COMMON APP PROMPTS!!
In the fall, most of you will apply to private, SUNY, or some out-of-state public universities through The Common Application. www.commonapp.org
The essay prompts for the 2019-2020 Common App are currently available; it is a great idea to choose a prompt and prepare a rough draft over the course of the summer. You'll have more time to think about your topic and sit down to write, which will make your life much easier once you return to school in the fall. However…
DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO COLLEGE THIS SUMMER! You can create your Common App account in August, work on your essay, add some of your favorite colleges to the “My Colleges” tab in your Common App, look at or start to prepare some supplemental college essays, but DO NOT click on that submit tab! The College Office will cover the application process in detail as soon as we get back to school in September.
The Common App essay prompts are available at THIS LINK. Your essay must eventually fall somewhere between 250-650 words. You may well end up using this essay for scholarship applications or non-Common App schools as well, as some of those essay prompts may be quite similar, or, will allow for a topic of choice.
Please remember that no one prompt is better than another. Choose the prompt that is most compelling to you, the one that will allow you to write about something truly meaningful to you. Don't concern yourself with what your friends choose to write about, or what you think college admissions officers want to hear. Whatever topic you choose, it should be an authentic expression of yourself and serve to help admissions officers to get a much better sense of who you are as a person. That's really what they're looking for.
College specific supplemental essay or short answer questions should be available when the 2019-2020 Common App officially launches in early August. Once you add a college to your “My Colleges” list, you should be able to access any supplemental writing requirements. Remember that these are often seen as more important than your general personal statement, as these questions are not only designed to learn more about you, but how much of a fit you might be for a particular institution.
See THIS ATTACHMENT for some very useful essay tips, which come from professional development workshops we’ve attended about the essay and were conducted by admissions officers from Yale, U.Michigan, and Smith.
You can also read sample essays from real college students via the links below:
https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/
https://admissions.tufts.edu/apply/advice/past-essays/
https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/college-essays-that-worked/2014-essays-that-worked
https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/
Also, watch the quick this YouTube video, which comes from Jess Lord, VP and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Haverford College. Your college counselor will gladly provide feedback on your essay draft when you return in September. Make sure you have a draft ready for us by then. In the meantime, have a great summer!
