What format should I use for my college essay?

You don’t need to stress over super formal formatting for your Common App personal statement. The platform has a built-in text box where you paste or type your essay, and it will automatically format with single spacing, a standard font, and normal margins. You don’t need to double-space, use indentations, or add headers like your name or essay title—just focus on the content itself.

Here’s how you should approach it:
- Type your essay in a simple document editor first (like Google Docs or Word) to catch spelling and grammar errors. Avoid fancy fonts, colors, or special formatting.
- When you’re happy with your essay, paste the plain text into the Common App essay box. The app strips out most formatting, so any unusual font changes, bold, italics, or tabs will disappear anyways.
- You don’t need to put your name anywhere in the essay, and you don’t need a title unless you choose to include one. Titles are completely optional and won’t impact your application one way or another.

A quick example: If you wrote your essay in Google Docs using Times New Roman, double-spaced, with your name and a date at the top like you would for a school assignment, remove all that before transferring it. Paste only the body of your essay as plain text into the application. The final appearance for everyone will be the same—single-spaced, block paragraph format without indents.

Sticking to these guidelines will ensure your essay looks professional and is presented in the way colleges expect. Focus your energy on making your story stand out, knowing the format is already taken care of!