How To Get Accepted With the Common App - Essay 7

Option #7: 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.

This essay topic is a gift. It is basically asking, “what do we need to know about you that we don’t already know based on the rest of your application?” Bingo! This is exactly why we spent so much time developing your Unique Value Proposition and carefully filling in the Building The Application Puzzle. Now that we have determined what’s missing, we know exactly what our topic is. To be honest, I’m not sure this question is necessary as the previous six questions cover just about anything you might want to address; but, if you feel your topic is more specific, go ahead and use this prompt.

When answering any question, there really is no “formula” because this is an open-ended question. However, you should use the same general approach here as you have been instructed to follow in the other essay questions. Remember that this essay should reveal something about YOU. What is meaningful to you and why? What has made you the person you are and contributed to your growth and maturation? What type of student, roommate or community member will you be at your future college and how will your classmates learn from you or benefit from having you in their lives? Focus less on description and more on insight.

To learn where most students go wrong in Essay Option 7, read examples from successful applicants and to get step-by-step instructions on how to leverage the essay as part of a compelling strategy that will help you earn admissions to your top choice colleges, get The Complete Candidate: A Comprehensive System for Solving the College Admissions Puzzle, available on Amazon.

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How To Get Accepted With the Common App – Essay 7

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