The Common App Essay

What the Shell do they want?

Common App Essay OptionsOption #1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Option #2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

Option #3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Option #4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Option #5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to

Option #6. Topic of your choice.

the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Option #1Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical

dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

• Note the key word here: Evaluate– You aren't just describing something; the best essays will

explore the complexity of the issue.– When you examine the "impact on you," you need to show the

depth of your critical thinking abilities. Introspection, self-awareness, and self-analysis are all important here.

– Careful with essays about the winning touchdown or tie-breaking goal. These sometimes have an off-putting "look how great I am" tone and very little self-evaluation.

• Analyze• Small is still significant• Don’t brag• Show your character

• Keep the "importance to you" at the heart of your essay– It's easy to get off track with this essay topic and start

ranting about global warming, Darfur, or abortion. The admissions folks want to discover your character, passions and abilities in the essay; they want more than a political lecture.

• Pick something close to home• Show why you would be a good choice• Don’t lecture

Option #2Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its

importance to you.

• I'm not a fan of this prompt because of the wording: "describe that influence”– A good essay on this topic does more than "describe." Dig deep

and “ANALYZE.”

• Handle a "hero" essay with care– Your readers have probably seen a lot of essays talking about

what a great role model Mom or Dad or Sis is.

• Realize that the "influence" of this person doesn't need to be positive.

• Push the language

• Be careful about writing about mom and dad. You are also writing about yourself

Option #3Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that

influence.

• As in #3, be careful of that word “describe”.– You should really be "analyzing" this character

or creative work. What makes it so powerful and influential?

– Don’t do too much describing– Focus on explaining

• Avoid the big obvious ones to help you sound different

• Keep the focus on you

Option #4Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music,

science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Option #5A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix.

Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

• Realize that this question defines "diversity" in broad terms.– It is not specifically talking about race or ethnicity

(although it can be).– Ideally, admissions folk want every student they admit to

contribute to the richness and breadth of the campus community. How do you contribute?

• Diversity isn’t just about race or country of origin• Know why colleges want diversity

– Sit down and think carefully think about this• Approach 3rd world encounters carefully• Keep the focus on you

• Sometimes you have a story to share that doesn't quite fit into any of the options above.

– However, the first five topics are broad with a lot of flexibility, so make sure your topic really can't be identified with one of them.

– Don't equate "topic of your choice" with a license to write a comedy routine or poem (you can submit such things via the "Additional Info" option). Essays written for this prompt still need to have substance and tell your reader something about you.

• Make sure that you really don’t want to do options 1 – 5

• Make sure you write an essay (no poems, or stories)• Reveal yourself!

Option #6Topic of your choice.

General Tips• Do not use titles.• “Have something to say instead of having to say

something.” Write about something that’s actually interesting to you, that you actually would like to talk about. This is a harder and a more demanding task

than actually writing the essay. How many essays have you written? How many essays have you written about yourself?

Tip #1: Wordiness and Repetition in College Admissions Essays

Tip #2: Vague and Imprecise Language in College Application Essays

Tip #3: Clichés in College Admissions Essays

Tip #4: Overuse of "I" in First-Person Narratives

Tip #5: Excessive Digression in Application Essays

Tip #6: Overuse of Flowery Language in Admissions Essays

Tip #7: Weak Verbs in Admissions Essays

Tip #8: Too Much Passive Voice in College Application Essays

Tip #9: Too Many Expletive Constructions

Bad Essay Topics• Your Drug Use

• Your Time in Jail

• Your Heroism

• One-Track Social, Religious or Political Lectures

• Woe Is Me

• The Travel Journal

• A Comedy Routine

• Excuses

• Your List of Accomplishments

• “I’m from _______”

Do’s and Don’tsDOs• Expand upon the broader implications of your discussion. This could include the following strategies:

Consider linking your conclusion to your introduction to establish a sense of balance by reiterating introductory phrases.

Redefine a term used previously in your body paragraphs. End with a famous quote that is relevant to your argument. Do not TRY to do this, as this approach is overdone.

This should come naturally. Frame your discussion within a larger context or show that your topic has widespread appeal.

• Tie the conclusion back to your introduction. A nice conclusion makes use of the creativity you used in your introduction. If you used an anecdote in your intro,

use the conclusion to finish telling that story.

• Try to end on a positive note. You may want to restate your goals in terms

of how they will be fulfilled at the institution to which you are applying.

Do’s and Don’tsDON'Ts• Summarize.

Since the essay is rather short to begin with, the reader should not need to be reminded of what you wrote 300 words beforehand. You do not need to wrap up your essay in a nice little package. It should be an ending, not a summary.

• Use stock phrases. Phrases such as, "in conclusion," "in summary," "to conclude," belong only in dry,

scientific writing. Don't use them.

• Try to Explain the Unexplainable. Your essay need not be so tidy that you can answer why

people die or why starvation exists -- you are not writing a sitcom -- but it should forge some attempt at closure

Check-list• Have I answered the question asked?

• Do I back up each point that I make with an example? Have I used concrete and personal examples?

• Have I been specific? Go on a generalities hunt. Turn the generalities into specifics!

• Could anyone else have written this essay?

• What does it say about me? After making a list of all the words you have used within the essay -- directly and indirectly -- to describe yourself, ask: Does this list accurately represent me?

• Does the writing sound like me? Is it personal and informal rather than uptight or stiff?

• Regarding the introduction, is it personal and written in my own voice? Is it too general? Can the essay get along without it?

• What about the essay makes it memorable?

First-Sentence Check• To check the overall structure of your essay, conduct a first-sentence check.

Write down the first sentence of every paragraph in order. Read through them one after another and ask the following: Would someone who was reading only these sentences still understand exactly what I am

trying to say? Do the first sentences express all of my main points? Do thoughts flow naturally, or do they seem to skip around or come out of left field?

• Now go back to your essay as a whole and ask: Does each paragraph stick to the thought that was introduced

in the first sentence? Does a piece of evidence support each point? How well does

the evidence support the point?

First-Sentence Check• Is each paragraph roughly the same length? Stepping back and

squinting at the essay, do the paragraphs look balanced on the page? (If one is significantly longer than the rest, you are probably trying to squeeze more than one thought into it.)

• Does my conclusion draw naturally from the previous paragraphs?

• Have I varied the length and structure of my sentences?

Final Self-Edits• Did I punctuate correctly?

• Did I eliminate exclamation points (except in dialogue)?

• Did I use capitalization clearly and consistently?

• Do the subjects agree in number with the verbs?

• Did I place the periods and commas inside the quotation marks?

• Did I keep contractions to a minimum? Do apostrophes appear in the right places?

• Did I replace the name of the proper school for each new application?• Have I caught every single typo? (You can use your spell-checker but

make sure that to check and re-check every change it makes. It’s a computer after all.)

Read your friend’s essays, have your friends edit your essay

What happens when you’re friends don’t read your essay

• Mt. Elgon National Park is well known for its rich deposits of herds of elephants.

• I enjoyed my bondage with the family and especially with their mule, Jake.

• The book was very entertaining, even though it was about a dull subject, World War II.

• I would love to attend a college where the foundation was built upon women.

• The worst experience that I have probably ever had to go through emotionally was when other members of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and I went to Pennsylvania for their annual pigeon shooting.

• He was a modest man with an unbelievable ego