Seeing Application questions

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to see school application and questions without applying?

We have a rising Junior who wants to understand what is needed in the application for a broad range of schools so that they understand what will be needed the following year when they apply. Can this be done? (all with the understanding that the number and topic of questions for any given school could change between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022) .

Also - when do schools start to release the applications each year for the next application cycle?

[Anonymous]

Your student can make a Common App account at any time. There's a lot of continuity from year to year on the main questions.

The Common App blog also gives info about questions:


"Below is the full set of essay prompts for 2021-2022.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design."

https://www.commonapp.org/blog/2021-2022-common-app-essay-prompts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your student can make a Common App account at any time. There's a lot of continuity from year to year on the main questions.

The Common App blog also gives info about questions:


"Below is the full set of essay prompts for 2021-2022.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design."

https://www.commonapp.org/blog/2021-2022-common-app-essay-prompts

Thanks - how does it work from there for schools that have additional questions?

[Anonymous]

You can also google "supplemental essay" and a school name to see what they've asked in the past. For example, for Amherst:

"At Amherst we know that identity is more than checkboxes. If you would like to share more about your identity, background, family, culture or community, please tell us more here. (Maximum: 175 words)"

For Pomona: "Short Response Questions (1-50 Words Each, optional)

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
What’s your favorite way to eat a potato?
You’re relaxing on a Friday night. Suddenly, your favorite song pops into your head. What is it?
If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please provide that information below.
If not captured elsewhere in your application, please share with us how you have overcome challenges in your life.

Supplemental Essays (required)

Prompt 1: Pomona is committed to achieving the benefits of diversity for all students by creating a community that learns and grows together through the exchange of different lived experiences and perspectives. Our community is made up of students from diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, and linguistic backgrounds; political, religious and social views; physical abilities; home environments and socioeconomic backgrounds; hometowns and regions; and sexes, gender identities and sexual orientations.

Choose one of the following two prompts: (200 words)

Option A: Tell us about an experience when you dealt with disagreement or conflict around different perspectives within a community.

Option B: Tell us about one of the communities you belong to and what it means to bring that shared belief and/or perspective to Pomona.

Prompt 2: Helen Keller once said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.” Whether you aspire to be a hero or an honest worker, what impact do you want to have in the Pomona community, your community back home, or any new community? (200 words)"

[Anonymous]

PP above. Basically, students can come up with one main essay that works for most schools. It's great to do this summer before senior year.

The Common App opens officially August 1, so August is a good time to start filling it in.

Supplementals will often include some variation of "Why School X?" It's not worth pre-writing those, but as the student learns about schools, it's helpful for them to take notes about special programs, extracurriculars, etc., that make that school appealing for them. Some supplementals are random ("What’s your favorite way to eat a potato?") and can just be done as the student completes the application for that school. FWIW, with the common app filled in and a main essay ready to go, our senior could do one application (including supplemental essays) every weekend over the fall without too much stress.

[Anonymous]

essay prompts usually come out in August of each year so given how far you are away from applying, probably not worth it other than to peek and get an idea of what has been, but certainly may change.

The Common App has standard questions so fine to poke around in there and get familiar with what you will need to complete there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to see school application and questions without applying?

We have a rising Junior who wants to understand what is needed in the application for a broad range of schools so that they understand what will be needed the following year when they apply. Can this be done? (all with the understanding that the number and topic of questions for any given school could change between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022) .

Also - when do schools start to release the applications each year for the next application cycle?

Also note that sometimes the best way to write an essay is for the student to decide first what they want to write about and draft the essay, and then worry about how to shoehorn it into one of the Common App questions, which are really quite broad.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks so much.

Good info to know. I thought I heard some schools have many supplemental questions and others don't. So the main question wasn't really meant to be about common app prompts or approach (even though that advice/info was still useful!), and more about - how DC can gauge which schools will have a lot of supplementals and what the nature will be. (I would think the nature of these supplementals also say something about what the school is looking for - and help DC choose what seems more like a match)

[Anonymous]

You don’t need advance knowledge. The supplemental questions are generally
short. No need to plan for them in advance. Do Work on common app essay though, this summer.

[Anonymous]

SMCM asked who (dead or alive) you would invite to a dinner party, and what would you cook. I thought that was fun, creative and revealing.

[Anonymous]

UChicagos are fun/intersting/challenging. You can google them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t need advance knowledge. The supplemental questions are generally
short. No need to plan for them in advance. Do Work on common app essay though, this summer.

Student is a rising sophomore - too early to work on common app essay.

This question is more about seeing other questions to gauge schools in terms of potential match (if the questions lend to that sort of info) and gauge the the amount of additional work beyond the common app to apply to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t need advance knowledge. The supplemental questions are generally
short. No need to plan for them in advance. Do Work on common app essay though, this summer.

Student is a rising sophomore - too early to work on common app essay.

This question is more about seeing other questions to gauge schools in terms of potential match (if the questions lend to that sort of info) and gauge the the amount of additional work beyond the common app to apply to the school.

I don't think the supplemental questions themselves will give you any sense as whether the school is a good match for your kid.