Common college essay questions

Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. For the 2021-22 application cycle, the Common Application essay prompts remain unchanged from the 2020-21 cycle with the exception of an all new option #4.

The college essay is your opportunity to show admissions officers who you are apart from your grades and test scores (and to distinguish yourself from the rest of a very talented applicant pool). Nearly 700 colleges accept the The Common Application, which makes it easy to apply to multiple schools with just one form.

Sarah Myers McGinty, author of The College Application Essay, says essays often uncover how well a student might fit at the school, or show whether a student can do the work. She says colleges tend to ask three kinds of questions:

Find this year's Common App writing prompts and popular essay questions used by individual colleges. The college essay is your opportunity to show admissions officers who you are apart from your grades and test scores (and to distinguish yourself from the rest of a very talented applicant pool).