With schools across the United States making test scores optional, or even tossing them out entirely, the common app essay is increasingly key to making your college application pop. You might feel lost or overwhelmed, with good reason too: what life-changing anecdote should I write about that will blow admissions officers away? Which of the 7 questions should I choose? How can I present a full picture of I am in a mere 650 words?
Well, fret not. Let’s get a better understanding of what the purpose of this essay is: imagine the different parts of your application as different parts of the outer circle of a spiderweb. In the center of the web is the common app essay. This essay serves to ground the rest of your application; it provides a foundation for your admissions officers to start to understand who you are. Your essay should answer the key question of why you do what you do. What makes you tick? Why are you driven to pursue the things that you do?
Now, the common app essay is not a reiteration of your resume coded in pretty words and mini anecdotes. The topic does not have to be a life-altering event or inherently profound; meaning can be found in even the smallest things.
So now the question is: where do I start?
Start by thinking of your strengths and your values. What are your key characteristics that make you, you? This doesn’t have to be a long list—5 is a good number to aim for. If I wrote them down, would your friends and family be able to figure out that these characteristics describe you? For example: some of my strengths include storytelling, creativity, leadership, hopefulness, and an incessant calling to speak up for those who historically don’t have a voice.
After you identify your characteristics, dig a little deeper on each one. Try freewriting any anecdotes—big or small—that come to mind when you think about your particular value. Where did that characteristic emerge? Did someone inspire that in you? Did you experience something that made you value that specifically? Again, remember that no story is too “small” for your common app. It’s only mundane if you present it as mundane. Open yourself to stories that are not necessarily directly related to your resume.
You’ll hopefully have a collection of little stories now, and each one has the possibility to be a part of not only your common app essay, but your supplement essays as well. Now you can take a look at the common app essays and see which one of those questions might be suitable for some of your story ideas. I prefer this method of brainstorming first and looking at questions later because I don’t want students to get boxed in by the question itself!
Your next step is to start writing. Word vomit. Don’t worry about word count. Make it a habit of writing a little every day, exploring your topic, discovering more about yourself. Before you know it, you’ll have a first draft of your common app essay. That’s a huge start!
Word to the wise: the whole point of the college application process is to get you to reflect deeply on yourself. When I was deep in apps, I reflected a lot on where I’ve been, and more importantly, where I want to go. This whole experience, especially writing and rewriting the common app essay, gave me a chance to evaluate who I was and what I wanted to be.
So, if you’re learning new things about yourself through this process, you’re definitely on the right track. I learned so much about myself through writing my common app essay.
Comments