This section provides insights and examples for each of the 7 Common App essay prompts for the 2020-2021 cycle. ", –Valerie Marchand WelshDirector of College Counseling, The Baldwin SchoolFormer Associate Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania. Your "interest" or "talent" could be a passion that has driven you to become the person you are today. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. The Common Application asks students to choose from 7 essay prompts, each asking for a different type of essay. 900 colleges and universities accept the Common Application, including all eight of the Ivy Leagues. The Common App essay prompts for 2020-21: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Your essay is an important tool for presenting something you find important that may not come across elsewhere in your application. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? According to the folks at the Common Application, in the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Option #7 (topic of your choice) was the most popular and was used by 24.1% of applicants. Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. From large research universities to small liberal arts colleges, over 800 colleges in the United States use the Common Application. Be sure to devote significant space to the second half of the question—how did you learn and grow from the experience? Option #4. The fourth essay option on the 2020-21 Common Application remains unchanged from the previous four years. The trick to answering Common Application Prompt 4 effectively is to, once again, access and celebrate the mundane. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. If you are using the Common App to apply for college admission in 2019, you will have 250–650 words to respond to ONE of the following prompts: Navigate your entire college application journey with Common App. Analysis, not description, will reveal the critical thinking skills that are the hallmark of a promising college student. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Read on to see tips and outstanding essays for each of the six core Common App prompts. 5. Common App has announced that the 2020-2021 essay prompts will remain the same as the 2019–2020 essay prompts. 1. The big news is that the essay prompts and word length will remain the same! In fact, I recommend you write your essay first and then choose the prompt to match it.) Let your inner geek fly free when you choose this question. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. We’re very opinionated, if you can’t already tell. Even though it’s buried at number five, this is the classic Common App prompt. Nearly all selective colleges and universities (as well as many that aren't overly selective) have holistic admissions, and they consider many factors in addition to numerical measures such as grades and standardized test scores. Be careful with that opening word "describe"—you'll want to spend much more time analyzing the problem than describing it. If your essay doesn't include some self-analysis, you haven't fully succeeded in responding to the prompt. 3. Read what common traps to avoid as well as great examples. Oh, just the personal statement you’ll be submitting to any of the hundreds of colleges that use the Common App. Prompt #5, which was the most popular prompt amongst applicants from last season, focuses on personal growth. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. What is it that makes you you? Essays written for this prompt still need to have substance and tell your reader something about you. Common App is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity and integrity in the college admission process. "Identity" is at the heart of this prompt. What prompted your thinking? Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. However you approach the prompt, make sure you are inward looking and explain how and why the story you tell is so meaningful. Maturity comes as the result of a long train of events and accomplishments (and failures). 7. The 2020-2021 Common App Essay Prompts are as follows: 1. What has made you grow as a person? The stories and information shared in an essay are what the Admissions Officer will use to advocate for the student in the admissions committee. The prompt gives you a lot of latitude for answering the question since you can write a story about your "background, identity, interest, or talent." Every year, over one million students apply to college using the Common Application. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. Introspection and honesty are key with this prompt. Access our COVID-19 resources. Support your students. With the ability to write about an "intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma," you can essentially write about any issue that you find important. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The popular "topic of your choice" option had been removed from the Common Application between 2013 and 2016, but it returned again with the 2017-18 admissions cycle. The folks at The Common Application have cast a wide net with these questions, and nearly anything you want to write about could fit under at least one of the options. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. The Common App essay prompts for 2020-21 have been released and—spoiler alert—they’re exactly the same as last year’s! This prompt may seem to go against everything that you've learned on your path to college. Less is more here, because a smaller scope will mean a more unique and honest look at life. In the opinion of the College Transitions staff, the choice not to tinker was a wise one. The Common Application has just announced that the essay prompts will be the same as those used in 2019-2020. Make sure your essay presents you as the type of person a college will want to invite to join their community. The Common Application announced their college application essay prompts for next year. If you have friends or siblings who applied in past years, don't assume that you can take the exact same approaches they did. Sometimes in retrospection, we discover that the cost of an action was perhaps too great. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Login to your Applicant Support Customer Account. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma â anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. 1. Why? The essay length limit stands at 650 words (the minimum is 250 words), and students will need to choose from the seven options below. However you approach this prompt, your essay needs to reveal one of your core personal values. We’re reviewing each prompt, discussing the pros and cons, and deciphering what it’s actually saying. Cleverness is fine, but don't be clever at the expense of meaningful content. Read on if this prompt intrigues you, annoys you, or you just want to know our thoughts on it. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete ... Option #2. Describe a problem youâve solved or a problem youâd like to solve. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Common application essay prompts serve as a single submission accessed by many colleges. The Common Application has just announced that the essay prompts will be the same as those used in 2019-2020. 2020-21 college applicants, like those who came before them, will have seven (that’s right, seven) essay prompts to choose from. What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? It's far more comfortable in an application to celebrate successes and accomplishments than it is to discuss setbacks and failure. Here are this year’s prompts: Continuing our series on the Common App 2019-2020 prompts, we’re reviewing prompt #5. The Common App’s Prompt #1 is the Old Faithful of essay questions. The answer to the final question about the "outcome" of your challenge need not be a success story. How to Answer Each Common App Prompt . It’s particularly overwhelming The Common Application has announced that the 2019-2020 essay prompts will remain the same as the 2018-2019 essay prompts. This option was entirely new in 2017, and it's a wonderfully broad prompt. Sign in Create an account. It can be one youâve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. It’s a fairly new addition to the list of Common App prompts, and therefore may appeal to admissions committees. Focus on the key words, “background,” “identity,” … The "belief or idea" you explore could be your own, someone else's, or that of a group. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. Based on extensive counselor feedback, the existing essay prompts provide great flexibility for applicants to tell their unique stories in their own voice. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. THEY’RE HERE. The best essays spend significant time with self-analysis rather than merely describing a place or event. On the other hand, having five prompts means you can write five different kinds of essays, each with its … Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. The essay portion of your application is the perfect chance to stand out among the rest and confidently share what makes you, you. First-time applicant guide First-year essay prompts Transfer applicant guide Download mobile app. The Common App personal statement prompts 2020-2021 can help you get started. Common Application Prompt #4 . 2019–20 Common App Essays. What’s that, you ask? Why does it captivate you? You could write about an event or series of events that had a profound impact on your identity. What was the outcome? Alexander wrote the essay below in response to the 2018-19 Common Application essay option #4. 2. 1. First-time applicant guide First-year essay prompts Transfer applicant guide Download mobile app. We support a centralized or "common" online application system for more than 800 colleges and universities worldwide that enables more than 1 million students - a third of whom are first generation - to apply to college. In third place was Option #2 on a setback or failure. If … There is also a seventh prompt to write on any topic of your choosing. The prompt use to talk about transitioning from childhood to adulthood, but the new language about a "period of personal growth" is a much better articulation of how we actually learn and mature (no single event makes us adults). Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Common App Prompt 1: Background, Identity, Interest, or Talent. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. If you have friends or siblings who applied in past years, don't assume that you can take the exact same approaches they did. The best essays will be honest as they explore the difficulty of working against the status quo or a firmly held belief. The 2020-2021 application has six core prompts, one free-form prompt, one additional information … The prompt was modified slightly several years ago to include the words "interest" and "talent," and the prompt remains unchanged for the 2020-21 admissions cycle: If you chose this prompt #3 for your Common App personal statement, you might want to steer clear of this particular USC prompt in order to avoid redundancy. Why does it captivate you? Prompt 5: “Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.”. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. If this sounds like you, then please share your story." Below are the seven options with some general tips for each: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. The 2020-2021 Common App Prompts have been released and it’s time to slay the beast that is the 650-word Common Application essay. Keep in mind how open-ended this prompt truly is. USC faculty place an emphasis on interdisciplinary academic opportunities. An important part of writing a successful application essay is studying examples of essays that worked. 2020-2021 Common App Prompts 1. The 2020-21 Common Application Essay Prompts. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. 6. Basically, students who intend to join higher learning institutions use common application essays to get the desired education, which remains applicable in different colleges. In fact, I recommend you write your essay first and then choose the prompt to match it.) Common App Essay #5 Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. For the 2020-21 application cycle, the Common Application essay prompts remain unchanged from the 2019-20 cycle. If this sounds like you, please share your story. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? This prompt is an excellent choice if you want to explore a single event or achievement that marked a clear milestone in your personal development. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Note that the central words here—"topic, idea, or concept"—all have rather academic connotations. It’s been around for years and offers all the flexibility an applicant could ask for from a prompt, with just enough direction to get those creative fountains flowing. Recommender system Common App Ready toolkit Recommender guide Transfer advisors News and updates. The 2020-2021 Common App Prompts have been released and it’s time to slay the beast that is the 650-word Common Application essay. This essay prompt, like all of the options, is asking you to be introspective and share with the admissions folks what it is that you value. Particularly when it comes to essays . Whichever prompt you chose, make sure you are looking inward. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. (It doesn’t matter which prompt you pick. What’s that, you ask? Each of these prompts lends itself to distinct topics and strategies, so selecting the prompt that best aligns with your idea is essential to writing an effective Common App essay. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Your "background" can be a broad environmental factor that contributed to your development such as growing up in a military family, living in an interesting place, or dealing with an unusual family situation. 2020-2021 Common App Prompts and Essay Examples. If your essay could fit under more than one option, it really doesn't matter which one you choose. This question was reworded in 2017-18 admissions cycle, and the current language is a huge improvement. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. Visit our first-year student solutions center. If … Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. "While the transcript and grades will always be the most important piece in the review of an application, essays can help a student stand out. This prompt expands your options for discussing personal growth. Be careful to avoid the "hero" essay—admissions offices are often overrun with essays about the season-winning touchdown or brilliant performance in the school play (see the list of bad essay topics for more about this issue). Even though it’s buried at number five, this is the classic Common App prompt. On the one hand, the fact that the Common Application has five essay prompts to choose from is great news! 4. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The essay prompt asks applicants to explore a problem they have solved or would like to solve: Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. The Common App changes its prompts fairly frequently, so make sure you're familiar with the most up-to-date versions of the Common App essay questions. "Gym Class Hero" - a Common Application Essay Sample for Option #3, A Sample Essay for Common Application Option #7: Topic of Your Choice, Common Application Essay Option 3 Tips: Challenging a Belief, How to Ace Your University of Wisconsin Personal Statements, Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth, Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application, Common Application Essay Option 2 Tips: Learning from Failure, Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person, Topic of Your Choice: Common Application Essay Tips, Sample Weak Supplemental Essay for Duke University, 2020-21 Common Application Essay Option 4—Solving a Problem, Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place, Common Application Essay, Option 1: Share Your Story, 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue, UC Essay Examples for the Personal Insight Questions, According to the folks at the Common Application, Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania, M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania, B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT. What prompted your thinking? Nearly 700 colleges accept the The Common Application, which makes it easy to apply to multiple schools with just one form. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Note that you do not have to have solved the problem, and some of the best essays will explore problems that need to be solved in the future. (It doesn’t matter which prompt you pick. Here, again, the Common Application gives you a lot of options for approaching the question. Option #5. 2020-2021 Common App Prompts . 1. With this question, you get to highlight yourself as self-motivated and show how broad or deep your interests are. An Option #1. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma--anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. If the belief you challenged doesn't give the admissions folks a window into your personality, then you haven't succeeded with this prompt. There is also a seventh prompt to write on any topic of your choosing. In essence, it's asking you to identify and discuss something that enthralls you. The Common App essay is 650 words, and contains 7 prompts to pick from. At the same time, you'll impress the college admissions folks greatly if you can show your ability to learn from your failures and mistakes. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is the prompt for the Common App coronavirus essay: "Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. Support your students. Applicant Support Customer Secure Login Page. The question gives you an opportunity to identify something that kicks your brain into high gear, reflect on why it is so stimulating, and reveal your process for digging deeper into something that you are passionate about. And the titles of them. Common Application Prompt #4 . If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Many admissions officers, in fact, don't even look at which prompt you chose—they just want to see that you have written a good essay. The essay prompts are designed to encourage reflection and introspection. This well-worn idiom captures the mindset of the decision-makers at the Common Application who announced this January that the essay prompts for the upcoming 2019-20 admissions cycle will be the same as they were in 2018-2019. The current prompts are the result of much discussion and debate from the member institutions who use the Common Application. The second most popular was Option #5 (discuss an accomplishment) with 23.7% of applicants. Oh, just the personal statement you’ll be submitting to any of the hundreds of colleges that use the Common App. The Common App essay you write there is sent to basically every school that you apply to. If you picked a different Common App prompt, feel free to refer to our prompt #3 guide for more inspiration! It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. The best essays focus on self-analysis, rather than spending a disproportionate amount of time merely describing a place or event. As such, virtually all students applying to U.S. colleges find themselves needing to complete the Common Application. What Is the COVID Essay Prompt? If this sounds like you, then please share your story. These can certainly be fine topics for an essay, but make sure your essay is analyzing your personal growth process, not bragging about an accomplishment. What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? Every cycle, the Common App offers six prompts that students can use to brainstorm great essay topics. With the inclusion of the popular "Topic of Your Choice" option, you have the opportunity to write about anything you want to share with the folks in the admissions office. Blog. To guide you through the essay questions for this year, I’ve outlined each of the prompts, how to tackle them, and strategic ways to take advantage of your freedom to write about a topic of your choice instead of selecting from the Common App personal statement prompts 2020-2021. Now, let’s take a close look at each of the seven Common App prompts to give you some guidance and inspiration. Use this option if you have a story to share that doesn't quite fit into any of the options above. What makes you the unique individual the admissions folks will want to invite to join their campus community? Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. We know that it can get messy and confusing because it’s overwhelming. The Common App essay is 650 words, and contains 7 prompts to pick from. The first essay option on the Common Application asks you to share your story. What do you value? Welcome to our overview of the Common App essay prompts for this 2019-2020 application season . Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Also, don't equate "topic of your choice" with a license to write a comedy routine or poem (you can submit such things via the "Additional Info" option). However, the first six topics are extremely broad with a lot of flexibility, so make sure your topic really can't be identified with one of them. The Common Application essay prompts seek to provide admissions committees with deeper insights into the experiences of prospective students. Common App has announced that the 2020-2021 essay prompts will remain the same as the 2019–2020 essay prompts. 2. Recommender system Common App Ready toolkit Recommender guide Transfer advisors News and updates. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. While you may lose track of time when running or playing football, sports are probably not the best choice for this particular question. Always keep in mind why colleges are asking for an essay: they want to get to know you better. 21.1% of applicants chose that option. The prompt for option #1 of the 2018-19 Common Application states, " Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Here are those Common App prompts: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. What was the outcome? Show what you love and why you love it so much. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. Common App prompts for the 2020-2021 school year, along with writing tips and sample essays for reference. You will select one prompt for your essay and you have up to 650 words (usually equals one page). Every cycle, the Common App offers six prompts that students can use to brainstorm great essay topics. No matter what your story, you're sure to find a good fit. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. The prompt reads, Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. Vanessa wrote the following essay in response to the prompt: The Common App changes its prompts fairly frequently, so make sure you're familiar with the most up-to-date versions of the Common App essay questions. The Common App essay you write there is sent to basically every school that you apply to. 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