When thinking about how to write the Common Application essay prompt 1, consider this: what makes you special? More importantly, what sets you apart from the rest?

Many colleges ask the same question, just reworded. Why? It allows them to sort through the application pool with a fine-tooth comb! Here’s what the prompt looks like.

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.

Common Application 2019-20

So, there’s the “background”, “identity”, “interest”, and “talent”. Whichever one you choose will not matter. The Common Application does not discriminate your choice of topic. What does matter is the last few words: “…share your story”. That means that whatever you write is going to have a significant event in your life.

But what else does writing the Common Application essay prompt 1 mean? Well, there is quite a lot. Here are just a few key pointers to consider when answering the prompt.

Prompt 1 Key Points

1. Universities want a diverse class, so be the applicant who makes their school special.
2.  You don’t need a complex story.
3. Like #2, it’s not about what you write, but how you write.
4. Remember to answer the question! Share the story and talk about why it’s meaningful.
5. Grammar is especially important for the Common Application essay prompt 1 because admissions officers will assume you are writing something meaningful.
6. Stories reveal things about your character, so make sure you give the right impression. (courageous and persevering = good ; lazy and spoiled = bad)

This is going to be one of the most personal of the 7 essay prompts.

It is for that reason that we recommend you write your essay on the Common Application essay prompt 1. A personal essay that reveals all your colors will help you resonate with admissions officers very well. The cost of not writing for this prompt? More competition. Colleges don’t discriminate based on which topic you choose, but they will on the basis of essay quality –and an essay about meaningful identity and background will have a major advantage.

So, if we have got you convinced, here’s the top 6 tips to keep in mind when writing for prompt 1.

How To Write The Common Application Essay Prompt 1

1. Move from focused to broad.

Imagine you are looking into a microscope. You can see all the details of the microscopic insect until you zoom out. When you begin to zoom out, that’s when you see the whole ecosystem.

This is what you need to do in your essay.

This prompt is asking you to both share your story and describe why its meaningful to you. The essay should also paint a good picture of really who you are and what makes you more than just a GPA.

To do this, start with specifics: what exactly is the story you want to tell about your background, identity, interest, or talent? Then, talk about why that is meaningful to you.

2. Separate imagery from simple description.

This is an important one, but especially for the first prompt in the Common App.

Just like how you can’t have everything be simple descriptions, you can’t have too much imagery. It’s a bit like adding too much flavoring to food.

You want to make your essay balanced in both simple descriptions and flowery imagery.

Too much simple description? Your essay becomes a bore and the admissions officers assume you don’t appreciate your application enough.

What happens if you have too much description? Well, there are typically two scenarios: One, you’ll sound like you’re over exaggerating and stretching the truth; two, the important parts of your essay will be indistinguishable from the rest.

You know your essay is balanced when another person reads it and they feel like they’re being funneled to the climax of the story without losing interest the entire time.

If you don’t know if your essay has balance, ask yourself the following:

1. How many lines does my imagery have compared to my description?
2. Do any parts seem to drag on for too long?
3. Can I follow read without getting lost? Can anyone skim it and still understand it?
4. Are there any inappropriately big words used in the wrong time?
5. Does the imagery have impact? Does it shock readers?  

3. Avoid sounding “awkward / cringy” by having professionals read your essay.

The Common Application essay prompt 1 is a good example of a prompt that can easily be turned awkward or cringy.

We see this mistake a lot. It’s not that people write about illegal things they did like underage smoking or drunk driving. It’s more about their writing voice sounding awkward.

Imagine this: most applicants are high schoolers who must unload a meaningful life story to a group of professionals in academia.

So what’s the problem? Well, it’s the narrating voice.

People often have a certain tone of voice when writing, and this tone changes over time with age. It’s not a case of maturity or proper grammar. It’s just voice.

Here’s another example. Imagine showing your grandparents a funny meme you saw on the internet. They might get it, but the tone and deliverance often times makes it… strange.

Yeah… very strange.

Fortunately, admissions officers know this already and oftentimes give a bit of leniency for awkward phrasing and elaboration. After all, most applicants are still in grade school.

The best way to avoid awkward phrasing, as difficult as it is to notice, is through following two rules:

1. Speak as honestly and truthfully as you can, just like you would talking to an elder best friend. They would have certain authority due to age, but you also won’t be tense.
2. Do not force your imagery out. Awkwardness often comes from trying to force imagery into words. Usually, good imagery just comes to you when you meditate on a topic instead of thinking too hard.

4. Think in a medium other than words.

This is an exercise that tends to work in the world of creative writing.

Imagine all of the primary parts of your story and admissions essay. Try to write down as many of the main points in an organized list as you can. Next, think of ways to describe each of those points, whether they’re events or objects. The only difference is, don’t think in words. Only think of descriptions in pictures.

So, here’s an example. Let’s say you have a background of being discriminated against as a black female in a white-majority school, a typical description would be,

“I struggled through feeling left out and feeling unwelcome, but I’ve learned to overcome those obstacles through self care and making friends who genuinely cared.”

The proper approach to description is not just through words you feel, but in other mediums like images in your mind. Another way to think about this is not just through adjectives like “depressed” “rising” and “heavy”. Think about the story you want to say in other things like images.

In other words, pretend you’re answering a prompt like this:

“If your story were a song, what would it be?”

“If you had to make an oil painting depicting your story, what would it look like?”

This forces you to think of your story in multiple dimensions. You’ll have a more creative perspective of your college admissions essay and it’ll translate into your writing.

5. Is there a moral / takeaway?

This prompt is asking you about something meaningful. A background, identity, interest, or talent that is meaningful typically has a moral that comes with it. You don’t have to directly say this, though.

For instance, if your story reveals how you had do develop your own sense of individualism after living the “smart and good Chinese boy” stereotype, you don’t directly write that.

You make implications of it.

The idea of individualism should reveal itself in your essay rather than you explicitly saying  it to your readers. This gives a stronger effect. It also saves you extra words.

6. How does your story convince admissions officers that you’ll be a great fit?

Fit. The keyword here is fit.

Are you a good match for the school? Does your prospective school need more diverse people with unique experiences that can make their class look better than the other schools?

Hint: they do.

This also tends to be one of the most difficult concepts to implement. It requires doing research and taking extra considerations to your essay. In other words, try to answer this question.

“How does the meaningful story I’m about to share show that I would make a great addition to this school in particular?”

Coming up with topics that fit this criteria can be hard. If done incorrectly, it could even make you look like you are stretching yourself or trying too hard. This is why we advise you have someone go over your essay for the Common Application essay prompt 1. You don’t have to have a lot of people reviewing your essay. In fact, typically two professional opinions per college essay tends to work best.

If you’ve thought of having experts revise and correct your essay, you may want to consider PenningPapers’s free online consultation. We’ll help you get accepted into your dream school by implementing the same practices that helped other students get accepted into their top choices.