What are some good prompts for college essays and how do I choose the right one?

Feeling overwhelmed by all the essay prompts is totally normal! There’s a lot to choose from, both on the Common App and in school-specific applications. The best prompts depend a lot on what you want to share about yourself and which stories highlight your strengths, growth, and perspective.

Many students start with a general topic in mind (like your summer internship or moving to a new state), and then look for a prompt that matches. Others read all the prompts first, jot down quick ideas for each, and see which one sparks the most excitement. Both approaches work—you might try brainstorming for each prompt for a few minutes, and see where you have the most detail or emotion.

For the Common App, popular prompts include: reflecting on a time you overcame a challenge; a story that illustrates your background or identity; describing an accomplishment or realization that sparked growth; or the open-ended prompt where you can write about anything. Colleges don’t prefer one prompt over another—it’s really about how you use the prompt to reveal something interesting or essential about yourself.

When choosing, focus on prompts that make it easy to show personal growth, resilience, or unique perspective. For example, if your internship changed your views or goals, the prompt about an accomplishment or realization could fit. If moving to a new state shifted your worldview or pushed you out of your comfort zone, the prompt about a challenging situation or a background/identity topic might work best.

A specific example: one student was unsure whether to write about leading a community cleanup (accomplishment prompt) or being the new kid at school (background prompt). After writing rough outlines for both, they found their story about adapting to a new community had more emotion and depth, so they chose that. Sometimes writing a short draft or outline for a couple topics can help clarify what works.

Ultimately, pick the prompt that lets you tell a story only you can tell. If you’re excited to share that story and it reveals something meaningful about you, it will come through in your writing. Good luck—you’ve got this!