by Kathleen M. The Common App refreshes on August 1, and it is time to review the personal essay prompts for the 2024-25 year. The news shouldn’t come as a surprise that the topics will remain the same as last year. Now is the time to dig in and think about each of the options and make a plan for your Common App Essay! The IvyBoost Blog is loaded with
by Diane N. August 1st marks a significant milestone for high school seniors as the Common Application and University of California (UC) applications become available. Here are three essential tips to help you prepare: Start Early and Stay Organized The Common App requires detailed information about your academic history, extracurricular activities, and personal statement. Begin gathering necessary documents like transcripts and test scores well in advance. Create a checklist to
by Sarah M. As you begin to think about your college essays, you probably already know that you need to start by brainstorming. You can check other posts for specific prompts that can get that process going for you. This one will help you start to wrangle all of those big ideas, as you narrow them down and look for the best topic. Brainstorming kicks up a lot of exciting
by Jennifer L. Receiving a college waitlist notification from an institution can be both frustrating and hopeful. Recognize that being waitlisted is not a rejection! It means the admissions committee sees the potential in your application, but needs to wait to make final decisions. While the continued uncertainty is challenging, there are a few steps and 3 tips you can take to navigate the situation effectively. Tip 1: Follow Instructions
by Sarah M. Prompt 7: “Share an essay on a 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.” This prompt is an opportunity to tell your own story in your own way. If you don’t have any idea what you want to write about and you’re brainstorming from scratch, a different prompt will most
by Sarah M. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Prompt #5 is the most quintessential college essay prompt. Indeed, any prompt that you choose to answer will eventually come back to the formula asked for here: a moment or experience that led to a process of personal growth. Although you may find inspiration in other
by Lillie W. Two years ago, a new prompt showed up among the Common App’s standard seven personal statement options, a question that invited students to talk about an experience that made them grateful. As several public commentators remarked at the time, Prompt #4 stood out against the other six essay options in a couple of significant ways. Its wording is, “Reflect on something that someone has done for you
by Molly R. Previous Essay Narwhal blogs have shared tips and tricks for Common App Prompts #1 and #2. This week, we’re pleased to share some insights for lucky #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? As with other Common App questions, it’s best to be specific and share positive growth. Admission officers want to
by Michelle P. From sleeping late past an alarm clock to losing a contact lenses or misspelling a word in a hasty text message—failures and mistakes are a natural part of life. A previous post dives into Common App prompt #2 about failure and challenges for Essay Narwhals. This post will offer some additional insight for students hoping to make this Common App essay on failure into their big win
by Shiv G. As high school seniors embark on their college application journey, one crucial aspect often overlooked is securing strong teacher recommendations through the Common Application (Common App). These recommendations can play a significant role in the admission process, providing colleges with valuable insights into an applicant’s character, abilities, and potential. To help seniors make the most of this opportunity, here are a few key things to know about
by Lillie W. If you’re a rising high school senior, at this point in your life your experience with job interviews is probably limited. But you’ll find out soon enough, once you hit the job market, that there’s no more paralyzing moment at the start of an interview than a company executive’s unexpectedly trumpeting “So, tell me about yourself!” across a big desk. Most of us suffer instant brain freeze
by Sarah M. While college essays provide the most direct opportunity to tell admissions officers about who you are, it is important to use the other sections of the application to support and expand that portrait. Your activities section paints a picture of who you are outside the classroom, but the honors section is a demonstration of the things at which you really excel. This section might not make or
by Albert L. 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? In many cultures, we honor the wisdom of our elders. We do so not necessarily because they are inherently smarter, but because their formative years have left indelible memories
by Albert Leo 2. 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? When reading this prompt, I’m reminded of how the Japanese have a traditional aesthetic called wabi-sabi. This philosophy aims to highlight what is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Take
by Albert Leo Now that you’ve started looking at the prompts for the Common App, you can already see how they’re so intentionally broad, that it would be hard for me to cover all of it in just one blog post. We’ll try to tackle part of the first prompt here. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be
2013-2014年度大學申請的通用申請平臺（common app）于今天開放使用了。這標誌著大學申請季節拉開帷幕。 美國的大學申請已經基本實現了網絡申請，common app是一個最多大學使用的公共申請平臺，尤其是私立大學。公立大學則可能使用自己的平臺，以加州為例，加大系統和加州州立大學系統都有自己的申請平臺。 無論是新生和轉學申請，大家都可以開始使用這些申請平臺了。
