The Common Application, or "Common App," is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to more than 900 participating colleges and universities in the United States and several other countries. One of these participating schools is Stanford University, a prestigious institution located in Stanford, California.
Stanford is a top-ranked university known for its outstanding academic programs, diverse student body, and beautiful campus. It is a highly selective school, with an acceptance rate of only 4.8% in 2020. This means that applying to Stanford can be a competitive process, and it is important for applicants to put their best foot forward in their Common App.
One key component of the Common App is the personal essay, also known as the Common App essay. This essay is an opportunity for applicants to share their personal story and showcase their unique qualities and characteristics. The Common App essay prompts for the 2020-2021 application season are as follows:
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?
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
As you can see, the Common App essay prompts are designed to encourage applicants to think deeply about their experiences and reflect on how they have grown and developed as individuals. They are also meant to showcase the unique characteristics and qualities that make an applicant stand out as a potential student at Stanford.
In order to write a strong Common App essay for Stanford, it is important to follow some basic guidelines. First and foremost, it is important to carefully read and understand the essay prompt. Make sure you fully understand what the prompt is asking and what the admissions committee is looking for in your response. Then, brainstorm ideas for your essay and think about which experiences and stories from your life best illustrate the qualities and characteristics the prompt is asking for.
Once you have a clear idea of what you want to write about, it is important to start organizing your thoughts and writing a rough draft. Be sure to structure your essay in a clear and logical way, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction, you should introduce your main idea and explain why it is important to you. In the body, you should provide more detail and examples to support your main idea. Finally, in the conclusion, you should summarize your main points and reflect on what you have learned from your experience.
As you write your essay, it is also important to pay attention to your style and tone. Your essay should be engaging and interesting to read, but also thoughtful and reflective. Avoid using cliches or overused phrases, and try to be as authentic and genuine as possible.
Finally, proofreading and editing are crucial to the success of your Common App essay. Be sure to carefully review your essay for spelling and grammar errors, and ask someone else to read it over as well. It can also be