25 College Prompt Essay Examples For 2024-25 Applicants

Did you know that a college admission officer spends only 15 minutes on an applicants entire admission application and hardly 5 minutes on common app essays? 

That means if you fail to grab the officer’s attention, they will most probably skim your application. 

However, to make your college essay ideas stand out, we’ve compiled a list of the 25 best college prompt essay examples for 2024-2025.

Who Needs College Essay Prompts & Why

College essay prompts are necessary for high school students who wish to get into college or university. Many institutions require these essays as part of the admissions process. That’s why applicants need college essay prompt examples so they can practice them before submitting a final version.

2024-25 College Prompt Essay Examples

Nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across the 50 states of the U.S. require students to submit Common App essays. These essays typically include 100 to 650 words for each prompt, as per the college requirement. Let’s take a look at the great Common app essay examples that are applicable in 2024-25.

Common App Essay Examples From Top Colleges/Universities

1) Princeton college essay Prompt: Princeton’s commitment to service and civic engagement has been a standing tradition for years. What is the connection between these ideals and your own life story?

2) Stanford college essay Prompt: The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.

3) Columbia essay Prompt (2024-2025): Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) you find unique and compelling about Columbia.

4) Duke college essay prompt: What intellectual experience have you found fascinating from the past two years? 

5) Harvard essay prompt: Tell us how you hope to use your Harvard education in the future. 

Common App Personal Essay Examples

1) Commonly, most of the students live on campus, so what do you want to ask your future roommates?

2) What are your experiences with a favorite sport, and what changes have you adopted through it?

3) What is your favorite book or movie which has shaped your personality?

4) Your relationship with your loved one and what experience you achieved.

5) A meaningful travel experience that impacts you a lot.

Need more personal college prompt essay examples? No need to worry. We have a comprehensive list of the best personal essay ideas for you.

Great Common App Essay Examples About Achievements

1) Provide specific examples of your achievements for the past three years.

2) Describe a time when you led and successfully accomplished an event.

3) Tell us what you have achieved by working in a community service.

4) Describe a time when you faced a tough challenge and how you overcame it with possible strategies.

5) Discuss a significant achievement you have gained by working with a team.

College Prompt Essay Examples Of Academic

1) The moment when you realize you want to pursue higher education.

2) What attracts you to get admission to a specific college for your next academic journey?

3) What was your favorite subject in school and why?

4) How do you want to develop relationships with professors in college?

5) What will be your first priority if you get admission to your desired college?

A bonus tip: Adding transition words for college essays makes them more appealing to admission officers at first glance.

Real-Life Examples of Common App Essays

1) What have you learned from life till now?

2) Tell a story from your life when you feel exhausted and defeated.

3) Describe how you will create a positive impact through your life experiences.

4) When have you been unable to complete a task on time? What impact did it have on your life?

5) Reflect on real-life experiences that you have learned from your family members.

College Essay Examples That Got Rejected

We discussed with some college students, and admission officers about college prompt essay examples. Let’s look at what they said to avoid:

Lour Drick, a junior college student, provides us with some of the worst common app essay examples that should be avoided. These include

• Writing about sports injuries.
• Provide common essay examples about the past COVID-19 pandemic.
• Writing about being an immigrant’s children.
• Writing an essay about some other person.
• Shifting home from one place to another.

Another former college admission officer, Kenneth Johnson, advises avoiding these essay topics.

• Talking about more controversial and offensive issues.
• Explaining the essay with overly self-promotion.
• Discussing unrelated experiences or subjects in your essay.

With the help of these college prompt essay examples, you can write a winning admission essay on your own. If you are still having trouble, just tell us which commonapp essay examples you like the most, and let our writing essay help service craft it for you.