Our students often tell us that the hardest part of applying to college is the college essay, so we’ve put together plenty of college application essay resources to get you through the process.
College Application Essay FAQ
Let’s start with some quick questions and answers.
- What are the 2019 college essay prompts?
Most students will apply to one or more colleges that use the Common Application. The 2019 Common Application essay prompts can be found here. A lot of colleges that use the Common App also have supplementary essay tasks, so you may have additional prompts to respond to. - How important is the college essay?
In national surveys, college admissions officers consistently rank the essay as the fourth most important factor in their admission decisions, after grades, class difficulty, and test scores. - Why do colleges care about the essay?
The essay is the only chance you have to inject your voice into your application. Admissions officers strive to admit people rather than just statistics; the essay gives dimension to your application by allowing you to share meaningful personal details that go far beyond your grades, test scores, or the number of activities you participated in.
College Application Essay Resources
- 2019-2020 Common App Essay Prompts
Officially-released 2019-2020 Common App Essay prompts and data about the most commonly used topics from the year before - Getting into the College Essay Mindset
Before you start your essays, get into the right headspace - Read These Top College Essay Examples
Get inspiration for your college application essay with these great essay examples - Brainstorming College Essay Ideas
One of the hardest parts of writing an awesome personal essay for college is coming up with a good idea to write about - Top 5 College Application Essay Clichés
The whole point of the college application essay is to be unique—avoid these clichés! - How to Write a College Essay that Stands Out
Step-by-step guide to writing a college application essay - 10 Tips for a Great College Application Essay
Take your essay from blah to awesome - On the Bright Side: My Bad College Essay
How to salvage a bad college essay - Hopefully you didn’t wait until the last minute—but just in case…
Contact your local C2 center today and learn how to write a college essay that stands out. 
