Common App Short Essay Prompts

Use both short answer questions and personal essays to highlight your personality and what makes you unique while also showing off your academic talents.

Tags: How To Plan A Business PlanMasteral Thesis In NursingEssay On Experience That Changed Your LifeDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde ThesisIron Deficiency Anemia In Pregnancy ThesisKitchen Business PlanArgumentative Essay Against CensorshipAir Pollution English EssayThesis Statement On Inclusive EducationEasy Causal Essay Topics

More than likely, her essay went through several drafts, so don’t be discouraged if your first crack isn’t perfect! The essay is playful, engaging, funny, and—perhaps best of all—insightful.

We’re going to examine how Stinson made a killer common app essay, and give you some ideas to get you started on the right track for your own essay.

In an age of digital applications facilitated by the Common App, there's no shortage of brilliant people to stock the halls of the Ivy League, not to mention other colleges and universities, and it's never been easier or less time-consuming to apply to college. Like our other time-saving and super helpful writing guides, How to Cut Your Research Time in Half and How to Write a Research Paper and Get an A , we’ll show you how to unlock your writing skills in service to success.

The most successful Common App Essays pay attention to the word count, the organization, the unique theme, character development, the prompt, and the vocab, all the while showcasing the author’s talents and interests through words. Overall, it’s important to remember that Stinson thought outside of the traditional box, relying on her own imagination, creative potential, and interests as a student to create something readable and interesting. Stintson’s essay, it’s not hard to see why she was a top pick for the top schools.

To ensure that your essay is the best it can be, you will need to spend some time reviewing the essay prompt to understand the question.

Not only will you need time to become familiar with the directions, but you will also want to take your time when constructing your essay.If you take time to boil down your wordy essay into it’s most essential language, you will entertain the reader by demonstrating your respect for their time. In this case, how a particularity of character is essential to her application, and thus will be an asset to the school.In an age of tweets, posts, and pic-based communication, you’re prepared to say what you have to quickly—your mind naturally goes there! The author demonstrates how consumerism has shaped her as a creative and critical thinker: Not the reinforcement of the metaphor.Here are some tips to help you ace your short answers: The majority of colleges will ask you to submit at least one personal essay as part of your application.(You can find the 2019–2020 application platform personal essay prompts here, but not all schools use an application platform.Otherwise, let’s get this writing party started—quick and easy. Some questions on the Common App only want a 200 or 250 word answer, so be sure you stay inside the desired boundary.But, some schools will want a longer essay, though not more than 800 words. Imagine being a reader for one of these universities, culling over thousands of essays that max-out the word limit.Often, this may be as short as 150 words (a paragraph).This means that your answers must be clear and concise without being so bare bones that you don’t seem to have a personality.No one can sit down and write the perfect essay in one shot.These things take effort, brainpower, and a significant amount of patience.