What’s the correct format for college admissions essays?

Great question—you're definitely not alone in worrying about formatting your college application essay! The good news is that for the Common App essay, the formatting is very straightforward and there's some flexibility since admissions offices focus mainly on content rather than strict formatting.

Here’s how it breaks down:

1. **Spacing & Font**: You don’t directly choose font or spacing in the Common App essay text box. You’ll paste in your essay, and it will appear as a single-spaced block with a standard font handled by the platform (usually Arial or Times New Roman). No need to double-space or adjust font sizes.

2. **Headers & Titles**: You don’t need a title or any headers. In fact, most students skip a title to save space (you only have 650 words!), though you’re allowed to add one if you feel it adds to your story. Ultimately, a title is completely optional.

3. **Indentation & Paragraphs**: Indentation usually disappears when you paste your essay into the application portal. To clearly separate your paragraphs, use a blank line between each one. This signals a new paragraph just like you’d see in an online article.

4. **Margins**: The system will format the margins for you, so you don’t need to worry about that at all.

For example, if you’re writing in Google Docs, write your essay as you normally would, putting a blank line between paragraphs but not worrying about indenting. Once you’re ready, simply copy and paste the text into the Common App essay box—a preview pane will show you what admissions officers will see, so you can check the final formatting there.

I’ve submitted mine and followed these steps—no formatting issues. If you’re uploading essays for other colleges that accept uploads (some supplements or alternate apps), check individual guidelines. Occasionally, they ask for double-spaced documents in Word or PDF, but that’s rare for the main personal statement.

Bottom line: focus on your story and writing. As long as you break paragraphs with blank lines, skip a formal title or fancy formatting, and stay within the word count, you’ll be set! If you want to be absolutely sure, you could always print or save a version from the application preview to see exactly how it looks.

Good luck—you’re doing great to get the details right!