Take a deep breath! While the idea of writing a college essay can be overwhelming, this page is designed to give you some tips and tricks to help you write an amazing college essay!

One of the most difficult steps of writing an essay can be deciding what to write about. Below are some common prompts that you may encounter (from the Common Application website), if you are not given a prompt for your essay, feel free to draw inspiration form the prompts below.

• • • • "Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, 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 this experience?"

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

      • "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 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."

      • "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 that you find so engaging it makes you lose 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."

When writing your essay, here are a few tips:

• It can be okay to make fun of yourself sometimes, but be conscious and aware that you are not making fun of others in your essay.

• Be concise - you have a word count limit. 

• Do NOT write what you think they want to read - they want to get to know YOU! If you can switch your name out for anyone else's and the essay still makes sense, you need to pick a new topic

• Make sure that you answer the prompt! Make sure that you are clearly answering the question(s) that the prompt is asking you.

• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Looking over your essay after it is written is essential, you do not want to make small spelling and gramatical errors. It is always a good idea to have an extra set of eyes look at your essay - your adviser, guidance counselor and even teachers are here to help!