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      Common App Essay Prompts & CounselMore Biographical Banners: A Streamlined Approach

      Common App Essay Prompts for 2025–2026 will remain the same for the 2025–2026 application cycle. 

      Common App Essay Prompts & CounselMore Biographical Banners: A Streamlined Approach

      Common App Essay Prompts for 2025–2026

      Common App essay prompts will remain the same for the 2025–2026 application cycle. 

      Essay Prompts:

      1. 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.

      2. 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?

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

      4. 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?

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

      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?

      7. 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.

      Updates to the "Additional Information" Section

      Starting August 1, 2025, two key updates will be made:

      • The “Community disruption” question will be updated to a broader “Challenges and circumstances” question, allowing students to provide context on a wider range of experiences.

      • The word limit for the “Additional Information” section will be reduced:

        • First-year application: Reduced from 650 words to 300 words max.

        • Transfer application: Reduced from 3,500 characters to 1,500 characters max.

      How Counselors Can Use CounselMore Biographical Banners to Prepare Students

      Counselors utilizing CounselMore have a powerful advantage: the Biographical Banners feature mirrors the Common App data collection, providing students with an easy way to prepare responses in advance. Here’s how:

      1. Biographical Banners as a Foundation

      • CounselMore's Biographical Banners align with Common App data collection, ensuring students answer participation questions accurately.

      • The built-in word count feature helps students stay within required limits.

      • Participation details are structured into key areas commonly used in admissions evaluations, making information easier to organize.

      2. Seamless Export to Google Drive

      • CounselMore allows direct export of Biographical Banners to Google Drive, ensuring students have a lasting repository of their personal information.

      • This resource extends beyond the Common App, allowing students to reuse collected data—including statistics, recommenders, and essays—for other applications, scholarships, and resume-building.

      3. Fresh Export on August 1st

      • Since the Common App officially opens on August 1st, counselors should generate a fresh export of the student's Biographical Banners at that time.

      • This copy-paste-ready format allows students to quickly transfer their information into the Common App and shift focus to school-specific application requirements.

      4. Beyond the Common App: Resume & Other Uses

      • The comprehensive nature of the Biographical Banners ensures students collect valuable statistical and narrative data for building resumes.

      • By exporting their information to Google Drive, students maintain an organized record of achievements and personal statements that can serve them in future academic and professional opportunities.

      CounselMore's Role in College Application Strategy

      Once students have entered their Common App responses, the next step is moving their selected schools to their Common App dashboard. From here, CounselMore counselors will:

      • Guide students through school-specific application strategies by leveraging the CounselMore App Tracker to ensure they meet all requirements.

      • Help students stay organized while navigating supplementary essays and institution-specific questions, using the App Tracker for progress checks.

      • Monitor progress and deliver notifications upon task initiation, progress, and completion.

      By integrating CounselMore’s Biographical Banners early in the college application process, students are fully prepared to enter their Common App and all applications in advance. Counselors can refine the wording of activity descriptions on the student’s bio page, ensuring impactful descriptions and proper ranking of activities.

      Furthermore, the App Tracker allows counselors to meticulously track each application requirement per school, strategizing on test policies, interview scheduling, and other critical factors. The tracker generates assignments and tasks that are emailed directly to the student, who then completes them, triggering counselor notifications. If a task is only partially completed, counselors can reopen, update, and reassign tasks throughout the application season.

      Imagine a smooth, trackable, and organized application process—powered by COUNSELMORE! With this streamlined approach, counselors empower students to approach applications strategically, efficiently, and with confidence.