We’re almost through our series on all seven Common App essay prompts, and today we’re talking about Prompt #6. A sleeper hit prompt, we actually really love this one. As you all probably are well aware by now, our favorite prompt is always #7, but we know that a lot of students really value having the structure a traditional prompt offers them. If this prompt is right for you, we think it’s a great one to write.
If you’re reading this, you likely already know what the Common App is, but this next part always bears repeating. Nearly every school on your list will require the Common App essay, so it’s very important to make it very good. We’re not here to add extra pressure (you’re probably doing that yourself); we just want to stress the importance of this part of your application. On to Prompt #6!
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?
Out of all the not-Prompt-#7-prompts, this might be our favorite. HOWEVER!!! You need to make sure to write this one the right way, or you’ve wasted the beauty of this prompt. Each part of your Common App should reveal something new about you, so you absolutely should not write this essay about what you want to study in college. In fact, the more random and out of left field it seems? The better.
We want to repeat that. Do not write this essay about what you want to study in college. In fact, if the intellectual thing you’re going to write about is present in any part of your application, simply do not do it. We want this essay to tell them something they don’t know, not just harp on your love of Chemistry or whatever. Not only will you be writing about your potential major in the school-specific supplements, it’s also (hopefully) going to be present in your activities section, so simply do not put it here.
With that kinda stern warning, let’s talk brainstorming.
Common App Essay Prompt 6 Example Topics
Fundamentally, this prompt needs to be answered with a story, but you need to zero in on a small moment on your journey with this topic. Since the prompt is pretty specific, there are really only a few genres of story you can tell, but you have a lot of options in terms of breaking form and creativity to play with.
First, you need to think of your ‘thing.’ If you’re a humanities major, you’re not going to want to talk about how you love history (but you’re studying English), these things are a little too similar. Instead, expand your idea of ‘intellectual’ a bit, since everything can kinda be intellectual. Do you love fixing cars? Gardening? Are you a real nerd about cooking, and can explain the science behind it? Maybe you’re a comp sci whiz but you actually love making music on the side. Maybe you’re obsessed with origami! Or making rugs!
As you think of your thing, you need to think about where in your journey with that thing you want to drop us. We could be there at the inception, day one of your fascination. We could hop in a few weeks ago, as you take on the biggest challenge you’ve faced with this thing. You might even show us you, showing it to someone else. Whatever it is, we want it to take up a small moment in time – no sweeping narratives about this thing.
Now, let’s talk about how to write the essay itself.
Common App Essay Prompt 6 Example Guide
Putting words on paper is easier said than done, but this is kind of the most important part of the whole Common App thing. You have 650 words to write your story, so let’s talk about the steps to writing a solid, engaging story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end.
Your Common App intro should set the scene of where you are and what you’re doing. If you’ve become a real green thumb, maybe you’re sitting (or sweating) in your garden, explaining to us the choices you’ve made in soil. Or you’re at the nursery, weighing the pros and cons of the plants in front of you. You want to make sure to use a lot of vivid language here, describe the colors of the plants, how the weather feels, the smells of flowers and grass and dirt. All of these details help make the story feel more real.
Your middle should keep the story flowing – perhaps you’ve run into an issue that you need to solve or some other kind of conflict. If you write about discovering a passion, the intro should be about the moment of exposure, and your middle should be about your instant quest to learn everything you can. In the garden story, maybe you’re having a hard time with a particular plant or don’t know what shrub is the best one for this time of year, so you seek out knowledge from a nursery employee. This part of the story should be about learning more and more, deepening your passion.
In your ending, you should have a nice resolution. Maybe it’s about a new plan put into action, you starting some kind of club or showing the interest to someone else, or the issue at hand has been resolved. Maybe you finally figured out what was going on with that tree, put in a new plan to keep it healthy, and now it’s thriving. Your ending should always be positive. We know life isn’t a fairy tale, but a happy ending is kind of all you can do with a 650-word college essay.
If you’re finding yourself stuck on starting the essay, you don’t actually have to start with the introduction. We actually find that it’s much easier to write an intro once you already know how the story shakes out!
Once you've finished your draft (which will for sure be over 650 words), it’s time to edit. Read your essay out loud to catch any awkward or stilted parts, and make changes. You could even retype the document word for word! Go through your editing process 3-4 times before getting feedback from a friend, parent, teacher, or another trusted person. But a word of caution: don't let too many people review your essay—stick to one or two reviewers to avoid feeling overwhelmed by conflicting feedback.
Now you're edited and ready to submit! Best of luck!
Prompt #6 is one of our favorites, because it lets you tell a story about something that admissions committees have no idea about! This is one to have fun and show off your personality, but make sure you’re telling it in a concise story and that you’re not telling them something they already know about 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.