Admission News

New College Application Essay Prompts

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Written by CB Experts

College application essay prompts are changing. Traditional college essay prompts are oh-so-familiar.
Why do you want to go to this school?
• What is your favorite activity and why?
• What person, experience, challenge has most impacted you?


Now colleges are emphasizing two new things in their latest prompts.

Brevity – Colleges are asking questions that required answers of 250 words or much less, like 25 words. The 500 word essay is losing ground. Admission people are getting worn down by their long reading sessions. They are even accepting video essays.

Creativity – Newer essay prompts are a lot more “fun,” asking such things as What was your favorite things about last Tuesday? (University of Maryland) and If you had to wear a costume for a year what would you pick and why? (Brandeis).

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CB Experts

Content created by retired College Admissions consultants.