What’s the Question-Part One
Hundreds of colleges accept the Common Application (www.commonapp.org) and the essays on this widely-accepted form offer you a choice of one of the following topics:

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe anexperience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Topic of your choice.

The Common Application also requires a 150 word paragraph answer in which you are asked to elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience. There may be additional bits and pieces of writing required as supplements by individual schools (be sure to check the College Specific Supplements link on the Common Application’s website). Non-Common Application schools may have different essay requirements but for the most part, the questions are quite open-ended, the answers aren’t meant to be burdensome, and the purpose is to learn more about you and your motivations as an applicant. And they want to know if you can think…and write.

So before you dive into any of this writing, get organized. Make a list of all the questions you have to answer (hang it on your bedroom door with the relevant deadlines and you will make your life and the lives of your parents a lot happier.)

We’ll walk you through the rest of the process—from list to finished--a day at a time for the next couple of weeks. But don’t start writing yet. Your first job will be to “look in” rather than “look out.”