How to Write a College Application Essay

The college application essay serves a fundamentally different purpose than any paper you’ve written in school. While your transcript shows what you’ve accomplished academically, your essay shows who you are as a person. Admissions officers read thousands of applications with similar GPAs and test scores. Your essay is your opportunity to stand out.

According to guidance from Harvard Summer School, admissions committees are interested in learning more about who you are and what makes you tick. They want to know what has brought you to this stage in life and what realizations you may have come through adversity, as well as your successes. The essay isn’t the place to list facts, figures, and descriptions of activities—those belong elsewhere in your application.

You don’t need a dramatic, life-changing event to write a compelling essay. As Purdue OWL notes in their admissions guidance, a personal essay does not have to mean heavy, emotional, or even inspiring. What matters is that you show genuine reflection and insight about experiences that shaped you, however ordinary they might seem.

The Common App has confirmed that the 2025–2026 essay prompts remain unchanged from previous years, giving you access to existing resources and successful essay examples for guidance. You’ll select one of seven prompts and write between 250 and 650 words. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal.

The seven prompts cover a range of topics. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. Others may want to recount a time they faced a challenge, setback, or failure and what they learned from it. You can reflect on questioning or challenging a belief, express gratitude for something unexpected, describe personal growth, explore a topic that captivates you, or share an essay on any topic of your choice.

Don’t feel locked into choosing a prompt immediately. Many admissions experts recommend writing your essay first, then selecting the prompt that best fits your story afterward. The admissions committee rarely knows or cares which specific prompt you’re responding to—they care about what you reveal about yourself.

Many students panic because they believe they don’t have anything good to write about. This anxiety is almost always unfounded. The most memorable essays often come from seemingly ordinary experiences examined with depth and insight. A family tradition, learning to ride a bike, or even the dents on a truck, can become powerful essay material when you explore what these moments reveal about your character.

Start by asking yourself reflective questions. What life experiences have shaped who you are? What challenges have you faced, and how did they change your perspective? What do you value, and why? What makes you curious or excited? Brainstorm freely without judging your ideas—write down everything that comes to mind, then look for threads that excite you.

Certain topics require extra caution. Many admissions counselors advise avoiding overly common themes like sports victories, mission trips, or losing a grandparent—not because these aren’t meaningful, but because thousands of other students write about them. If you choose a common topic, you must find an original angle that only you can write. Topics to generally avoid include anything illegal or unethical, romantic relationships, highly controversial political issues without nuanced treatment, and anything that makes you look bad without clear growth.

Your first draft is not meant to be perfect. Its purpose is to get your story on paper so you have material to shape and refine. Resist the urge to edit as you write; this slows you down and stifles your natural voice. Many writing experts recommend drafting more than you need, then cutting down. Some suggest writing a 950-word version first, then trimming to 650 words—the best material often emerges in the parts you initially cut.

Start with a strong opening. The first few sentences must capture the reader’s attention and give a sense of where your essay is heading. Admissions officers read thousands of essays, and a weak opening can put them in a dismissive mindset before you’ve made your case. Avoid generic openings like dictionary definitions or broad philosophical statements. Instead, drop readers into a specific moment, scene, or insight.

Your essay should follow a narrative structure with a beginning, middle, and end—but this doesn’t mean a rigid five-paragraph format. In fact, admissions experts specifically warn against writing your personal statement like a formal English paper. Write as you naturally speak, using your authentic voice. If you wouldn’t say “plethora” or “utilize” in conversation, don’t force those words into your essay.

Throughout your draft, remember to show rather than tell. Instead of writing “I learned the importance of perseverance,” describe the specific moment when you wanted to quit and what kept you going. Concrete details and vivid language make your essay memorable. General claims without evidence—about how something “changed your life” or “made you who you are”—ring hollow without specific support.

Revision is where good essays become great. After completing your first draft, set it aside for at least a few days. When you return, you’ll see your work with fresh eyes and notice problems you couldn’t see before. Read the prompt again, then review your essay. Does it actually answer the question? Is it personal and specific? Does it reveal something new about you that isn’t elsewhere in your application?

When seeking feedback, choose readers from different perspectives: a teacher, a parent, a peer, perhaps a school counselor. Ask each reader what they took away from your essay and listen closely to their responses. If anyone expresses confusion about your point or story, revise until the confusion clears. However, be cautious about accepting every suggestion—your essay must remain in your voice, not a committee-written document.

Be especially vigilant for common revision targets. Remove clichés that signal lazy writing, such as “a turning point in my life” or “opened my eyes.” Cut any content that repeats information from elsewhere in your application. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases that pad your word count without adding meaning. Check that every paragraph serves your essay’s central theme.

Before submitting, proofread meticulously. While a single typo won’t necessarily doom your application, an essay riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes signals carelessness. Use spell-check, but don’t rely on it alone—have at least one other person proofread your final draft. Double-check that you’ve replaced school names correctly if you’re adapting essays for multiple applications.

Understanding what not to do is just as important as knowing what works. Admissions officers have seen every mistake, and certain errors appear so frequently that they can immediately weaken your application. Awareness of these pitfalls helps you avoid them.

Don’t write a “list essay” that tries to cover too many accomplishments or topics. These essays lack focus and depth, reading more like résumés than personal statements. Choose one story or theme and explore it thoroughly. Similarly, avoid boilerplate essays that you recycle for every school without adapting them to each institution’s specific prompts.

Resist the temptation to use impressive vocabulary you wouldn’t normally use. Admissions officers see through thesaurus-driven writing immediately, and it comes across as inauthentic and insecure. Write in your natural voice at the top of your normal vocabulary range, but don’t stretch beyond it. Using big words improperly will actively hurt your application.

Never plagiarize or use AI to write your essay. Colleges use software to detect copied content, and the consequences for plagiarism are severe, typically automatic rejection. You’ll also sign a statement confirming your work is original. Beyond detection risk, a plagiarized essay fails at its fundamental purpose: showing who you are.

Other pitfalls include being overly negative or pessimistic, writing one-sided rants about controversial topics, criticizing others (including schools you’re applying to), excessive humor that falls flat, and focusing so much on someone else—a coach, grandparent, or role model—that you disappear from your own essay. Always bring the focus back to you, your growth, and your insights.

Beyond the Common App personal statement, most selective colleges require supplemental essays. These shorter responses (often 150–250 words) ask about your interest in specific programs, what you’ll contribute to campus, or other school-specific topics. Don’t treat these as afterthoughts—supplemental essays matter significantly in admissions decisions.

The “Why This School?” essay is particularly important and particularly easy to get wrong. Vague responses about campus atmosphere, sports traditions, or Greek life won’t distinguish you from thousands of other applicants. Instead, research specific programs, professors, courses, research opportunities, or campus organizations that genuinely interest you. Explain how these specific offerings connect to your goals and interests. Admissions officers can tell when you’ve done your homework versus when you’re writing generic praise.

When managing multiple applications, create a spreadsheet tracking each school’s essay requirements, word limits, and deadlines. Move each deadline up by two weeks in your calendar to build in buffer time. Write fresh content for each prompt—while you can adapt themes and paragraphs across similar prompts, resist copying entire essays without customization.

Before clicking submit, verify everything: correct school names in the essays, accurate word counts, proper formatting, and that all required components are uploaded. Many applications allow you to preview your submission—use this feature. Once submitted, you typically cannot make changes, so take your time on this final check.