The Common App essay

For those interested in attending the majority of U.S. colleges, the Common App (Common Application) is unavoidable. The Common App requires students to complete one 650 word admissions essay. An applicant's essay is based on one of seven prompts. While these topics do change, they have remained constant over the last two years.

What makes it challenging

The Common App is unlike other university application essays. In contrast to the UCAS system used for British universities applications, the Common App is not typically used to highlight academic achievements or even an applicant’s interest in a certain field of study. Rather, what U.S. college admissions officers are looking for is the person behind the application. U.S. colleges aim to gain an understanding of the applicant as an individual, the challenges they have faced and what motivates them. This can prove somewhat challenging for U.S. college candidates who are used to promoting themselves on the back of their academics.

Exemplar Common App essay

Below is an anonymised excerpt from a U.S. college candidate’s Common App essay. This application has chosen to respond to prompt two: “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?”

The Irish novelist James Joyce described mistakes as the portals of discovery. No more true words can be said. As a young student, I was always terrible at mathematics. It was a subject that I struggled with above all others. I would receive lower grades than my classmates and would regularly be unable to complete homework assignments because I couldn’t make any sense of the task I was supposed to complete. This went on for years. However, something happened when I turned thirteen and entered into secondary school that I still think about today as an important moment in my life.

How to improve

The above Common App example does have potential but it is indeed an early draft. The student begins with reference to a famous figure, a common gambit for first time writers. The issue with such a manoeuvre is that U.S. admissions officers are not interested in what another person has to say, but rather the candidate’s own perspective. To begin with a quotation indicates a lack of confidence and a willingness to rely on the words of someone else to get through the, often challenging, opening paragraph. Students should aim to stand on their own two feet and ignore the desire to reference historical or literary figures as a means to bolster their argument. Moreover, the introduction gives little insight into the emotional landscape of the student during the period under examination. The reader understands they struggled with mathematics but gains little in terms of pathos. There is a distinct lack of personality in the writing, and personality is an essential component of a successful Common App essay.

How BartyED can help

The U.S. college application system, of which the Common App is a keystone, is difficult to navigate alone. Students regularly produce Common App essay drafts that miss the mark and do not properly represent themselves and their life experiences. In addition, Common App essays often run far over the word count and considerable time is spent attempting to establish a student’s academic credentials rather than to allow for the admissions officer to understand them as a person.

At BartyED, our team of expert U.S. college admissions advisors are here to help. We have guided innumerable students through the Common App system and on to places at some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States, including Yale, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, and NYU. If you think that you or your child could benefit from the assistance of an experienced U.S. college admissions tutor, contact BartyED today by phone (+852 2882 1017) or email at (enquiries@bartyed.com).