College Essays: College Admissions Questions
Personal statements, supplementals, and college essay strategy
38 questions in this category
Common App Additional Information Section: When and How to Use It
Exactly when the Common App Additional Information section is worth using, what belongs there, and why padding it with f…
Common App Essay Prompts 2025–2026: Tips for Writing Each One
An MIT interviewer on the Common App essay prompts: what each one is really asking, how to choose, and the approach that…
College Essay Topics to Avoid: What Admissions Officers Don't Want to Read
An MIT interviewer on college essay topics to avoid: the overused and risky ones readers dread, why they fail, and how t…
How Important Are College Essays for Admissions?
An MIT interviewer on how much college essays matter: when they decide admissions, how schools weigh them, and why they …
How to Write a 'Why This College' Essay That Actually Works
An MIT interviewer on writing a Why This College essay that works: research the specifics, tie them to you, and skip the…
How to Write a College Essay About Community Service or Volunteering
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about community service: how to avoid the savior narrative, focus on what …
How to Write a College Essay About Yourself Without Bragging
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about yourself without bragging: how to reveal who you are through specifi…
How to Proofread Your College Essays: The Errors That Hurt Most
An MIT interviewer on proofreading college essays: the errors that hurt most, how to catch them, and how to polish witho…
How Long Should a College Essay Be? Word Count Guide
An MIT interviewer on how long a college essay should be: the word limits that matter, why staying within them counts, a…
Can You Use AI to Write Your College Essays? What Colleges Say
An MIT interviewer on using AI for college essays: what colleges allow, the real risks, why AI essays read as generic, a…
How to Write a College Essay About Failure, Setback, or Difficult Experience
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about failure or a setback so it lands as genuine growth and self-awarenes…
What Are College Supplemental Essay Prompts and How Do You Tackle Them?
A breakdown of common supplemental essay types, Why Us, Why This Major, and quirky intellectual questions, with a strate…
How to Write a College Diversity Essay That Actually Works
An MIT interviewer on writing a college diversity essay that works: how to show the perspective you would add, anchored …
How to Write the 'Why This Major?' Supplemental Essay
An MIT interviewer breaks down the Why This Major essay: trace your real spark and tie it to a school's programs, skippi…
How to Write Supplemental Essays: A Guide to Every Essay Type
An MIT interviewer's guide to college supplemental essays: the main types, how to tailor each to the school, and how to …
How to Use the Common App 'Additional Information' Section
When to use the Common App 'Additional Information' section, what belongs there, and how to explain a gap without soundi…
How to Write a College Essay About Your Cultural Background
An MIT interviewer on writing about your cultural background in a college essay, going past food and tradition to show h…
How Many Drafts Does a College Essay Need? Knowing When to Stop
How many drafts a strong college essay typically takes, what changes at each stage, and how to recognize when more revis…
How to Write About a Learning Disability or Neurodivergent Identity in a College Essay
An MIT interviewer on writing about a learning disability or neurodivergence in your college essay so it reads as insigh…
How to Write a College Essay About Identity Without Sounding Generic
An MIT interviewer on writing a college identity essay that avoids cliche by anchoring it in one specific moment that sh…
What Makes a College Essay Stand Out to Admissions Officers?
An MIT interviewer reveals what actually makes a college essay stand out, and the specific moves that separate memorable…
How to Write a College Essay About Sports Without It Being Generic
An MIT interviewer on writing a sports college essay that avoids the big-game cliche and uses the sport to reveal someth…
How to Write a College Essay About an Intellectual Passion
An MIT interviewer on the intellectual passion essay: show how you think and chase ideas, not just what you have studied…
How to Write a College Essay About Your Family Without Being Clichéd
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about your family without the cliches, keeping the focus on you while hono…
How to Write Short Supplemental Essays (100–250 Words) That Work
An MIT interviewer on writing short supplemental essays of 100 to 250 words: how to be specific and memorable when every…
How to Write a College Essay About a Passion Project or Independent Work
An MIT interviewer on writing about a passion project or independent work in your college essay, focusing on the thinkin…
Can Strong Recommendations Compensate for Weak College Essays?
Outstanding recommendations but struggling with essays? Learn how much weight letters carry and how to close the gap bef…
Are Optional College Essay Prompts Really Optional?
When to skip a truly optional essay prompt and when skipping one quietly costs you, with the exceptions that change the …
How to Write a College Essay About Identity and Belonging
Writing about your identity or sense of belonging? Learn how to go beyond surface description to an essay that truly dif…
How to Write a College Essay About Leadership
An MIT interviewer on writing a college leadership essay: why titles do not impress, how to show real influence and impa…
How to Write a College Essay Inspired by a Book or Idea
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about a book or idea that shows how you think, not a book report, with a c…
How College Admissions Officers Actually Evaluate Essays
An MIT interviewer on how essay readers actually score your file: reading speed, the rating scale, and what makes a read…
Should You Complete Optional Supplemental Essays?
Supplemental essays are labeled 'optional,' but are they really? When to complete them, when to skip them, and how to de…
How to Write a College Essay About Community
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about community: how to show your specific role and what it reveals about …
How to Write a College Essay About Overcoming Adversity
An MIT interviewer on writing an overcoming-adversity essay: how to focus on growth over hardship, avoid the trauma trap…
How to Write a College Essay About Travel
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about travel without the cliches: how to avoid the tourist narrative and m…
How to Write a College Essay About Work Experience
An MIT interviewer on writing a college essay about work experience: how a job reveals maturity, responsibility, and cha…
How to Write a College Essay About Your Passion
Writing about something you love? Learn how to write a passion essay that shows real depth and avoids clichés.