TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 Introduction to the Common Application 4 Preparing for Your College Applications 7 Comprehensive Guide to the Common App

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2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Introduction to the Common Application 4 Preparing for Your College Applications 7 Comprehensive Guide to the Common App 7 Profile 9 Family 10 Education 13 Testing 14 Activities 16 Writing 25 Additional Tips and Recommendations 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 2

3 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMON APPLICATION The Common Application is an online college application shared by more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. Developed over 35 years, the Common App is free and can be accessed online at It serves as the primary means of submitting applications for many U.S. colleges and universities. The Common Application is not the entirety of the college application process, but it is a key document around which the process revolves. The Common App is designed to be egalitarian and inclusive, with built-in support for applicants. Even so, the Common App is complex, as an extensive amount of objective data is required to complete it. Students must also submit essays, activity lists, and other pieces of information that reveal their personal background, academic interests, character and personality. Even though it is a standardized form, students can still use the Common App to present a powerful and unique story about themselves to admissions officers. We created this guide to teach you how to do just that! You ll find a breakdown of the information you ll need to complete each section, tips for filling out subjective questions, suggested timelines, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). It also gives you insight into the most laborious but exciting element of the Common Application: the personal essay. This guide walks you through and teaches you how to conquer the Common App. Step by step, section by section, you learn the secrets and strategies to creating a strong, successful application using your stories, activities, and accomplishments. This guide also helps you to organize other applications as well, even if you re applying to a college or university that does not use the Common App. As you work on your applications, be sure to check out our website for more tips and advice on how to tell your strongest story in your essays and throughout your entire application to present your best self to the colleges you are applying to. We ve helped over 15,000 students complete successful applications and essays that get them admitted to selective colleges and universities and win them scholarships and merit aid to attend college. The Story2 team is here to support you throughout every step of your college application process. If you have questions about how Story2 can best help you achieve your goals, call us at (800) or us at getstarted@story2.com. Happy Apps, Jocelyn Jocelyn Johnson Community Manager 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 3

4 PREPARING FOR YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS The Common Application requests some information that you know by heart, like your name, birthdate, school, and family background. No preparation needed there. But some elements of the Common App require a good deal of planning. You might need to attend to some of these tasks even before you create your Common App account. Get started early. The Common Application officially opens on August 1 each year. You can get a jumpstart by reviewing the application in advance and looking at the range of information that it requests. You might not know some of it offhand, so give yourself time to gather family and financial information. You also may need assistance from a few other people, primarily your parents, one or two teachers, and your school counselor. Make a list of all the information you need to give to or gather from others to complete the Common Application. Even if the information is straightforward and seems simple, you do not want to hold up an application, or increase your workload, because you forgot to find out where your mother went to graduate school or what your counselor s address is. Request teacher recommendations. Depending on which colleges you are applying to, you will need one or two teachers' recommendations. It's best to request recommendations from teachers who know your work well, ideally teachers whose courses you took in 11th grade. A 12 th grade teacher may not know you well enough, unless you ve had contact with that teacher previously. Carefully consider which teacher(s) to ask for a recommendation. While your first instinct may be to turn to the teachers of the classes you earned the best grades in, that is not always the best strategy if some teachers know you better than others do. For example, let s say you have a B- in Calculus, and an A in English. Your Calculus teacher, with whom you meet weekly after school, may be able to speak more to your character, personality, and academic drive than your English teacher, who only knows that you have an A in her class. Also, you generally want a recommendation from teachers in the core academic subjects. So, your chemistry teacher may be a stronger choice than your drama teacher (unless, of course, you are considering theatre majors). Schedule a conversation. In the spring of junior year or early fall of senior year talk to your teachers and ask them if they are willing to write you supportive letters of recommendation. Have a backup plan. If a teacher tells you that he or she cannot write you a supportive recommendation or does not know you very well, thank the teacher for being honest and approach a different teacher for a recommendation. Provide talking points. You may give your recommenders a short list of talking points (some schools have students fill out brag sheets ) to remind them of highlights and tell them about your college plans. For instance, you could tell them about the time they gave you three extra books to read that changed how you researched your final paper for the course. If you have an idea of what you plan to study in college, let them know so that they 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 4

5 can connect your performance in high school with your potential as a college student. However, you should never draft the letter for them or ask them to write it a certain way. Generate the electronic request. After you have gotten verbal consent from a teacher, you will send that teacher an official request via the Common App. That request will includes instructions, and the teacher will take it from there. Reminders. Don t be afraid to politely check in as the deadline approaches. Sign the waiver. Students have a legal right to view teachers recommendations. The Common App includes a check box to indicate your waiver of that right. Check it. Teachers need to be confident that they can write candidly. Extra letters. If there is someone outside your school who knows your work particularly well for example, a college professor whose course you took or who advised your advanced research, or someone you worked with closely in a job or internship you might consider submitting a third letter of recommendation. But this is entirely optional and not required, and it is better not to submit a letter if the person does not know you well. This type of recommendation is typically not submitted via the Common App but can be sent via regular mail or . VIPs and Family Friends. With very few exceptions, you should not ask family friends or VIPs such as business leaders, professors, etc. whom your parents know to write you recommendation letters. These almost always backfire. On rare occasions a VIP who knows you and your intellect intimately may write a letter. Request counselor's recommendation and school transcript(s) early. You need to request an official transcript from each high school or college you have attended. Your school will send your transcripts directly to your colleges. But, you should request your own copy to make sure that the information is accurate and that your classes and grades are all correct and accounted for. Consult your school college counselor on his or her procedure for requesting transcripts. A few weeks before your applications are due, it's a good idea check with your counselor to make sure they have sent out your transcripts. Get to know your family. Different families approach college applications differently. Some parents are involved (whether students like it or not); others are hands-off (whether students like it or not). Both approaches can work well as long as students and parents are in accord. Parents should leave all the work filling out applications, drafting essays, and making final decisions on schools to students. What matters most is that students feel supported. At the very least, students should sit down with their parents at least once to gather all necessary family information, including financial information if they are applying for financial aid. Explore the Common App. You cannot make an official Common App account until August 1, but you can still explore the site (though they sometimes take it down in the weeks preceding the Aug. 1 launch) Story2. All rights reserved. 5

6 The site has four components: Dashboard, My Colleges, Common App, and College Search. It also has an extensive (though often confusing and incomplete) Help section. College Search enables you to search for prospective colleges with a number of criteria; you can search for a specific college by name, or you can search for all the colleges in a given state. The Common App will generate a list of results that include objective information about the colleges you ve searched for. o Keep in mind that the Common App will reveal only colleges that are members of the Common App. If you are applying to non-common App schools, like the University of California system or Georgetown, you must acquaint yourself with their applications. o Do not rely entirely on the Common App s list to do your school research. Once you ve searched for colleges, you can choose which ones to add to your My Colleges list. You can add up to 20 schools. The My Colleges section is where you ll find schoolspecific supplements. The Dashboard is essentially the same thing as My Colleges, but in a different visual format. The Common App section encompasses the application itself. You will spend most of your time in the Common App section. The Common App breaks down into several sub-sections, which are listed in the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the webpage. These subsections, in turn, have their own subsections. The Common App also has sections for your school to complete, including: School Report (Counselor Recommendation) Teacher Recommendations Mid-Year Report (sent to colleges in January) Transcripts Your counselor will know what to do with these sections. For International Students: If you attend high school outside of the United States and do not have a counselor well versed in the US application process, you may have to be more proactive Story2. All rights reserved. 6

7 COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE COMMON APP The Common App has two major components: 1) The generic section, with information sent to all colleges; and 2) The college-specific sections, in which you choose your prospective colleges and supply the information that each college requests. First we are going to break down how to complete each subsection of the generic Common App. This section provides a comprehensive understanding of what information you need for the section, tips for how to best complete the section, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). Profile This section asks for basic information about the applicant. You should be able to provide all of this information off the top of your head, though there are a few questions that may be challenging depending on your personal circumstances. You will need to provide the following information: Name Address Contact Details Demographics Geography Language Citizenship Common App Fee Waiver Tips This section requires a lot of personal and background information. If you are unsure of an answer, you may want to enlist the help of your parent(s) or guardian to assist you in completing this section. The most important thing to note is to answer each question honestly and to choose the answers you most identify with or that best describe your situation. One crucial point: make sure you include your full legal name, as it appears on your passport or driver s license. This version of your name must match that on your transcript and your standardized tests. If not, colleges might lose track of your paperwork. FAQs What preferred name (nickname) should I use? This is not the nickname that your friends gave you on the playground. You should indicate a nickname or shortened name if, for instance, your teachers might use a name in their recommendation letters that is different from your given name. Must I list my sex? What if I identify as a different gender? Federal law requires colleges to collect sex identification as listed on applicants birth certificates. This is for identification purposes. If an applicant identifies with a different gender, he or she may explain in the additional information section (more on that section below) if he/she so chooses Story2. All rights reserved. 7

8 What if I have two permanent addresses, one with each parent? Write down the address of the home at which you spend the most time. Later, under Family, write down your other address as well. What if I do not have a home phone number? Select mobile as your preferred telephone number, and then provide that number. Under alternate phone number, select no alternate phone number. What if I don't have a US Social Security Number? A Social Security Number (SSN) is not required to submit your Common Application. You need to include an SSN on your application only if you want to be considered for federal financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are a US resident but do not have a SSN, choose U.S. Permanent Resident or Refugee. You will be able to upload a copy of your green card or proof of refugee status with your Common App. Why do colleges ask for demographic information? Colleges are interested in the diversity of applicants and enrolled students, so the data they collect in the demographics section is helpful for them. The information you provide, by law, may not be used in a discriminatory manner in the admission process. The questions in this section are optional, except for the last question, which asks you to confirm that you've completed this section to your satisfaction. What does it mean to live outside the U.S.? List the number of years you ve lived outside the U.S. only if you were a full-time resident of another country (e.g. you attended school there). If you ve spent two months per summer in a foreign country for 16 years, do not count that as living outside the U.S., even if the total time amounts to several years. Do I have to provide my religion and ethnic background? No. However, you do need to provide your citizenship status, birthplace, and years lived in the United States in the Citizenship section. What if I am more than one of the ethnic options provided on the Common App? You are allowed to check more than one. If I am a citizen of the U.S. and another country, should I list my dual-citizenship, or should I list only my foreign citizenship so that I look more exotic? Colleges value diversity and international experiences, so dual citizens may want to discuss their experiences of places and cultures outside the U.S. But, they still are required to identify as American citizens. In fact, identifying only as an non-u.s. citizen could lower their chances of admission as admission rates for international students are often much lower than for domestic students. What if I am an undocumented immigrant? You may choose U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. National means that you reside in the U.S. If you choose this option, no further documentation is required. Individual colleges have their own policies on admission and financial aid for undocumented immigrants Story2. All rights reserved. 8

9 How do I decide on my level of language proficiency? It s up to you to decide if you are proficient enough to check the various boxes for speaking, reading, and writing that apply to the languages that you indicate. Note that you may check language spoken at home even if you personally are not proficient in that language. What address should I use? You should use one that you check regularly. If you don t check regularly, you should get into the habit, both for this process and for college in general. Do not use a silly, juvenile, or otherwise inappropriate address. If you have to, make a brand-new address and make it simply some version of your name. Family You will need to provide the following information: Tips Household Parent and/or Guardian Siblings In this section, you will need to provide information about the other members in your household. If you don t know certain information, such as country of birth, occupation, or education level, about your parent(s) or guardian or siblings, you may want to ask for their help on this section as well. FAQs What if I don't live with my parents? Under the Household tab, select which option best answers the third question With whom do you make your permanent home? Then fill out the Parent 1 and Parent 2 (if applicable) sections based on the person you selected. My parents are separated/divorced and one of my parents is basically out of the picture. Do I still have to enter his/her information? The Parent section is especially important when colleges are considering financial aid. If one parent is absent and unable or unlikely to contribute to your tuition, colleges are likely to offer more financial aid. You should try to provide your parents information, but talk to your college counselor who is your advocate in the admission process so he or she can include details about your family situation in his or her school report. On rare occasions, students might write about family circumstances in the Additional Information section. Otherwise, colleges may have no way of knowing about your specific circumstances. What if I don't know the date of my parents' divorce? Try to find this information from one of your parents. Only the month and year are required Story2. All rights reserved. 9

10 If I have step- or half-brothers and sisters, do I include their information in the "Siblings" section as well? Yes. This section may be especially important if another sibling is attending college or university at the same time, as this may impact your eligibility for financial aid. You may indicate that he or she is a step- or half-brother or sister where it says "Relationship." Why do colleges ask for information about my parents and siblings schooling? Two reasons: first, some colleges give preferential treatment to children of their own alumni ( legacies ) and/or to siblings of current students or alumni. These practices are controversial, but they persist. Second, many colleges are eager to admit students who are among the first members of their family to attend college. Education This is a large section that requires many small pieces of information. In some ways, it mirrors your high school transcript. So, it helps to have your transcript at your side as you fill it out. You will need to provide the following information: Current or Most Recent School Other Schools Community-Based Organizations Education Interruption College & University Classes Grades Current Year Courses Honors Future Plans Tips If you drop or change any of the senior year courses you list in this section, your school counselor needs to tell colleges that you have changed your course of study and must explain the reasons why. Make sure that you describe honors honestly and accurately. FAQs What is a community-based organization? If you are not sure what a community-based organization is, then the question probably does not apply to you. This refers to nonprofit groups that assist underprivileged students with the college process. This question does not refer to community service or charity work. Should I be worried if I had an education interruption? If the interruption was for a legitimate reason, then no. You may have fallen ill, taken time off to pursue a sport, or have traveled with your family. Interruptions such as suspensions or truancy will be treated differently. In any case, you must explain the situation in the Required Explanation essay in the writing section. This is also another instance in which your school college counselor can contribute to your explanation in his or her school report Story2. All rights reserved. 10

11 Should I worry if I ve attended several high schools? Do I need to explain why I changed schools? It depends on the reason. If you changed schools because your family moved, then obviously that s fine. If you changed because you got expelled, that s cause for concern. If you changed in order to pursue a specific academic opportunity, that could work in your favor because it shows initiative. In any event, you ll have a chance to explain in the Additional Information essay in the Writing section. I'm in high school. Why do they ask me for colleges and universities I've attended? Some students attend enrichment programs at universities or take college-level courses during high school. This section is for students who have attended either of these types of courses on a college campus. Colleges are interested in your experience of college-level coursework as it reflects on your ability to succeed in college. Sometimes these courses grant students college credit. If a course is for high school credit, it is not listed here and is instead listed among the student s high school courses. In this case, the student will have to produce a transcript along with his or her regular high school transcript or make sure that the high school includes the college course on its official transcript. What if I ve taken online enrichment courses? If you have taken an online course run by a college or another legitimate educational institution (these are sometimes known as Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs) that awarded a certificate of completion (but not high school or college credit), you should list it in the activities section. Why does the Common App not ask for details about college courses taken, such as the subject or name of the course? We have no idea. You can provide additional details about enrichment courses in your activity list and/or Additional Information section. My school does not have a class rank. What do I do? Admissions officers understand that some schools do not calculate class rank. If that s the case for you, you should indicate your class size, but choose none for class rank. Colleges receive a school profile of your high school from your guidance counselor, so they will know that your school does not rank students. If your school does rank, make sure that you express the ranking on the Common App the same way the school expresses the rank (e.g. as an exact raw ranking, a percentile, tiers, etc.). List your rank as it stands at the time of submission (and do not ask them to consider a projected GPA or rank based on the grades you think you re going to get). How do I choose my GPA scale? If needed, double-check with your school counselor or look at your school profile. The vast majority of American high schools use a 4.0 scale. Some use 100-point scales. Choices such as 19-point scales are rare if not nonexistent. How do I list courses if I am taking more than seven in a year (such as multiple onesemester courses)? List your seven first-time courses. Then in the additional information section you may list further courses. Keep in mind that these courses will appear on your transcript too Story2. All rights reserved. 11

12 I have taken different levels of classes during high school. Should I indicate this on the Common App? Yes. Admission officers will receive a copy of your transcript, which lists all of your classes. But they also thoroughly read the Common Application and will want to see the level of academic rigor, such as honors or Advanced Placement classes, in your course schedule. I do not have any honors or awards from high school. Do I leave the Honors section blank? Yes. But remember this section includes honors at the school, state/regional, national, and international levels. If you have received something like a School Spirit Award or a Citizenship Award from your school, these are honors you may include. On some occasions, you might list awards for activities, such as a major community service award. But you should not list extracurricular positions (such as club president ) as honors. Just list them as activities and don t try to get double-credit for them or aggrandize them. On the right side, check off the level of your awards; most students will choose school for most, if not all, awards. Will my future plans affect my admission to the university or college? Possibly. Colleges and universities may want to attract students who will study in their key departments, or they may take special interest in a student with an unusual academic interest. With that said, you should only list a prospective major if your interest is genuine and plausible. What you put here will not determine your admission decision; it is just one of many factors colleges consider. So be honest about what you think you want to study in college, knowing that more than 60 percent of students change their majors at least once in their first two years of college! And don't forget that some colleges offer independent majors that allow students to build their own program of study. Generally, it won t hurt you to be undecided, but it could help you if you have credible, compelling academic goals. What if I don't know what my career interests are? One of the options is "Undecided"; this is the one you may want to select on this section. If I choose "Undecided" for my career interests, does that make me look bad or unprepared? Not at all! Admissions officers know that students interests evolve in the course of college that s the whole point! At the same time, if your high school academic background, extracurricular activities, and writing clearly show an inclination toward a certain subject and/or career, feel free to select that option. What if I don t know the highest degree I intend to earn? Undecided is fine here too. You don t want to say you ll earn a Ph.D. just for the sake of seeming ambitious. With that said, if you intend to earn a master s in business administration (MBA) you might want to leave that off your application. Colleges are flooded with business students these days, and an aspiration of MBA will not strengthen your application. What if I decide to change from one program to another say from Engineering to Liberal Arts once I'm in college? In most cases, that s OK too. But if you are applying to a specific program or department, be sure to check the college's website to determine the process and requirements for transferring from one program to another once admitted Story2. All rights reserved. 12

13 Testing Filling out this section first requires that you have taken standardized tests or have a clear plan for taking the ones you need and/or the optional ones that you want to take. You will need to provide the following information: College Entrance (SAT/ACT) English for Non-Native Speakers (TOEFL, IELTS) Academic Subject Tests (SAT II, AP, IB, etc.) Other tests Tips This is an unusually tricky section because almost all of the questions are adaptive and optional. You dictate your answers based on what information you choose to provide. First, you indicate whether you want to provide testing information, and then you indicate which testing information you want to provide. International students, watch out! If you choose yes to the question about leaving examinations (i.e. national exams given at the end of high school), a tiny new section will pop up below that question. Don t miss it! FAQs I submitted my test scores via the College Board. Should I indicate my scores here too? Yes. Do I need to submit scores from all of my test sittings? Usually you do not. Most colleges allow you to use Score Choice (the SAT s system for suppressing scores), and you do not have to submit all Subject Test scores. But you should double-check each colleges policy as stated on their websites. How do I report super-scores? Super-scoring is the practice of choosing top scores section-by-section from different test sittings. The Common App asks students to report their highest per-section scores, but this does not mean that colleges will automatically abide by those scores. Those colleges that choose to evaluate super-scores will do the calculation for you. Some colleges publish their super-score policies; others do not. Should I report a past or future AP exam even if I haven t taken an AP course? For a past exam, definitely. For a future exam, make sure your school counselor knows that you are taking the exam so that he or she can corroborate on the school report. If I am not a native English speaker, how do I know if I need to submit a TOEFL score? Every college publishes its TOEFL policy on its admissions website. Generally, students who go to high school that conducts classes in English are exempt from taking the TOEFL. It typically applies to international students who have attended local high schools Story2. All rights reserved. 13

14 If I have taken the SAT and ACT, do I need to submit both scores? Which exam should I take in the first place? No, you do not have to submit both scores. Many students do, but submitting both scores is rarely, if ever, preferable to submitting solid scores from a single exam. You should take the exam with which you feel most comfortable. You can find out by taking sample tests. Once you have chosen an exam, commit to it. It s better to study properly (without spending an excessive amount of time) for one exam than to split your attention and brainpower between two exams that serve the exact same purpose and that are viewed equivalently by colleges. Be sure to check each college s testing requirements, especially as they relate to Subject Tests. For international students, how do colleges view the scores of national exams compared with SAT and ACT? Every college has different approaches to evaluating international students. All colleges understand that international students have had different experiences and different chances to prove themselves. They may look to scores (or predicted scores) on national exams for insight into students potential. Activities This is one of the fun sections, where you get to describe all the activities that you ve chosen to participate in throughout your high school career. You will need to provide the following information for each activity: Tips Activity type Position/Leadership description and organization name (if applicable) Details, honors won, and accomplishments Participation grade levels Timing of participation Hours spent per week Weeks spent per year I intend to participate in a similar activity in college Except for the essays, the activities section offers you your best opportunity to express yourself and tell your personal history in a compelling way. You get to list up to 10 activities, with brief descriptions that can enable you to describe your accomplishments and even provide a glimpse into your personality. But, it s still challenging, because the descriptions are brief, and some activities don t fit neatly into the Common App s categories. Once you ve chosen the type of activity from the drop-down menu, the field for position/leadership description and name of the activity is crucial. You only have 50 characters to use for your response, so make each one count. You may decide whether to use an organization s formal name or a generic name. For instance, you might list President, Wombat Club, but the colleges won t 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 14

15 know what a Wombat Club does. If the Wombat Club is a school spirit organization, then you could say, President, school spirit club; alternatively, you can describe the club s function in the following field. The details, honors won, and accomplishments field is your opportunity to showcase how you made a difference through your participation in the activity. You only have 150 characters to use in this response, so don t repeat anything you have already mentioned or indicated in the other fields. Detail and description are key in this field. Focus on SMART details: Specific, Measureable, Actions with Results over Time. If you have an impressive athletic stat, include it in your response. For example, Placed 2 nd in state finals after running 3 hours each morning before school for 6 months. If you raised a certain amount of money for a charity or you had an accomplishment at a job, then say so. For instance, Folded 285 pairs of jeans in one day; a new store record. Make sure your terminology is correct. List your positions properly and use correct names for clubs, workplaces, charities, etc. If these entities have official nicknames or abbreviations, it s fine to use them as long as you re certain that the reader will understand. Try to resist the temptation of resume padding in this section. The important thing is what you did and the differences you made, not the length of your activities list. FAQs Does the order of my activities or work experience matter? The Common App s instructions in this section are not very helpful. They ask students to list activities in order of importance to you but they don t define importance. Generally, activities in which you have significant accomplishments or leadership roles should be prioritized, as should activities in which you have been involved for a long time. Students should avoid listing athletics at the top. What if I don't remember how many hours or weeks I spent doing each activity? Try your best to make an accurate estimate. You want to show colleges how committed you were to the activities in which you participated during high school. But you want to make sure that your commitments are reasonable. You don t want to have averaged 80 hours per week of extracurricular activities. I don t have any activities to list because I am always home taking care of my siblings. Should I leave this section blank? No. Taking care of your siblings could be considered a part-time job, especially if you spend a lot of hours doing it. Admissions officers understand that students have a variety of responsibilities outside of school that may prevent them from fully engaging in other types of extracurricular activities. Write down how many hours per week you spend taking care of your siblings, and make sure you indicate during which grades you did this, as well as when during the year it happened (i.e., school year and/or summer break). You can also describe these responsibilities in the Additional Information section. What if I ve participated in more than ten activities during high school? Choose the ten activities in which you feel your participation has made the greatest impact or are the most important to you. If you feel like you must report other activities, you may do so in the 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 15

16 additional information section. Some colleges also invite students to submit resumes; resumes are not recommended for a college that does not invite them. What s to stop students from fabricating accomplishments or activities? Aside from ethical standards, which should be foremost in students mind throughout this process, everything a student submits on the Common App may be corroborated by your school counselor s School Report. This report is not quite a recommendation letter, but it is the narrative that your counselor submits along with your recommendation letter. If it says something different from what you ve written on your activity list and even in your essays, admissions officers will not look kindly on your application. In other words, they will probably reject you instantly. Does it matter if I intend to continue with a similar activity in college? It can. If you are a recruited athlete, then you definitely want to indicate that you ll continue your sport. If you re an accomplished musician, colleges might want to know that you ll try out for the orchestra. More generic activities, such as community service, may have less impact. Keep in mind, you ll likely have chances to elaborate on your college plans in supplemental essays. Just make sure that your activities list is consistent with what you write in those essays. What if I can t describe the depth of my commitment or the magnitude of an accomplishment in 150 characters? If you are asking this question, then you may have hit upon a strong topic for one of your essays or for a longer description in the additional information section. With that said, 150 characters should be sufficient for most accomplishments. Admissions officers always prefer succinctness to effusiveness. Writing You will need to provide the following information: Personal Essay ( words) Disciplinary History (School Disciplinary, Criminal History) Required Explanation Additional Information (optional essay up to 650 words) Tips Personal writing is complex, subjective, and individualistic. At Story2, we teach students how to strengthen their personal narrative skills using the art and neuroscience of storytelling. We encourage you think deeply, get to know yourself as well as possible, and practice telling your stories out loud and personal writing as much as possible throughout high school and college. Ideally, college application essays should be challenging but fun, and they should help you explore and express ideas about yourself and the world that you might not have expressed before. Before you settle on essay topics and approaches, it s crucial to get to know your audience a little, and identify a few things not to write Story2. All rights reserved. 16

17 Your audience is none of the following: parents, friends, teachers, other relatives, other classmates, or anyone else who knows you or your circumstances. You can assume that they are bright, aware human beings, but you probably should not assume that they agree with you, understand your background, or have any prior reason to like you. They are not mean, but they do need to be convinced: convinced that you are smart, that you are capable, that you are personable, and that you are going to add value to that college s community. Of course, you don t have to convey all of these virtues in an essay, but conveying at least a few of them strengthens your application. This may seem like a tall order, but it should be liberating: you get to imagine your best self and tell a story, or series of stories, that illustrate who that version of you is. So, how do you decide what to write your Common App Personal Essay about? Consider the information that you ve already provided on the Common App. They know what classes you ve taken. They know what activities you ve participated in. They know your hometown and your ethnic background. Any of those elements (and many more) can form the basis of an essay, but that essay should illustrate these elements not restate them. In other words, the reader already knows a lot about you. You need to tell them more. Before you choose which Common App prompt to answer, it s important to know how the prompts came about and how they relate to the colleges to which you might be applying. In 2014, the Common App sent out a survey asking a variety of educators their opinions of the prompts that the Common App had been using. Of over 6,000 responses, fewer than 200 came from universities. What does this mean? It means that the essay prompts are concoctions of the people who run the Common App, so they are not necessarily designed for the needs of any given university. This disconnection between the Common App and its member schools means that, contrary to what your teachers have always taught you about answering the question, your readers probably don t care what prompt you answer or how you answer it. They want to get to know you in whatever way you see fit. These prompts are best used as guides: if they provoke an idea you like, go with it. If you want to write about something that doesn t seem to fit any of the prompts, write it anyway. You ll figure out a way to fit it. And, in the end, if it s a strong essay, the readers will accept it wholeheartedly. The Personal Essay The Common Application has five essay prompts for the Personal Essay (sometimes called the main essay or personal statement ): 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 failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 17

18 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 or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. The instructions are as follows: The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. 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. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.) What you need to know about each essay prompt: Again, you do not have to be dogmatic about adhering to prompts. If you have a topic you re dying to write about, go for it. With that said, these prompts can be great idea-generators. Even if you have ideas, they might help you come up with better ones. A fun challenge is to come up with at least one topic for each of the five prompts. The more you reflect and brainstorm, the better your essay will be, regardless of prompt or topic. Here are some ways to think about the prompts: 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 is the most open-ended prompt. If you don t know which prompt to pick, pick this one. Most students shouldn t have trouble interpreting this prompt. What s nice about this prompt is that it allows students to write about an interest, which means that they can comment on an academic or current events topic without needing to be the protagonist. It s also a great way to reflect on your ethnic identity or religion (or lack thereof). Don t worry about the heavy-handedness of application would be incomplete without it. Even quirks and details can be fine they can be great, in fact! Finally, though the prompt doesn t call for storytelling, it s best to respond in the form of an anecdote. If you re writing about your ethnic identity, for instance, don t just describe your ethnicity. Tell a story that illustrates what your ethnicity means to you. 2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? This prompt has two great advantages. First, it invites reflection: you re meant to think hard about that failure and to draw your own conclusions about it. Second, it s perfect for storytelling. If you think about it, most stories are about failure or at least about challenge. Success may be satisfying, 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 18

19 but failure is interesting. Keep in mind, you need not have caused the failure in order to answer this prompt. You could have been associated with or even just a witness to a failure. 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? This prompt brings up images of protest and activism, be it an Occupy Wall Street Rally or a movement to start the school day later. These can be great topics. But the challenge can be intellectual too. A revelatory book or a lively classroom discussion can provide inspiration for this essay. Finally, keep in mind that the belief you challenge may be your own. 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. In some ways, this is the most straightforward of all the prompts. It goes a little far in dictating the structure of the essay, though. It s a great topic for students who have done scientific research or served on student government. It invites students to be aspirational, by referring to a problem you d like to solve, but don t get too dreamy. If you re going to write about curing cancer or sending people to Mars, your essay has to be grounded in current knowledge and experience. 5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. This prompt poses a danger: you don t want to be too self-congratulatory about your transition from childhood to adulthood. Proclaiming something like, and then I was a man! may not go over well with readers. But small moments when your perspective changed, when you assumed a new responsibility, when you developed a different outlook on or opinion of the world are all promising topics. It s best, probably, to think in terms of maturation which is an ongoing process rather than a momentous transition. Finally, keep in mind that the transition does not have to be positive. There may be things you don t like about growing up. Many students make the mistake of writing their Common App Personal Essay in the same manner they would write an essay for their English or History class. Regardless of which prompt you choose, your personal essay should be based on your personal stories, not a thesis statement and supporting arguments. The best essays focus on a Defining Moment a moment in which you changed, learned something, grew as a person, or took action. Use the Story2 EssayBuilder to discover your Defining Moments and shape your story into a successful personal essay. FAQs Where do essays fit in colleges decisions? After grades and SATs, the essays are the most important part of your application. How do you fit everything important in 650 words? You can't! In 250 to 650 words you can only write about one thing. It is much more powerful to tell one important story than to try to pack your whole life into 650 words. Anyway, that s not what 2015 Story2. All rights reserved. 19

20 colleges are looking for. They know what the life of a typical high schooler is like. They want to find out how you are different and what you ve made of that high school life. I m having trouble thinking of a topic, and/or writing my essay. Is there anything that could help me get started? At Story2, we have a four-step process that makes it easier for students to write college admission essays. Step 1: Find A Moment helps you identify moments that reveal your character strengths. Step 2: Tell It Out Loud teaches you how to use your spoken voice to explore those moments and create personal connection with the people reading your essay. Step 3: Map It shows you how to structure your essays with a clear sense of purpose and direction. Step 4: Focus Out gives you strategies to edit your essay, sentence by sentence, to engage the reader in your point of view. Our proven Moments Method has helped over 15,000 students win admission and scholarships at selective colleges, and can save you time and frustration throughout the essay writing process. Check out to learn more about how our EssayBuilder can help you write better essays in less time. What do college admissions officers say I should write about? There are no pre-set "good topics." Start with your own experiences, and use moments from within those experiences to show who you will be in college and in life. Hasn't anything I might write about already been written by thousands of other students? Many students participate in community service. Many students travel. And many students play sports. But you are the only person who has had your experiences. Often the best essays come from common everyday moments that reveal your character and humanity. Take those general experiences and focus on moments that are really your own. Does my essay have to be about me? In many cases, the author will be the protagonist. The essay will be a first-person narrative. But not always. The author can be an observer, an investigator, or a scholar. In these instances, it s crucial to explain your thoughts and take ownership of them. If the reader can understand how your mind works and appreciate the things that capture your attention, that approach can be just as powerful as one that puts you at center stage. How personal should the Personal Essay be? Here s a way to decide: if you were having dinner with someone whom you ve just met, is this a story you would tell them? How would you tell the story if your goal is to continue the conversation? In our always-connected world, a lot of raw, overly candid writing circulates in cyberspace without much pause for reflection. It's important to be honest and genuine in your essays, to reveal what matters to you, and even to show times when you have made mistakes. But do not over-share, and do not discuss anything that you want to remain private. Whenever possible shape your essays to show the reader how you have grown and changed as well as what you have learned and done as a result of these experiences Story2. All rights reserved. 20