Stuck on the Common App? 15 Prompts to ‘Unstick’ You

In my introduction to what you should write about in your Personal Statement, I note that college admissions officers are reading your Common App Essay to find out: what you're passionate about; where you've showed initiative; how you've transformed in important ways; in short, what makes you YOU!

But as for actually CONVEYING all that….well, easier said than done, right? There are MANY mental obstacles that come up when it’s time to actually draft the thing. After all, a blank computer screen and a blinking cursor can even feel scary to lifelong writers, let alone high schoolers!

First I’m going to ask you to take a slow, deep breath with me. As someone who’s helped hundreds of students of all stripes write superlative essays, I can assure you that you, too, have PLENTY of things to talk about. We just have to find those gold nuggets in the hills of your experience and personality!

So, open up a blank Word/Google .doc or grab a piece of paper. You’re going to jot down your answers to questions below. Once you’ve answered these 15 prompts, common threads should start to emerge, and you’ll be on your way to a Personal Statement that stands out from the stack while staying true to you!

Article Contents

1. Video version of this article

2. What to ask yourself if you have Personal Statement writer’s block

A. How you spend your time

B. Your unique interests

C. Special achievements

D. Key life moments

E. Your unique personality

Video version of this article:

What to ask yourself if you have Personal Statement writer’s block

A. Finding Your Personal Statement subject: How do you spend your spare time?

The answers to these four Qs make up the basic foundation of your life—the water you’d swim in, if you were a fish. For that reason, you might not even realize that not everyone shares these interests. It’s easy to think that all teenagers spend their weekends closely observing nesting owls with binos, or making candles for their friends. But believe me, most people don't surf birding forums or visit apothecary shops just for kicks. This is a YOU thing that makes you—and your application—interesting.

1. In class: What are your academic and intellectual interests?

2. Outside of class: What are your favorite hobbies and activities? What do you enjoy about them?

3. Over the summer: Have you done any programs, classes, interesting trips, or taught yourself anything?

4. To relax: What do you do when you need to take a breather from life’s stresses?

B. Common App essay tip: Consider your special interests

5. Do you have any unusual talents or skills? If so, how did you develop them? How did you get into them in the first place?

6. Are there any global topics or social issues you feel passionate about? Why? What are you doing about it?

Again, you may assume that since you’ve been spending years rehabbing injured squirrels in your neighborhood, everyone else must be thinking about/working on the same thing. They aren't. Or if you're obsessed with watching football and teaching yourself every last detail about player stats, you may think that's just typical teenager stuff. It isn't. It’s special that you taught yourself how to splint a tiny leg from an anatomy book, and you should consider writing about it.

C. Personal Statement inspiration: your achievements.

7. What accomplishment are you most proud of? What did you have to do to accomplish it?

8. What was the most challenging ordeal or event you've gone through? How did you get through it?

9. When or how have you shown leadership?

You don’t have to have won a state championship in a given activity for an accomplishment to say something about you. More than how "big" an achievement appears by external metrics, it's the work you put in that's impressive to the admissions counselors. Not everything you want to do in life (and college) will come easily to you. In fact, even if you were truly born with a "natural" genius for something, you'll still only get better at that thing through hard work. What shows your character is how you put your nose to the grindstone and embrace the challenge—especially when success was not guaranteed and you had to take a risk.

D. Common App essay ideas: pivotal moments.

10. What was the best experience you've ever had? Why was this the "best"?

11. What was the worst experience you've ever had? Why was this the "worst"?

12. How have you changed over the past few years? Was there any event or person who caused/facilitated this transformation?

There aren't always major life events or "Aha!" moments that alter the course of your life and personality. However, if there are, the key is to look for the positive in the situation: how did you make lemons out of lemonade? How did you mature, even though a situation may have been really tough? Or if something wonderful happened, how has this made you a more appreciative and grateful person, someone determined to spread the good fortune you’ve received?

E. College essay brainstorming: your personality.

13. How are you unique or different from other people you know?

14. Is there anything about you that doesn't fit the stereotype, or that's unexpected?

15. Do you have any principles or beliefs that guide your actions? What are they?

The person reading your application wants to know what kind of person you are and where you'd fit in on their campus. They want to know what makes you tick—and bonus points for being self-aware enough to already have some ideas about this in high school! Are you the philosophical type who actively thinks about the values you hold, and how to act on them? That means you think for yourself, which will serve you well into college and beyond. Do you surprise people by being different from what they'd expect, like the varsity swimmer who also closely follows the clarinetist Martin Frost and listens to his concert recordings every night after school? Surprising traits and combinations like this will make you stand out—and help you get into your dream school!

***

I hope this brainstorming sesh has helped illuminate some common themes from your life. If one topic has come up several times, chances are, that's what you should write about to let the admissions officers know exactly who you are and why you're special!

More than that, I also want this exercise to assure you that you have several unique qualities that you probably take for granted, but that others would find awesome.

Though I'm able to give out this advice for free, sometimes you need extra one-on-one help to get the guidance and confidence you need.  To learn about working together one-on-one to bring out the real YOU in your Common App and supplemental essays, contact me here. Or, if you’re more of a self-study type, check out my full guide to writing a killer Personal Statement here.

6 Easy Steps to Get Into College

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Whether you’re about to begin your Junior year of high school or you’re only a Sophomore or Freshman and have considerably more time, I want to give you a quick landscape of the major steps to get into college that you need to take.

My intention here is that if you know what the crucial milestones are, you can methodically work to knock them off your list one at a time and not be a total anxiety-ridden stress case!  I’ve gone ahead and listed them in chronological order, though some steps may be ongoing and thus overlap with other steps.

Moreover, I’ve tried my best to provide an ideal timeline of when you should be doing each step and about how long it takes.  Keep in mind that “ideal timelines” may of course vary depending on where you are right now and your personal strengths and weaknesses. With my private clients, I can tailor this process to the perfectly bespoke little black dress of college admissions prep timelines—go here for an Ace the Test: Game Plan. However, if I do not know you personally, realize that you may have to adjust the dates just a modicum to apply perfectly to you.

Step #1: SAT I or ACT

Unless you are specifically researching colleges that don’t require standardized tests, you are going to have to take either the SAT I Reasoning Test or the ACT. (To find out which one, either go here or click on the cute teal pop-up in the bottom right of your screen.)

SKILLS NEEDED:

You are going to need to brush up on your math, grammar, reading comprehension, vocab and essay-writing abilities for both tests.

For the ACT, you should also brush up on interpreting charts and graphs and basic scientific method facts for the Science section. (NOTE: If you’re currently a Sophomore, you’ll need this skill too, regardless of which test you take, since you’ll be choosing between the ACT and the Revised SAT.)

IDEAL TIMELINE:

August before Junior year, if not before: Start reviewing content weekly.

January/February of Junior year: Focus on taking mock and practice tests (between 4-6) and going over them.

March/April of Junior year: Take first SAT/ACT for real.

May: SAT attempt #2

June: ACT attempt #2

Fall of Senior year: Attempt #3 if needed.

Step #2: SAT II Subject Tests (Depends on School)

Depending on the schools on your college short list, you may be off the hook for SAT II Subject Tests. Or, if you are applying to Harvard, you may need 3 of them!  Each college has its specifications, so make sure you do your research and write them down.  (Need help? An Ace the Test: Game Plan will do it for you!)

IDEAL TIMELINE:

May/June of Sophomore year: If you are taking any classes that would aptly prepare you for a Subject Test, go ahead and take it.  Give yourself about 2 months’ study time, and pick the test date that is as close to your final exam for the class as possible.

June of Junior year: Take another 1-2 Subject Tests in subjects that correlate to classes you are taking.

Fall of Senior year: If you still need to take more subject tests or improve a score, take them after you have secured the SAT I or ACT score you desire.

Step #3: College Visits

You want to make sure you get a feel for the type of academic environments ideal to your growth and development before you craft your entire testing timeline around them!

IDEAL TIMELINE:

June/July between Sophomore and Junior years: Try to do some of your college visits at this time to set your testing targets and complete all your requirements in a mellow, stress-free manner.

June/July between Junior and Senior years: Do the rest of your college visits at this time.

Step #4: College Application Process: The Activity List

This is where you break-down all of your passions, interests, community involvements, leadership positions, extra-curricular activities, jobs, volunteerism, sports, and talents so that the people in the admissions office know a) what you have to bring to the table at their institution and b) how exactly you’ve spent your time the past four years.  This is where you have the ability to explain some odd-ball hobbies and interests that make you YOU (competitive Pokemon, anyone?).  This is also where you get to demonstrate the actual number of hours you have devoted to your passions and the depth to which you have ventured to explore them.

IDEAL TIMELINE:

July/August between Junior and Senior years: Start keeping a running tab of your activities, denoting the description, length of time you were involved, hours per week, leadership positions and notable accomplishments.

November 1st: This is the beginning of early decision application deadlines.

January 1st: Most regular decision deadlines are due around this time.

Step #5: College Application Process: Common App Essay

Formerly called the Personal Statement, you’ll use this essay for the Common App but can tweak it for applications that are NOT on the Common App, too. This is the main college entrance essay you will write that will give the readers in your dream school’s admissions office a glimpse into you, your hopes and dreams, your mind, your life, your accomplishments, your character, and your essence. All in under 650 impeccably-written words! Have fun!

IDEAL TIMELINE:

July/August between Junior and Senior years: Start brainstorming and ideally have your first draft done before school starts.

November 1st: This is the beginning of early decision application deadlines.

January 1st: Most regular decision deadlines are due around this time.

Step #6: College Application Process: Supplemental Essays (Depends on School)

As delineated by the admission requirements of your particular dream schools, you very well may have additional “essays” to write and include in your application.  I say “essays” with quotation marks, because some are incredibly brief, like describing yourself in 5 words.  Stanford University has a supplemental essay like that.  In fact, Stanford has 10 supplemental essays! (Don’t worry, they’re not all mammoth.)

IDEAL TIMELINE:

August 1st: The Common App opens.  You will be able to look up your list of colleges and compile all the supplemental essays you have to write.  Please plan ahead before you start typing away – can one essay for one school be marginally tweaked and reused for another supplemental essay?  Let’s be a little pragmatic, shall we?

November 1st: This is the beginning of early decision application deadlines.

January 1st: Most regular decision deadlines are due around this time.

So, yes, this DOES seem like a lot, and you may be wondering how I dared to claim these were “6 Easy-Peasy Steps”… But seriously, if you take a long-range look at these, there are a few tests, a few trips, and a few essays that just need to happen at a few designated times.  If you start doing what you can during Sophomore year and the beginning of Junior year, you will be sitting very pretty by the time those acceptance letters start rolling in.

I hope this was able to ease some of your high school stress and help you plan. Remember that though I’m able to offer this one-size-fits-most information for free, you can get more tailor-made advice by working with me. And if you found this helpful, please do me a huge favor and pass it on to 3 of your friends!

Xo,

Kristina

Q&A: When should I take my first real SAT?

Q: Hey, Kristina,

I am currently ending my Sophomore year in high school.  I have a lot of friends who are Juniors and Seniors, and I’ve seen them get totally freaked out about the whole college and SAT thing.  It seems like a LOT to take on.  Some friends tell me to get the tests over with as soon as possible, since there are so many other things to do, like Subject tests and application essays and keeping up grades.  Should I spend this summer cramming and take the SAT this October or November? When should I take my first real SAT?

– Already Overwhelmed Rising Junior

A: Dear Overwhelmed,

First of all, thank you for writing in to ask this.  I get this question all the time from insanely bright and precocious students, so the fact that you are contemplating taking the SAT during the Fall of your Junior year only bodes well.  :)

It’s clear you’re already thinking ahead to a “3 Year Plan”, which means you have more “executive function” than most gals your age – heck! – maybe even more than Emily Thorne from Revenge!  (In case you’re curious, “executive function” is introspective psychobabble for having insight to see the big picture of what needs to get done in a complex situation, and then breaking said complex situation down into smaller actions and mentally organizing them so they actually get DONE. The complex situation in question could be getting into college, planning a stellar birthday bash, or taking down the Grayson’s.)

I’m glad you have friends who have gone down the college route before you, so you know it’s no joke!  That said, you should be incredibly strategic about when you take your first real test, whether it be the SAT or the ACT.  (If you don't know which test to take, click here to get your free Pre-Tutoring Guide.) It’s not just a Saturday (or a Sunday if you observe the Sabbath) out of your social calendar that’s at stake – it’s the weeks and months of prep time culminating to that Saturday morning. You want to make sure you are harnessing your time, energy and mental focus so that your performance peaks when you have the best chances of nabbing that fantastic score.  You want the stars to align! And you don’t want to do anything to psych yourself out.

That said, I highly discourage you from taking the test for the first time during the Fall of your Junior year.  Do you have any idea why…?  It has to do with statistics…

You see, the SAT and ACT are graded on a bell curve, meaning that there is a “standard distribution” of the scores.  That’s stat’s speak meaning that you basically ARE competing with the slew of students who take the test the same day as you.  The College Board or ACT Board take a peek at how EVERYONE did that day, and use their findings to determine how many raw score points you need to get a 700 or a 32.  And since this is a standardized thing, colleges don’t care if you were competing with geniuses or doofuses that day – they just care about your 2200.  Make sense?

Thus, if you take the test in October, against whom do you think you’re competing??  That’s right! EVERY FREAKIN’ SENIOR WHO’S EVER WALKED THE EARTH. They are all taking the test their 2nd or 3rd time, vying for a higher score to seal the deal on their dream schools.

Do you really want to compete on the bell curve against thousands of students who not only have an extra year of schooling under their belts, but also have had multiple practices taking the test?  I thought so…

November would probably be just as bad, since Seniors can still take this test for early decision schools.

December is full of regular decision Seniors.

January is somewhat of a crap-shoot – the desks could be filled with slacker Seniors who are treating this as their last “hail Mary” before having to turn in their college apps regular or rolling decision, or it could be filled with idiot savant Juniors who would get a 2400 or a 36 without a tutor and thus, not be effected by a testing curve anyway. (They’d just ruin the curve for you!)

Your best bet?  TAKE THE TEST IN MARCH at the very earliest.  This gives you the majority of the year to study little by little, not feel rushed, and also, to compete with people your own age and level of expertise – fellow Juniors.  In addition, you know you have May, June and the Fall of Senior year as backup SAT test dates, and April, June, and the Fall for backup ACT test dates, so there’s no pressure…

Wait - you didn’t expect to take the test only once, did you? ;)

So, even though this information didn't cost you a cent, it's not free.  If you found this at all helpful, do me a HUGE favor and share this with 3 of your friends who can benefit! :)