The personal essay is an essential component of your application. How compelling it is — or isn't — can make or break your acceptance.

Applicants will choose one of the three prompts below to respond to. We recommend keeping your response under 800 words. You don’t need to reach the word limit; what matters most is that you express ...

With the imminent deadline for college applications, students are scrambling to complete the dreaded personal essay. As an instructor of college-level writing, the years I’ve spent teaching students ...

Matt Whittle has experience writing and editing accessible education-related content in health, technology, nursing and business subjects. His work has been featured on Sleep.org, Psychology.org and ...

Rachel Quaye-Asamoah is heading into her senior year at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York. She is eyeing several top-ranked colleges, and intends to major in economics. She is already ...

As the college admissions process becomes increasingly competitive, the college essay stands out as a crucial opportunity for ...

Before You Begin Your Essay... Like the Honor Scholar Program itself, these essays address a variety of topics and represent different kinds of opportunities for thought. The topics may touch on ...

Sarah Lawrence College released a new essay prompt for applicants on Tuesday, just ahead of the launch of this year’s Common App. It directly quotes language used in the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling ...

In 2023, the University of Michigan Law School made headlines for its policy banning applicants from using generative AI to write their admissions essays. Now, two admissions cycles later, the law ...