Where can I find the college essay prompts for this application cycle?

Great questions! Finding the right prompts early will really help you stay organized with your essays. For the Common App, the main essay prompts (the personal statement) are available directly on the Common Application website. These usually don’t change much year to year—recently, they’ve kept them the same or made only minor adjustments, so you can use last year’s as a reference until the official ones are posted for the new cycle (usually by early August).

Once you create your Common App account, you’ll also be able to see each school’s individual supplemental essay prompts in the "Writing" section under each college once their applications go live for the cycle (usually August 1st).

For colleges that use other portals like the Coalition Application or their own institutional applications (such as MIT, University of California schools, or Georgetown), your best source is their admissions websites. They often post their essay prompts for the upcoming year by the summer. For example, UC posts their Personal Insight Questions, and MIT lists its supplemental prompts. An example: the University of California’s prompts haven’t changed much in years, so you can use past prompts to start brainstorming, but always double-check by summer in case there are updates.

There isn’t one single place that lists every prompt for all colleges, but some educational blogs and guidance counselors compile unofficial lists—these are helpful, but always verify with the source (like the Common App portal or the college's own site) before you write.

Big tip: Make a spreadsheet or checklist with all the colleges you’re applying to and add columns for their essay requirements. It’ll help you avoid missing any important prompts, especially as some supplements ask for shorter or unusual responses (like abstracts, lists, or quick essays). Good luck getting started—begin brainstorming now, and update your list as more prompts are released this summer!