Common App Essentials: Writing Essays
Part 6 of a multi-part series: answering frequent questions about completing the Common App.
Writing and Essays
The essay you create for the ‘Writing’ section of the Common App is also referred to as your personal essay or personal statement.
More websites, TikToks, and books seem to exist for this topic - writing effective college app personal essays - than perhaps any other part of the admissions process. So rather than add to the mountain of info, let me help you sort through the noise by providing the best resources I’ve discovered on three common topics:
No essays required. List of schools where students can apply without needing to write the personal essay.
Keeping it real. Examples of actual student essays that admissions officers liked.
Emergency mode. Resources that help you write really great essays when you have limited time.
No Essays Required - For Students Who Don’t Want To Write Essays
If you want to apply to college without writing a personal essay, there's good news—several well-regarded colleges and universities don't require it.
Ten great national universities that don’t require the Common App personal essay:
University of Alabama
Clemson University
Arizona State University
University of South Florida
University of Hawaii
University of Utah
Oklahoma State University
University of Montana
University of Kansas
University of Mississippi
A broader list is available here.
Want to find even more? There’s a filter on the College Search tab in the Common App that you can use to view all colleges that don’t require the Common App personal essay.
Pro tip: combine the ‘Do not require the Common App personal essay’ with other options in the filter (e.g. filter by state, filter by standardised test policy) to quickly find a list of schools that are simpler to apply to.
A word of caution though: do double-check application requirements on the college’s admissions website.
Example: The University of Washington (in my home state) does NOT require the Common App personal statement. But, they DO require applicants to submit an essay through a different application platform (not the Common App). Net, applying students still have to write and submit an essay, it just isn’t the Common App personal essay. So, it’s best to double-check.
Keeping It Real - Better Examples of Real College Essays
Many colleges and universities use a "holistic admissions" process, meaning they consider every part of a student's application when making their decision.
This approach makes it hard to know if a sample essay you find online was truly outstanding or if it was just average (or even poor!). It could be that other parts of the student's application led to their acceptance.
The solution? Go straight to the source and listen to what admissions officers say were examples of great essays.
Johns Hopkins University - https://apply.jhu.edu/college-planning-guide/essays-that-worked/
Connecticut College - https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/
Hamilton College - https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/apply/college-essays-that-worked
Emory University - https://blog.emoryadmission.com/2020/08/explore-your-side-of-an-issue/
Tufts University - https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/inside-admissions/post/essays-that-worked/
Emergency Mode - Essay Writing in a Hurry
Sometimes, your essay needs to be written ASAP. Here are some great resources that will help you get it done in hours, not weeks -
From the Reddit /ApplyingToCollegeFAQ - https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/ee94l2/admissionsmoms_last_minute_guide_to_super_quick/
A step-by-step guide, including suggested timelines - https://nursingshark.com/how-to-write-a-college-essay-fast/
If you’re having trouble getting your ideas down on paper -