Common App Essay Topics Leave Students Blank

“I know which activities to put and I read the college essay guy’s blog. Can I finish that in one day? I thought it was a one day thing if you know what EC’s you want to put but I heard some of my friends spent 2 weeks spending 2-3 hours each day and I am kind of stressed( I am applying to some colleges on October 15th). Any answer positive or negative would be appreciated. submitted by /u/Prior-Job-7416 [link] [comments]”

“I currently have 34 writing prompts to answer by November first and most of them are honor's colleges. Could someone tell me their experience with these honor colleges and help me decide if I should cut a few and if yes which ones Penn state (millennium scholars too!) Purdue Rutgers UF (Innovation society too!) UMBC Towson STATS 1380 SAT (awaiting score) 3.8 gpa, 4.6 wgpa Took/taking 8 AP Classes submitted by /u/PhoneSavor [link] [comments]”

“I’m applying to UNC in-state for Business Administration and was wondering if anyone knew what to write the optional essay question about. I’m not really sure what I should touch on specifically. Should I talk about my experience and interest in business then explain why I’m drawn to the program? Or is there a better way to go about this? Any advice would be appreciated! submitted by /u/Ok-Bookkeeper-7995 [link] [comments]”

“especially if u attend UT austin, UF, UIUC or VTech submitted by /u/Key_Back6345 [link] [comments]”

“I recently added my counselor to my common app and she already submitted my transcript to every school on my list. The only problem is that my transcript has two really bad ACT scores on them that I'd like to be hidden but I didn't ask her soon enough (I was counting on meeting in person). I plan to self report much higher SAT scores but will these still affect my application? If so, is there any way to resubmit a transcript with hidden scores? I'm really stressed about this because”

“are any other senior feel so behind and unmotivated when it comes to the college app process? like ive barely touch my common app, havent asked for any letters of rec, and avoid my counselor at all costs. yes i want to go to college. no i know where i want to go. and no i don't know my major. im just asking cause all my friends are so into it and i just feel so like blah. submitted by /u/OddVegetable9588 [link] [comments]”

“If I submit my common app application before the early action deadline, can I edit my essay? submitted by /u/ChampionshipAny8890 [link] [comments]”

“Is a college essay required when applying for college? My AP Gov teacher is making the entire class write college essays but I’ve never heard about this before. From what I’ve learned theres a few different questions to write your essay about, I personally feel like none of the questions give me much freedom to write about me and my life, which isn’t that the point in writing the essay? Please correct me if I’m wrong, I honestly have no clue what I’m talking about and I just want to know about t”

“hi, my essay currently is about my love of neuro and what inspired it to put it concisely. as i'm writing supplementals, i'm scared that it'll be too similar for "why major" prompts. my other idea for my common app was about my many pets and connecting each of them to me and how they influence me + how they've made me a better person but i was afraid the essay would then be more about my pets than myself. would love to hear any advice! submitted by /u/underg”

“i have 2 community college transcripts, one college transcript, and 2 online high school transcripts (in addition to my regular public school transcript). my school doesn’t put these outside classes on their transcript (except 1 math class to satisfy grad requirement). my counselor is doing the college appl process for the first time ever so I’m on my own. do I request official transcripts for all of these and send to the colleges I’m applying to one by one? I’m really scared that they won’t rec”

“Hi! I’m a senior working on my apps this fall. I’m a little lazy 🤥 so I don’t really feel like applying to honors colleges, my cumulative is very unimpressive on the surface so I doubt I’ll actually get accepted into the honors programs of the schools I’m applying to. Is it even worth the extra work or should I just keep moving with what I have? My counselor said I should try to apply to them but I’m kind of iffy and of course I don’t want to double my number of essays submitted by”

“Hello! I currently have two options for my Common App essay, but I had a question. I brought back print journalism at my school and helped establish it as an accredited class, which is something I’m really proud of. I was planning to include it in my extracurricular section, but I don’t really have enough room there to explain everything I did in detail. Do you think I should talk about it in my personal statement? I don’t want my essay to feel like I’m just listing off accomplishments, so I’m a”

“I have a number of things that would go down after applications are sent, and I’m wondering if they still matter to applications. First of all, I have a couple activities that I started in junior year. I’m doing them through the whole rest of the year, but at the time of applications I’d only be doing them for about 9 months including summer. On top of that, I applied for an award that only comes out in march, and I kinda want to do skillsUSA again, but it takes place after applications too. So”

“For Georgetown’s Essay One (650 words) on the Common App, should I just put my Common App Personal Statement? Because I was thinking if they already read my personal statement separately then I could write about something else here. Idk though maybe a stupid question submitted by /u/Virtual-Resident3749 [link] [comments]”

“I did a Extended Essay (EE) that is heavily related to my major in college. Is there any way to include or at least mention it in the common app. It's a math EE and I'm the only one who did it in my entire school. submitted by /u/False-Republic8750 [link] [comments]”

“I’ve gotten a lot of mixed opinions from my counselor, graduates, A2C, chanceme etcetc. and its a little confusing: Should my college essay try and connect the dots between my application as a “resume” of sorts? Or should I be trying to explain myself as who I am as a person? I always thought, and was told my essay was meant to differentiate myself, and show my maturity and my values. But recently I’ve increasingly been told it should be to bolster my application and not necessarily tell a story”

“Has anyone done prompt 7 (“share an essay topic of your choice”) on common app and gotten accepted? If so, how did you approach the prompt? If you chose to write one that “responds to a different prompt” then what prompt did you choose and how? If you submitted a previous essay what was it about and why that one? And if you did an essay of your own design how did you come up with it? submitted by /u/Spare-Gap6054 [link] [comments]”

“For some context, I am currently the valedictorian for my class of ~460 students and am currently enrolled in 5 APs. On top of that I have JROTC Rifle Class which is a class and also an afterschool program which I get home around 6:20. I have ~40 essays I need to write for the 15 universities I am going to apply to (many top 20s) and also JROTC 3 class which I am a 2nd platoon leader. Would it be wise to switch to student aid from JROTC 3 to have more study time and also boost my GPA (since it’s”

“title. idk what else to put on that section. i like 2 of my electives, and i really put a lot of effort into them but i dont really do them outside of school. submitted by /u/sashimi_08 [link] [comments]”

“title. im an upcoming senior. im debating whether i should apply to 4 yr colleges or go to cc then transfer. why? well... i opened the common app and idk. i literally have no ecs/community service hours. i have a pretty good gpa (?) 3.8 uw and will have taken only a total of 7 aps by the time i graduate. my sat score is 1190 (ik i plan to retake). no scholarships applied to. i have maybe only 1 or 2 clubs i actively participated in. neither is related to STEM, which i like. idek what i want to m”

“What could have prompted this addition? How "optional" is this essay in the context of admissions? Are you guys planning on writing the essay, and would anyones application be considered less competitive if they choose not to answer it? submitted by /u/Reasonable_Ad1300 [link] [comments]”

“I’m ccc transfer student currently applying for the fall 2027 uc admissions cycle, and I also just signed up to be a tutor at my cc in the spring 2027 semester. I feel like being a tutor would look pretty good on my application, but by the time I actually start tutoring, my application will have been long submitted. Can I still put tutoring in my ecs section because I’m *going* to, or is this considered lying? submitted by /u/OkDependent6205 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! I'm currently an IB diploma candidate and its college apps season... I've been filling out the different sections of the common app, and I was wondering about the "Testing" section. Since I'm in IB, most of my exams are scheduled May of my senior year, I've only taken one fo far from my junior year. I realized that I can put that the tests are scheduled May of 2027, but since there's no scores in the box, common app wouldn't cross off (or in this case, give”

“So i am rly stuck on my honors and awards, I am applying to texas a&m rn and since its rolling admissons i need to apply like now since im applying to mays business but im stuck on my honors and awards, i have applied to many scholarships but havent gotten back on many so i only have three awards, of tsa state, tsa nats, and yg distinguished delegate, not the best but thats what i have. i need help with the others so far im NHS, ap scholar with honors, outstanding soloist for band ( im avoid”

“Being valedictorian is one of those things that is always mentioned on a "perfect" application. This really annoys me because of how it is calculated. The depressing truth is that aiming for valedictorian rewards laziness. My school uses a 5.0 system. Every time i take a 4.0 class it hurts my gpa. I'm learning French while the to be valedictorian is taking a free block because the 4.0 would hurt their grade. It ticks me off, I'm hoping colleges understand this. submitted”

Does anyone want to trade essays and help each othe for the personal statement of commons apps. If so dm me!!! submitted by /u/Parking_Outside9046 [link] [comments]

“will someone who has done commonapp before help me rank my activities and honors. I kind of just blurted everything I could remember but please help me out. I want to go into premed with a biochemistry major most likely. 2 year district improvement team with superintendent (helped develop plan and execute a virtual learning option for the district) Columbia university: completion of research and internship for HPV and cancer (summer program) CSR-X competitive research internship with mentor (&lt”

“Hi. Can our honor section and activities overlap a bit? My Honors include: 1.Nationally selected one of 10 UNICEF Youth Content creator. 2.IIT Delhi National Debate Bootcamp 2nd Best Speaker Award at IIt Delhi National MUN 4.2 Time State Level classical Singer and 4 time District level Gold Medalist singer. i also have others like Principals Award, Head boy of the Council, Published research etc but I don't think those will come here. Anyway, my main doub tir can I repeat these in my activit”

“any duke AB scholars or robertson scholars willing to share some info about their stats when applying (essays mainly)? for robertson, anything useful they found to include in essays and the initial application to advance to further rounds? in general, is there any info that could be helpful for someone who wouldnt qualify for need based aid applying for these merit scholarships? greatly appreciate any input, thanks! submitted by /u/Odd-Direction-2403 [link] [comments]”

“Hello everyone! I am a rising senior who needs some advice about the common app essay. This is particularly for AOs but anyone is welcome to answer. I’ve heard that AO like when common app essays are not too abstract, but I’m not sure if that is a personal preference or not. submitted by /u/Gloomy-Decision-775 [link] [comments]”

“kind of specific question but I have awards from the National Spanish Exam (NSE) that I listed in my honors section on common app. however, I am now realizing that some schools have a section within their own application, like Brown for example, where they specifically ask you to submit awards like NSE, AIME, etc, so i was wondering if it would be best to just repeat it in that section or replace it with another award. (i have things like georgia certificate of merit for top 5% in class, and a d”

“Hi everyone! I am currently a rising senior and I am looking to start my personal statement but I really have no idea where to get started. I tried looking at brainstorming guides on college essay guy and Instagram but nothing really stood out to me when I did those. Any tips would be appreciated! submitted by /u/Zealousideal-Sky1121 [link] [comments]”

“I'm a rising senior and I'm beginning to fill out activities and honors for commonApp. I got one second place award at at regional science fair my sophomore year but otherwise have no other awards besides standard AP awards. I have many strong extracurriculars but none have gotten me any personal award because my main activity besides research is on a large team. I can imagine other people have this issue. What do other people do in this situation? I feel like leaving the honors section”

“From my SAT english section score I got credit for a class that I would have otherwise taken. That class shows up on my transcript and everything. How do i input this? submitted by /u/TermHungry3389 [link] [comments]”

“im assuming that they just want us to answer the question but do they all need a hook or a memorable anecdote/story in the same way that college apps did? or can i just answer the question in a normal way without the flowery stuff or will adcoms hate me? submitted by /u/Only_Membership1257 [link] [comments]”

“I am a freshman in high school andI entered the john locke essay competition for the first time this year and somehow got shortlisted. how prestigious is this? If I don't win an actual prize is this still something i can put on my application? submitted by /u/Familiar_Maybe_5581 [link] [comments]”

“Has anyone here taken the GED and challenged their essay score before applying to college? I scored 163 on RLA today, just 2 points from college ready. I made sure to structure paragraphs correctly, spellcheck everything, provide plenty of evidence from the text, use transition words, and clearly compare which argument was stronger. I made sure not to use “I” statements like “I think” or “I believe” and I followed all the essay advice given on Test Prep Champions. The topic was even on a favorit”

“I'm a rising senior, and I'm working on my application. I feel like I've done my fair share of contributing to my community and doing my fair share of extracurriculars, but I can't find anything I've done meaningful enough to fill all 10 of those extracurricular spots. So basically, should I just fill all 10 spots with things that are kind of meaningless/ not impressive, or should I stick with like 5 or 6 things I've done that have an actual impact? Kind of asking for mor”

“I got 3 shortlists in John Locke Essay Competition this summer. The categories were Philosophy, Theology, and Science and Technology. I was wondering where I should place these awards on common app: Honors or Activities, Honors does not let me put any description hence I can’t put the categories due to space constraints with title, so should I put in activities? submitted by /u/Bubbly_Combination33 [link] [comments]”

“Guys is this essay comp really worth it i know many people lock in and got a shortlist but is it really that important and will boost your app submitted by /u/Obito_Uchiha_drip [link] [comments]”

“hi, a few of my secondary apps are asking to report speeding tickets.. i got one ticket and my dream school is asking me to report if i got one. will this significantly hurt my chances :( i paid the fine in time and it doesnt show up on my license or anything so idk :/ very sad submitted by /u/PhilosopherMindless4 [link] [comments]”

“if you took dual enrollment classes at either cc or another program like apex or uc scout, are you 100% required to report all of the classes you took? like are you allowed to just not send your transcript from one of these programs if you don't like your grade / if you dropped the course or are you required to send it when applying to college? submitted by /u/NoRoll1539 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, trying to get into the nursing program at misericordia. I’m trying to hear from anyone whether in SPEECH pathology or OT. How was the Anatomy and physiology classes. Is misericordia a good school to go to? Everything I have read online places this as a tank school. Let me know your opinions. submitted by /u/Short_Side_7210 [link] [comments]”

“I am aware that you can only fill up 5 slots for the honors/awards section. There are already two awards I am most definitely keeping ; however, I have 4 other "honors/awards" and only 3 slots left. I need help deciding what should stay and what should go. For reference, I am most definitely going in for pre-med. In no particular order: National Honor Society Science National Honor Society Academic Principals High Honor Roll AP Scholar submitted by /u/joyfulikej17 [link] &#”

“i know tufts released their new supplements today because of the email, but is there a resource that can notify me when a college releases new supplements (given that some don't release on august 1)? submitted by /u/SituationOk3671 [link] [comments]”

“What does this mean? "Result Status: Result Pending" Has someone gotten their results? submitted by /u/Lazy-Investigator479 [link] [comments]”

“Okay so I want to know if these AP classes + dual enrollment im going to take my junior year & my senior year will be helpful if i apply as a econ major. Freshman coursework: AP Art History (earned a 5) AP World History (earned a 5) AP Biology (earned a 4) AP Pre-calc (earned a 4) AP Language (earned a 4) Sophomore coursework: AP Macroeconomics (earned a 5) , AP Literature (earned a 5) , AP Chemistry (earned a 3) DE Psychology (earned a A-) Future Junior coursework: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C,”

“We're trying to plan a college campus visit trip to the East Coast in the fall. Has anyone flown to the East Coast from the west coast for college visits? Can you share your itinerary including flights to/from which cities, ground transportation, and time spent in each city? We're thinking about visiting Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and New Haven at minimum. Also is a guided tour worth it or did you just do a self guided visit? submitted by /u/ivyplusinstitute [link] [com”

“I’m super conflicted rn on what courses to take my senior year that will look the best on college apps. Right now Im planning on taking Ap Lit Ap Chem Ap 2D art Ap psyc Ap Calc AB and for my electives to be chorus and theater tech. My issue is that the highest choir and theater tech are the same period, and I don’t know if I should do a lower choir or drop tech for some other class. What do yall think would be the best move for college apps? submitted by /u/Lisa-chanUwU [link]”

“I want to move away from my state and specifically go to Boston, MA or really any major city thats walkable and safe. but my question is, what are the pros and cons of doing this? would it really be better to go to my instate uni for 14k or leave for much higher, but a better quality of life? i’m sure i can get grants and scholarships, just wondering if it sounds like a stupid idea. submitted by /u/prettyfawnelle [link] [comments]”

“I genuinely have such a boring life that there's nothing to write about. I have no ECs except for jv sports and a couple random school clubs, no challenges, no interesting experiences, no hobbies, not even a unique quirky habit or observation etc. Before school got out, all I would do after school was go to practice then study, scroll, call friends, etc. Not only that, but I don't have any impactful memories from the past, since I have a really bad memory. I don't even have any real”