you need the methods to be the same as, or different, to your own?

The provenance of a piece of information (i.e., who wrote and produced it) can help you assess its reliability. It is, therefore, important to be able to identify the author, sponsoring body or source of your information.

Knowing about the identity of an author or publisher will help you evaluate whether your research includes diverse voices and perspectives.

Knowing about the sponsoring organisation helps you understand what their main 'business' is (e.g., commerical, voluntary, research), how well established it is, who the people involved are, and who they are linked with.

Knowing how information is published can help you identify how reliable it is. For example, has it been through an editorial or peer review process?

Provenance can therefore be an indirect clue to the reliability of information – a safety net that gives you the opportunity to check things out. Provenance can also affect other people’s confidence in the sources you are citing.

Treat anonymous information with caution.

• Are they acknowledged experts in the subject area? Are they respected and reliable sources?
• Are their views controversial? Have they been frequently cited by other authors? (To find out whether material has been frequently cited requires either prior knowledge or a citation search).
• Are they known to have a particular perspective on the topic?

Sponsoring organisations

• What type of organisation is it? For example, is it a commercial company, voluntary organisation, statutory body, research organisation?
• How well established is the organisation?
• Does the organisation have any vested interests in the subject area?

Publication methods

Publication methods vary between different types of information. Anyone can publish on the web or post to a discussion list, whereas journals and books are often more selective.

• What do you know about the editor and/or the editorial board? How might editorial policy influence what is published? Remember that the publication practices of some commercial and academic publishers result in some authors being excluded from their publications.
• Is the journal well regarded? Does it have a high rating in the Journal Citation Reports? Does this matter?
• Is the information peer reviewed? Many electronic journals do not have a peer review process.

Consider the date when the information was produced or published. This can help you assess its quality and relevance. This is not as simple as saying that ‘good’ information must be up to date; it depends on your information need.

• Is it clear when the information was produced?
• Does the source reinforce stereotypes or represent other outdated views?
• Does the date of the information meet your requirements?
• Is it obsolete? Has it been superseded?

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Journal Buddies Jill | March 21, 2024 October 18, 2023 | List of Prompts

44 Essay Prompts for College That Will Get You Inspired

The college application process can be stressful and writing an essay is often the most daunting task. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the blank page in front of you and unsure of how to approach the essay prompt. But take heart, help is here!

You see…

We’ve put together two excellent lists of essay prompts for college that will get your creative juices flowing. These prompts cover a wide range of topics, from personal experiences and challenges to societal issues and cultural perspectives.

No matter what your background or interests are, there’s a prompt on this list of creative college essay prompts that will help you showcase your unique voice and personality.

So take a deep breath, grab a pen, and get ready to write an essay that will make you stand out to college admissions officers.

What Are College Essay Prompts

College essay prompts are designed to inspire students to write a compelling and unique essay that showcases their personality, experiences, and aspirations. These prompts are typically given by colleges and universities as part of the application process and are meant to help admissions officers get to know the applicant beyond their academic record and test scores.

Moreover, college essay prompts can take many forms, ranging from open-ended questions to more specific prompts that ask students to reflect on a particular experience or topic.

Some prompts may ask students to write about a challenge they have overcome, while others might ask them to discuss their future goals and how they plan to achieve them.

Regardless of the specific prompt, the goal of a college essay is to showcase the student’s writing ability, critical thinking skills, and unique perspective. A well-written essay can help a student stand out from the thousands of other applicants and increase their chances of being accepted into their dream school.

Of course, it’s important for students to carefully read and understand the prompt before starting their essay, and to take the time to brainstorm and organize their thoughts before beginning to write. 

With the right mindset and approach, college essay prompts can be a valuable opportunity for students to showcase their strengths and potential.

How to Choose the Right College Essay Prompt

Choosing the right prompt is crucial to producing an outstanding college essay. With so many prompts available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

The first step is to read through all of the prompts carefully and highlight the ones that stand out to you. Then, take some time to reflect on your experiences, interests, and goals. Consider which prompts align with these areas and which ones you feel passionate about.

It’s also important to consider the story you want to tell. What do you want the admissions officers to know about you? Which prompt will allow you to showcase your unique personality, skills, and accomplishments? Think about how you can use the prompt to tell a compelling story that will capture the reader’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

Another useful tip is to brainstorm ideas for each prompt. Jot down any thoughts or experiences that come to mind and see which ones you can develop into a strong essay. It’s perfectly fine to take some time to mull over the prompts and allow the ideas to percolate. In fact, it’s often during these moments of reflection that the most creative and unique ideas arise.

Ultimately, the right prompt for you is the one that speaks to your authentic voice and allows you to tell your story in the most compelling and memorable way possible. Take your time, trust your instincts, and remember that the college essay is an opportunity to showcase your best self and stand out from the crowd.

30 Essay Prompts for College to Get You Started

Coming up with a college essay topic can be one of the most challenging parts of the application process. You want to make sure your essay is unique, stands out, and showcases your personality. But where to begin? Here are 30 college essay prompts to get you started (no brainstorming required!).

 1. What is a challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?  2. Who is someone you admire and why?  3. What is a book that has impacted you and why?  4. What is a moment that has changed you as a person?  5. What is a cause or issue you are passionate about and why?  6. What is a talent or skill you possess and how has it shaped your life?  7. What is a place that is important to you and why?  8. What is a decision you made that was difficult but ultimately the right choice?  9. What is a lesson you learned the hard way and how has it impacted you?  10. Who is someone you have helped and how did it make you feel?  11. What is a mistake you made and what did you learn from it?  12. What is a dream or goal you have and why is it important to you?  13. What is a moment that made you realize something important about yourself?  14. What is a hobby or interest you have and how has it shaped you as a person?  15. Who is someone you have lost and how has it impacted you?

Use these essay prompts for college as a starting point to brainstorm ideas for your college essay. Remember, the most important thing is to be authentic and true to yourself in your writing.

Now, let’s explore…

Essay Prompts for College Students: How to Choose the Best One

The college application essay is one of the most important parts of your application. It’s your chance to show the admissions committee who you are and why you would be a good fit for their school. But with so many different essay prompts to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you?

Here are a few things to consider when choosing an essay prompt:

• What are your strengths and interests?  The best essay prompts will allow you to showcase your unique qualities and experiences. Think about what you’re passionate about and what you’re good at.
• What do you want the admissions committee to know about you?  What do you want them to remember about you after they read your essay? Choose a prompt that will allow you to share your story and your values.
• What are you comfortable writing about?  Some essay prompts are more challenging than others. If you’re not comfortable writing about a particular topic, it’s probably not the best choice for you.

Once you’ve considered these factors, you can start to narrow down your choices. Here are a few of the most popular college essay prompts:

• Describe a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.  This prompt is a great way to show the admissions committee your resilience and determination.
• Tell us about a person who has inspired you and why.  This prompt is a chance to talk about someone who has made a positive impact on your life.
• Describe an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.  This prompt is a great way to show the admissions committee how you’ve grown as a person.
• Discuss an issue of personal importance to you and how it has shaped your perspective.  This prompt is a chance to share your values and beliefs with the admissions committee.

No matter which essay prompt you choose, make sure to write a thoughtful and well-written essay. The admissions committee wants to get to know you, so give them a reason to remember you.

Additional Tips for Writing a Great College Essay

• Start early.  Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing your essay. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, research, and write.
• Be personal.  The college essay is your chance to share your story with the admissions committee. Don’t be afraid to be personal and let your personality shine through.
• Be specific and detailed. Don’t just tell the admissions committee what happened, show them. Use vivid language and specific examples to bring your story to life.
• Be clear and concise. Your essay should be well-organized and easy to read. Avoid rambling or going off on tangents.
• Proofread carefully. Typos and grammatical errors will make you look careless. Take the time to proofread your essay before you submit it.

Writing a college essay can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By following these tips, you can write a great essay that will help you stand out from the crowd.

14 MORE Essay Prompts for College

• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a challenge, setback, or failure you have experienced and how you overcame it.
• Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the lessons you learned from it.
• Discuss your academic interests and how they relate to your career goals.
• Describe a person who has had a significant impact on your life and explain why.
• Write about a time when you took a risk and how it turned out.
• Reflect on a time when you faced a moral dilemma and how you made your decision.
• Discuss your extracurricular activities and how they have shaped you as a person.
• Write about a book, poem, or work of art that has had a significant impact on you and explain why.
• Tell us about a time when you have shown leadership.
• Describe a time when you have worked collaboratively to achieve a common goal.
• Write about a time when you have had to overcome adversity.
• Reflect on a time when you have changed your mind about something.
• Discuss your plans for the future and why you are excited about them.

These are just a few examples, and there are many other great essay prompts for college so you should have no problem finding the topic of your choice. The most important thing is to choose a prompt that allows you to tell your story and share your unique perspective.

Oh, and if a prompt isn’t working for you, then pick a different prompt. This is not the time for self-created obstacles. Use your creativity and you may just come up with a surprising way to create the best personal essay you can to ensure your college dreams come true.

Ok, now for some…

Closing Thoughts on Essay Prompts for College Writing

Overall, college essay prompts and essay questions are a great opportunity for students to showcase their achievements, grades, unique qualities and more to help them stand out in the admissions process.

With careful consideration and thoughtful writing, students can use these prompts to create powerful and compelling essays that will impress admissions officers and help them achieve their academic and career goals.

We hope that our two lists of college essay prompts have helped inspire you to write your college essay of your own design.

Choosing a topic can be overwhelming, but with so many different prompts to choose from, there is sure to be one that resonates with you.

Remember to take your time — but keep track of time too — and craft an essay that truly reflects who you are and what you can bring to a college community. When you do, the rewards will be great.

Good luck with your essay and your application process!

103 More Free Writing Prompts

• 40 Great Journal Topics For College Students
• How to Prepare for College in High School (34 Prompts!)
• 29 Creative Writing Topics for College Students

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these   Essay Prompts for College ideas, please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. I appreciate it!

In gratitude,, Jill journalbuddies.com creator and curator

PS Check out this helpful resource —> 12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay

Tap to See Prompts Power Up Your Pen: 157 Writing Prompt a Day Ideas 162 Creative Writing Topics and Ideas (Updated!) 10 Great Journal List Prompts (110 Ideas in All!) ------------Start of Om Added --------- @media (min-width: 320px) and (max-width: 767px) { .inside-right-sidebar { display: none !important; } } Search Now Offering You 18,000+ Prompts!

Tap to See Prompts Power Up Your Pen: 157 Writing Prompt a Day Ideas 162 Creative Writing Topics and Ideas (Updated!) 10 Great Journal List Prompts (110 Ideas in All!) Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7-8 Grade 9-12 All Ages ------------End of Om Added --------- Tags college , college essay , College Essay Prompts , College Essay Writing , College Essay Writing Ideas , college Writing , College Writing Prompts , Essay Prompts div#postbottom { margin-top: 12px; } Search Now Offering You 18,000+ Prompts!

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Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students

Compiled by Michael Gonchar

• April 12, 2018

Note: We have 300 new argumentative writing prompts to add to this list.

Sign up for our free Learning Network newsletter. Receive new writing prompts in your inbox every week.

Of all the resources we publish on The Learning Network, perhaps it’s our vast collection of writing prompts that is our most widely used resource for teaching and learning with The Times.

We’ve published iterations of this post in the past — 200 , 401 and even 650 prompts — but never before have we gathered all our prompts, for both personal and argument writing, into one categorized list.

Admittedly, the list is huge. In fact, there are 1,219 questions below on everything from video games and fashion to smartphones and parenting, and each prompt links to a Times article as well as to additional subquestions that can encourage deeper thinking.

To help you navigate this page, here’s an index of topics:

Technology (1-74): Social Media • Smartphones • Internet & Tech Arts & Entertainment (75-248): Music • Television • Video Games • Movies & Theater • Books & Reading • Writing • The Arts • Language & Speech School & Career (249-449): School • Learning & Studying • Education Tech • Teachers & Grading • School Rules & Student Life • College • Work & Careers Identity & Family (450-828): Parenting • Family • Childhood Memories • Growing Up • Overcoming Adversity • Your Personality • Religion & Morality • Role Models • Gender • Race & Ethnicity • Neighborhood & Home • Money & Social Class • What If... Social Life & Leisure Time (829-1,059): Friendship • Dating & Sex • Looks & Fashion • Food • Sports & Games • Travel • Holidays & Seasons • Shopping & Cars Science & Health (1,060-1,140): Science & Environment • Animals & Pets • Exercise & Health Civics & History (1,141-1,219): Guns & the Justice System • Government Policy • History & News

So dive into the hundreds of writing prompts below — and let us know in the comments how you might use them in your classroom.

Social Media

1. Is Social Media Making Us More Narcissistic? 2. Are You the Same Person on Social Media as You Are in Real Life? 3. How Young Is Too Young to Use Social Media? 4. What Advice Do You Have for Younger Kids About Navigating Social Media? 5. How Do You Use Facebook? 6. What Is Your Facebook Persona? 7. How Real Are You on Social Media? 8. What Memorable Experiences Have You Had on Facebook? 9. Does Facebook Ever Make You Feel Bad? 10. Does Facebook Need a ‘Dislike’ Button? 11. Has Facebook Lost Its Edge? 12. Would You Consider Deleting Your Facebook Account? 13. Would You Quit Social Media? 14. Do You Have ‘Instagram Envy’? 15. Who Is Your Favorite Social Media Star? 16. What’s So Great About YouTube? 17. What Has YouTube Taught You? 18. What Are Your Favorite Viral Videos? 19. What Are Your Favorite Internet Spoofs? 20. What Would You Teach the World in an Online Video? 21. Do You Ever Seek Advice on the Internet? 22. Would You Share an Embarrassing Story Online? 23. Do You Use Twitter? 24. Is Snapchat a Revolutionary Form of Social Media? 25. Why Do You Share Photos? 26. How Do You Archive Your Life? 27. What Ordinary Moments Would You Include in a Video About Your Life? 28. Are Digital Photographs Too Plentiful to Be Meaningful? 29. Do You Worry We Are Filming Too Much? 30. Have You Ever Posted, Emailed or Texted Something You Wish You Could Take Back? 31. Would You Want Your Photo or Video to Go Viral? 32. Do You Worry Colleges or Employers Might Read Your Social Media Posts Someday? 33. Will Social Media Help or Hurt Your College and Career Goals? 34. Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired? 35. Are Anonymous Social Media Networks Dangerous? 36. Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online? 37. Are Parents Violating Their Children’s Privacy When They Share Photos and Videos of Them Online? 38. Would You Mind if Your Parents Blogged About You?

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CollegeVine's essay prompt database

Find your college’s application essay prompts for 2023-24

Latest essay prompts for the top 100 schools.

At CollegeVine, our goal is to make the college application process a little less stressful, so we’ve compiled the latest essay prompts for the top 100 schools in one easy, searchable database.

Also, every year we create free guides on “ How to Write X School’s Essays ” for the top 100 schools. In these guides, we give you tips and tricks on how to approach each prompt. As such, our prompt database also contains a link to each school's Essay Breakdown.

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60+ College Essay Prompts From Actual 2023-2024 Applications

Ideas to inspire every college applicant.

Writing a college application essay can be a stressful task for a lot of students. The more practice they get in advance, the better! This roundup of college essay prompts gives applicants a chance to explore their thinking, polish their writing, and prepare to make the best possible impression on selection committees. Every one of these questions is taken from real college applications for the 2023-2024 season, so they’re meaningful and applicable to today’s high school seniors.

Common App 2023-2024 College Essay Prompts

2023-2024 coalition for college essay prompts, life experiences college essay prompts, personal college essay prompts, academics college essay prompts, creative college essay prompts.

Hundreds of colleges and universities use the Common App process . For many schools, this includes responding to one of several college essay topics, which can change each year. Here are the essay prompts for the current application cycle (check with your chosen school/s to see if an essay is required).

• 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.
• 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?

• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• 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?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

• 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?
• 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.

More than 150 colleges and universities use the Coalition for College process . Here are their essay prompts for 2023-2024.

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

• What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?
• Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
• Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?
• What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?

• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

Answer these questions by sharing specific examples from your own experience.

• Who is your favorite conversation partner? What do you discuss with that person?
• Discuss a time when reflection or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.
• Share an example of how you have used your own critical-thinking skills on a specific subject, project, idea, or interest.

• Describe a time when you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond?
• What are the best words of advice you have received? Who shared them, and how have you applied them in your own life?
• Elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you.
• Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you.
• Who do you agree with on the big, important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?
• Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
• When was the last time you questioned something you had thought to be true?
• Discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved.
• Reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty.
• Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

• Describe a time you did not meet expectations and what impact the experience had on you.

These essay topics give schools a better sense of who you are, what you value, and the kind of student citizen you might be.

• What drives you to create, and what do you hope to make or have you made?
• Which book, character, song, monologue, or piece of work (fiction or nonfiction) seems made for you? Why?
• What would you want your future college roommate to know about you?
• How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve, the people you want to work with, and the impact you hope your work can have?

• Describe any meaningful travel experiences you’ve had.
• What would you want to be different in your own country or community to further principles of equality, equity, or social justice?
• What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
• If you could live your life fighting for one cause, what would it be and why?
• What gives meaning to your life?
• If you wrote a letter to yourself to be opened in 20 years, what would it say?
• If you had the power to change the course of history in your community or the world, what would you do and why?

• Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.
• What is the greatest compliment you have ever been given? Why was it meaningful to you?
• Explain how a text you’ve read—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind—has helped you to understand the world’s complexity.

Topics like these show your academic interests and demonstrate your commitment to learning and discovery.

• What does it mean to you to be educated?
• What is your motivation for pursuing higher education?
• Describe your reasons for wanting to attend the specific school you’re applying to. Who or what factored into your decision?
• Academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What are some of the bold questions you have pondered that get you excited, and why do they interest you?

• What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?
• If you decide to take a “gap year” between high school and college, what would you do during that time?
• Many schools place a high value on diverse student populations. How can you contribute to and support a diverse and inclusive student population at your chosen school?
• Imagine you were just awarded a research grant for a project of your choice. What are you researching and why?
• What do you love about the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions.

• Describe a time when you’ve felt empowered or represented by an educator.
• Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

Use these college essay topics to show off your creativity and innovative thinking.

• You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.

• Pick one person—a historical figure, fictitious character, or modern individual—to converse with for an hour, and explain your choice.
• If you could witness a historic event (past, present, or future) firsthand, what would it be and why?
• If you could have a theme song, what would it be and why?
• Discuss a book that you would call a “great book.” What makes the book great in your view?
• If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?
• If I could travel anywhere, I would go to …
• My favorite thing about last Tuesday was …
• Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge.
• If you had 10 minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your TED Talk be about?
• What are your three favorite words in the English language? Explain what they mean to you.
• Imagine that you could have one superpower. What would it be and how would you use it? What would be your kryptonite?

• Which Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor (real or imagined) best describes you?
• If you could create a college course that all students would take, what would it be about and why?
• What website is the internet missing?

How do you help your students prepare their college application essays? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out  the ultimate guide to college scholarships.

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University of Texas at Austin 2024-25 Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action: Oct 15

Regular Decision Deadline: Dec 1

You Have: 

University of Texas at Austin 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations 

The Requirements: 1 essay of 500-650 words; 2 short essays of 150 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Activity , Additional Info ,   Personal statement

Please keep your essay between 500–650 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

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..

UT Austin used to ask applicants to tell a story about opportunities or challenges that shaped who they are today, but this year, admissions is opening the essay up to be about anything you like. This is a great place to recycle your Common App essay , regardless of which prompt you decided to respond to. If, on the other hand, you haven’t drafted a Common App essay, you may still find inspiration in the seven prompts. Ultimately, this is an opportunity for admissions to get to know the person behind the application data better, so you’ll want to tell a story that offers insight into who you are and who you hope to become.

Short Answers

Submit the required short answers to prompts in your admission application., answers are limited to no more than 40 lines, or about 250–300 words per prompt, typically the length of one paragraph., why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major.

This prompt sounds simple enough: describe what you want to study and why you like it so much that you’re willing to dedicate four years of your life to it (at the very least). While you might be tempted to get technical or poetic in your response, your reader will expect you to connect your intended major to some prior experience and/or passion. In other words, tell a story. Lucky for you, we would have advised you to start with an anecdote anyway. The most memorable essays spring from concrete descriptions of your experiences. What excites you and why? When was the last time you got drawn down a Reddit rabbit hole – and what was the topic? While you don’t need to pinpoint the exact moment you became interested in ancient history or calculus, try to zero in on some inspiring experience. What was the best TED Talk you ever watched? The first time you spoke to your new friend in ASL? Your story should showcase your unique connection to your chosen course of study. And don’t forget to talk about UT Austin! By the end of your essay, your reader should not only know why you are passionate about your chosen major, but also what excites you about Austin’s program. In admissions, we call that your fit!

Oh and a quick shoutout to all the undecideds out there: don’t worry! If you can’t decide, then tell a story that demonstrates your wide range of interests or natural curiosity. Focus on the opportunities UT Austin offers across departments and how you plan to explore once you arrive on campus. It’s normal to want to try new things at the start of college!

Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why? (Guidance for students: This can include an extracurricular activity, a club/organization, volunteer activity, work or a family responsibility.)

Next up is a fun twist on the classic Activity Essay, which asks you to expand on an extracurricular endeavor that you are most proud of. Although we usually urge students to write about items that haven’t appeared elsewhere on their application, the Activity Essay is an exception. The trick here is to be authentic. The activity you want to write about will likely catapult to the front of your mind rather quickly, but if it doesn’t, take a moment to review your activities list (or start making one if you haven’t already) and reflect on each of those experiences. 

Maybe you want to write about your experience in the Debate Club, how you started with a fear of public speaking and, over the course of a few years, developed a knack for not only capturing the attention of a crowd, but thinking on your feet, as well! Or, perhaps you want to write about the Saturday mornings you spent volunteering in your neighborhood and the pride you take in serving your community. (Just make sure to avoid common Volunteering Essay pitfalls !) 

Whatever activity you choose to write about, be sure to infuse your story with specific, personal details so that no one else could have written it.

Optional Short Answer

Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance. (40 lines, or about 250-300 words).

This essay is perfect for students who have encountered outstanding challenges, and need an opportunity to explain them. In fact, we recommend saving those details for an Additional Info essay, so that you can use the rest of your application to highlight other parts of your amazing personality. So, if something has happened that affected your academic performance, this is a great opportunity to explain the circumstances. Did a COVID-19 infection during your junior year cause your participation in clubs and activities to take a hit? Did a family emergency cause an overall drop in your GPA? A drop in grades or a gap in your resume does not define you. Remember to make this essay not about the things you couldn’t control, but the actions you took to improve the situation. You don’t want to come off as a victim of circumstance, but as a resilient person who can take steps to positively affect their situation.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, which common app essay prompt should you choose.

College Essays

On one hand, the Common Application has seven essay prompts to choose from, which is great news: No matter what your story, you're sure to find a good fit! On the other hand, having seven prompts means you can write seven different kinds of essays, each with its own potential pitfalls and clichés to steer around.

In this article, I'll outline two totally different approaches to figuring out which Common App essay prompt is right for you and help you brainstorm possible ideas for each. I'll also talk about what makes great college essays great and give examples of what you want to avoid when crafting your essay.

What Are Application Essays for, Anyway?

Before you can choose an essay prompt, before you figure out what you're going to write about, it helps to know what the goal of your writing is. Think about it: if your goal were to give someone instructions, you'd write really differently than if your goal were to describe a landscape.

So What Is the College Essay Supposed to Do?

Admissions officers want to know the things they can't find in the numbers that make up the rest of your application. They want to know about your background, where you come from, and what has shaped you into the person you are today. They want to see your personality, your character, and your traits as a person. They want to learn your thinking style and perspective on the world. They want to make sure you have the ability to creatively problem-solve. And finally, they want to double-check your maturity level, assess your judgment, and get a general sense of whether you would be a good college student—whether you would thrive in an environment where you have to be independent and self-reliant.

So think about the college essay as a way of letting the admissions office get to know you the way a close acquaintance would. You have to let them in and share real thoughts, feelings, and some vulnerabilities. You definitely don't need to reveal your deepest, darkest secrets, but you should avoid showing only superficial details or, even worse, a façade.

Disclosing your closest-held secrets is not the goal of a college essay; however, you  do want to share enough information to give the admissions staff a sense of your personality, motivations, and values.

How to Brainstorm Ideas for Each Common App Prompt

There are two big-picture ways of coming up with essay ideas.

First, maybe you already know the story you want to tell. Perhaps you experienced something so momentous, so exciting, or so dramatic that you have no doubt it needs to be in your college application.

Or maybe you need to approach finding a topic with some more directed brainstorming. There's nothing wrong with not having a go-to adventure! Instead, you can use the prompts themselves to jog your memory about your interesting accomplishments.

Approach #1: Narrating Your Exciting Life

Does something from your life immediately jump into your head as the thing you would have to tell anyone who wanted to know the real you? If you already know exactly which of your life experiences you are going to write about, you can develop this idea before even looking at the prompts themselves.

You can ask yourself a few questions to see whether this is your best brainstorming option:

Is there something that makes you very different from the people around you?

This could be something like being LGBT in a conservative community, having a disability, being biracial, or belonging to a minority group that is underrepresented in your community.

Has your life had a watershed moment? Do you think of yourself as before X and after X ?

For example, did you meet a childhood hero who has had an outsized impact on your life? Did you suddenly find your academic passion? Did you win an award or get recognized in a way you were not expecting to? Did you find yourself in a position of leadership in an unusual time or place?

Did you live through something dramatic, such as a crisis, a danger you overcame, or the complete upheaval of your circumstances?

Maybe you lived through a natural disaster, made your way home after being lost in the woods, or moved from one country to another?

Was your childhood or young adulthood out of the ordinary? Were you particularly underprivileged or overprivileged in some unusual way?

For instance, did you grow up very poor or as the child of a celebrity? Did you live on a boat rather than in a house or as part of a family that never stayed long in one place because of your parents' work or other circumstances?

If you've experienced a dramatic event that changed your life or face unusual obstacles on a daily basis, approach #1 may work well for you.

Approach #2: Brainstorming for Each Prompt

If you don't have an unusual life experience or a story that you absolutely know needs to be told, don't worry! Some of the very best personal essays are about much more mundane situations that people face. In fact, it's better to err on the side of small and insightful if you don't have a really dramatic and unusual experience to write about.

Let's go through the prompts one by one and think of some ways to use more ordinary life events to answer them.

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 broadest of the seven prompts. Almost any life experience that you write about could fit in this category, but you need to be careful to avoid writing the same essay as every other applicant.

Brainstorming Ideas

Background. Did a family member or friend have a significant influence on your life? Did you grow up in a particularly supportive and tolerant—or narrow-minded and intolerant—community? Were your parents not able to provide for you in the expected way? Did you have an unusual home life?

For example, my family came to the U.S. as refugees from Russia. By the time I went to college, I had lived in five different countries and had gone to nine different schools. This wasn't a traumatic experience, but it certainly did shape me as a person, and I wrote about it for my graduate school application essay.

Identity. Are you a member of an interesting subculture (keep in mind that violent or illegal subcultures are probably best left off your college application)? Do you strongly identify with your ethnic or national heritage? Are you a committed fan of something that someone like you would be expected to dislike?

Interest. In this category, esoteric interests are probably better than more generic ones because you don't want your essay to be the hundredth essay an admissions officer sees about how much you like English class. Do you like working with your hands to fix up old cars? Do you cook elaborate food? Are you a history buff and know everything there is to know about the War of 1812?

Talent. This doesn't have to be some epic ability or skill. Are you really good at negotiating peace between your many siblings? Do you have the uncanny ability to explain math to the math challenged? Are you a dog or horse whisperer? Are you an unparalleled mushroom forager?

Pitfalls to Avoid

Insignificance. The thing you describe has to be "so meaningful" the application "would be incomplete without it."

Redundancy. If the interest you write about is a pretty common one, like playing a musical instrument or reading books, make sure you have an original angle on how this interest has affected you. Otherwise, your essay runs the risk of being a cliché, and you might want to think about skipping this idea.

Bragging. If you decide to write about your talent, be aware that by focusing on how very good you are at playing the cello, you run the risk of bragging and coming off as unlikable. It's much better if you describe a talent a little more off the beaten path. Or if you do end up writing about your excellent pitching arm, you may want to focus on a time when your athleticism failed you in some way or was unsuccessful.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

In essence, you're being asked to demonstrate resilience. Can you get back on the horse after falling off? Can you pick yourself up and dust yourself off? This quality is really important to colleges, so it's great if you have a story that shows off your ability to do this.

The key to this essay is the "later success" part. If all you went through was failure and you learned no lesson and changed no approach in the future, then don't use that experience here.

Did you lose a game because of a new and poorly rehearsed strategy, but later tweak that strategy to create success? Did you not get the lead in the play, but then have a great experience playing a smaller part? Did you try a new medium only to completely ruin your artwork, but later find a great use for that medium or a way to reconceptualize your art? Did you try your best to convince an authority figure of something only to have your idea rejected but then use a different approach to get your idea implemented?

Too much failure. Don't focus so much time on the "failure" half of the equation that you end up not giving enough space to the "later success" and "learn from the experience" parts.

Too little failure. Don't diminish the negative emotions of failure because of a fear of seeming vulnerable.

Playing the victim. Avoid whining, blaming others for your failure, or relying on others to create your success. You should be the story's hero here.

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

The key to this prompt is the reflection or insight that comes from the question, "What was the outcome?" Challenging deeply held views is not always a good idea. Writing about a negative outcome and how you reacted could demonstrate your maturity level and ability to tolerate views different from your own.

Remember, the belief or idea could be anyone's: yours, a peer group's, or an authority figure's. Did you stand up to your parents' conservative or traditional values, for instance, about gender norms? Did you get your friends to stop bullying someone?

Also, the belief or idea doesn't have to be extremely serious or big in scope. Did you make dressing up for Halloween cool for teenagers in your town? Did you transform your own prejudice or bias (e.g., about athletes having interesting thoughts about philosophy)?

Causing offense. If you have a story that deals with super hot-button issues, such as abortion or gun control, you need to be careful to keep your essay's tone respectful and unaggressive. This is a good thing to check by letting other people read your drafts and respond.

Avoiding negative feelings. Challenging beliefs means pointing out that what a person thinks now is wrong. It can also be quite lonely and isolating to be on an unpopular side of an issue. It's important to include these negatives into the story if they fit.

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?

“Reflect” and “surprising” are the keywords in this prompt. You need to write about a specific thing that another person (or persons!) has done for you that made you feel grateful—but your response shouldn’t stop there. To make your response really shine, you also need to reflect on the experience or, in other words, explain what it meant to you, why your feelings about it surprised you, and why. From there, you’ll need to round out your essay by connecting what that person did for you to the person you are today. Did that surprising act change you in some way? Did it make you a better person? This is your chance to show colleges what your values are when it comes to connecting with other people.

Remember how the prompt specifies that you should write about something someone did for you that made you happy or thankful in a surprising way? That wording is nudging you to think outside the box. For instance, most people are thankful for birthday presents or a friend who picks up the check at lunch. You need to think of something more out-of-the-box—something you didn’t necessarily expect to make you feel gratitude.

It’s entirely possible, for instance, that someone helped you out of an ethical dilemma or really difficult situation. Has someone ever helped you when you didn’t necessarily want help? Have you ever been in a situation where, if someone else hadn’t stepped in, something bad could have happened? Did that event motivate you to change your behavior in the future? Were you persuaded to own up to your mistake and do better next time?

An event in which the act of kindness or the person who performed it was unexpected is a great option here as well. Did someone you dislike do something kind for you? Did a stranger help your family out financially? Did your best friend come in from out of town when you had a bad injury to throw you a surprise party? Did a student who’s more popular than you invite you into their group at school?

Being disingenuous. Don’t exaggerate the effects of the surprising act of kindness you choose to write about. Similarly, you don’t want to write about an event that didn’t truly mean something to you and affect your life in a tangible way. Stick to writing about the truth of what happened in the situation and how you felt about it, and your response will be gold.

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Going from childhood to adulthood doesn't usually happen after one accomplishment or event but is more of a process. This question is asking you to find one step along the process and explain how it fits into the long thread of your growing up.

You don't necessarily need to tell the story of some big, official ceremony. Instead, you can focus on a small moment that showed you that you were older, more mature, and more responsible than you had been before.

Did your family make up its own adulthood initiation ceremony? Were you finally able to beat your mom in chess or shooting hoops, and did that change how she treated you? Did your dad cry in front of you for the first time, making you realize that you were old enough to handle it? Were you suddenly left in charge of younger siblings, and did you rise to the task instead of panicking? Were you allowed to make a big financial decision for the first time and found yourself taking it very seriously?

For example, during my junior and senior year, my mom traveled extensively for work, and my dad lived several states away, so I lived by myself for weeks at a time. It was exhilarating and made me feel independent and mature. But it was also lonely and burdensome because I had to take care of everything in the house by myself. Living alone was a huge part of my life, shaped me into the person I was, and made me see myself in a new light as a grown-up.

Sameness. Avoid the milestones that happen to everyone: driver's license, bar/bat mitzvah, etc., unless they happened to you in some extraordinary way.

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?

The idea of this prompt is to discuss something you're passionate about. It's a great opportunity to showcase a skill and show off your writing skills because your passion should come across on the page. Pay special attention to the "What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?" aspect of this prompt; how you learn and from who can say a lot about you.

Hopefully, you should know the things that captivate you right off the bat. Try to think of the things that you turn to not just for fun but that de-stress you or give you the ability to learn.

More importantly, understand why this topic, idea, or concept is important to you. It should have a deeper meaning in your life and say something about who you are as a person.

Some other questions you can ask yourself to find a topic include the following: What unique hobbies or interests do you have? What challenges have you overcome in pursuing this topic, idea, or concept? What have you discovered about yourself in relation to this topic, idea, or concept?

Don't miss the overall meaning. Even if something is captivating to you, it's not necessarily captivating to others. Make sure you focus on what the topic, idea, or concept means to you and why that matters rather than getting lost in explaining it and how you feel about it.

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.

This is one of the most popular prompts from the Common App. Remember that even though this prompt is open-ended, you should discuss something meaningful that shows growth, reflection, or something unique about you.

A lot of students have unique experiences that have influenced them throughout their lives. Try to think of people or events that have changed your perspective in a big way.

However, the topic itself doesn't have to be about a big moment. Lots of things can be life-changing, and it's perfectly OK to write about something that happened in your daily life as long as it moved you and has affected you in a way that you can put on paper.

In this prompt, insight is key to a great essay. Reflect on the moments that defined your perspective or events from which you learned something. This prompt should be about something personal to you and can be about family, friends, or an experience.

Ask yourself if there's a time, event, or person that has stuck with you and what it or they meant to you. Once you have some ideas, ask yourself why. What does it say about you to have changed as a result of that experience, and how might others relate?

Being too general. Insight can be found in moments both big and small. But for this prompt, try to avoid going too big and going too small. You don't want to write about something mundane and have to stretch it to make it mean something. That said, it can be tough to boil down an experience that's really significant, like being an Olympic athlete, into a short essay. Personal and insightful are the key.

How to Turn Your Idea into an Essay

Now that you've come up with some possible ideas, how do you go about actually writing the essay? Before you write, you need to have a plan. I like to think about planning out personal essays that I've written by first imagining them as enjoyable movies. You want your reader to walk away entertained, to remember the characters and story, and to want to see more from the same creator. So how do good movies do those things?

Character arc. Good movies have main characters that undergo some kind of change or transformation. Who is the main character of your essay? It's you! The you of your essay has to start one way and end up another: more mature, with a different mindset, or having learned a lesson.

Conflict or transformation. Good movies also have challenges. The main character doesn't simply succeed and then keep on succeeding; that's boring. Instead, the main character either overcomes an external obstacle or changes in some way from beginning to end. Your essay also needs this kind of story drive. This can come from an obstacle you overcame, an outside force that stood in your way, a disability or weakness you experience, or a seemingly unsolvable problem you face. Or it could come from a before–after scenario: you used to be, think, or act in one way, but now you've changed into a different or better person.

Dramatic set piece. In good movies, the conflict or transformation isn't just told to the audience. They are acted out in scenes set in specific locations, with dialogue, character close-ups, and different camera angles. In your essay, your story also needs to show you dealing with the conflict or transformation you face in a small, zoomed-in, and descriptive scene. Think spoken dialogue, sensory description (i.e., what did you see, smell, hear, taste, or touch?), action verbs, and feelings. This scene should function as one illuminating example of what you overcame or how you changed.

Happy ending. Movies that are fun to watch tend to have happy endings. The hero resolves the conflict, emerges a better person, and looks forward to future accomplishments. Your essay also needs to have this kind of closure. This is really not the time to trot out your nihilism or cynicism. Instead, your essay should end on a moment of self-understanding and awareness. You lived through something or you did something, and it affected you in a way that you can verbalize and be insightful about.

Coming up: the story of you, starring you, written and directed by you.

Which Prompt Should You Choose?

So now that you've brainstormed some topic ideas and a game plan for turning those ideas into an essay, how do you narrow it down to the one ?

Reverse-Engineer the Perfect Prompt

If you used the first brainstorming approach, try to formulate a big-picture idea about the story you're telling.  

Is the character arc primarily you learning something about yourself or making peace with your background? Sounds like a good fit for prompt #1.

Is the conflict about you struggling to do something but eventually succeeding? That goes well with prompt #2.

Does the story focus on a mind being changed about an idea? You want to go with prompt #3.

Does your happy ending involve you changing something for the better, fixing something, or solving a problem? Then your essay is ready for prompt #4.

Is your character arc about growing up, gaining wisdom, or becoming more mature? Then you're probably answering prompt #5.

Look in Your Heart

If you used the second brainstorming approach, get ready to get a little cheesy. Really listen to what your gut feelings are telling you about which of your ideas is most compelling and which will get your emotions flowing on the page. Readers can tell when you're writing about something you care deeply about, so it's worth it to find the topic that has the most meaning to you.

Not sure how to tell? Then this is the time to ask your parents, teachers you are close to, or some good friends for their input. Which of your ideas grabs their attention the most? Which do they want to hear more about? Chances are that's the one that an admissions officer will also find the most memorable.

What's Next?

Want a detailed explanation of why colleges ask you to write essays? Check out our explanation of what application essays are for .

If you're in the middle of your essay writing process, you'll want to see our suggestions on what essay pitfalls to avoid .

When you start working on the rest of your application, don't miss what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Essays & Short Answers

Summer/Fall 2025 Essay

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.

Please keep your essay between 500–650 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

Spring 2025 Essays

All freshman Spring 2025 applicants must submit Topic A in ApplyTexas.

Please keep your essay between 500–700 words (typically two to three paragraphs).

Spring 2025 Essay Topic

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

Submitting Your Essay

You can submit your essays:

• In conjunction with your application.
• Using the Document Upload System in MyStatus.

*Students do not need to submit other Common App essays. We’ll only review what is required.

Short Answers

• Submit the required short answers to prompts in your admission application.
• Answers are limited to no more than 40 lines, or about 250–300 words per prompt, typically the length of one paragraph.

Summer/Fall 2025 Prompts

• Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?
• Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why? ( Guidance for student s: This can include an extracurricular activity, a club/organization, volunteer activity, work or a family responsibility.)

Optional Short Answer

Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.

Spring 2025 Prompts

• Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.
• The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, “To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.” Please share how you believe your experience at UT Austin will prepare you to “Change the World” after you graduate.

Submitting Your Short Answers

You can submit your short answers with either your Common App or Apply Texas application. Short answer responses must be completed in order to submit your application.

• Transfer applicants must submit one essay responding to Topic A.
• Applicants to the School of Architecture are required to upload Topic D in addition to Topic A. 

Essay Topics

Topic a (required).

The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school/college or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey.

Topic D (School of Architecture majors only)

Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study, describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?

Submitting Your Essay(s)

• Guest Columns

Sooner softball fan asks, 'Would a Muslim or Jew or non-believer be as welcome?' | Letters

Would kumbaya spirit include muslims, jews.

I’m an 86-year-old OU alum and rabid follower of Sooner softball from afar. I respect and admire these young women for their passion, determination, infectious  kumbaya  spirit and athleticism. And Patty Gasso is a great, great coach who, based on her televised post-game press conferences, is a laudable, sensitive mentor who cares deeply for her players as individuals.

Though I’m puzzled by something. Going back a couple of years, many of the players who have appeared with Gasso during these perfunctory media grabs frequently attributed their on-the-field success to devout Christianity. I’ve heard all about “Christ.” I’ve heard about “the Lord.” I’ve heard mentions of “saving souls.” And so on and so on, with Gasso, to a lesser degree, adding her voice.

 Religiosity or lack of it, is personal; no one’s business but your own. But if you want to trumpet your beliefs, go for it.

Yet, it would be natural to infer from this that Gasso’s teams largely are preachy  Christian teams . Would a Muslim or Jew or non-believer be as welcome to wear a Sooner softball uniform? What about their comfort level in the locker room? When activist teammates endeavored to save their souls, would they just sit in the corner and listen?

― Howard Rosenberg, Agoura Hills, California

More: Presidential election? This voter is sitting this one out given the choices | Letters

'Oklahoma Consumer' would pay price

Apparently OG&E is wanting another rate increase (again) ― falling on the heads of us, the Oklahoma Consumer.  For residential customers, it is about a 13.85% increase in our monthly bill. That means the average residential customer will see an increase of $19.02 per month compared to current rates, according to documents the utility filed with the  Oklahoma Corporation Commission  on Dec. 29, 2023.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission  approved a base rate increase  of 1.9%, ($2.07) for the average residential bill in September 2022. Unlike fuel costs that are passed directly onto its customers, OG&E enacted the rate increase to recover increased business costs and electric infrastructure investments the company has made since 2012, utility officials said. It was the first increase to OG&E's base rate since 2017.

The cost of living has seen a dramatic increase in the last four years let alone the last seven years. How many of us have seen an increase in our income of that proportion? That is an extra ($228.24) per household each year! The company serves 821,000 customers in Oklahoma. That would equal approximately $187,385,040 per year to do what? Maybe if OG&E were more concerned about customers than promoting other endeavors they would not have to ask for a rate increase.

My husband retired from OG&E after 40-plus years with the company. I am proud of the retirees. And, I am proud of the workers that go that extra mile, especially in time of need. Maybe the upper echelon needs to rethink where the money and spending are going and worry about the common man.

― Patricia Koch, Warr Acres

Editor's note: Since the writing of the letter above, OG&E has said it is submitting an uncontested settlement that drops a requested rate hike from $332.5 million to $126.6 million.

What keeps me up at night

In my lifetime, we have had men who put our country at great risk ― Julius Rosenberg , the Walker family, Robert Hannsen, etc. But we were able to get them stopped. Now, we have two (seemingly) corrupt U.S. Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, who threaten our democracy by taking what could be seen as bribes or supporting the invasion of our capitol, and we can't seem to touch them.

Anita Hill warned us about Thomas. Judges are appointed and trusted to rise above party and personal feelings to uphold the Constitution to which they have taken an oath. Congress could act with impeachments or laws against Supreme Court corruption, but they are outnumbered by people whose only interest is personal gain.

I am kept up at night because I worry that our republic may be taken over by a latter-day Benito Mussolini, who also befriended a horrendous dictator. The Italians ended up stoning Mussolini, but only after he and Adolf Hitler had caused tremendous world damage.

― David B. Brinker, M.D., Oklahoma City

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 The Honors College accepts applications from incoming freshmen, as well as from both transfer students and current OU students who have earned 15+ credit hours with a GPA of at least 3.4. Admission is based on a combination of demonstrated academic success (GPA, test scores) and the ability to write a focused, well-organized, college-appropriate essay. 

The Honors College reviews applications year-round. Applications may require up to 6 weeks for processing from the time of submission. Students who are not accepted, but who receive a letter of deferral, are eligible to apply again.

Admission for Incoming Freshmen

Four minimum requirements:

• You have already been admitted to the University of Oklahoma. 
• Official test scores: an ACT Composite of 30+, or SAT Reading & Math of 1360+, or an International Baccalaureate score of 40+. Superscores are considered. Students with lower scores may be considered by including a letter of academic recommendation from a teacher or guidance counselor. 
• An unweighted high school GPA of 3.75+, or you rank in the top 10% of your graduating class.
• Completion of an essay that responds to a prompt on our application.

Admission for Current OU Students

Students currently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma are eligible to apply with:

• 15+ credit hours earned with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4
• And completion of an essay that responds to a prompt on our application

Admission for Incoming Transfer Students

Students entering the University of Oklahoma from another university are eligible to apply with:

Apply to the Honors College

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British Academics Despair as ChatGPT-Written Essays Swamp Grading Season

‘It’s not a machine for cheating; it’s a machine for producing crap,’ says one professor infuriated by the rise of bland essays.

By  Jack Grove for Times Higher Education

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The increased prevalence of students using ChatGPT to write essays should prompt a rethink about whether current policies encouraging “ethical” use of artificial intelligence (AI) are working, scholars have argued.

With marking season in full flow, lecturers have taken to social media in large numbers to complain about AI-generated content found in submitted work.

Telltale signs of ChatGPT use, according to academics, include little-used words such as “delve” and “multifaceted,” summarizing key themes using bullet points and a jarring conversational style using terms such as, “Let’s explore this theme.”

In a more obvious giveaway, one professor said an advertisement for an AI essay company was  buried in a paper’s introduction ; another academic noted how a student had  forgotten to remove a chatbot statement  that the content was AI-generated.

“I had no idea how many would resort to it,” admitted  one U.K. law professor .

Des Fitzgerald, professor of medical humanities and social sciences at  University College Cork , told  Times Higher Education  that student use of AI had “gone totally mainstream” this year.

“Across a batch of essays, you do start to notice the tics of ChatGPT essays, which is partly about repetition of certain words or phrases, but is also just a kind of aura of machinic blandness that’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t encountered it—an essay with no edges, that does nothing technically wrong or bad, but not much right or good, either,” said Professor Fitzgerald.

Since  ChatGPT’s emergence in late 2022 , some universities have adopted policies to allow the use of AI as long as it is acknowledged, while others have begun using AI content detectors, although  opinion is divided on their effectiveness .

According to the  latest Student Academic Experience Survey , for which Advance HE and the Higher Education Policy Institute polled around 10,000 U.K. undergraduates, 61 percent use AI at least a little each month, “in a way allowed by their institution,” while 31 percent do so every week.

Professor Fitzgerald said that although some colleagues “think we just need to live with this, even that we have a duty to teach students to use it well,” he was “totally against” the use of AI tools for essays.

“ChatGPT is completely antithetical to everything I think I’m doing as a teacher—working with students to engage with texts, thinking through ideas, learning to clarify and express complex thoughts, taking some risks with those thoughts, locating some kind of distinctive inner voice. ChatGPT is total poison for all of this, and we need to simply ban it,” he said.

Steve Fuller, professor of sociology at the  University of Warwick , agreed that AI use had “become more noticeable” this year despite his students signing contracts saying they would not use it to write essays.

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He said he was not opposed to students using it “as long as what they produce sounds smart and on point, and the marker can’t recognize it as simply having been lifted from another source wholesale.”

Those who leaned heavily on the technology should expect a relatively low mark, even though they might pass, said Professor Fuller.

“Students routinely commit errors of fact, reasoning and grammar [without ChatGPT], yet if their text touches enough bases with the assignment, they’re likely to get somewhere in the low- to mid-60s. ChatGPT does a credible job at simulating such mediocrity, and that’s good enough for many of its student users,” he said.

Having to mark such mediocre essays partly generated by AI is, however, a growing complaint among academics. Posting on X,  Lancaster University  economist  Renaud Foucart  said marking AI-generated essays “takes much more time to assess [because] I need to concentrate much more to cut through the amount of seemingly logical statements that are actually full of emptiness.”

“My biggest issue [with AI] is less the moral issue about cheating but more what ChatGPT offers students,” Professor Fitzgerald added. “All it is capable of is [writing] bad essays made up of non-ideas and empty sentences. It’s not a machine for cheating; it’s a machine for producing crap.”

Faculty argue the “voluntary separation” plan was rushed, and question the new regional leadership model that require

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