Common App Prompts 2025-2026: Complete Guide + Examples
All 7 prompts decoded by admissions experts. Learn which one to choose, what admissions officers actually want, and how to stand out.
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.
Maximum word count (use all of it)
Total prompts to choose from
Essay required (you only write one)
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. Then pick the prompt that lets you tell that story most naturally.
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. Write about something that genuinely shapes how you see the world.
What Works
- ✓ Depth over breadth: One specific aspect of your identity explored deeply
- ✓ Showing evolution: How your relationship with this identity/interest has changed
- ✓ Concrete scenes: Specific moments that illustrate your connection
- ✓ Vulnerability: The complexity and challenges of your identity
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Writing your entire life story (too broad)
- ✗ Just stating facts about your background ("I'm Korean-American and...")
- ✗ Making it a resume ("I love math, so I did math club and math competitions...")
- ✗ 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)
What makes it work: Instead of explaining all three cultures, the essay focuses on one specific tradition (making dosa) that the writer does differently than anyone else—combining Saudi spices, American ingredients, and Indian technique. Each dosa becomes a metaphor for cultural synthesis.
→ Shows don't tell: The essay shows cultural identity through a specific, sensory scene rather than explaining it abstractly.
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 from the experience?"
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 to it. 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 you have a unique angle)
- ✗ Spending 80% on the challenge, 20% on the learning (should be reversed)
- ✗ Ending with generic lessons ("I learned to never give up!")
- ✗ Making excuses instead of owning the failure
- ✗ Choosing trauma/hardship without showing recovery
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: Failing to get cast in the school musical (again)
What makes it work: Rather than talk about perseverance, the writer realized they were pursuing theater because they thought they "should," not because they loved it. The essay explores the harder question: "What if I'm not meant to do the thing I've built my identity around?"
→ The "failure" led to discovering a genuine passion (lighting design) by letting go of ego.
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 or preachy.
What Works
- ✓ Personal stake: You have a connection to the belief/idea
- ✓ Intellectual curiosity: Show your thought process
- ✓ Nuanced conclusion: Not just "I was right, they were wrong"
- ✓ Humility: Acknowledge complexity and uncertainty
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Writing a political rant (huge risk, rarely works)
- ✗ Coming across as self-righteous or condescending
- ✗ Challenging something obvious ("racism is bad")
- ✗ Making it about "proving someone wrong"
- ✗ No personal connection—just debating an abstract idea
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: Questioning the belief that "STEM is more valuable than humanities"
What makes it work: The writer starts by admitting they held this belief themselves (as a competitive math student). A philosophy class challenged their assumption. The essay explores how they reconciled their love of math with newfound appreciation for philosophical inquiry—realizing both ask the same questions from different angles.
→ Shows intellectual humility and genuine growth, not just "I changed someone's mind."
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 beautiful tributes to mentors/parents/friends—but the essay still needs to reveal your character, not theirs.
⚠️ Caution: Least Popular Prompt
Only ~3% of students choose this prompt, and for good reason—it's the hardest to execute well. Don't choose it unless you have a genuinely surprising story of gratitude. "My mom supported me" or "My teacher inspired me" won't cut it.
What Works
- ✓ Unexpected person/action: The "surprising" part is key
- ✓ Focus on impact: How it changed your perspective or behavior
- ✓ Specific moment: Not a general "they were always there for me"
- ✓ Your reflection: Why was this meaningful to you specifically?
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Writing a thank-you note to someone instead of reflecting on yourself
- ✗ Choosing someone obvious (parent, teacher) without a unique angle
- ✗ Not explaining why it was "surprising"
- ✗ Focusing more on what they did than how you grew
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: A stranger who paid for the writer's bus fare when they forgot their wallet
What makes it work: The essay isn't about the $2.50. It's about how that small act—from someone with no obligation—made the writer reconsider their assumption that people only help when there's something in it for them. Led to starting a "pay it forward" initiative in their school.
→ The "surprising" element is both the person (stranger) and the writer's realization about human nature.
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. You don't need to have "finished" growing—showing the beginning of transformation is enough.
💡 Pro Tip: Most Flexible Prompt
This is one of the most versatile prompts. Almost any story can be framed as "something that led to personal growth." If you have a great story but aren't sure which prompt fits, this is often your answer.
What Works
- ✓ Clear before/after: Who you were vs. who you're becoming
- ✓ Specific catalyst: A single event, conversation, or realization
- ✓ Ongoing growth: You don't need to be "done" growing
- ✓ Internal focus: What changed in how you think or see the world
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Describing the event without analyzing the growth
- ✗ Vague growth ("I became more mature")
- ✗ Bragging about an accomplishment without reflection
- ✗ Growth that's too predictable ("traveling abroad opened my eyes")
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: Realizing they had been pronouncing their own name "wrong" (Americanized version)
What makes it work: The "realization" came when a college interviewer asked, "What do your parents call you?" The writer explores their journey from assimilation (changing pronunciation to fit in) to reclamation (teaching people the correct pronunciation). Sparked deeper questions about identity and code-switching.
→ A small realization that opened up a much larger understanding of self.
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 or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?"
What They're Really Asking
What makes you intellectually curious? How do you pursue learning independently? What gets you excited?
Don't confuse this 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.
What Works
- ✓ Genuine enthusiasm: Your passion should be palpable
- ✓ Specific depth: Not "I love science"—narrow it down
- ✓ How you learn: Resources, mentors, experiments you do
- ✓ Unique angle: What about this topic speaks to you specifically?
Common Mistakes
- ✗ Choosing something you think will impress them, not something you genuinely love
- ✗ Being too broad ("I love learning about history")
- ✗ Just listing facts about the topic (this isn't a research paper)
- ✗ Not explaining WHY it captivates you
- ✗ Forgetting to include the "how you learn more" part
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: The mathematics of origami and its applications in engineering
What makes it work: The writer describes falling down a YouTube rabbit hole about how origami principles are used to design space telescope mirrors. Essay weaves together their childhood love of paper folding with newfound fascination with geometry. Includes specific examples of how they explore this (Robert Lang's work, trying to fold their own designs, joining online origami communities).
→ Shows both passion and intellectual curiosity through specific examples.
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% of students choose this prompt. It's not better or worse than the others—it's just more open-ended. Many successful essays using Prompt 7 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 (graphic essay, etc.)
- • You've already written a strong essay for another application
- • Your topic is unconventional and you need freedom
⚠️ Don't Use Prompt 7 If...
- • You're just being lazy about choosing a prompt
- • Your essay would work fine with another prompt
- • You want to avoid constraints (structure is good!)
What Works
- ✓ Creative formats: Lists, letter-form, unconventional structure
- ✓ Unique topics: Something truly unusual
- ✓ Strong voice: Make up for lack of prompt with personality
- ✓ Clear through-line: Even more important when self-directed
Strong Essay Example (Concept)
Topic: An essay written as a series of Google search queries showing the writer's late-night rabbit holes
What makes it work: The searches start with homework ("quadratic formula") and spiral into increasingly specific curiosities ("why do some animals have horizontal pupils," "can you domesticate a raccoon legally"). The format reveals the writer's curiosity, humor, and interdisciplinary interests without explicitly stating them.
→ Creative format that wouldn't work with other prompts but perfectly captures personality.
How to Choose Your Prompt (Decision Framework)
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? What's the one thing that doesn't show up elsewhere in your application?
Step 2: See Which Prompts Fit
Most stories work for 2-3 prompts. List which ones could work:
- • Does it involve your background/identity? → Prompt 1
- • Did you overcome something? → Prompt 2
- • Did you question something? → Prompt 3
- • Are you grateful for someone unexpected? → Prompt 4
- • Did you have a realization/growth? → Prompt 5
- • Is it about 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—without forcing it or being vague. If you find yourself contorting your story to fit a prompt, try a different one.
🎯 Remember:
The prompt doesn't matter as much as you think. Admissions officers read thousands of essays. They're not checking if you "answered" the prompt perfectly. They're asking: "Do I understand who this student is? Do I want them in my classroom?"
Universal Dos and Don'ts (All Prompts)
DO
- ✓Use specific scenes and sensory details
- ✓Show your personality and voice
- ✓Reveal something not elsewhere in your app
- ✓Focus on your thoughts and growth
- ✓Be vulnerable and authentic
- ✓Use all 650 words
DON'T
- ✗Repeat your resume or activities list
- ✗Use clichés or generic language
- ✗Try to sound like someone you're not
- ✗Make it about someone else
- ✗Leave it vague or abstract
- ✗Forget to proofread carefully
Which Prompts Are Most Popular?
Based on Common App data. But remember: popularity doesn't equal effectiveness.
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.
Here's what matters:
- ✓ Your essay reveals something about you that isn't obvious elsewhere
- ✓ It's written in your voice, not what you think they want to hear
- ✓ It shows—through specific scenes—rather than tells
- ✓ It makes the reader feel like they know you better
The prompt is just the container. Your story is the content.
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