Summer College Essay Requirement
In addition to the required summer reading for all Sixth-Formers, seniors are required to return to campus in September with a completed draft of their Common Application college essay. Many students have already begun working on this in their English classes this past spring. The pace and expectations at the beginning of the sixth-form year can make it challenging for Sixth Formers to find the time to write their most thoughtful and effective college essay.
This essay should not be an initial draft, but rather a polished draft that reflects significant effort and considerable revision. The relative quiet of summer provides time to consider and determine the essay topic and to begin the essential process of drafting and revision. While each Sixth Former will work with their college counselor (and other trusted readers) to revise and finalize the essay before including it with his or her applications, the essay submitted in September should be close to a final draft.
With most colleges and universities accepting the Common Application, Sixth Formers can usually submit one essay with all their college applications. Most colleges, however, will also require additional school-specific short essays or responses (supplements), making it even more important for students to devote time over the summer to completing their primary essay. The college essay is a central component of each student's application, and it remains the one place in an application for a student to truly highlight his or her unique and distinctive personal qualities.
We encourage Sixth Formers to follow up with their college counselors with any questions or for advice at any step in this process. Good luck!
2026-2027 COMMON APPLICATION PERSONAL ESSAY PROMPTS
Please write an essay on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed on the Common App website, click here. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself. The final version of your college essay should be between one to two pages (250-650 words) in length and is typically formatted in 12-point font with 1" margins.
2026-2027 Common Application Essay Prompts
- 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.
- 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?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- 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?
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- 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?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
KEYS TO AN EFFECTIVE COLLEGE ESSAY
Less is more. Write with a clear, concise, and easy-to-follow style. Use specific and vivid examples. Always remember that the best writers spend most of their time editing the words they can do without.
Be true to yourself. A personal essay is a window into your unique qualities. Be authentic. Write with your true self in mind, not an idealized version of whom you'd like to be.
Don't make a big deal out of nothing. Choose a significant experience and talk persuasively but appropriately about its impact on you.
Tell a story. The most successful college essays are simply stories well told. Write with a voice that's conversational and welcoming.
Set the hook. Your first sentence and first paragraph need to sing. Remember that your essay is sitting in a stack of a hundred others. Make the admission officer "sit up" at the start of reading yours.
The brutally honest question: Could anyone else have written this essay? If the answer is yes, start over.