It’s that time again! All the college applicants and admissions-essay-writing lovers around the world (because there are so many of you) will be excited to hear that the 2014-2015 Common Application is now up and running. This year’s online Common App went live this morning, and we were thrilled to see the five Personal Statement essay options from last year’s application reappear, as promised. The Common App’s basic formatting rules from last year’s revised application also still seem to apply. Students’ essay responses will be pasted into a text box (no attachments) that will accommodate up to 650 words with special formatting limited to bolding, italicizing and underlining. Here are the instructions for the Personal Statement as presented in the Common App:
The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don’t feel obligated to do so. (The application won’t accept a response shorter than 250 words.)
In addition to the Personal Statement, also be on the lookout for the supplemental essays for each school, some of which have already been released, and some of which will become available over the course of the next month. So far, supplements for schools like Brown, Duke, Vanderbilt and Lehigh are already available. For a full list of the schools whose applications are currently live through the Common App, log into your account and click here. And be sure to check frequently for additions to the list. Nothing is more valuable in the college essay process than time, and the sooner you identify the prompts you need to answer, the sooner you can get those wheels a’ turning, and those fingers flying over the keys in strokes of mad genius.
So good luck, 2014-15 applicants. We’re here if you need us!
