Complete guide to college application essays - The Princeton Review 2020

Finding your perfect topic

How to generate engaging ideas and develop your unique story

Are you a culinary whiz? An amateur genealogist? A spelunker? Each of these topics has the potential to be an excellent college essay that will keep your reader engaged and reveal who you are beyond the data and activities on your application. But that potential can be squandered if you shift topics mid-essay or fail to fully respond to the given prompt.

In this chapter, we’ll:

· teach you how to break down a prompt so you can better stay on topic

· review a list of “tired” essay topics to avoid

· guide you through the process of writing a cohesive personal statement that also helps you stand out as an applicant

Choosing a prompt

While the type of essay you’ll have to submit may change from school to school, there are some basic guidelines that hold true. The following tips are modeled after samples found on the Common Application, which provides six specific, directed prompts to choose between, or a seventh that is open to the topic of your choice. It is your job to select the prompt that most inspires you to share your story, break it down into the questions posed in the prompt, and write an essay that is engaging and personal while responding to these questions.

The key here is to remember that your college essay is also referred to as your personal statement, so keep it personal.

There are two ways to approach the Common Application prompts: If you already have a topic in mind, keep narrowing down the prompts until you find the one that best suits your topic. If you don’t already have an idea, look to the prompts. Find the one that speaks to you, the one that you feel inspired to write about.

Inspiration is important because this is the only part of the application that you have complete control over. Everything else is “fill in the blanks” data. This is your chance not only to share a compelling story, but to tell it so compellingly that your reader can almost see you and hear your voice.

Sample Prompts from the 2020—2021 Common Application

Each of these prompts has a word count requirement that’s between 250—650 words, and there’s no one prompt that a college is looking for more than any other. All things being equal, choose the one that’s most useful to you.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma—anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify the solution.

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

ACTIVITY

Trust Your Gut

Whether or not you’re ready to write your essay, just put down your initial feelings about these prompts right now. On a sheet of paper, using the scale below as a model, rank the numbers of each prompt from least comfortable to most comfortable, according to how prepared you feel to write about it.

Breaking down a prompt

For the most part, each prompt includes two to four questions, each of which must be fully answered. To make sure you stay on topic, break the prompt down into its separate components and respond to each question. Literally.

ACTIVITY

Brainstorm the Pieces

Once you’ve broken down the prompt, start brainstorming options for your topic. Don’t overthink it; just write a list of whatever comes to your mind. This is a pre-write to provide ideas for you to choose from. Below, we’ve demonstrated the sort of brainstorming we did on a specific topic for each prompt. Follow along and give yourself a few minutes to do your own brainstorming (on your own topic).

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Our brainstorming:

· physics

· eating

· dwarf stars

· cooking

· genealogy

· sleeping

· reading

· watching YouTube

· watching TED talks

· crafting

· gaming

· coding

Now do your own brainstorming.

Though you’ll only ultimately choose to write about one topic, idea, or concept, when you’re brainstorming, don’t set limits. You may have a concept in mind, but when you review the list you’ve written, you may realize that there’s a more compelling idea.

Avoid tired, overused topics that your reader has seen hundreds of times. (Later in the chapter we provide a list of cliché topics and an exercise for you to identify weak essay ideas.) Be unique! Your topic should be both personal and compelling.

“Tell your story, allow yourself to think and feel freely when writing, and enjoy the process of self-discovery.”

—University of Richmond

Because the remaining parts of this question rely upon the topic, idea, or concept you’ve chosen here, you should choose one before continuing. If you run into trouble brainstorming because of the topic you chose, try selecting a new one. We’ve chosen genealogy.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Our brainstorming:

· I went to the library before lunch and suddenly the librarian tapped me on the shoulder to tell me they were closing. Six hours passed in no time!

· My parents sometimes forget I’m home when I’m at my computer following a long-lost relative’s trail.

· I go to the Mormon Temple archives almost every Saturday to use their amazing database. I arrive at nine in the morning, when they open, and before I know it, four hours have passed, my stomach is growling with hunger and I have to eat lunch. After lunch, I return to the archives and get lost in my research until the lights flash, telling me it’s closing time.

Now do your own brainstorming.

You don’t need to fully develop each example of how you’ve lost track of time, but you do need to write specifically enough so that when you come back to develop your essay, your notes are clear. If you simply say that your parents forget you’re at home when you’re at your computer, how does that connect to your topic?

“[I love to see] anything that reveals a personality.”

—DePaul University

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Potential brainstorming:

· I am an only child who has yearned for an expanded family ever since I can remember.

· I feel connected to the life stories of relatives relatives who died long before I was born.

· I learned that I’m related to Jean Lafitte, the pirate!

· My DNA test showed that my family originated in France, not Ireland. We always thought we were pure Irish!

· I’m now known as the family genealogist! Relatives email me with hints and questions about lost family members.

· I can’t believe that a single swab in my cheek opened an entire world to me that I did not know existed. I now feel connected to hundreds of people I’ve never met.

Now do your own brainstorming.

The emphasis in this sliver is on “you.” This is where brainstorming can really free you, as you shouldn’t be thinking about what others might think or want. Right now, only write down the things you care about.

Assuming that an essay is well presented then what admissions staff loves to see is originality, or an authentic voice…[Has the reader] learned something new or interesting about the writer? Has the reader been informed, engaged in reflection or, for example, compelled to laugh?

—Earlham College

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Potential brainstorming:

· The Mormon Temple in my hometown, Los Angeles, holds one of the most comprehensive genealogy records in the world. I spend hours there every weekend. The historians are so knowledgeable and always take time to send me in a new direction when I’m stuck in a search.

· I talk to my grandparents and write down their stories about relatives.

· I use two genealogy websites where I sent my DNA to find extended family and learn about family history. Every time I open a site, I have hints and messages waiting for me. I’ve communicated with many relatives on these sites.

· A cousin who is also working on our family tree.

Now do your own brainstorming.

Remember that these are not standalone questions, but interconnected ones. As you brainstorm people that you turn to, make sure you’re specifically listing the ones who can help you learn more about your chosen topic. Note how our examples speak to people who can help with genealogy.

“A lot of students think that they have to cure cancer or do some extraordinary event [for it to be a good essay]. The simple thing can be just as rewarding and give you as much of a learning experience.”

—St. Mary’s College of Maryland

ACTIVITY

Making Effective Choices

Select one of the five remaining prompts that most speaks to you and take a shot at your own brainstorming. Because you’re just pre-writing at this point, it’s okay to write down things that you’ll later discard. Also, don’t feel obligated to try and stretch a prompt into four parts—you might choose one that has fewer than four. This breakdown is designed to help you write the full essay later, so use however much you find helpful. Just remember to answer the entire question.

CHOOSING YOUR TOPIC

Avoid writing about a tired, overused topic. Here are a few examples of topics that have become cliché from overuse:

· I scored the winning point (touchdown, basket, home run, goal).

· My fight against a disease (like fundraising for a cure for cancer).

· I moved to the United States when I was six and didn’t speak English.

· I went to a foreign country on a community service trip.

· It’s really hard to get good grades.

· A person (usually a close relative) means everything to me.

“I would like to see more students write about their personal feelings and journey. Essays focusing on athletics, the passing of a loved one, or their favorite TV show often does not convey the nature or personality of the applicant.”

—Moravian College

ACTIVITY

Topics That Spark Joy

Here’s a list of topics. Toss out the ones you think are too commonly used, inappropriate, or vague.

· the challenge of college applications

· my favorite pet

· how I learned to collaborate in my internship

· why I didn’t make the team

· my family’s annual trips

· publishing my first book

· learning to cook

· why I should be class president

· my summer at NASA

· training service dogs

· learning beyond the classroom

· a recap of my accomplishments

· what I learned from my autistic brother

· my most difficult class

· why my community is narrow minded

· I’ve lived in six countries and seven states

· I don’t believe it’s almost senior year

· when my best friend moved away

· my research in a biomedical engineering lab

· learning about customer service at work

Look at the remaining topics. List two or three that you find exciting. What is it about these that thrills you?

There is an overarching topic that we suggest students avoid mentioning in ANY essay: mental health issues. While your admissions reader may feel empathy when learning about your depression, anxiety, eating disorder, or any other psychological challenge, colleges are risk averse! Consciously or not, readers may view your application less favorably as a result of this revelation, questioning whether their school would be the best fit for your needs, or wondering whether the stressors of their program might be too much. That should be a decision for you and you alone to make when considering whether to attend a school that has accepted you, so while you should absolutely not be ashamed of this sort of personal struggle, you may want to keep it out of your essay.

Setting up an introduction

Think about the first lines of novels that you’ve chosen to read all the way through. Look at some headlines that caught your attention. Consider which paragraphs in a magazine article kept you reading. None of those openings are accidental! They’re carefully constructed to pull you in, which is especially important when there are thousands of other materials you could be reading instead.

College admissions officers have to read your essay, but they don’t have to engage with it. Don’t let them glaze right past you! Open with a solid hook that grabs their attention and inspires them not only to read more closely but to remember you.

What do the following first lines have in common?

· I was a finalist on American Idol.

· My favorite recipe has 35 ingredients.

· The stranger grabbed my backpack and jumped off the train.

· I published my first book when I was nine years old.

· My family is full of spies.

· A giraffe ate my baseball cap.

Your mileage may vary, but for the most part, aren’t you the slightest bit curious about what comes next? Who are those mysterious spies? How can I publish a book?

ACTIVITY

Stranger than Fiction

First, just write three hooks. It doesn’t matter if they’re true or not. Just have them be something guaranteed to grab your reader’s attention.

—

Now, using the same principles, write two hooks that are based on actual events. Don’t exaggerate or lie. Just find a surprising detail to focus on.

“[I love to see] unique stories students have to offer that tell me something about themselves that I can’t ascertain from their admission file.”

—Hanover College

Setting up the story

The following is a sample essay based on the prompt we discussed earlier in the chapter. As you read, look to see how the writer answered each part of the prompt. Also pay close attention to lines that grab your attention.

The prompt has been reprinted here. You shouldn’t include it at the top of your essay when you submit it, but you should keep it at the top of the page while you write so that you can keep checking back to be sure that you’re not straying off topic.

Prompt: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

A note about word count. In this context, the acceptable length of a personal statement is between 250 and 650 words. It is virtually impossible for a student to communicate anything insightful and personal in 250 words. Most writers end up trimming their essays down to the maximum count of 650. We feel that a personal statement with a word count that falls somewhere between 500 and 650 is a good length. As long as you hit every point in the prompt, don’t try to stretch your essay to 650 words if you finish writing at 550. More is not always better.

The addition of dialog is an excellent way to keep a story fresh and dynamic. The reader shares information by telling another character about it rather than through traditional sentence structure. A word of warning: if you use dialog, triple check your punctuation.

ACTIVITY

Answering the Question(s)

Analyze this essay and identify where it answers (if it answers) each part of the prompt. Observe how subtly most of the information is inserted into the essay, and how it seamlessly flows into the story. Write out your responses to each part.

Part 1: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging…

Part 2:…it makes you lose all track of time.

Part 3: Why does it captivate you?

Part 4: What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

ACTIVITY

Be Prompt About It!

See if you can match each opening line to its corresponding prompt. For extra practice, see if you can come up with a better opening.

Some topics may be appropriate for more than one prompt. When brainstorming for your essay, it’s up to you to determine which prompt best suits your topic, or vice versa. Select the option that most inspires you to write a story that communicates the essence of your personality.

Turn to this page for the answers.

FINDING THE THEME IN A SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAY

So far, we’ve looked at the sort of personal statement that you’re most likely going to be asked to submit through things like the Common Application. But depending on where you apply, you may also be asked to answer other types of questions. These will probe your interest in and knowledge of the school, so do your research and be specific!

Schools often release their topics to students by August 1. Be sure to check these as soon as they’re available.

What’s the Same?

Where your personal statement is specific to you, these supplemental essay should be tailored to the school that has requested it. Note that you can and should still share information that makes you an impossible-to-ignore candidate; you must do so in a way that also highlights the institution where possible.

You should tackle the supplemental essay in the same way that you approached the personal statement. Break the question into however many parts you need to assure that you answer each part. Be particularly cautious here, as going off-topic will signal to the college that you didn’t do your homework and aren’t a serious candidate.

Even if two schools have similar prompts for their supplemental essays, be careful about recycling your responses. You’ll often be asked to provide specific details, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than realizing that you submitted an essay that mentioned a different college by name!

What’s Different?

Supplemental essays tend to be more focused on the following four common topics:

· Why this school?

· Why this major?

· What is your favorite activity?

· How is community important to you?

Supplemental essays are often packed with specific keywords and phrases that serve as hints about what the college wants you to focus on. Here are some common ones to look out for:

· In and outside the classroom

· How it has influenced you

· Depth and breadth

· Unique

· Collaborate

· Current and past experiences

· Talent or interest

· What role you play

Why this school?

Here are some of the ways in which you may see this prompt.

· As you seek admission to the Class of 2024, what aspects of the College’s program, community, or campus environment attract your interest?

· Please tell us what you value most about College X and why.

· What excites you about College X’s intellectually playful community? In short, Why College X?

Do

You can talk about the location, but only if there’s a specific and compelling reason for doing so. For instance, if you’re planning to major in politics, talk about the excellent internships and experiences available in the D.C. area. Even better, however, would be to discuss how the school’s career center might be able to help you take advantage of those opportunities.

Don’t

These may seem simple enough to answer honestly, but that’s the pitfall of this type of question. Don’t give a simple, facile, or generic answer. These are the subjects to avoid discussing. (Remember, part of this comes down to how the school sees itself.)

· the college’s elite reputation and high ranking

· how much money graduates earn

· how much you enjoyed the food on your campus visit

· the cute cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood

· the weather

ACTIVITY

Identify Your Deal Breakers

Either choose a college that you’ve already visited and researched or take the time now to gather some information from a prospective college’s website. Jot down anything that seems particularly appealing to you. Avoid anything general. To help focus your search, list your top three deal-breaker questions, the things that you need any college to have, and make sure you get at least the answers to those.

Why this major?

As with all the supplemental topics, specificity is key. Note that, in addition to providing your motivation for learning a subject, many of these sample prompts are likely to ask how the school itself can help support you. Don’t sleep on that part of the response! It is just as, if not more, important!

· Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate college or school to which you are applying at College X. How would that curriculum support your interests?

· College X’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about an academic interest (or interests) that excites you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue it.

· For applicants to College X, tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the field or fields of study that you noted in the Application Data section.

Do

· YOUR reason for selecting a major is the most valid! Do not worry that a reader will judge you for your motivation in choosing an area of study.

· If your inspiration to study creative writing sprung from your mom reading you bedtime stories when you were a kid, then that’s your reason.

· If you want to be an architect because you spent hours building your designs out of Lego bricks as a child, then that’s your reason.

· If you’re going to work in genetics because your grandfather has Alzheimer’s and you want to advance knowledge in this area, then that’s your reason.

Don’t

· You can discuss a career track, but the focus of the essay should be specifically on the degree that you plan on studying at the school you’re applying to. For instance, “pre-med” is not a major, but rather a path to medical school.

· Since most pre-med students are biology or chemistry majors, the better choice is for you to discuss the specific subject area you want to study and how that will prepare you for medical school.

· The emphasis must be on your undergraduate degree.

What if You’re “Undeclared”?

Don’t worry. Not every sixteen or seventeen year old has their future planned. You can put a spin on this question by writing that you are going to college to learn about your career options and will dive into a variety of studies until you find your calling. Mention a few areas of study you look forward to exploring. With few exceptions, you don’t have to declare a major until the end of your second year of college, so you have time to explore your options. Many students switch their concentration a few times before finalizing their degree choice. Even then, most of us have multiple careers throughout our lives.

Beware of subtle differences in majors from school to school. For example, one college may offer an Environmental Science major, where the same major is called Earth Science at another school. Admissions readers catch these mistakes, and they do not reflect well on your application.

ACTIVITY

Bite-Sized Pieces

Choose one of the three sample prompts for the “Why this Major” question (this page) and break it down into as many pieces as necessary. Brainstorm how you might respond to each.

What is your favorite activity?

With only 150—250 words allotted for this subject, it’s important that you make every word count. This can be a blessing and a curse. It should be easy and fun to write about something that you know and love and regularly do. At the same time, it can be hard to limit yourself and to stay on topic when you just want to gush. To help focus, be sure that you choose only one favorite pursuit, and for maximum effect, try to select one that relates to your major, especially if you’re entering a focused area of study like engineering, film, drama, architecture, or computer science.

Option 1: If you could only do one of the activities you have listed in the Activities section of your Common Application, which one would you keep doing? Why?

Option 2: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences.

Note that this supplemental essay might also ask even more specifically about a scholastic field as opposed to an activity of your choice.

Option 3: Describe your favorite academic subject and explain how it has influenced you.

Do

· Use meaningful, personal language rather than generic terms. This is a personal essay about your favorite activity and should include specific details about the pursuit and why it excites you. This writing style should communicate your enthusiasm for the topic.

· Be specific. This essay is not a global “save the world” or “cure cancer” response. If your favorite extracurricular involves cancer research, elaborate on why you enjoy the process rather than focusing on the overall research goal.

· Read the prompt carefully and pay attention to the keywords that direct your essay into a specific topic or direction.

Don’t

· Repeat a topic included in another essay or your personal statement.

· Brag. Do not try to impress admissions readers with your accomplishments. Be sincere and write an essay about YOUR favorite activity, not the activity or award that you think admissions wants to read about.

ACTIVITY

Fill In the Blanks

On a sheet of paper, complete this sample activity essay with words and phrases that express a real or made-up activity. The goal here is to be enthusiastic.

Here’s an example of how you might approach this type of essay. Obviously, you wouldn’t just be filling in the blanks with yours, but this should give you an idea of the overall tone and level of detail to include.

How is community important to you?

Don’t be thrown off by the use of the word “community.” When you enroll in a college, you will be joining their community, and this question is mainly used to get a sense of how well you have previously fit in with groups (and whether you’ll be involved on campus). This type of prompt also gives you another great opportunity to reveal something about yourself, namely, what makes you feel at home.

Prompt 1. Everyone belongs to many different communities or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong and describe that community and your place within it.

Prompt 2. Tell us about a place or community you call home. How has it shaped your perspective?

Do

· Keep an open mind about the definition of a community. ANY group you belong to is a community.

· Use this essay to explain a new aspect of who you are and what you do so the admissions reader learns more about your personality.

· Feel free to elaborate on something from your activity list. Here is your opportunity to expand your explanation of a key group activity that you want to share with admissions. You can use the group as your community.

Don’t

· Address potentially controversial topics in your community essay. For example, if you are an avid hunter and belong to a community of hunters, choose another community. Why? Because you do not know how your reader feels about hunting or about guns.

· Overlook a multi-part prompt. This question asks about a community you call home AND how it has shaped your perspective. You will fail to follow directions if you overlook any part of the prompt!

A community can be any number of people that have gathered together in support of a certain thing. They can be large groups formed around neighborhoods, backgrounds, and beliefs, common shared interests and activities, or niche groups and clubs. Here are just a few types of communities that are acceptable topics for this prompt, as well as some of their subgroups.

Readers

· By genre

· By book club

Athletics

· Players

· Boosters

· Specific sports

Gamers

· eSports enthusiasts

· Dungeons and Dragons groups

· Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing clans

Religions

· By faith

· By outreach groups

School Communities

· Student Government

· National Honor Societies

· Clubs and other extracurriculars

The list goes on and on—you could be in a community of crafters, musicians, cooks, researchers, activists, and more. Your family even counts. Just be sure that whichever community you choose is one that satisfies the definition of the prompt and which will allow you to answer all parts of the question.

ACTIVITY

List five communities you belong to. Which community is your favorite, and why?

Answers to Be Prompt About It! (this page)

1. E

2. A

3. D

4. B

5. C

End of chapter review

Phew! At this point, your brain is probably swimming with essay topics and you may be a bit overwhelmed. In this chapter we have shown you how to break down prompts, points to strive for and topics to avoid, and given you a preview of the prompts for your personal statement and supplemental essays. That’s a TON of information to digest! Don’t worry, you will relax once you start writing. As with many challenging things in our lives, the hardest part is getting started. So, let’s get started!

Write the first thing that comes to mind for the following questions. Don’t overthink!

What is your dream college?

What is your major/potential major?

What is your favorite activity?

What community are you most involved in?

See how easy it is to get started by answering a series of simple questions? Now turn on that computer or grab a pad of paper and a pen and start writing!