[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-143702-105":59,"doc-detail-143702-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","sample-college-admissions-essays-common-application-prompts-writing-advice","Sample College Admissions Essays - Common Application Prompts & Writing Advice","","A handout compiling real college admission essays from current Harvard students, created to guide UK applicants preparing for US admissions. It explains the Common Application essay goal and provides six current/recent personal-essay prompts plus submission guidance on choosing topics, drafting, getting feedback, and polishing. The text then introduces example essays, showing how applicants turn identity, failure, challenges, places, problems, and transitions into clear, personal narratives aligned with application goals.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/sample-college-admissions-essays-common-application-prompts-writing-advice/143702/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/sample-college-admissions-essays-common-application-prompts-writing-advice/143702.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Theodore","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-08-25",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",16,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the purpose of the Common Application essay in US university admissions?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"It evaluates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps readers learn about you beyond courses, grades, and test scores. The essay is limited to no more than 650 words and should use a prompt to structure your response.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What are the six Common Application essay prompt options?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"They include: sharing a meaningful background/identity/interest/talent; recounting lessons learned from failure; reflecting on challenging a belief or idea; describing a meaningful place/environment; solving a problem or outlining an important problem and steps toward solutions; and describing an accomplishment/event marking a transition to adulthood.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How does the handout recommend drafting and refining your essays?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Choose two or three topics, write a quick first draft for each, and share them with a trusted person such as a friend, mother, teacher, or someone who knows you well. 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Because the university admissions processes in the US and the UK are markedly different, we have received requests for some sample essays and tips for writing them and hope they will be helpful.  \nHere is the Common Application description of the essay and the current and recent prompts used:  \n“The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic, and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response.”  \n1) 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.  \n2) The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?  \n3) Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?  \n4) Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?  \n5) Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.  \n6) Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.  \nYour essay for a US university might be the same one you would write for the UCAS system, but perhaps not. We are interested in your academic successes and future plans, but also want to understand what makes you tick as a person. What are your hopes, dreams and fears?  \nOur advice is to choose two or three topics, write a quick first draft of each essay and then show them to your best friend, mother, teacher or anyone who knows you well. Ask that person if your voice and personality come through in the essays and which one sounds the most like you. Then take that essay and polish it off!  \nAs you will see from the following sample essays, these students have written about lessons learned from time spent in Northern Ireland, Nigeria, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a dairy barn. What will you write about?  \nPersonal Essay Prompt: Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.  \nEssay \\#1  \nMy upbringing in Northern Ireland, a small corner of the world, has affected who I am in many fundamental ways. For a start, I’ve learnt that it’s possible to catch pneumonia and get sunburntin the course of one afternoon; so I always over pack. So too have I discovered that “I’ll pop the kettle on” is a sufficient emotional response when confronted with most situations. Northern Ireland has had, as most know, a troubled history – so troubled, we simply call it ‘The Troubles’. During this time, individually and collectively as a nation, we suffered. It was assumed that no lasting solution would ever be found and most gave up trying, with stalled talks becoming a perennial disappointment. Yet a renewed, focused and determined effort was made by the British, Irish and American Governments to bring about peace, which was ","cbCaieXqoiD9B2vU","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieXqoiD9B2vU","pdf",399016,"English","# Common Application Essay Purpose\n## Essay prompt topics (1–6)\n# Writing approach and review steps\n## Choose 2–3 topics and draft\n## Get feedback and polish\n# Sample essay examples\n## Essay #1: Northern Ireland identity and lessons","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of the Common Application essay in US university admissions?\",\"answer\":\"It evaluates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps readers learn about you beyond courses, grades, and test scores. The essay is limited to no more than 650 words and should use a prompt to structure your response.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the six Common Application essay prompt options?\",\"answer\":\"They include: sharing a meaningful background/identity/interest/talent; recounting lessons learned from failure; reflecting on challenging a belief or idea; describing a meaningful place/environment; solving a problem or outlining an important problem and steps toward solutions; and describing an accomplishment/event marking a transition to adulthood.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the handout recommend drafting and refining your essays?\",\"answer\":\"Choose two or three topics, write a quick first draft for each, and share them with a trusted person such as a friend, mother, teacher, or someone who knows you well. Ask whether your voice and personality come through and then polish the best-fitting essay.\"}]","Sample College Admissions Essays - Common Application Prompts & Writing Advice | PDF",13]