As summer marches on, so does our series breaking down each Common App essay prompt. If you’ve spent any time on our blog, you already know we’re big Prompt #7 people (the “write whatever you want” one). We love the freedom it gives you, but we also know that a structureless prompt can feel overwhelming for some students. So today, we’re diving into Prompt #5, sharing our honest takes along with tips and tricks to help you write it well.
Quick reminder: your Common App essay is the only part of your application that shows who you are as a person, not just a collection of grades and activities. This is why it’s so important to get it right. We’re not saying this to stress you out, but to encourage you to give this essay the time, care, and multiple rounds of editing it deserves. We want you to write the best Common App essay you can.
Let’s take a closer look at Prompt #5:
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Just like Prompt #3, we think this prompt is also a trap. Which is why we’re reusing the “It’s a Trap!” image. We do not love this prompt, but that doesn’t mean you can’t write a good essay with the prompt.
This prompt often tempts students to write about something incredibly cliché, like scoring the game-winning goal, moving schools, or achieving some academic milestone. Here’s the deal, kids: a lot of the stories you think you want to write here will already be covered in your activities section or could be better suited for a supplemental essay. And while we get that you might want to show off a bit, the Common App essay is not the place for that. This essay is where you get to add some personality and humanity to your application, not just list another accomplishment or humblebrag.
Prompt #5 can also push students to feel like they need to write about their traumas. We want to be crystal clear about this: you are not your traumas, and you don’t have to write about them to get into college. Consider this explicit permission to not write about your traumas if you don’t want to. If you’ve experienced something during high school that affected your transcript or academic progress, the Additional Information section is the place to share that context, not your personal statement.
Okay, now that we’ve slandered Prompt #5 enough, let’s talk about what you could successfully write about here. This prompt is really about growth and personal change, and there are plenty of ways to explore those themes without falling into that cliché territory. Let’s dive into how you can tackle this prompt in a way that feels fresh, personal, and truly you.
Common App Essay Prompt #5 Example Topics
The best way to tackle this prompt? Tell a story. In fact, that’s good advice for all of your college essays. Stories naturally give your essay structure (beginning, middle, end) and are way more engaging for admissions officers to read. Trust us, essays that open with “The event that sparked personal growth in my life was…” are not fun to read and automatically cause eyes everywhere to glaze over.
Your story should be small. It should reveal something about who you are, not just what you’ve done. Maybe you decided to train for a 5k with your family and discovered a heretofore unknown love of running. Maybe your grandma roped you into learning how to crochet with her friends, and it led to you starting a weekly crochet group with your own friends. Maybe you watched a documentary or read a book that totally changed your worldview, and now you are committed to that movement in your personal life. Notice how these moments aren’t huge, dramatic life events! They’re smaller, relatable stories that show curiosity, growth, and personality.
If you’re stuck coming up with your story, ask your friends and family for the five words they’d use to describe you. Look for patterns. If four out of five people say you’re funny and ambitious, maybe you write a lighthearted story about that time you went above and beyond to meet a goal you set for yourself. However, we don’t encourage using words like hardworking or dedicated to frame your essay, because if you are those things, that will show up in your activities section.
Common App Essay Prompt #5 Essay Guide
You’ve got your idea, but now you have to make it appear on the paper. Crafting a great Common App essay takes time and effort, but it’s worth it – and it doesn’t have to be stressful. You have 650 words to tell a compelling story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, so let’s break down how to do it.
You need a catchy introduction – maybe a piece of dialogue or a descriptive scene. It should drop us into the “accomplishment, event, or realization” you’re writing about. Using our crochet example, maybe you ended up at your grandma’s crochet group because you were her ride, and you weren’t exactly thrilled about it. Describe what that moment felt like. What did the room look like? What could you hear, smell, or feel? These vivid details will pull your reader into the story immediately. If you’re stuck on your opening, here’s a tip: write it last. It’s often easier to figure out how to start your story once you know where it’s going.
In the middle of your essay, show us how this moment impacted you in the short term. Maybe you went home and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of crochet tutorials until your fingers hurt, or maybe you started calling your friends one by one, trying to convince them to give crocheting a try. This section is where we see your curiosity, energy, and how the moment started to shape your actions.
When you wrap up your essay, we want to see what came out of this growth. It’s not enough to simply say you changed – show us how. You can always successfully end by mirroring your intro: now it’s your friends crowding into the same cozy living room as you lead a group crochet lesson, the way your grandma did. We want to see the follow-through, not just the realization.
Once your draft is complete (and yes, it will probably be over 650 words at first), it’s time to edit. Read your essay out loud to catch any awkward phrasing or areas that don’t sound like you. Consider retyping your entire essay word by word to help you see it with fresh eyes and tighten it further. Go through the editing process three to four times before seeking feedback, and keep your feedback circle small! One or two trusted people (could be a friend, parent, or teacher) is plenty. Too many voices will leave you overwhelmed and confused, and in turn, the admissions officers overwhelmed and confused.
Once you’ve polished your essay until it feels clear, personal, and truly you, you’re ready to hit submit.
Prompt #5 might not be our absolute favorite, but it can still be a great vehicle for telling a meaningful story. The key is avoiding rehashing what’s already in your Common App and steering clear of overly cliché topics. If you can do that, you’ll be in a great spot to write an essay that feels personal, engaging, and truly you.
We are experts in writing creative and unique college essays. If you need help brainstorming or writing your Common App essay, reach out to us today.