March Madness
Just a few days ago, the Common App released the essay questions for the upcoming 2026-27 application cycle. And surprise! There are no surprises. The prompts are staying the same as last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Behold:
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.
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?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
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?
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
So with no change afoot, I can confidently draw on my past experience with students to predict the future for soon-to-be-seniors. Those students will regard this list of prompts. They’ll study it. They’ll probe the depths of their memories and experiences. And they will conclude, as so many have done before them, that they have nothing to write about.
If you’re a junior (or even a sophomore!) and this sounds like you, take a breath. It’s barely March. The madness hasn’t even begun! Which means that not only do you have plenty of time to suss out possible essay topics, you can even intentionally pursue the kinds of experiences that translate into terrific essays.
The best essays come from students who have something to say. A story to tell. So maybe in this particular season of your life, with Spring Break beckoning and summer just around the corner, it’s time to live a little.
Now it’s true that many quintessential Spring Break and summer experiences are great fodder for college essays -- a mission trip with your church, a summer job, Governor's School or a summer program through a university. Or maybe an extracurricular activity that reaches its pinnacle, like opening night of the musical or a championship moment for your sport. If you are mired in experiences like these, that’s already a great start.
But for other students, there can be ripe potential found even closer to home, in the kind of everyday, accessible activities that can reveal character and interest. Consider the following to-do list as you round the final turn of junior year.
Teach yourself something new. Learn a new Taylor Swift song on guitar or pick up the ukulele. Figure out how to do embroidery or crochet. Master the perfect omelette or loaf of sourdough bread. Watch tutorials on how to fold an origami crane.
Read something new. Some schools, like University of Georgia and Wake Forest, will ask for specifics about books that have mattered to applicants (this is either endlessly exciting or your literal worst nightmare – you know who you are). But any reading that interests you and captures your imagination – or makes you mad or makes you think – is valuable and can find a home in a college essay. You don’t have to tackle Crime and Punishment (although it would be awesome if you did.) It could be sports writing, longform journalism, romantasy, graphic novels, or some random nonfiction book you swiped from your parent’s nightstand.
Do something scary. Depending on who you are, this could look like riding the zipline at the White Water Center, running for president of your school club, or striking up a conversation with a stranger while you're in line at Starbucks. Being able to point to moments of growth and times when you reached and stretched beyond your comfort level will be essay gold.
Finally, seek out and find community or continue to nurture the communities that matter to you. That might mean embracing a new role as you lead the childcare at the nursery at your church, or finding your people on a rock climbing wall, or starting a camp that teaches young kids to love the sport you love. Colleges love to ask questions about community – UNC has had a community-related supplemental question on their application for more than a decade – because they want to witness the impact you’re capable of while also gauging how you’ll fit in on their campus.
So – should you deliberately seek out experiences simply to drum up content for your college essays? Of course not. That would be nuts. Instead, go forward with intention, imbued with the desire to push and stretch yourself in all the ways that will guarantee growth, self-reflection, and awesomeness. The resulting essay content? That’s just a bonus.