Every single Common App essay topic for 2023-2024 will be the same as last year’s, including the optional COVID essay. Even when the questions did change in the past, it was limited to one or two being swapped out, and the majority were kept the same. However, the topics haven’t changed at all since 2019. This means the more time you spend on this current list, the more likely you’ll be able to slam dunk your Common App essay.  

For rising seniors, this is it. These are your topics. Don’t wait until August. There have been countless students who have claimed passionately that it’s best to wait because that’s when the best ideas come out and you’ll be sure of your essay. Don’t do this to your application. The topics haven’t changed since you started high school, and your essay will decide your future as much as GPA in a lot of schools. Follow the steps we put out each month to make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance to ace that essay. Remember that it is not about simply writing a compelling essay, it’s about getting all the right elements ready for it. 

For rising juniors, so, current sophomores, this is a year when most students won’t be thinking of their Common App essay. This is why it’s so important for you to practice brainstorming and then actually write a real essay. A sample essay written in your sophomore year won’t be complete – it won’t contain the last bits that you’ll do between your junior year summer vacation and up to senior winter. But, it will contain an introduction you think makes sense and the things you did freshman year, as well as any earlier experiences you might refer to for added impact or content corroboration. You should have a plan for what you’re going to do over the upcoming summer vacation. Writing the sample essay as if the events you plan to do this summer were already successful is a great way to get a feel for how this upcoming summer would look on paper. It’s best to imagine you’re a senior looking back, having completed the things you are now, in reality, planning to do. Once the actual summer is over and the contest, internship, camp, or whatever experience was chosen as your summer activity has ended, you can come back to that practice essay, see if the intro still feels right, make adjustments to reflect what actually happened over the summer versus what you imagined before, and have a very strong start on your Common App. Changing parts later or even starting it over from scratch is still going to be fine because you’ve already spent time figuring things out from your sample.

But what about rising freshmen and rising sophomores? College feels so far away. All these groups need to do right now is find sample essays that worked. Find a book with good reviews – read what other students had to say. It might seem like your college application is a third of your life away, but it’ll get here faster than you think, and it doesn’t make sense to wait until the last minute. If you write practice essays and outlines along the way, it will help you plan your future activities in a way that will make your final essay coherent and compelling. 

Remember to check out breakdowns and topic outline materials that we have online. These will help whether you’re just starting to think about college or if you’re wrapping up your final essay activity. If you do ever find yourself in a tough spot, we can help at any point along the process, either it be with essays, extracurriculars, or contests. Though we encourage every student to do their best and be aggressively independent, we also know this is a tough, time-consuming process. It helps to have some help.