<p>I want to start writing my college essays since I have alot of spare time this summer. My only problem is the prompts. I visited websites of schools I'm interested in and their prompts are outdated... The only prompts that are least likely to change are the UC prompts, so I might as well start those. </p>
<p>Do you guys know of any schools that have already posted their prompts for 2011-2012 applicants? </p>
<p>Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Also, since I am clearly clueless, can I start the common application essay(s)? or do I have to wait for an update on the prompts?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you can start the common application essays, since they don’t change from year to year. Or if you don’t want to actually start writing them, start thinking of possible topics and interesting ways to write them so you will stand out. I basically had a notebook where I kind of just wrote whatever came to my mind so I wouldn’t forget it, and if I was in the mood and an idea appealed to me, I’d write a couple of paragraphs about it. Even if I didn’t write about that exact topic for my main essay, the stuff I wrote usually came in handy later. You could also always put together you activities resume and start visiting some colleges with your free time. But anyways, I would check on the common app section, but I’m fairly sure that this year’s essays won’t be changing. </p>
<p>Also, if there’s a school that (last year) asked why you would like to attend, there’s a strong chance they’ll ask that again, so maybe you could start a list of reasons as they come to you, or even start writing the essay.</p>
<p>There are a variety of prompts all asking for the same thing: a personal statement. They may be disguised in several ways (“Describe how you overcame a challenge” or “What quote best describes you?” or “Tell us something about yourself that’s not included in the application” or “If you wrote your autobiography, send us page 207” etc, etc). These are all slight variations of exactly the same thing: a personal statement.</p>
<p>To see how to craft that essay, and how to get started, see my advice in another post in this forum: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/1162799-essay-about-sobriety.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/1162799-essay-about-sobriety.html</a> It contains a sample essay to show you one way to structure yours.</p>
<p>So start the personal statement now. It can be easily adapted to a wide variety of prompts.</p>
<p>Two other prompts (sometimes combined as a single one) will be variations on:
– “Why this school?”
– “Why this major?”</p>
<p>The quirky ones (“If you were a vegetable, which kind would it be and why?”) are fewer and farther between. For those, you are on your own - hahaha.</p>
<p>—Robert Cronk, author of Concise Advice: Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays</p>