JUNIORS: In the fall, most of you will apply to private, SUNY, or some out-of-state public universities through The Common Application.
The essay prompts for the 2020-2021 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, 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! We’ll cover the application process in detail as soon as we get back to school in September.
The Common App essay prompts are available via this link. Your essay must eventually fall somewhere between 250-650 words. 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.
Many students may be wondering whether or not they should write about the pandemic’s impact on their lives. That really depends upon the student in question; do also remember that this year’s Common App will include a COVID-19 question where you can address how the pandemic affected you and your family specifically.
See the 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 YouTube video below, which comes from Jess Lord, VP and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Haverford College:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rtzThIJ3u0
Your college counselor and senior English teacher 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, we hope you enjoy the end of the school year and the summer! College Essay Helpful Docsilovepdfcompressed.pdf
