Great news!

The Common Application personal statement essay prompts are out for 2017-2018. They’re new and improved: There are now 7 questions instead of 5. Best of all, there are more possibilities for writing an essay that has impact and lets your personality shine through.

Juniors: This absolutely doesn’t mean you have to amp up the stress and start writing in February. But do read the Common App prompts and give yourself time to think. Write stuff down. Take photos. Brainstorm ideas. Then, when it’s time to start writing, you’ll have you’ll have exciting places to begin.

Common App essay requirements:

• You answer one of seven prompts.
  
• The maximum essay length is 650 words.

Here are the 2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts:

Instructions: What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response.

1. 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.

2. 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?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. 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?

7. 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. 

Tip: Check out this article on the Common Application prompts by Scott Anderson, Senior Director at The Common Application. He provides excellent insight into how to think about these questions.

 Interesting Stats from 2015-2016 Applications:

• More than 800,000 applicants submitted a Common Application
• 47 percent chose to write about their background, identity, interest, or talent – making it the most frequently selected prompt
• 22 percent wrote about an accomplishment
• 10 percent wrote about a problem solved

For more information, go to the Common Application website or The Common App’s Facebook page.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing insights, question by question, to help students understand, think about, and write outstanding college application essays.

Find your story. Sharon Epstein is owner of First Impressions College Consulting in Redding, Connecticut. She’s a Writers Guild Award-winner and two-time Emmy Award nominee who teaches students how to master interview skills, write killer resumes, and transform their goals, dreams and experiences into memorable college application essays. I work with students everywhere: in-person, by phone, Skype, Facetime and email. Visit my website for more info. Connect on Google+, Pinterest and Twitter.

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