The Common App gives you seven prompts to choose from—and picking the right one can feel overwhelming. Here's the truth: there's no "best" prompt. There's only the best prompt for your specific story.
In this guide, we'll break down each prompt with strategies from students who got into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. You'll learn what each prompt is really asking, common traps to avoid, and exactly how to approach it.
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Prompts to choose from
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Before You Choose a Prompt
Don't start by picking a prompt. Start by identifying your core story—the experience, quality, or aspect of yourself that you want admissions officers to remember.
Pro tip: Many successful essays could work for 2-3 different prompts. The prompt is just a framework. Your story is what matters.
Background, Identity, Interest, or Talent
"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."
What They're Really Asking
This is the most popular prompt (chosen by ~24% of applicants). It's essentially asking: "What's central to who you are?"
Notice it says "so meaningful" that your application would be incomplete without it. This is a high bar. Don't write about your interest in biology just because you're a bio major.
What Works
- ✓ Depth over breadth: One specific aspect explored deeply
- ✓ Showing evolution: How your relationship has changed
- ✓ Concrete scenes: Specific moments that illustrate your connection
- ✓ Vulnerability: The complexity and challenges
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Writing your entire life story (too broad)
- ✗ Just stating facts about your background
- ✗ Making it a resume
- ✗ Choosing something that doesn't actually define you
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: Being a third-culture kid (Indian parents, grew up in Saudi Arabia, now in US)
→ The essay focuses on one tradition (making dosa) that combines all three cultures. Each dosa becomes a metaphor for cultural synthesis.
Overcoming Challenges, Setbacks, or Failure
"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?"
What They're Really Asking
Can you handle adversity? Do you learn from mistakes? Are you self-aware enough to admit failure?
Key insight: This prompt is NOT about the challenge itself. It's about your response. A "small" failure with deep reflection beats a "big" challenge with surface-level learning.
What Works
- ✓ Genuine failure: Something you actually failed at (not "I got a B+")
- ✓ Specific lessons: Concrete takeaways, not platitudes
- ✓ Changed behavior: Show how you applied what you learned
- ✓ Intellectual or personal growth: Focus on internal change
Common Mistakes
- ✗ The "sports injury" cliché (unless unique angle)
- ✗ Spending 80% on the challenge, 20% on the learning
- ✗ Generic lessons ("I learned to never give up!")
- ✗ Making excuses instead of owning the failure
Challenging a Belief or Idea
"Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?"
What They're Really Asking
Are you an independent thinker? Can you question authority respectfully? Do you engage with ideas intellectually?
Critical nuance: The best essays focus on questioning your own beliefs, not others'. Challenging someone else's idea can come across as arrogant.
What Works
- ✓ Personal stake: You have a connection to the belief
- ✓ Intellectual curiosity: Show your thought process
- ✓ Nuanced conclusion: Not "I was right, they were wrong"
- ✓ Humility: Acknowledge complexity
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Writing a political rant (huge risk)
- ✗ Coming across as self-righteous
- ✗ Challenging something obvious
- ✗ No personal connection—just abstract debate
Gratitude and Appreciation
"Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?"
What They're Really Asking
Are you self-aware enough to recognize others' impact on you? Do you have empathy and emotional intelligence?
The tricky part: This essay needs to be about YOU, not the other person. Many students write tributes—but the essay still needs to reveal your character.
⚠️ Caution: Least Popular Prompt
Only ~3% choose this prompt—it's the hardest to execute well. Don't choose it unless you have a genuinely surprising story of gratitude.
Personal Growth or New Understanding
"Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others."
What They're Really Asking
How do you grow? What catalyzes change for you? Are you self-reflective?
Key word: "sparked." They want the moment that initiated growth, not the entire journey. Showing the beginning of transformation is enough.
💡 Pro Tip: Most Flexible Prompt
This is the most versatile prompt. Almost any story can be framed as "something that led to personal growth." If unsure which prompt fits, this is often your answer.
Topic of Fascination
"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 They're Really Asking
What makes you intellectually curious? How do you pursue learning independently?
Don't confuse with Prompt 1. Prompt 1 is about identity. Prompt 6 is about intellectual passion. Your topic doesn't have to "define" you—it just has to fascinate you.
Your Own Topic
"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."
What They're Really Asking
This is your wild card. If your story doesn't fit the other six prompts, use this one.
Honest truth: About 7% choose this prompt. It's not better or worse—just more open-ended. Many successful Prompt 7 essays could have also worked for Prompts 1, 5, or 6.
When to Use Prompt 7
- • Your story genuinely doesn't fit any other prompt
- • You want to use a creative/experimental format
- • You've already written a strong essay for another application
How to Choose Your Prompt
Step 1: Identify Your Core Story
Before looking at prompts, brainstorm: What experience, quality, or aspect of yourself do you want admissions officers to understand?
Step 2: See Which Prompts Fit
- • Background/identity? → Prompt 1
- • Overcome something? → Prompt 2
- • Question something? → Prompt 3
- • Unexpected gratitude? → Prompt 4
- • Realization/growth? → Prompt 5
- • Intellectual passion? → Prompt 6
- • None of the above? → Prompt 7
Step 3: Pick the Most Natural Fit
Choose the prompt that lets you tell your story most naturally. If you're contorting your story to fit, try a different one.
Remember: The prompt doesn't matter as much as you think. Admissions officers aren't checking if you "answered" perfectly. They're asking: "Do I understand who this student is?"
Universal Dos and Don'ts
DO
- ✓ Use specific scenes and details
- ✓ Show your personality and voice
- ✓ Reveal something new about you
- ✓ Focus on thoughts and growth
- ✓ Be vulnerable and authentic
- ✓ Use all 650 words
DON'T
- ✗ Repeat your resume
- ✗ Use clichés or generic language
- ✗ Sound like someone you're not
- ✗ Make it about someone else
- ✗ Leave it vague or abstract
- ✗ Forget to proofread
Final Word of Advice
The students who write the best essays don't stress about choosing the "right" prompt. They focus on telling a story that's authentically theirs.
The prompt is just the container. Your story is the content.