The Best College Essay Examples. As an admissions officer, every so often you come across an essay that blows you away. It stops you in your tracks, makes you laugh or cry, or resonates deeply with you. When exceptional essays come through your application bin, you’re reminded what an honor it is to get these fleeting glimpses into incredible ...
Reading examples of successful essays, however, can help you understand what admissions officers are looking for. In this post, we’ll share 16 college essay examples of many different topics. Most of the essay prompts fall into 8 different archetypes, and you can approach each prompt under that archetype in a similar way.
College Application Essay Example 250 Words. Some colleges require short essays of around 250 to 300 words. Writing these essays can be arduous as short essays need only important details about you, your objectives, and your accomplishments.
Good College Application Essay Examples. Writing a standout college application essay is more than just answering the prompt. But finding inspiration in the form of good examples can make the writing process significantly more manageable. Here is a successful college application sample essay with its complete analysis:
Check out these amazing college application essay examples for inspiration. Harvard College Application Essay Example . UC College Application Essay Example. If you are planning to apply to any California University campus, then there is one difficult challenge ahead of you. All applicants need to answer the four personal insight questions out ...
Writing a college application essay can be tough, but having some examples to guide you makes the process much easier. In this blog, we’ve shared different college essay examples, ranging from 300 to 650 words, to guide you in writing your own.
Writing your college essays can be challenging. And in 2025, with many schools dropping test scores from their application, your college essays are one of the most important parts of your application if you want to get accepted. That means there's a whole lot more opportunity for students without the best SAT or ACT scores to boost their chances of admission by writing outstanding essays.
Writing essays that capture the admissions committee’s attention is a challenging yet vital step in the application process. The stakes couldn’t be higher – a compelling essay can bring you one step closer to securing a spot at your dream school, while a lackluster one will hinder your chances.
When you begin writing your Common App essay, having an example to look at can help you understand how to effectively write your college essay so that it stands apart from others. These Common App essay examples demonstrate a strong writing ability and answer the prompt in a way that shows admissions officers something unique about the student.
Your college essay is a big part of your application, especially since more selective colleges are focusing on it more when making their decisions. In fact, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 19% of schools assign “considerable” importance to essays. That means it can really impact your chances of getting into your dream school.
Read our best essay examples for public universities like the University of California, University of Michigan, and more. Public colleges receive the most applicants out of all types of schools, so your application essays are increasingly important each year.
Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 187 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. Connecticut College. 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025 . Hamilton College. 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026; 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
COLLEGE ESSAY EXAMPLE #2 – I am an aspiring hot sauce sommelier. Author: Elizabeth Class Year: Princeton University 2021 Type of Essay: Common Application Personal Statement School Acceptances: Princeton University, Duke University, Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of ...
Your college essay is your chance to break through the noise and leave a lasting impression. But what should you write about? The key is choosing a topic that highlights your personality, experiences, and growth in a way that's both unique and engaging. Below, we’ll explore some of the best college essay topics and college essay brainstorming techniques to help you craft a compelling story.
Common App Essay Example #9: Mountaineering. Here's a liberal arts college Common App essay from Colby College. Colby is a highly ranked liberal arts college. As with all colleges—but especially liberal arts schools—your personal essay will be a considerable factor.
Reading college essay examples is a great way of preparing yourself for writing your own. Whether you’re aiming to get into your local college or looking to attend an Ivy League school, your college essay is a key component of your college application.In this blog, we have 32 awesome college essay examples from some of the top universities in the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Cornell ...
4 winning college application essay examples that can help you get admitted. Here are some examples of college essays that worked. Pay attention to how students used one part of who they are (a memory, their background, a challenge) to paint a larger picture. Overall, this is a great way to communicate a lot of information in a relatively small ...
Lastly, as we see in many great examples of college essays, this student includes many details. They even reference dialogue from a favorite book, further illustrating their love of reading. Now, let’s look at a very different college application essay format in the second of our Common App Essay examples. Sample Common App Essay #2