How early is too early?

College Essays
1

Hello!

I’m currently a junior in high school, and I had a question.

Would now be too early to be starting my common app essay?? The prompts would be the same as the 2017-18 ones so I could start planning/writing, allowing me to have more time to draft/edit/rewrite.

Also, If my application is mostly centered around my research/science ability, supplemented with my art abilites, would it be bad to write about art? Should I focus on science instead?

2

Full Post bc idk wouldnt let me save my edits:

Hello!

I’m currently a junior in high school, and I had a question.

Would now be too early to be starting my common app essay?? The prompts would be the same as the 2017-18 ones so I could start planning/writing, allowing me to have more time to draft/edit/rewrite.

Also, If my application is mostly centered around my research/science ability, supplemented with my art abilites, would it be bad to write about art? Should I focus on science instead? Ideally, I would like to tie in both areas, as they both make up a part of me; someone who’s fascinated by the rapid development of science and technology, but at the same time spends his free time painting/drawing, adhering to more traditional methods. In a way, it’s like a contrast: the science part of me is all about the future, and the art part of me is all about past artists and techniques.

Thanks!

3

The Common App opens sometime around August 1. So, no, it’s not too early to start your essay.

Your essay should be about YOU. Not art and not science. The point is not to educate, but to make the adcomsmwant to say yes to your application.

4

Just be aware that the actual Common App re-sets every year (I think in early August) so whatever data you had entered would vanish. But it would be a good idea to start working on the essays.

5

@SaberZero If you have time now, then start! Doesn’t hurt to do so. As @GnocchiB said, the common app resets in August, so work on your essay in Google Docs or Word. As @bjkmom has said, the essay must be about you. Colleges can figure out your interests from your application. The essay is where you tell them who you are as a person. If you need someone to read your essay, PM them, a feature that only exists once you have 15 posts. Make sure the person you PM is someone who is done with the process and is well established. @bjkmom, @GnocchiB, and myself are good examples of that criteria.

6

My kids worked on their common application essays the summer between junior and senior year and had them reviewed by an English teacher they knew and trusted at the start of the senior year. If you start it now leave open the possibility that you may want to change/revamp it over the next six months or so.

Agree with comments by @bjkmom – be sure the essay is focused on you. This is your chance to tell admission officers something about you that can’t be found elsewhere in the application.

7

Thanks to everyone for the really useful replies! I realized i was kind of looking at this entiretly wrong (the essay that is), i think i have a good understanding now. My only concern is, I’ve been rejected from all the summer programs I’ve applied to for the past two years, and that’s probably because I had weak essays (since if I had a strong essay I probably would’ve gotten into one?). Are there any good tips to crafting a good, personal essay that can tell a good story?

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@SaberZero Search up JHU essays. They really show what colleges want to see from you. Don’t copy from those essays though.

You can also use resources such as https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/ and https://www.collegeessayguy.com/ among the many many resources out there.

9

DELETED. WRONG THREAD

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I have already made many compromises for last 8 years, and I don’t want to make another for my Ph.D education.

huh?

11

@MrElonMusk Will check those out, thank you!

12

And, just because it’s already come up this morning, here are next year’s Common App prompts:
http://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/2018-2019-common-application-essay-prompts
They were released in January:

2018-2019 Common Application Essay Prompts

  1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
  2. 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 the experience?
  3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
  4. 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 that is 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.
  5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
  6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
  7. 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.
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We plan to write all the essays in a relaxed manner over the summer.

14

There are tips posted at the top of this forum you should read. Also, the Common App essay is only one that you likely will need to complete. Many schools have supplemental essays, and those questions can change from year to year. My kids had a good cut at the Common App essay by end of summer, but worked on the other essays throughout the fall leading up to the app (and scholarship) deadlines.

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@intparent thanks! I can’t find the tips. Can you point me in the right direction?

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Huh, they’ve been unpinned. Here they are:

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/2003258-essay-tips-to-consider-p1.html

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Thanks! @intparent