Inspired Essays

Okay school is over and it's officially summer! Seniors, this is the perfect time to start work on your college application essays.

Your mind is unclogged with school requirements and you've had a chance to sleep in. Spend the next couple of weeks checking in with yourself. Think of a story or stories that highlight what makes you uniquely you. Jot any ideas you come up with on your phone, computer, or (heaven forbid) an actual piece of paper.

If you can get the common app/coalition app essay done by the middle or end of July, you will be ahead of the game and ready to take on the onslaught of supplemental essays that will be coming your way in August. Reach out for help if you need it.

Enjoyed tutoring at the East Hampton Public Library on Saturday. It was great to help students nail down a topic and improve their existing essays all in the space of a hour! Thank you Lisa Michne and Julie Raynor Gross for organizing this event and inviting me!

Okay, the July 4th celebrations are over and it's time to get off the couch and start working on that college-application essay. Here are the Common App essay topics (or "prompts" as they call it), for this year.

2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts

1. 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.

2. 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?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. 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.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

6. 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?

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.