What are some good format examples for a college admission essay?

You’re smart to think about formatting ahead of time—it’s one less thing to stress about later. While content and personal voice are the priorities, neat formatting definitely helps admissions readers focus on your story without distraction. Here’s how to keep your essay looking clean and professional:

Most colleges require essays to be pasted into a text box in the application portal (like the Common App), which removes much of your formatting anyway. But if you’re asked to upload a PDF or Word doc, follow these guidelines:

- Font: Stick to straightforward fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Size 12 is standard.
- Line spacing: Double-spaced is the norm. If that looks too spread out, 1.5 spacing is fine if allowed, but never single space, as it makes the essay harder to read.
- Margins: Keep one-inch margins all around for a balanced look.
- Indentation: You can either indent the first line of each paragraph (usually by half an inch) or skip a line between paragraphs, but don’t do both. If pasting into a text box, skipping a line is often the easiest way to show breaks between thoughts.
- Title/Header: Usually, essays do not need a title unless the prompt asks. Similarly, you don’t need your name or ID at the top unless specifically requested—most applications automatically attach your info.

Here’s a quick example layout for an essay submitted as a file:

Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced
One-inch margins
No extra spaces before/after paragraphs
Indent first line of each paragraph (or use a blank line between paragraphs)

Example:

I'm eight years old, and my hands tremble as I type my first line of code. The blinking cursor is both invitation and warning—a new world I'm eager to enter, but scared to disrupt. My family gathers around: my older brother, bemused; my father, quietly hopeful. "Run it," I whisper, and when the program returns a simple "Hello, world!" I've never felt prouder.

For a text box (such as in the Common App), it’s safest to:

- Paste the essay, with blank lines between paragraphs
- Avoid special formatting (bold, italics, underline)

The takeaway: admissions officers aren’t docking points for Times New Roman vs. Arial—but an essay with neat lines, clear paragraph breaks, and no odd fonts shows care. It’s all about readability.

Lastly, don’t stress about headers or flashy presentation. Clean and simple always wins. Once you get going on the content, let formatting be a quick check at the end instead of a source of worry!