Essay Topics

College Applications

The Common App asks applicants to choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250 to 650 words:

• 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.

• 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?

• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

• 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?

• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

• 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?

• 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.

Scholarship Applications

The Redwood Scholarship Application includes all of the following questions and limits essay responses to 200 words. The OSAC Scholarship Application includes questions 1 through 4 and limits responses to 1,000 characters, including spaces.

1. What are your specific educational plans and career goals and why? What inspires you to achieve them?

2. What have you done for your family or community that you care about the most and why?

3. Describe a personal accomplishment and the strengths and skills you used to achieve it.

4. Describe a significant change or experience that has occurred in your life. How did you respond and what did you learn about yourself?

5. [Redwood only] Please describe a situation that reflected your values in a positive way or an incident you wish you had handled differently.