What should I know about formatting the header for my college essay?
Is there a standard way to write the header for a college essay, or does it depend on each school's requirements? I'm starting to draft my Common App essay and I'm not sure if I should put my name, the essay prompt, my high school, or anything else at the top of the page.
I know some teachers in my English classes always made us use MLA format, but I wasn't sure if admissions officers care about that. I want to make sure I'm not doing anything that would look unprofessional or weird, but also don't want to overthink something basic.
For anyone who's already submitted applications, what did you do for your essay headers, if anything?
I know some teachers in my English classes always made us use MLA format, but I wasn't sure if admissions officers care about that. I want to make sure I'm not doing anything that would look unprofessional or weird, but also don't want to overthink something basic.
For anyone who's already submitted applications, what did you do for your essay headers, if anything?
1 week ago
•
6 views
Roger Lopez
• 1 week ago
Advisor
When it comes to formatting the header for your college essay—especially the Common App personal statement—there is actually no need to include a formal header with your name, high school, prompt, or any other identifying details at the top.
Most colleges use online systems like the Common Application or Coalition Application. These systems automatically associate your essay with your application profile, so adding your name or other information in the document isn’t necessary. In fact, the admissions reader typically sees your essay embedded within their platform linked to your application, not as a separate document where a header would be useful.
The most important things are:
- Don’t include your name, date, high school, or any kind of extra formatting like headers or footers unless a college specifically asks for it (which is pretty rare for the main Common App essay).
- You also don’t need to include the prompt—admissions officers already know which prompt you chose. Just start your essay with your first sentence.
The only formatting you really need to worry about is:
- Use a readable font (like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri), size 12.
- Use clear paragraph breaks—use a blank line between paragraphs for easy reading.
- Keep the text left-aligned, not justified.
If you’re submitting an essay as a file upload to a specific school (like for a scholarship or honors program), check that program’s instructions. Occasionally, a school will ask for a header, but this is less common and will be very specifically stated in the instructions.
To sum up: skip the formal header and focus on your story! Over-formatting stands out more than submitting your essay without a header, so simplicity is best unless instructions say otherwise.
Most colleges use online systems like the Common Application or Coalition Application. These systems automatically associate your essay with your application profile, so adding your name or other information in the document isn’t necessary. In fact, the admissions reader typically sees your essay embedded within their platform linked to your application, not as a separate document where a header would be useful.
The most important things are:
- Don’t include your name, date, high school, or any kind of extra formatting like headers or footers unless a college specifically asks for it (which is pretty rare for the main Common App essay).
- You also don’t need to include the prompt—admissions officers already know which prompt you chose. Just start your essay with your first sentence.
The only formatting you really need to worry about is:
- Use a readable font (like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri), size 12.
- Use clear paragraph breaks—use a blank line between paragraphs for easy reading.
- Keep the text left-aligned, not justified.
If you’re submitting an essay as a file upload to a specific school (like for a scholarship or honors program), check that program’s instructions. Occasionally, a school will ask for a header, but this is less common and will be very specifically stated in the instructions.
To sum up: skip the formal header and focus on your story! Over-formatting stands out more than submitting your essay without a header, so simplicity is best unless instructions say otherwise.
Roger Lopez
Chicago, Illinois
Yale University BA, Political Science | Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, MBA Candidate |
Experience
4 years