The Common App essay prompts for 2024-25 are here! What’s new? Not much, really—they’re the exact same prompts as last year. According to their announcement, the folks at the Common Application didn’t switch things up because their research showed that over 95% of students, counselors, advisors, teachers, and member colleges were happy with the current prompts. Basically, they decided to stick with what works.
In the sections ahead, we’ll break down each of the Common App essay prompts for 2024-25. We’ll walk you through what they’re asking for and throw in some brainstorming ideas to help you write an essay that shows off who you truly are.
- What Are the Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25?
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #1
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #2
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #3
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #4
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #5
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #6
- Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #7
- How to Write the Common App Essay 2024-25
- Common App Essay Topics to Avoid
- FAQs on Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25
- Takeaways
What Are the Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25?
Here are the Common App Essay prompts for 2024-25:
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. 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?
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.
Every year, over 3 million students apply to colleges through the Common Application, a platform that hooks you up with over 1,100 colleges and universities worldwide. The Common App essay is a big deal in this process. It’s the one essay that gets sent to all the colleges on your list, so pick your prompt wisely.
Keep in mind, though, that some schools might ask for extra supplemental essays on top of your Common App essay.
Common App essay word count
Whichever prompt you go with, your essay needs to be between 250 and 650 words. We suggest aiming for the upper end—around 500 to 650 words—so you’ve got enough room to tell a compelling story and still keep it concise and punchy.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #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.
This first Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 is a popular choice—and for good reason. It gives you a chance to highlight a part of yourself that doesn’t show up in the other sections of your application. It’s about the experiences, culture, or personal traits that have deeply shaped you.
The beauty of this prompt is that it lets you humanize your application. Telling a story that taps into a key part of who you are gives admissions officers a glimpse of what makes you, you—beyond your grades and extracurriculars. It turns you from a list of achievements into a multidimensional person with a unique story to share.
Personal essay ideas
Zero in on an experience or part of your background that’s deeply personal but not something that jumps out from the rest of your application:
- You grew up as a third-culture kid, and that’s totally shaped how you see identity and belonging.
- You’ve got a niche interest, like a passion for preserving endangered languages, which ties back to your cultural roots.
- You could also talk about a unique talent, like telling stories through shadow puppetry, and how it’s helped you connect with others and express your view of the world.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #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?
The second Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 matters because it gives colleges a glimpse into how you handle tough situations—your resilience, problem-solving skills, and ability to grow from tough experiences. These qualities are crucial for thriving in college.
Research backs this up, too. Studies have shown that students who learn from failure are better prepared to navigate the complexities of higher education. For example, a study in Educational Technology Research and Development found that “productive failure” can actually boost learning. It forces you to rethink your approach, come up with new strategies, and ultimately gain a deeper understanding that sticks with you longer.
Personal essay ideas
Pick a challenge that goes beyond just academic or extracurricular struggles—think personal, emotional, or moral dilemmas:
- You faced a moment where you had to question a deeply ingrained belief or value, like realizing that a long-held family or community tradition clashed with your own evolving identity.
- You could talk about a creative failure, like when a community art project didn’t go as planned, and how that experience made you rethink what success really means.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #3
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
When you engage in questioning—especially the kind that involves analysis, synthesis, and evaluation—you’re building a stronger capacity for independent thought. This kind of engagement is key in college, where you’ll often come across ideas that challenge your existing beliefs and require you to think deeply and critically.
Colleges use the third Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 to see if you’re willing to dive into complex ideas and how you handle the gray areas. How do you handle intellectual conflicts? Navigate moral or ethical dilemmas? Being able to question ideas effectively—even the ones you hold dear—is a clear sign that you’re open to growth.
Personal essay ideas
Focus on a moment when you questioned a belief or idea that was a big part of your identity or community:
- You started rethinking what success means in your family, where traditional careers were always seen as the path to achievement.
- Your growing love for something off the beaten path, like street photography, might have pushed you to reconsider what fulfillment and success really look like.
- A class debate on environmental ethics made you question the consumer-driven lifestyle you used to accept without a second thought, which then led you to embrace and champion sustainable practices.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #4
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?
The fourth Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 asks you to recognize and appreciate the good things in your life, even when they might seem small or easy to overlook. This is to get a sense of your empathy, your awareness of the support systems you have, and your ability to build meaningful connections.
Research shows that practicing gratitude can seriously boost your mental health. It can lift your mood, help you sleep better, and make you more resilient against stress and anxiety. Plus, when you focus on gratitude, you’re showing that you have a positive mindset, emotional maturity, and the knack for finding value in the people and experiences around you—all of which are key to thriving in college.
Personal essay ideas
Focus on a small, unexpected gesture that really made a difference in your life:
- There was a time when a classmate noticed you were struggling with a group project and, without any obligation, stayed after class to help you catch up. That simple act of kindness made you feel truly seen and appreciated and sparked a desire in you to pay it forward by mentoring younger students.
- A teacher took a moment to praise your creative work, giving your confidence a much-needed boost and motivating you to take your passion more seriously.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #5
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Personal development has become a big deal in college education lately. Take Stanford—they’ve got this course called Designing Your Life (DYL) that uses design thinking to help students from any major figure out how to craft a meaningful life and career after graduation.
In a nutshell, colleges want to know if you’re someone who’s serious about personal growth and can really learn from what life throws your way. The fifth Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 is your shot to spotlight your personal growth.
Personal essay ideas
Hone in on a seemingly ordinary event that led to a big shift in how you see things:
- You started volunteering at a local shelter, thinking it was just a regular activity, but a conversation with a homeless person opened your eyes to the complexities of social issues and made you realize the privileges you’d taken for granted. This moment might have sparked your passion for social justice, helping you grow more empathetic and proactive in fighting inequality.
- You faced a personal failure, like not making the team you’d trained so hard for, and it forced you to rethink what success means and helped you build resilience.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #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?
Colleges are using the sixth Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 to find students who are truly passionate about learning. If you’re someone who’s curious by nature, you’re more likely to thrive in college. After all, curiosity is what pushes you to dig deep into subjects, ask those big “But why?” questions, and hunt down knowledge that goes way beyond the classroom.
Colleges are also looking for passion. When curiosity and passion come together, they fuel innovative thinking and a willingness to explore connections across different fields. This is exactly the kind of mindset that you need to succeed in today’s fast-paced academic and professional worlds.
Personal essay ideas
Choose an unconventional or super-specific topic that really lights you up:
- You’re obsessed with biomimicry, the idea that studying nature’s designs can spark innovative solutions to human problems. This passion might trace back to your childhood love of exploring the outdoors, where you’d spend hours figuring out how plants and animals adapt to their environments.
- You’re fascinated by the philosophy of time—how it shapes human perception and influences everything from our daily lives to our understanding of the universe. This interest might have you diving into both scientific theories and literature.
Common App Essay 2024-25 Prompt #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.
The seventh Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 used to be the crowd favorite. Back in the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 24.1% of applicants chose it, and it’s easy to see why. It’s the most open-ended, giving you the freedom to write about almost anything.
Opting for this prompt is great if you’ve got a solid idea or story that doesn’t quite fit the other prompts. But don’t forget—your essay still needs to be meaningful and relevant. Admissions officers will be looking for a window into who you are and how you think, so make sure your story shines a light on those aspects.
Personal essay ideas
Think about an experience or idea that’s a bit unconventional or super personal—something that doesn’t quite fit the mold of the other Common App essay prompts for 2024-25:
- You started your own podcast focused on unsung local heroes, and through it, you’ve totally reshaped how you see storytelling and community.
- You’ve been working on a personal project, like building a miniature sustainable ecosystem in your backyard. It’s a hands-on way of showing your commitment to environmental stewardship and your love for learning by doing.
How to Write the Common App Essay 2024-25
To nail your Common App essay, think of it like storytelling. Guide your reader through your most impactful moments:
1. Hook
Start strong with a hook that grabs attention right off the bat. Imagine you’re writing about your passion for environmental activism—you could kick things off by describing the moment you stood in a local park, heart sinking as bulldozers ripped through the trees you grew up playing under. This vivid scene pulls the reader in, and it also sets up the curiosity about how this event shaped you.
2. Details, details, details
Once you’ve got their attention, narrate your story with rich, specific details. Let’s say, after witnessing that destruction, you felt a mix of anger and helplessness that kept you up late, poring over environmental protection laws.
Maybe you remember the first time you decided to attend a city council meeting, your nerves on edge as you clutched a folder stuffed with data on the park’s ecosystem? Your heart pounded as you stood up to speak, your voice shaky but determined, while a room full of skeptical adults sized you up, questioning your expertise because of your age.
As your story unfolds, talk about how the experience pushed you beyond that initial meeting. Maybe you organized a community petition to halt further development, knocking on doors even though the idea of talking to strangers made your stomach flip.
Think about the turning point—perhaps when a local news outlet picked up your story, and suddenly, support came flooding in, far beyond what you expected. Share the moment you realized your voice mattered, like when a neighbor who had brushed off your concerns earlier signed the petition and praised your dedication.
3. Full circle
Lastly, wrap up your essay by bringing everything full circle. Come back to the image of that park being destroyed. Talk about how that shock—and all the challenges and triumphs that followed—has led to your decision to study environmental science in college.
Circling back ties your story together. It shows how these experiences have shaped who you are and where you’re headed. Ending your essay this way leaves the reader with a clear sense of how you grew and how you committed to making a difference.
Common App Essay Topics to Avoid
When you’re putting together your Common App essay, picking a topic that really shows off who you are is important. But some topics are so overdone or tricky to nail that they might actually hurt your chances. Let’s talk about the Common App essay topics you should avoid and why.
1. The volunteer abroad experience
Volunteering abroad can be life-changing, but it’s also one of the most common essay topics out there. Admissions officers have read tons of essays about building schools or helping in underprivileged areas, and they often end up sounding the same. These essays can come off as clichéd and may focus too much on the trip itself rather than your personal growth.
2. The sports victory
Scoring the winning goal or bouncing back from a sports injury might seem like a solid topic to showcase your determination, but it’s been done to death. Unless you can tie this experience to something truly unique about you or connect it to a bigger theme, it’s unlikely to stand out.
3. Tragic loss or adversity
Writing about personal hardships can show resilience, no doubt. Essays centered on tragedy, though, can be tough to pull off. First off, they risk coming across as overly dramatic or self-pitying. Plus, if the experience is still fresh, it might be hard to write about it with the maturity and perspective admissions officers are looking for.
4. The grand epiphany
Essays about sudden, life-changing realizations can feel fake if not done right. Admissions officers prefer to see depth and gradual growth over a single “aha” moment that sounds too perfect to be real.
5. Controversial or sensitive issues
Writing about politics, religion, or other hot-button topics can be risky. If you go this route, make sure your essay is balanced and doesn’t come off as preachy or divisive. Keep in mind that your readers might not share your views, so tread carefully.
7. Rehashing your résumé
Your essay isn’t the place to list your accomplishments—that’s what your résumé is for. Instead, use the essay to reveal something new about yourself, something that doesn’t show up anywhere else in your application.
8. Generic essays
Avoid writing essays that could apply to just about anyone. If your essay lacks specific details and a personal touch, it’s going to fall flat. You want your essay to be uniquely yours, giving the reader a clear sense of your personality, experiences, and values. Remember, the goal is to offer a fresh perspective that adds depth to your application.
FAQs on Common App Essay Prompts 2024-25
1. Do Common App essay prompts change every year?
Generally, the Common App essay prompts stay the same every year. For the 2024-2025 application cycle, they’re sticking with the same prompts as before. This consistency is intentional as the Common App folks have found that these prompts do a solid job of capturing the stories and experiences students want to share.
That said, while the prompts usually stay the same for a few years, they can be updated based on feedback from students, counselors, and colleges.
2. What is the word limit for Common App essays?
Your Common App essay needs to be between 250 and 650 words. The system won’t let you submit anything shorter than 250 words or longer than 650. It’s a good idea to aim closer to the upper limit since that gives you more room to develop your ideas while keeping it concise.
3. How many times can I edit my Common App essay?
You can tweak your Common App essay as many times as you want before hitting that submit button. Once you’ve submitted it to a college, that version is locked in for that school. But don’t worry—you can still make changes for other colleges you haven’t submitted to yet. Meaning, you can tailor your essay for different schools or just make some last-minute adjustments.
4. Should I use all 650 words in the Common App essay?
You don’t have to use all 650 words, but it’s usually a good idea to get as close as you can. A well-rounded essay that fills out the word limit often provides a richer narrative and gives deeper insights into who you are. However, don’t stress over the word count—focus on making sure your essay is clear, concise, and packs a punch.
5. How do I choose a topic for the Common App essay?
Start by reflecting on your most significant experiences, challenges, and interests—things that have really shaped who you are. The best topic is one that lets you showcase your unique personality, values, and growth. Make sure to pick a Common App essay prompt for 2024-25 that matches a story you’re excited to tell. Your topic doesn’t need to be anything grand or dramatic. Sometimes, the most powerful essays are about those small, meaningful moments.
Takeaways
Here’s what you need to know to craft a standout Common App essay for 2024-25:
- The Common App essay prompts for 2024-25 haven’t changed from previous years.
- Your essay should fall between 250 and 650 words, but it’s smart to aim for the upper end—somewhere around 500-650 words.
- Steer clear of overused, generic topics. Instead, focus on sharing a personal story that’s unique to you—something that doesn’t show up in your academic records or extracurriculars.
- When you write your Common App essay, be vivid and specific. Think of it like a story: start with a hook to grab attention, build your narrative with rich details, and then bring it all together at the end.
- If you’re feeling stuck or just want to make your essay as strong as possible, don’t hesitate to contact a college admissions consultant.
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