Common App
Undergraduate personal essays for the Common Application. 6 rubrics available, each scoring your essay across multiple dimensions with specific feedback.
Common App 2025: Background, Identity, Interest, or Talent
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 App 2025: Engaging Topic or Concept
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?
Common App 2025: Gratitude and Motivation
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?
Common App 2025: Lessons from Obstacles
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?
Common App 2025: Personal Growth and Understanding
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Common App 2025: Questioning or Challenging a Belief
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?