How should I format my college application essay?
I'm starting to draft my Common App essay and I'm not 100% clear on what's expected in terms of formatting. Should I use a title? How important are things like paragraph indents, font choice, and spacing?
I've seen examples online that all look pretty different, so now I'm worried about accidentally submitting something that's not acceptable. Would really appreciate any advice or examples from people who have already submitted their apps!
Also, if I'm copying and pasting from Google Docs, do I need to worry about weird formatting issues?
I've seen examples online that all look pretty different, so now I'm worried about accidentally submitting something that's not acceptable. Would really appreciate any advice or examples from people who have already submitted their apps!
Also, if I'm copying and pasting from Google Docs, do I need to worry about weird formatting issues?
7 months ago
•
56 views
Lydia Schooler
• 7 months ago
Advisor
Great questions! When it comes to formatting your college application essay, admissions committees care most about your content and clarity, but there are a few formatting basics you should keep in mind for the Common App essay:
You do NOT need a title for your essay—it's totally optional. Most students just start directly with the first line, which is perfectly fine and very common. If you do include a title, make sure it doesn't take up too many of your word count and that it adds real value or context.
For paragraph breaks, use them! They help make your essay easier to read. In the Common App text box, indenting paragraphs with tabs often doesn’t show up reliably—so just hit "Enter" twice to leave a blank line between paragraphs. This creates clear separation and looks clean, even if indents get lost during copy/paste.
Font type/size aren't something you control on the Common App—your essay will automatically appear in a standard font when you paste it into the text box. Don’t worry about choosing Times New Roman or anything specific. Also, the Common App ignores bold, italics (except for common ones like book titles), and underlining, so keep formatting simple. If you need to emphasize something, stick to clear writing and sentence structure.
When copying from Google Docs or Word, formatting can sometimes get a little messy. It's smart to paste your essay in and check how it looks—scroll through the entire essay and fix any odd characters, random spacing, or missing paragraph breaks. Some students even paste into a plain text editor (like Notepad) first, then copy into the Common App, to strip out weird formatting.
To sum up: No title necessary, separate paragraphs with blank lines, no worries about font/size, and double-check your pasted version for any formatting mistakes. As long as your essay is readable, with clear paragraphs and no distracting errors, you'll be in great shape. Good luck with your drafting!
For example, a successful essay might look like this in the text box:
I still remember the first time I tried to build a robot from scratch.
It was a disaster. Parts everywhere, instructions nowhere, but somehow the chaos became the perfect classroom...
Feel free to ask if you have other formatting or submission concerns along the way!
You do NOT need a title for your essay—it's totally optional. Most students just start directly with the first line, which is perfectly fine and very common. If you do include a title, make sure it doesn't take up too many of your word count and that it adds real value or context.
For paragraph breaks, use them! They help make your essay easier to read. In the Common App text box, indenting paragraphs with tabs often doesn’t show up reliably—so just hit "Enter" twice to leave a blank line between paragraphs. This creates clear separation and looks clean, even if indents get lost during copy/paste.
Font type/size aren't something you control on the Common App—your essay will automatically appear in a standard font when you paste it into the text box. Don’t worry about choosing Times New Roman or anything specific. Also, the Common App ignores bold, italics (except for common ones like book titles), and underlining, so keep formatting simple. If you need to emphasize something, stick to clear writing and sentence structure.
When copying from Google Docs or Word, formatting can sometimes get a little messy. It's smart to paste your essay in and check how it looks—scroll through the entire essay and fix any odd characters, random spacing, or missing paragraph breaks. Some students even paste into a plain text editor (like Notepad) first, then copy into the Common App, to strip out weird formatting.
To sum up: No title necessary, separate paragraphs with blank lines, no worries about font/size, and double-check your pasted version for any formatting mistakes. As long as your essay is readable, with clear paragraphs and no distracting errors, you'll be in great shape. Good luck with your drafting!
For example, a successful essay might look like this in the text box:
I still remember the first time I tried to build a robot from scratch.
It was a disaster. Parts everywhere, instructions nowhere, but somehow the chaos became the perfect classroom...
Feel free to ask if you have other formatting or submission concerns along the way!
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