I am going into my junior year next year and have a few questions. I understand that I will be applying to colleges the summer before my senior year. When does the CommonApp typically release prompts for the applications? How many essays do you have to write? What kind of essays do you typically have to write? If you have to write three essays, are those three submitted to all of the colleges that you select? When do colleges that do not use the CommonApp typically release prompts for the applications?
Common App prompts typically release in early spring (this year was the end of March, I believe.) You have to write one essay from the Common App, but some colleges also have other supplemental essays. Examples of the kinds of supplemental essays you might have to write include “Why us?” and talking about an interest of yours. You can Google the current Common App prompts. You’ll submit the Common App essay to all colleges that use the Common App, and then it’ll submit the supplemental essays you write to each respective college. Colleges that don’t use the Common App usually release their prompts between late spring and late summer; depends on the college.