Essay guides
Straight, specific advice on every Common App prompt and the 650-word limit, what readers actually want, and the mistakes that sink good drafts.
Prompt 1, Background & identity
The “so meaningful your application would be incomplete without it” prompt.
Prompt 2, Challenge & failure
The setback prompt, where the lesson matters more than the loss.
Prompt 3, Challenging a belief
The prompt about questioning an idea, and what came of it.
Prompt 4, Gratitude
Something someone did for you, and what it set in motion.
Prompt 5, Growth & realization
The accomplishment-or-realization prompt, growth is the point.
Prompt 6, A captivating idea
The “lose all track of time” prompt, pure intellectual curiosity.
Prompt 7, Topic of your choice
Total freedom, which is exactly why it's the hardest one.
The 650-word limit
Is 650 a hard cap? What's the real minimum? How to cut well.
When the draft is ready, get the read.
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