More than 1,000 colleges and universities accept the Common Application, including at least one in every state and some outside the U.S. So, you’ll probably have at least one school on your list that asks you to fill out the Common App. This year, the Common App has introduced a “Challenges and Circumstances” section, reduced the character count for the “Additional Information” section, and added community colleges to the list of member schools. Read on to find out more about the changes.
Common App Essay Prompts Remain Unchanged
Colleges ask students to write a personal statement of around 650 words. This is your chance to tell the colleges what you want them to know about you. It can be hard to know where to begin. Before you start writing, take some time for self-reflection and brainstorm your ideas. The Common App prompts, after receiving positive feedback from students, counselors, teachers, and colleges, are the same from last year. These are:
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
You can use this year’s Common App prompts for inspiration, but this shouldn’t feel like a school paper where you need to address the prompt. Make sure you’re showing colleges who you really are, not responding in a way you think colleges want to hear.
“Challenges and Circumstances” Question
The previous “community disruption” and COVID question will be replaced by a new prompt that has expanded to capture a broader range of impacts students may experience. In 250 words or less, you have to answer the following prompt, if it applies to you.
Sometimes a student’s application and achievements may be impacted by challenges or other circumstances. This could involve:
- Access to a safe and quiet study space
- Access to reliable technology and internet
- Community disruption (violence, protests, teacher strikes, etc.)
- Discrimination
- Family disruptions (divorce, incarceration, job loss, health, loss of a family member, addiction, etc.)
- Family or other obligations (care-taking, financial support, etc.)
- Housing instability, displacement, or homelessness
- Military deployment or activation
- Natural disasters
- Physical health and mental well-being
- War, conflict, or other hardships
If you’re comfortable sharing, this information can help colleges better understand the context of your application. Colleges may use this information to provide you and your fellow students with support and resources.
Additional information section shortened
The “Additional information” question word/character limit will be reduced. The first-year app limit will be reduced from 650 to 300 words max. If you started your application before August 1, your answer will carry over, but you will see an error message alert saying you have exceeded the new limit. You will not lose anything you have written prior to August 1, but you will need to go back and adjust your response according to the maximum.
New look
The Common App has also introduced a new look to its interface, “to expand access to more students from low- and middle-income communities is to simplify the application process, including a new visual design of the application itself. Alongside new colors and visual features, the changes include making small changes to menu items.
During recent student interviews, the Common App team found that the term “Common App” did not “immediately resonate with students as they were scrolling and searching through menu items to complete a task.” Based on this user testing and feedback, they have changed the name of the “Common App” menu item to “My Common Application” for easier navigation. “My Common Application” will also move before “My Colleges” in the main menu in an effort to help students understand where to start their application.
New Member Colleges
Continuing its mission to make college education and the application process accessible to more people, this year’s new members include community colleges such as Lincoln Land Community College, Oakton College, and Triton College.
You can learn more about the rest of the Common App in our blogs about getting started, essay prompts, honors section, activities section, and additional information section and our complete guide to the Common App.
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