What are the most common college essay prompts to expect?

Most colleges stick to a handful of classic essay prompts, especially for the main personal statement. The Common App prompts set the tone for what you’ll see across hundreds of schools—they do update them occasionally, but the main ideas stay consistent. There are also some recurring themes in supplemental essays, though specific questions often vary from school to school.

Here are the most common types of prompts you’ll see:

1. "Tell a story about your background, identity, or an experience that shaped you." This is the classic ‘personal growth’ or ‘overcoming challenge’ prompt. For example, the Common App has one that asks about "a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful your application would be incomplete without it."

2. "Reflect on a time you failed or faced a setback—what did you learn?" These ask about growth, resilience, or learning from mistakes. Whether through the Common App or something like the Coalition App, this angle pops up everywhere.

3. "Why do you want to attend this school?" This is one of the most repeated supplement questions. It’s important to mention specific programs, professors, or opportunities unique to that college. For example, Chicago might ask, "How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future?"

4. "Describe an extracurricular activity, meaningful community, or how you contribute to those around you." This could be worded as "community" or "impact," but the core is the same: How do you engage with others? What do you care about outside of the classroom?

5. "Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose track of time." Intellectual curiosity prompts pop up, especially at selective schools. MIT, for example, asks about what you do for the "pleasure of it."

For the quirky prompts, a few schools consistently stand out—UChicago is famous for its wild questions like "What’s so odd about odd numbers?" or "Where’s Waldo, really?" Brandeis and Dartmouth sometimes throw curveballs, too, but most schools keep it more straightforward. The majority of your essays will be standard, though having a strategy ready for a surprise is smart.

If you’re brainstorming, start with a story or quality that feels true to you, then see where you can fit that into these major themes. For supplemental essays, keep a spreadsheet of each school's required prompts—they often cluster around the types above, so you can adapt and reuse ideas.

To sum up: Most essays stay fairly classic, but a few schools will throw in something unexpected. Focus first on strong stories and how you want to present yourself; then tailor for each prompt.