<p>Here’s a website with some good tips: <a href=“2021-22 Common Application Essay Prompts: Tips, Samples”>http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/common-application-essay-prompts.htm</a></p>
<p>And @Hawkwace, things that will make you stand out with such a prompt are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you have a unique place or environment, that would help you stand out, like an exotic country where you vacation often or the location of a unique job or EC. </p></li>
<li><p>Not spending the majority of your essay describing the place itself</p></li>
<li><p>Writing about a kind of contentment that does not equal peacefulness or serenity. For example, maybe you feel more comfortable onstage or in a busy restaurant. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>And yup, I’m available to read the essays of anyone who wants some help! Something I wish I’d done before submitting my essays back when I was applying to colleges… -_- Just PM me!</p>