What are the 2025 college essay prompts and how should I approach them?

You're asking some really smart questions as you start your application process—the 2025 college essay prompts are top of mind for a lot of rising seniors now! Let me break down where things stand and offer tips on how to approach them.

Most years, the Common App keeps its main personal statement prompts almost exactly the same—they've only updated them slightly over the last decade. For 2024-25, the expected Common App prompts remain the classic set of seven, with options like describing a meaningful background, discussing a challenge, or reflecting on an idea that fascinates you. If you want to get ahead, you can start brainstorming with the 2024-25 prompts (search for the official Common App prompt list) since changes, if any, are usually minor tweaks.

For specific schools: UChicago is famous for its quirky, creative supplemental essays, and they typically release their new prompts in June. MIT and other selective schools tend to keep their supplemental questions similar year to year, but also update wording or add a fresh question occasionally. Most colleges update their prompts between May and July, so keep an eye on their admissions websites or sign up for their newsletters for the latest info.

In terms of the general trends: very few schools throw out their entire set of prompts each year. The big themes (identity, challenges, intellectual curiosity, community, future goals) are here to stay, but you might see small changes in phrasing or an occasional new angle.

Brainstorming tips:
- Start with stories, not essays. Make a list of little moments from your life that felt important, emotional, or surprising.
- If you see a prompt asking about a "problem you've solved," don't just write about a school project—think of a time you navigated a tricky family situation or improved a club's culture.
- For creative prompts (like UChicago), let yourself get silly at first! One past example: "What's so odd about odd numbers?" might inspire an essay connecting your fascination with patterns and how you embrace being different from your peers.
- Try the 'why does it matter' test: If you write about something, always ask yourself why it mattered to you personally. Readers want to see your reflection and growth, not just the event itself.

Finally, don't feel you have to wait for the exact 2025 wording to get started. Draft stories and reflections now, and adapt them to the final prompts later. This will give you a big head start and make the process much less overwhelming!

Good luck—you’re already ahead of the game by thinking this far in advance!