I need to clarify what I have been told about the common app essay. Does this essay have to display how I took my leadership and extra curricular activities forward, while telling an interesting and unique story?
Essentially, yes. There are 7 different prompts this year (one of which is completely open-ended), one of which you have to answer (see the link below). You can definitely talk about your leadership and EC’s, however I have seen successful essays about a student’s school bus ride and about how another student’s life was similar to their favorite food. As long as your essay shows that you’ve taken meaning from something in your life, and that it is something completely unique to you, you should be fine.