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We made it! We broke down the first six prompts and we�re concluding this series by diving into our favorite prompt #7. Let get right to it:

Hooray, a good prompt is lurking below! Prompt #6 is a little different than the rest and we�re here for it. Below you�ll find our tips and tricks:

In continuation of our common app essay series, we�re diving into the fifth prompt. Most prompts fall firmly into one of two camps: absolutely not or maybe. This prompt started as a hard maybe for us, and then ended in the �Thank U, Next� camp after we did some internal brainstorming. Keep reading for our thoughts:

This year, a new prompt replaced an old (and highly unpopular) prompt. Let take a look:

Let start with some hard facts! This may be disheartening to hear, but college admissions officers spend just a few minutes reading your application. We know, we know. You work on it for weeks, months even. It feels unfair, but it true. Let say they spend five minutes reading your application in its entirety. What this really means is that you have five minutes, and just a few opportunities, to add depth to your application and to show them that you�re a dynamic high school student who has a lot to offer to any given college.

Yesterday we published this blog post detailing 10 bad opening lines for college essays. After much thought, we�ve decided to go through the examples individually and explain exactly why they don work. Keep reading for our breakdown:

The best college essays tell stories. Small, zoomed-in stories about you and your personality. Some of the best essays we�ve read are about what happened on a random Tuesday, how much you love making dinner for your family, or that time you tried to build a computer. This blog post isn about what to write your common app essay about, but if you�re looking for help with that-- check here, and here.

If you�re familiar with our blog, you know that we�ve written tons of guides about writing your college essay. You should also know that the best college essays of all time are about the person who wrote them. They�re about you, and they shed light on an aspect of your personality that can be discerned from the rest of your application. Everyone has grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. We even like to pretend that you�re applying alongside of a very large group of students who have the same exact academic profiles as you do. So, what left? Everyone also has different personality traits, and colleges are looking to admit students with all different kinds of soft skills, traits, and quirks. The best college essays explain those traits in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

If you�ve come to us for a singular topic, you�re out of luck! But stick with us, as we do have tips and tricks. Unfortunately, no one topic is the best topic. We�ve told you what to avoid, the do and don, and how to approach our favorite common app essay prompt. This blog post is about how to hone in on a topic that only you can broach.

Blog readers and clients come to us daily and ask: �how can I make my college essay stand out?� Seeing as this is a primary focus of our job, we do have thoughts and feelings! Interestingly enough, they stand in direct opposition to the things you�ve heard about, and read about, on the internet.

The time has come to ask a terrifying question: �is my common app essay good enough?� This question, of course, is impossible to answer. But in our experience, almost every piece of writing can be improved. We�ve put together a few tips on how to edit your common app essay, and most of these tips can also be used for your supplements:

If you came to this blog post of hopes us telling you that the best college essays are about sports, extracurricular activities, or the global pandemic, bear with us as we go in another direction. The best college essays are about you. Yes, you. This might seem like an oversimplification, but it true. You are the only person who can write an essay that is uniquely about yourself, so we�re going back to basics by diving into a brainstorming process that been successful with some of our TKG clients.

If you�re familiar with our blog, you know that we love common app essays that are relatable. We like to bring the reader into our lives, which is why we avoid alienating topics and singular experiences that don speak to universal truths. And while your essay should ground the reader, that doesn mean that you don need to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.