I haven’t seen a change in the Coalition App prompts in a while, and this year, wow! A lot of changes. I didn’t consider their old prompts very enticing, and regardless of the portal my students use, I’ve favored the Common App prompts for eliciting unique ideas, along with the brainstorming we do. Take a look at this year’s Coalition App prompts that include my edit marks. I’ve noted what’s NEW and crossed out what they deleted.
- Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
- NEW -> What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?
- NEW -> Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
- Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
- Has there been a time when you’ve had an idea or long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? What did you learn? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
- What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? NEW -> What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend going through a similar experience? (assuming they would listen to you)?
- Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
To answer some questions I get frequently about prompts…
- Which prompt you answer doesn’t matter; answering the prompt you choose does matter!
- Main essay prompts are literally to PROMPT your ideas. You have a lot of room for creativity.
- Word count? Up to 650 words. Typically, my students are in the 550-650 range. Use as many words as you need to do a great job! Avoid filler words just to fill the space. Make every word count!
- Is it bad to select “Submit an essay of your choice” for my prompt? No, but try to pick one of the actual questions if possible. I’ve never had a student need to pick the “free choice” option.
- Do I have to answer every prompt? No! You write ONE main essay that is your #1 headline, the #1 story you want to tell about YOU. These prompts are just thought starters to help you find your magical idea.
Here are the latest Coalition prompts without all my edit marks:
- Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
- What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future
- Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
- Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?
- What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?
- Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.
Note: The Common App portal now has 900+ schools. You may not need to even use The Coalition App. However, if any of these prompts speak to YOU, go for it regardless of the portal, and make it fit!
Check out my recent article on the Common App prompts and COVID question and my upcoming classes, including one on brainstorming your main essay! Link here to register.
