What are the current college essay prompts for Texas schools, and how do they differ between the main universities?

Texas has a unique system for college applications called ApplyTexas, which is used by many public universities in the state, including UT Austin and Texas A&M. The ApplyTexas platform provides its own set of essay prompts that most schools use, but some universities like UT Austin and Texas A&M also have their own required supplemental prompts in addition to (or in place of) the ApplyTexas main essay.

For the 2024-2025 cycle, here's a quick rundown:

**ApplyTexas Essays:**
The primary prompt (Essay A) is the most commonly required and generally asks about your story, experiences, or background and how they shaped you. For example, the recent prompt was: “Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?” Essay B and C prompts are less frequently required now, but some schools may still ask for them (they focus on career goals and diversity, respectively).

**UT Austin:**
UT Austin requires Essay A from ApplyTexas (plus some short answer questions that are unique to UT). For the short answers, topics have included why your major interests you, how leadership or character has shaped you, and how diversity might impact your education. For instance, the short answer 'Why this major?' prompt is something like: “Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your motivation led you to choose your intended major.”

**Texas A&M:**
Texas A&M also asks for ApplyTexas Essay A. However, they often have their own supplemental questions. For the last several years, they've had additional short-answer prompts about your leadership experiences, character, and the reasons you want to attend Texas A&M.

**Stability of Prompts:**
These prompts don’t change dramatically from year to year, but they’re sometimes tweaked. Major overhauls are rare, so it’s generally safe for juniors to start brainstorming based on last year’s prompts. However, always double-check in early August when the new application opens to make sure nothing significant has changed before writing your final drafts.

**Flexibility:**
You do get some flexibility with the main ApplyTexas essays, since the prompt is broad. The supplemental essays, especially at UT Austin, tend to be more focused and require direct, specific answers. Applicants often reuse ideas from other essays but have to adjust their approach for each school.

**Resources:**
There is an official ApplyTexas website with updated prompts (applytexas.org). Each university’s admissions website will also clearly list the requirements and prompts for each application cycle, usually under their 'How to Apply' or 'Freshman Admission' sections. Texas Admissions (for UT Austin) and Texas A&M Undergraduate Admissions both post the short answers and requirements annually.

When I applied, I started by brainstorming stories from my life for the broad ApplyTexas prompt, then tailored those stories to each school's supplemental questions. If you’re applying to more than one Texas school, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of the core essay, but plan time to personalize the supplements.

Starting over the summer is a great idea! Just be ready to make tweaks if the prompts shift. Keep track of updates in August or sign up for email alerts from the universities you’re interested in. That way, you can make sure your essays fit exactly what each school wants.