How to Respond to General Application Writing Requests for 2022-23 - Crimson Education US (2023)

It's never too early to start thinking about your college application essay! If you are interested in applying to any of the 900+ schools (including 54 international universities) that use the Common Application, Common Application 2022-2023 essay prompts are now available. In this blog, we provide background on a personal explanation of the common app, explain why it's important, offer some expert advice on choosing the right message for you, and delve into the writing of each.

Was it a common application essay?

The Common Application Essay (or Personal Statement) is a 650-word essay that is part of the Common Application.You should complete this essay if you areapply to collegethrough joint application.

Before starting your personal statement, you should consider the following:

• Your personal statement is the best place to share quality and unique aspects of yourself with the admissions committee so they can get to know you beyond your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities.
• It's impossible to capture your entire personality in one essay, so pick just one or two traits that set you apart from your peers.
• You don't necessarily need an amazing experience or story. Pick something meaningful to you and write about why it means so much to you!

How personal should I be in my joint application essay?

Your application dress rehearsal should be personal and focus on one element of your life that is not reflected in the rest of your application. If you just write a different version of your resume, you're missing a great opportunity to tell the admissions committee more about yourself.

This essay gives schools a sense of who you are as a student, leader, and friend. Prompts let you show who you are beyond your grades and test scores. Even if you choose to write about an academic topic, your goal is to help the reader better understand your values, thoughts, and experiences outside of the classroom. You tell a story, and original writing is the way to make your post memorable and compelling.

Why is the Common App personal statement so important?

The personal essay brings your app to life!

• Admissions officers want to know what interests you and what kind of person you will be on campus. Rehearsals are the best way to get to know yourself.
• Essays can make up to 30% of your admissions decision, a major part that you have control over! Crimson Mentors spends a lot of time helping him refine his essays until he deems them "perfect."

What should I write about in my joint application essay?

The biggest challenge with the Common Application essay is figuring out how to talk about yourself in less than 650 words. Just write a joint application essay and submit it to all your applications. Use the months until the application deadline to write a flawless, well-thought-out essay on a single topic.

The shared app gives you a variety of prompts to choose from, and you can write on the topic that best represents you. The prompts are helpful starting points.

Common requests to write applications for 2022/23

See all indications of popular applications for 2022/23General applications website.

Tip 1: Some students have such a significant background, identity, interest, or talent that they feel their application would not be complete without them. If this sounds like you, please share your story.

How do you react to request 1 to write the general application in person?

This notice should encourage an in-depth discussion about your cultural roots and upbringing.

• Where is your family from and where did you grow up?
• Have you been immersed in a culture that was meaningful to you and played an important role in your life?
• What were you known for and what was your role in the neighborhood?
• Have you been inspired by a person, art or philosophy that shaped you as a person?

While these suggestions may evoke broad responses, ultimately you want to zero in on an approach that's especially relevant to you.

Start with self reflection

If you have questioned your identity, or if it has changed in recent years, it is helpful to figure out how to describe why those changes occurred and how they affect your goals for the future. Suppose you had a life-changing experience or an awakening that changed your perspective and identity. What was your trigger, what ideas and emotions did it generate, and were those ideas conflicting or insightful? Again, it depends on how important this change has been to you.

Make a list to describe yourself

If you feel stuck, make a list of different phrases or values ​​you would use to describe yourself, and see which ones could form the basis of an essay about your identity. For example, "compassion," "humility," or "partnership" could be the focus of your request.

Share a personal story

Choose a cultural aspect or a story from your upbringing that makes your identity word shine. For example, when you talk about "working together," tell a story about how your family came together as a team and accomplished something.

In summary

This essay message gives you an opportunity to talk about your interests and talents.This message is a great choice when it can directly relate to your interests and who you are as a person.. However, he will also get a chance to talk about some of his interests and talents during his extracurricular activities, so it might even be a good idea not to repeat the discussion about activities. parts of your application.

Finally, I hope that you and others with similar experiences can write about the same general ideas. To set yourself apart, you need to talk about why your education was unique and why you are different from your peers.

Proposition 2: The lessons we learn from the obstacles we encounter can be critical to subsequent success. Talk about a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you and what did you learn from the experience?

How do you respond to the personal writing request common application 2?

In this essay, consider the challenges you have faced in your life. Don't write about when you were almost late for school but got the last seat on the bus and didn't miss the test. This story does not tell the admissions team who you are, what you value, and what kind of student you will be in college.

Consider the following:

• Perhaps you have experienced a major culture shock, such as moving your family to a new city or country?
• Was it a challenge to mix with the others? Do you have trouble making friends?
• Or perhaps you have experienced a great tragedy, perhaps involving a family member or friend?
• Was it a medical emergency or a mental health problem?

Your challenges can and should be unique unto themselves.

Don't be afraid of failure

Don't be afraid to admit that you reacted or responded badly when the challenge was initially presented to you. Admitting your mistakes and learning from them shows immense maturity and growth. Anyone can claim to be resilient and able to overcome anything; Few have the maturity to show their resilience by talking about their mistakes or admitting that they are still struggling with an obstacle.

Show what you have learned

Explain how you dealt with the obstacle. What prompted your transformation into someone capable of meeting this challenge? It's not about proving you've mastered a challenge. Explain what you learned from him and what lessons you will learn for the future. If you face another challenge like this in the future, will you react differently, approach it with a different mindset, or be less afraid to ask for help?

In summary

You don't have to choose a theme that is uniquely yours. It could be something that affects your parents, friends, teachers, the community, the country or beyond. Talk about how you got through the problem together, how you supported each other, and how it strengthened everyone.

Tip 3: Think of a time when you questioned or questioned a belief or idea. What made you think? Which it was the result?

How do you respond to Common Request for Personal Writing 3?

This essay examines a time when you challenged authority to stand up for what you thought was right. Perhaps you were fighting something ingrained in you from a young age? Or have you addressed a challenging injustice you saw in society?

The notice invites you to a legal dispute and may do so in the context of politics, culture or religion.

For example, suppose you have decided to leave your religion and explore something new.

• Have you read a book or seen a movie that challenged your original beliefs?
• Have you talked to someone from a different religion and it made you see your old religion differently?

Admissions officers want to understand the path you took to answer the faith questions.

This prompt asks you what you would do if you were faced with uncertainty and needed to find answers for yourself. Consider the following questions:

• How did you deal with the doubt?
• Who did you contact?
• Are you still looking for answers?

It also shows admissions officers that you can be self-critical and open-minded, qualities that colleges want today.

In summary

Don't be afraid to talk about something that may be deeply personal and controversial. Admissions officers will appreciate a meaningful essay even if they disagree with the ideas explored in it.

Tip 4: Think of something someone did for you that made you happy or grateful in a surprising way. How has that gratitude influenced or motivated you?

How do you react to the common application 4 personal writing message?

The joint application added this call in the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. Considering the events of the past few years, you've probably taken the time to reflect on the value of gratitude and how small and not-so-small acts of kindness have given you the opportunity to see the world from a different perspective.

Think of a time when you were surprised by someone else's selflessness or kindness.

• Was it the action or the action combined with that element of surprise that made you happy and grateful?
• What does this gesture tell you about the importance of family, friendship, community, or the kindness of strangers?
• How has this affected your vision, actions, or goals for the future?

In summary

This question invites you to tell a story that is meaningful to you and challenges you to create a narrative that explains how the surprise led to a personal revelation or change. It is not about showing that you felt happy or grateful, it is about talking about what you have learned about others, about yourself, your community or humanity.

Admissions officers are interested in your response and how you use what you learn to contribute to the overall well-being of the campus community.

Tip 5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or accomplishment that triggered a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

How do you react to the common app 5 personal typing prompt?

This notice asks you to consider your conclusions from an experience of your choosing, to go beyond the surface and consider the insights and personal growth that have arisen from that experience.

Think about a time when you had to work hard for something or how you grew after a certain event.

As if your family moved abroad. It could be a realization, like realizing that flying planes aren't as scary as they seem. This flexible ad gives you the freedom to talk about anything. Although some of your accomplishments may overlap with your extracurricular activities, please refrain from discussing activities explored in other parts of your application.

History is important to this indicator. But what you have learned from the story and how you apply what you have learned is more important. Give yourself time to reflect on why certain moments were so amazing, and explain any accomplishments you've had. Don't claim to have all the answers or to have solved a fundamental global problem. These are not realistic approaches to life: life is lived in gray areas, not black and white.

In summary

Your story should be nuanced, and your ending shouldn't be a perfect arc. Instead, make it clear that you still have more to learn and explore. Admissions officers want you to plan to use college as a personal growth experience. Keep your tone humble, even when talking about accomplishments.

Tip 6: Describe a theme, idea, or concept that you find so captivating that you lose track of time. Why does it fascinate you? Who or what do you contact if you want to know more?

How are you responding to Common App 6's personal writing message?

What inspires you, excites you or makes you vibrate? Choose something that you are really passionate about so that you can put your soul into this answer.

• It may be an area of ​​ideology.
• an academic subject
• Fascination with a particular person, institution or religion.
• An artist, author, director, book, movie, TV show, or other creative topic that you find interesting.

Don't use this as an opportunity to appear smart, choose an academic subject that doesn't interest you, or flaunt your genius in a field of study.The Common Application essay is about finding out who you are, not what academic topics interest you the most..

Be passionate about your subject

If you decide to write about an academic topic, make sure you have a genuine knowledge of and passion for the subject. If you have studied quantum physics for three years, please give us an idea of ​​what you have been doing at different times in your life - at home, at school, in your dreams - to deepen your understanding of the subject. Discuss how your work on this topic has furthered other goals and led to personal growth. Use your passion as a vehicle for other discussions, not a focal point.

In summary

Again, the trick is to personalize your discussion. If your essay can be about anyone with the same interest in a topic, it won't appeal to admissions officers. Write as much as possible about your unique experiences in detailed scenes and how they affected you and your specific future goals.

Tip 7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It could be one you've already written, one that responds to another ad, or one you've designed yourself.

How do you respond to the Common Application 7 Personal Writing Request?

This is your chance to write about what interests you! Although the notice does not say so,The admissions officers still want you to focus on some specific moments in your life or ideas related to your topic., so your essay is not very broad and meaningless. Focus on your personal growth and how your conclusions affect you now and in the future.

Trust your personal voice

While students from all walks of life have successfully explored this message, what they all have in common is that they used their unique personal voices.

If you have a unique story that doesn't fit the other six prompts, this might be for you. This essay is not about how much you know. It's more about how much you've learned and still have to learn. Universities are institutions where young adults thrive and grow, so admissions officers value an honest and genuine candidate who is willing to take on new challenges.

final thoughts

The personal statement is the part of the app that reflects your unique voice. While grades and awards add quantitative weight to your application, your writing and other personal elements, such as B. teacher recommendations, add qualitative weight, which is crucial to admissions decisions.

NOpurpleWe support our students in all phases of the personal statement creation process, from brainstorming and narrowing down potential topics to writing, constructing, editing, and refining the essay.

Graduates from the same colleges to which you apply, our mentors know what it takes to tell your story and convey to admissions officers why you would be a great addition to the diverse student body.

And to learn more about how we can help you with your own college journey in the US, click the link below to schedule a free one-on-one meeting with one of our academic advisors.

Good luck!

Important Resources and Further Reading

• Join our free college application webinars
• Free eBooks and guides to help with the college application process
• What is the usual application?
• How to apply to universities
• College application processes made easy with Crimson Pathfinder