2025 COMMON APP ESSAY PROMPTS BREAKDOWN!

Summary

In this informative video, Nick the Tutor guides students through the 2025 Common Application essay prompts, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right prompt that aligns with their personal story. He provides insights on each prompt, advising students to prioritize their content before selecting a prompt. Nick highlights the value of positivity and personal growth in essays, ultimately favoring the open-ended prompt for its creativity and authenticity, and offers to personally review essays for free to assist students in their college application journey.

Takeaways

• 📝 Nick the Tudor, a college application expert, discusses the 2025 Common Application essay prompts.
• 🔄 The prompts for 2025 have not changed from the previous year, but the process has evolved, requiring a fresh perspective.
• 🤔 Nick advises students to first consider their personal identity, experiences, and what they want to convey to the admissions committee before choosing a prompt.
• 📖 Prompt one is ideal for students who want to share a significant personal identity, characteristic, or talent that defines them.
• 🏆 Prompt two encourages students to recount a challenge, setback, or failure and the lessons learned from it, with a focus on personal growth.
• 🤨 Prompt three is suitable for students passionate about a social issue, but caution is advised to avoid sensitive topics that might offend readers.
• 🙏 Prompt four is about reflecting on a time when someone's actions made the student feel grateful, and how that gratitude influenced them.
• 🚀 Prompt five is about discussing an accomplishment or realization that led to personal growth and a new understanding of oneself or others.
• 🌟 Prompt six invites students to write about a topic, idea, or concept that captivates them and makes them lose track of time.
• 🎨 Prompt seven is an open-ended prompt that allows students to write on any topic of their choice, including creative and unique ideas.
• 💡 The key to a successful essay is to choose content that reflects the student's personality and growth, rather than forcing a fit with a specific prompt.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is discussing the 2025 common application essay prompts for college applications.

What is Nick's advice for students before choosing an essay prompt?

Nick advises students to first think about who they are as a person and what they want to tell the admissions committee before committing to a prompt.

What should students avoid when writing their college essays according to Nick?

Students should avoid writing about things that are heavily touched on in the rest of their application to prevent redundancy.

What is the first essay prompt about?

The first essay prompt is for students who have a background, identity, interest, or talent that they believe their application would be incomplete without.

What is the second essay prompt focused on?

The second essay prompt is about recounting a time when a student faced a challenge, setback, or failure and what they learned from that experience.

What kind of essay does the third prompt suggest writing?

The third prompt suggests writing an essay about a time when a student questioned or challenged a belief or idea and the outcome of that thinking.

What is the fourth essay prompt asking students to reflect on?

The fourth essay prompt asks students to reflect on a time when someone has done something for them that made them happy or thankful, and how that gratitude affected or motivated them.

What does the fifth essay prompt focus on?

The fifth essay prompt focuses on discussing an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked personal growth and a new understanding of oneself or others.

What is the sixth essay prompt about?

The sixth essay prompt is about describing a topic, idea, or concept that is so engaging it makes the student lose all track of time and why it captivates them.

What does the seventh and final essay prompt allow students to do?

The seventh essay prompt allows students to share an essay on any topic of their choice, including one they've already written or one of their own design.

Which essay prompt does Nick, the tutor, prefer the most and why?

Nick prefers the seventh, open-ended prompt the most because it lends itself to massive creativity and allows students to express their personality and interests authentically.

What does Nick suggest for students who want to write about a social issue?

Nick suggests that students who are passionate about a social issue and want to write about it should choose the third prompt, but they should be careful not to offend anyone and ensure their essay is specific to them.

What is the importance of maintaining a positive tone in a college application essay according to the video?

Maintaining a positive tone in a college application essay is important because it helps to present the student in an uplifting light, showcasing their ability to overcome challenges and grow personally.

What advice does Nick give regarding the length of the challenge or obstacle section in an essay about overcoming adversity?

Nick advises to keep the obstacle or challenge part of the essay shorter and spend more time discussing personal growth and improvement, ensuring the essay maintains a positive tone.

What is the purpose of the video in terms of helping students with their college application essays?

The purpose of the video is to guide students through the common application essay prompts, discuss what makes a successful essay for each prompt, and provide advice on choosing the right prompt that aligns with the student's story and personality.