The Common Application has announced key updates for the 2025-2026 application cycle. This guide outlines the changes and provides a full list of all essay prompts you will encounter.
Key Changes for 2025-2026
"Additional Information" Word Limit: The word limit for this section has been reduced from 650 to 300 words. This change encourages you to be more concise and focused when sharing extra details.
New "Challenges and Circumstances" Section: The previous "Community Disruption" question is now a more general "Challenges and Circumstances" section. This new prompt replaces the old COVID-19 question, allowing you to discuss any significant personal hurdle you have faced, with a maximum of 250 words.
Personal Statement Prompts Unchanged: The seven main Personal Statement prompts, with a 650-word limit, remain the same as in previous years.
Main Personal Statement Prompts (Choose 1, 650-word limit)
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.
Identity and Background Essay Q&A Slides
Q: Which story to tell?
A:
Choose one specific story.
Identity: "Learning my grandmother's native language connected me to my heritage."
Talent: "Mastering a magic trick taught me about practice."
Interest: "Rebuilding a motorcycle revealed my passion for engineering."
Q: How to structure the narrative?
A:
Hook: Start with an action. "The engine died. Again."
Context: Explain the situation. "I found the 1972 Honda rusting in a barn."
Action: Detail your work. "I spent six months degreasing parts."
Revelation: State what you learned. "I discovered a love for problem-solving."
Q: How to show the story is meaningful?
A:
Connect the story to a core quality.
Vague: "The experience was important."
Specific: "Rebuilding that engine taught me resilience. When a circuit failed, I did not quit. I researched the schematic and tried again. I apply that process to my physics homework."
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?
Challenge and Setback Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What must the story accomplish?
A:
State a specific failure.
Detail your response to it.
Explain the direct consequence of your response.
Isolate one concrete lesson.
Q: Which failure should I choose?
A: Select a failure where you took a calculated risk.
Weak Failure: "I failed a test I did not study for."
Strong Failure: "I organized a fundraiser that did not meet its goal."
Reason: The strong failure shows initiative, planning, and engagement. It creates an opportunity to show growth.
Q: How to structure the story?
A: Use a Problem-Action-Result framework.
Problem: "My school's literary magazine had only 10 submissions."
Action: "I launched a campaign to increase submissions. I visited English classes and posted flyers."
Result: "The campaign yielded only 3 new submissions. The magazine was too small to print. I failed."
Q: How to explain what I learned?
A: Connect the failure to a specific, transferable skill.
Vague Lesson: "I learned to work harder."
Specific Lesson: "My campaign failed because I did not understand my audience. I learned to conduct market research. For my next project, a coding club, I first surveyed 50 students to gauge interest in specific programming languages. The club now has 30 active members."
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you feel happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Gratitude Essay Q&A Slides
Q: Which story should I tell?
A:
Select a small, unexpected moment.
Weak: "My parents supported me." (Expected).
Strong: "A rival debater shared research with me." (Unexpected).
Q: How to structure the story?
A:
Action: A custodian saw me study late.
Surprise: He left coffee and a note.
Reaction: Someone outside my family noticed.
Motivation: This recognition fueled my work.
Q: How to show motivation?
A:
Link gratitude to a concrete action.
Vague: "I felt motivated to do good."
Specific: "His kindness showed me the power of encouragement. I started a tutoring group. I used his method to recognize others' effort."
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?
Engaging Topic Essay Q&A Slides
Q: Which topic should I choose?
A:
Select a niche topic.
Show intellectual curiosity.
Weak: "I love video games."
Strong: "I study level design in 1990s video games."
Q: How to structure the story?
A:
Topic: I study cryptography.
Action: I read about the Enigma machine. I taught myself Python. I built a cipher program.
Insight: Cryptography is a story of human ingenuity.
Q: How to show you are captivated?
A:
Describe your actions.
Vague: "Urban planning is interesting."
Specific: "I trace old highways on Google Maps. I cross-reference them with historical city plans. This discovery process captivates me."
Additional Information (300-word limit)This section is for any extra details you feel are essential to your application but don't fit anywhere else. Use this space for brief, important context.
Additional Information Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What is this section's function?
A:
Provide context for data.
Explain anomalies in your file.
Clarify unique circumstances.
This is not Essay #2.
Q: What information belongs here?
A:
A school-wide grading change.
A necessary course selection.
A significant, unlisted project.
Example: "My school eliminated AP courses in 2024."
