How do I pick the best college essay prompt for my Common App essay?

Great question—it’s really common to feel torn between showcasing originality with your prompt choice versus letting your best story guide you. The biggest thing to keep in mind with the Common App essay is: the prompt is just a vehicle to share your most compelling story. All the prompts—even the famous open-ended "topic of your choice"—are carefully designed to let you express who you are, what matters to you, and how you think.

Colleges care much more about the substance, voice, and insight of your essay than the specific prompt you choose. If you have a story that feels authentic, is deeply personal, and you can reflect on how it’s shaped you, that’s your best bet—regardless of how 'original' the prompt seems. Don't try to force your narrative into a prompt that doesn’t quite fit just because it sounds unique. Admissions officers can usually tell when someone is stretching to match a theme rather than writing from the heart!

For example, let’s say your moving story and your robotics challenge are both important to you. Take a moment to draft a paragraph about each one. Which comes more naturally? Where do you have more to say about your thoughts, feelings, and growth? For instance, maybe the robotics experience wasn’t just about technical obstacles—you could focus on a moment when your approach to leadership was challenged, or when you had to mediate team conflict. The moving topic, too, can go beyond the fact of transferring schools—maybe dive into a specific moment when you had to assert yourself in a new environment, or how you helped another new student adjust.

From experience, when students pick the story that fits them best, the essay winds up being more vivid, memorable, and effective—even if the prompt is popular. Remember, thousands of students write about moving or extracurriculars, but your specific perspective and details are what will set your essay apart. I haven’t come across anyone who regretted choosing the “right” prompt for their story, but I do hear from students who picked a prompt just for the sake of seeming unique and then struggled to make their essay feel genuine or compelling.

Bottom line: outline your favorite stories, see which prompts they fit, and pick based on where your voice shines. If you’d like, the "topic of your choice" option gives you complete freedom—so you can always use that if your story doesn’t align perfectly with another prompt. The best essays come from stories you genuinely want to tell, not the prompt that seems rarest on paper.