Unboxing the Common App Essay Prompts, Part 2

The Common App essay prompts exist to help you unearth the story that is uniquely you.

If after reading Part 1 you’re still struggling to come up with your stand-out story, here is the second installment where we unbox prompts 4-6.

To recap:

• Common App is a one-size-fits-all application accepted by over 1,000 universities
• Over 1.2 million students use Common App when applying to their dream schools
• Each year, the infamous essay prompts are released
• Admissions officers want you to know: instead of serving the prompt, let the prompt serve your unique story
  

The Common App essay prompts are broad and open-ended by design. They offer you space to get creative. They give you freedom to find the mundane miracle hiding in the fabric of your everyday life. At the same time, this creative freedom can be overwhelming. Many students fall into the trap of writing to the prompt.

Don’t let yourself get boxed in. Deconstruct your chosen prompt and unpack the raw, simple themes that will bring your essay to life. Time to unbox Common App prompts 4-6 and discover what’s hiding inside. 

Prompt 4: 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?

Think of the people who have shaped you. Close friends, neighbors, a teacher. What have they given you, material or otherwise, that has contributed to who you are? 

The challenge with this prompt is remembering to focus on yourself, not the gift giver. You are the main character of the story. While it may feel tempting to highlight how influential your grandmother has been and how she helps everyone in your family, the admissions officers want to meet you. They’re looking to understand what you’ve gleaned from your relationships with others. How have these interactions surprised you, delighted you and changed you?

Helpful Questions:

• Have you ever received a surprising piece of advice that made it easier to move through a difficult situation? 
• What are you most grateful to have or know? Who or what made this possible? 
• Who are the people that make you feel most understood and seen for who you really are? How do they provide you with this feeling? 

Strong example of prompt 4: Untitled 

Prompt 5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Growth and understanding: that’s what prompt 5 is all about. Don’t let “accomplishment” spin you out here. It’s tempting to reach for the most dramatic, out-there experience of your life but try not to fall for it. Dig deeper into the lessons that lie beneath the surface.  Every day, you experience moments that slowly shift the way that you think about yourself and the world around you. If you look closely, you’ll see sparks of insight that have left a lasting impression on you.

It can be uncomfortable to unpack old ways of thinking and write about the ways you’ve changed. Remember, your future college wants to read your reflections on key growth points in your life. They want to know how you process life’s important lessons.

Helpful Questions:

• If you were to draw a timeline of your life, can you identify the significant moments or milestones that have made you who you are today? 
• How are you different today from the day you started high school? What sparked those changes? 
• What do you value most about the way that you’ve changed? What pieces of wisdom will you carry with you? Which ideas will you leave behind?

Strong example of prompt 5: Carioca Dance

Prompt 6: 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?

What ideas or interests captivate you? If a specific topic, idea, or concept doesn’t spring to mind, this prompt probably isn’t the one for you. 

When reading prompt 6, you should feel a clear sense of what to write about without having to brainstorm much further. This prompt offers the opportunity to muse over the niche interests that occupy your mind and engage your curiosity. The point of this exploration is to give admissions officers a window into your mind, a glimpse of the real you.

What subjects are most interesting to you? Let your mind run wild here. What do you find yourself getting lost in thought about? If you have something that pops to mind quickly, how do you hope to follow that interest? Is it an area that you might center your studies on or base relationships around? 

Helpful Questions:

• What niche obsession do your closest friends call you out on? 
• How do you wish you could spend all your free time? 
• If you had to teach a class on one subject, what would it be?

Strong example of prompt 6: Chinese Language

With that, we’ve officially unboxed the Common App essay prompts! Regardless of which prompt you choose to work with, remember to utilize the framework of the question to serve your story.

Your college essay is vastly different from the pieces you write in school. The type of thinking that goes into writing them, the strategy and voice used is almost backwards to school assignments. So, remember, the prompts are a guide, not a rigid box that you have to stay locked inside.

Admissions officers are looking to meet the real you. They want to see the spark of change in your life. They want to hear about the significant memories, the mundane miracles and pivotal moments of growth that have shaped you into the person you are today. At the end of the day, that’s the point of your essay!