Name: _______________________________________________ Period: _____ College Application Essay Intro
1. What do you genuinely intend to do after graduation? Where do you realistically expect to be one year from
now? Please check () the answer that best fits you.
 Attending a 4-year university
 Attending community college, and then transferring to a 4-year university
 Attending a community college or technical school, earning a certificate, and then entering the workforce
 Serving in the military with plans to attend a 4-year university (and have the military pay for it)
 Serving in the military with plans of no further education and serving for an extended number of years
 Working
 I expect I will still be working towards earning my high school diploma
 Other—explain: __________________________________________________________________________
2. Please elaborate on your plans. Which university or community college do you plan to attend? OR which branch of
the military do you intend to join? OR what kind of job do you hope to get? OR explain special circumstances.
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All students are required to write a college application essay, regardless of future career plans. The goal is to
make this writing exercise as useful to you in real life as possible. Please complete ONE of the following options:
A. If you are planning to attend a 4-year university, you should write and submit the essay required by the college.
Please research the essay requirements for your chosen university, and write the full essay prompt here:
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B. If you are planning to attend community college, and then transfer to a university, OR to join the military, then have
the US Government pay for your education, you might choose to write the essay for the university you ultimately
hope to attend. Please research the essay requirements for your chosen transfer university, and write the full essay
prompt here:
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C. If you have absolutely no intention of ever attending a university OR your university does not require an essay, then
this is simply an opportunity to improve your writing skills. Please choose one of the Common Application essay
prompts. (OVER)
Common Application Essay Options:
Review the essay options. Choose one for which you have plenty to say. Carefully consider your prompt, because
choosing one at random is only going to make the writing more difficult.
Please CIRCLE the essay you plan to write.
1. 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.
2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you
experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same
decision again?
4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research
query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to
you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to
adulthood within your culture, community, or family.