The Common Application for the 2024-2025 school year opened on August 1st. The Common Application compiles students personal and academic information, making the application process much simpler. One of the biggest challenges that comes with this application is the personal essay portion. Students are tasked with writing an essay that highlights their identities, experiences, and ambitions in just 600 words or fewer.
The prompts for the 2024-2025 Common Application are:
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then 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?
- Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
- 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 that 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.
Many Seniors have begun their college essays, and the topics that have branched from these prompts have been nothing short of exceptional.
Health Academy student Paris Martinez shares that she chose to write an essay on any topic of her choice. She wrote a collection of apologies to those she affected during her lowest life moments. She “started with simple childhood mistakes and moved to deeper, more meaningful regrets, with each apology highlighting a lesson learned”. This unique essay tells a story of self reflection and awareness of the ways that her experiences have shaped her. Martinez intends on pursuing a career in the medical field as a Physician’s Assistant.
These applications are just a glimpse into these students’ lives, and it can be difficult to single out one topic. However, this essay gives college admissions officers an insight to the unique perspectives students bring to their prospective colleges outside the classroom.
Honors student Mackenly Germain has started her college essay as well. She chose to share a time when she faced a setback or failure. Germain shares “I wrote about my experience with my mom getting cancer and how it made me determined to fight the way she does to appreciate life, myself, and others”. This essay topic shows how she was able to persevere and maintain a positive outlook. Germain plans on pursuing a career in the field of photography or cinematography.
Choosing an essay topic isn’t the easiest process. Honors Student Harison Wezel shared that his first unit in English class was to write this essay, and he felt nervous trying to narrow down his list of topics. Despite this challenge, he chose to write a personal essay of his choice and share an analogy that was close to his heart. Wezel shares, “I received a Lego train from my father and the toy was broke in pieces on numerous occasions” in his essay he compares putting these pieces back together to his own life. The toy train stands as an analogy for all the times he faced bumps in the road, and how he always had a support system around him to help put the toy back together. In the end, Wezel was able to receive feedback on his essay structure and finalize his essay.
As you begin writing your essay, remember that nothing is without trial and error. It’s okay to face some challenges when trying to narrow down what to write about. Ultimately, if you choose something you’re passionate about, you will have no issue finding the words.
As a whole, there is no doubt the Senior class of 2025 is going to do amazing on their essays and go on to do amazing things. As the college admissions process continues, we wish the best of luck to all of our Noles.