Huge News for High School Juniors

Late yesterday, the Common App announced its new essay prompts for the coming admissions season – students who are currently juniors (Class of 2014) will be the first to use these new questions. 

With 488 colleges subscribing to this application clearinghouse, almost every college applicant uses the Common App at some point during the college admission process.  The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems are not members of the Common App; they have their own respective online applications.

There has been significant controversy over the change from the previous set of Common App essay prompts, which had not changed in several years.  There are two significant changes in the next cycle:  first, the word limit has increased from 500 words, the previous maximum length, to a new maximum of 650 words.  The new word limit will be enforced differently; in the past, students uploaded a document (usually Word or pdf format) with their essay.  Starting next fall, students will be provided with a box, into which they will paste the text of their essays.  This will more effectively limit the length of essays.

The other very controversial change is the elimination of the option for students to write an essay on the “topic of their choice.”  Instead, students will have to respond to one of the following prompts:

• Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it.  If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure.  How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted you to act?  Would you make the same decision again?
• Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content.  What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community or family.

The fully revised Common App will be released this August, but the release of these essay questions will allow current juniors to begin to formulate their responses, even in preliminary form, now. Yet another reminder that it's never too early to start thinking about the college admissions process!