Love them or hate them, college essays are an important part of the college application process. If you intend to apply to college expect to write an essay called a personal statement along with anywhere between two to 10 potential supplemental essays which could be about a wide variety of topics.
Sometimes you will be given a prompt to start the essay, other times you may have free reign to write about whatever you think best represents you. This is generally the case with your personal statement. This essay is your time to shine and really let the admissions officers know who you are and why they would want to admit you to their school.
Successful college essays, typically achieve two goals in the eyes of the school admissions office. First and foremost, they demonstrate your writing abilities. Students with excellent writing skills may find the essays easier to complete than others. Paying attention to detail as you write your essay is important, as you don’t want to make silly mistakes or have your essay wander off point. Even if writing isn’t your area of expertise, make sure your grammar and spelling are accurate. Having friends and family members proofread your essay and help edit your story can help eliminate unnecessary errors.
The second goal of an essay is to share insights about you that cannot be understood by looking at the rest of your application. Your essay could potentially be the piece of your college application that helps you stand out most amongst your peers and win the invitation to attend. This is your chance to allow the admissions officer to get to know you in a way that is not evident anywhere else within your submission materials such as test scores, transcripts or other documents provided.
Use this opportunity to share ideas, experiences and observations that will show the school that you have a demonstrated capacity to learn, grow and/or change. They want to see life through your eyes and how you perceive the world.
Your essay will give a glimpse into you as a person and will help others understand how you have used life’s experiences to navigate your own personal journey, one that has led you to this point in your life, applying to their school with aspirations of attending.
Using the SPARC Method to Write your Essays
Some people find it easier to use tools to help them get started writing their personal statement. If that’s you, you might consider using the SPARC method to begin with. SPARC is an acronym covering the five main topics most essays include in one way or another. These topics help the admissions office see you as more than just an accomplished student, but also as a unique individual making a difference in the world. This could be your own personal world or those around you, and not necessarily the world at large. Don’t feel as if you needed to achieve something extraordinary or have had to overcome some terrible hardship to get your essay noticed, even at an ivy league.
SPARC:
S = Seized Opportunity
- This speaks to your ability to be aware of the world around you and this awareness gave you an insight into an opportunity that might have otherwise been missed. Did you do something noteworthy even if it was in elementary or middle school, share it? If so, what was this opportunity? How did you use it to your advantage or for the advantage of helping others?
P = Pursue Goals and Opportunities Despite Obstacles
- This topic is a good one if you can speak to a specific experience in your life where you achieved something that everyone else would have thought impossible given your circumstances or challenges in your way. Here you would speak to persistence, determination, and downright grit. Not everyone possesses these skills, which is why they are important to share.
A = Ask Questions of the World
- It’s those people who are always questioning the world, who are the ones making the biggest impacts. These are the people who see beyond what is and imagine what could be. Have you had an experience where you didn’t let the status quo suffice, you questioned a problem, issue or need and then worked to create a solution? If so, colleges want to hear all about this type of achievement.
R = Risks, Take Smart Risks
- The old adage “the biggest risk is not to take any risks” has some truth to it. Those who don’t try, not only avoid failing they avoid succeeding as well. Taking calculated risks, those where you are making informed decisions, knowing full well the costs, in addition to the potential gains, is how we grow. Have you stepped out of your comfort zone and taken a risk? Even if you didn’t succeed, surely you learned something valuable from the experience. No effort is ever void of learning. The willingness to try and the ability to learn from the experience are valuable traits that college admissions teams look for in incoming students.
C = Create with Limited Resources
- Are you scrappy? Can you work with a little and produce a lot? Those resourceful people who are not deterred by limited resources demonstrate a tenacity to press on and succeed despite the odds, are rare indeed. Have you used your problem-solving skills to create a solution to a problem by being resourceful? What was the problem and how did you solve it? Creativity in this way is an invaluable characteristic that cannot be taught. Colleges and universities seek out students with these traits.
Sample Supplemental Essay Prompts
Essay prompts are essay topics given to not only help you start writing if you are struggling to find something to write about, but also help the schools to know more about you with respect to whatever subject they prompt. Prompts vary from topics meant to elicit a SPARC-type response to more creative prompts meant to encourage an introspective answer. Samples of paraphrased prompts include:
SPARC Prompts:
- Share an experience, where you learned something valuable after overcoming an obstacle.
- Have you ever challenged a belief?
- Give an example of a time when you solved a problem.
- Tell us about a time when you experienced personal growth.
- What are you passionate about and why?
- Who is someone you admire and why?
- Why are you applying to our school?
Creative Prompts:
- What is a book you love and why?
- Name an extracurricular activity that is the most meaningful to you.
- How has having gratitude affected or motivated you?
- Share a song that describes your life right now?
- Tell us what’s so easy as pie.
- What is the truest thing you know?
- What historical event do you wish you could’ve been present for?
- What well-known person or fictional character would you like to meet?
- Tell us about an unusual talent you have and how you use it.
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1Rates shown are for the College Ave Undergraduate Loan product and include autopay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. If a payment is returned, you will lose this benefit. Variable rates may increase after consummation.
2This informational repayment example uses typical loan terms for a freshman borrower who selects the Deferred Repayment Option with a 10-year repayment term, has a $10,000 loan that is disbursed in one disbursement and a 8.35% fixed Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): 120 monthly payments of $179.18 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments of $21,501.54. Loans will never have a full principal and interest monthly payment of less than $50. Your actual rates and repayment terms may vary.
3As certified by your school and less any other financial aid you might receive. Minimum $1,000.
Information advertised valid as of 06/01/2023. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. Approved interest rate will depend on the creditworthiness of the applicant(s), lowest advertised rates only available to the most creditworthy applicants and require selection of full principal and interest payments with the shortest available loan term.
- Variable Rates: 5.99% APR - 16.33% APR. Fixed Rates: 4.50% APR - 14.83% APR. Lowest rates shown include 0.25% interest rate discount with auto debit payments.1
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We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.
Loans for Undergraduate & Career Training Students are not intended for graduate students and are subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and school certification. Student must attend a participating school. Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., attend school in the U.S., apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident), and provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000.
1Advertised APRs for undergraduate students assume a $10,000 loan to a student who attends school for 4 years and has no prior Sallie Mae-serviced loans. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment.
2In 2022, instant credit decisions were provided to 97.8% of applicants. Other applications typically received credit decisions in 3 to 5 business days.
3Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note-first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.
4Based on the percentage of borrowers who were approved for an undergraduate loan with a cosigner compared to the percentage of borrowers who were approved for an undergraduate loan without a cosigner from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.5 For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website may be subjected to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time.
6 Examples of typical costs for a $10,000 Smart Option Loan with the most common fixed rate, fixed repayment option, 6-month separation period, and two disbursements: For a borrower with no prior loans and a 4-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.28% fixed APR, 51 payments of $25.00, 119 payments of $182.67 and one payment of $121.71, for a Total Loan Cost of $23,134.44. For a borrower with $20,000 in prior loans and a 2-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.78% fixed APR, 27 payments of $25.00, 179 payments of $132.53 and one payment of $40.35 for a total loan cost of $24,438.22. Loans that are subject to a $50 minimum principal and interest payment may receive a loan term that is less than 10 years.
Information advertised valid as of 05/25/2023.
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- Will cover up to 100% of the school's certified cost of attendance
- 9-month grace period (3 months more than most lenders)2
This information is for graduate and undergraduate students attending participating degree-granting schools. Borrowers must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents if the school is located outside of the United States. Non-U.S. citizen borrowers who reside in the U.S. are eligible with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident) and are required to provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID to verify identity. Applications are subject to a requested minimum loan amount of $1,000. Current credit and other eligibility criteria apply.
Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 4.70% APR to 15.15% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 5.40% APR to 16.67% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Earnest variable interest rate student loan origination loans are based on a publicly available index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The variable rate is based on the rate published on the 25th day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month, rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Although the rate will vary after you are approved, it will never exceed 36% (the maximum allowable for this loan). Please note, Earnest Private Student Loans are not available in Nevada. Our lowest rates are only available for our most credit qualified borrowers and contain our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account. It is important to note that the 0.25% Auto Pay discount is not available while loan payments are deferred.
1You can take advantage of the Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in Auto Pay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. For multi-party loans, only one party may enroll in Auto Pay.
2Nine-month grace period is not available for borrowers who choose our Principal and Interest Repayment plan while in school.
3Earnest does not charge fees for origination, late payments, or prepayments. Florida Stamp Tax: For Florida
residents, Florida documentary stamp tax is required by law, calculated as $0.35 for each $100 (or portion thereof) of the principal loan amount, the amount of which is provided in the Final Disclosure. Lender will add the stamp tax to the principal loan amount. The full amount will be paid directly to the Florida Department of Revenue. Certificate of Registration No. 78-8016373916-1.
4Earnest clients may skip one payment every 12 months. Your first request to skip a payment can be made once you’ve made at least 6 months of consecutive on-time payments, and your loan is in good standing. The interest accrued during the skipped month will result in an increase in your remaining minimum payment. The final payoff date on your loan will be extended by the length of the skipped payment periods. Please be aware that a skipped payment does count toward the forbearance limits. Please note that skipping a payment is not guaranteed and is at Earnest’s discretion. Your monthly payment and total loan cost may increase as a result of postponing your payment and extending your term.
The information provided on this page is updated as of 05/03/2023. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice.
Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 303 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, e-mail us at [email protected], or call 888-601-2801 for more information.
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Up to four repayment types (including no payments while in school) and multiple repayment terms help you find the loan that fits your budget
- Variable Rates: Starting variable rates range from 5.24% APR - 12.88% APR (with autopay)*, and will never exceed 13.95% (sometimes lower in certain states as required by law)
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- No origination fees, late fees, and no insufficient fund fees. Period
- Up to four repayment types (including no payments while in school) and multiple repayment terms help you find the loan that fits your budget
- 0.25% discount when you set up autopay*
*UNDERGRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.24% to 13.55% annual percentage rate ("APR") (with autopay), variable rates from 5.24% to 12.82% APR (with autopay). GRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 5.00% to 13.35% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 5.74% to 12.82% APR (with autopay). PARENT LOANS: Fixed rates from 6.25% to 13.73% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 6.07% to 12.88% APR (with autopay). For the SoFi variable-rate product, the variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. Interest rates for variable rate loans are capped at 13.95%, unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law. Lowest rates are reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. If approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your creditworthiness, the repayment option you select, the term and amount of the loan and other factors, and will be within the ranges of rates listed above. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Information current as of 05/31/2023.
Terms and Conditions Apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or other eligible status and meet SoFi's underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. To qualify for the lowest rate, you must have a responsible financial history and meet other conditions. If approved, your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, evaluation of your creditworthiness, years of professional experience, income, and a variety of other factors. Rates and Terms are subject to change at anytime without notice and are subject to state restrictions. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Financing Law License No. 6054612. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS # 1121636. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org)
Payments based on a fixed percentage of future income for up to 60 months after graduation
Only pay when earning more than the $30,000 minimum income threshold.
Payments stop early if you ever hit the payment cap (2.0x your initial funding amount)
Payments based on a fixed percentage of future income.
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- Must be BA, MA, or PhD student WITHIN 2 YEARS OF GRADUATION, enrolled in a program that meets our outcome-driven eligibility criteria.
* Your Maximum Payment Period is inclusive of any months where Monthly Payments are made as well as any months that are Deferred Months; this will only be extended if you receive Forbearance, which will extend your Maximum Payment Period on a one-for-one basis.
To be eligible for a Stride Income Share Agreement, students must fall into the following criteria:
- Attending a four-year Title IV college or university.
- Within two years of graduation.
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- U.S. Citizen or permanent resident attending school in the U.S.
- Current G.P.A. is greater than 2.9.
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Elements of 5 Winning Ivy League Essays
If you read any number of the sample essays available on the internet, you will start to notice that those noted for being the most successful possess some of the same fundamental elements. Those elements are:
- Writing Skills: The ability to communicate clearly and write in a manner that’s not only free of spelling and grammar errors but also flows well and keeps the reader captivated.
- Perceptive Insights: An understanding that life is more than classes and grades. These essays share insights and experiences that have sparked a teachable moment, illuminating a universal truth or big picture view of life.
- Capacity to Learn: Willingness to change and grow. Nothing ever stays the same, so a student who shows a desire to evolve is important. In one way or another, successful essays will typically demonstrate growth, acceptance, and the capacity to learn and move on.
- Quiet Confidence: Grandiose subject matter and/or achievements are not necessarily required to impress college admissions offices. This is probably the most surprising element, as most people assume they need to share their biggest accomplishments to impress college admissions officers. This isn’t entirely true, as you will see in our 5 examples below, benign subject matter such as a label maker or the letter “s” are also just as capable of captivating the reader and can communicate important personal and/or individual accomplishments just the same.
Read about some essays that were identified as successful in the admissions process at an Ivy League school. See how they do an excellent job of capturing all 4 of these elements noted above.
Essay Theme 1 – Growth Through Empathy
In a beautifully illustrated story of observations and experiences, one student shared how someone he met profoundly impacted his life. He first tells how this person entered their family and quickly became a beloved addition; only to discover she was about to struggle with a life-threatening diagnosis followed by aggressive medical treatment shortly thereafter. This was told with the writing skills of a novelist, gripping the reader until the very end; while vividly illustrating the evolution of life and change. Watching this person change from a vivacious individual to one fighting for her life, caused the essay writer to see life through the eye of another and in doing so, gain a stronger appreciation of his own.
Essay Theme 2 – Development of Wisdom and Understanding
Writing about a label maker would not seem like an ideal subject to talk about, especially at an Ivy, but this student did a phenomenal job explaining how his love for labeling items: books, tools, etc. caused him to think about how the world labels people and groups. The essay opens with the student thrilled to have received his new holiday gift (a label maker), and how he uses it to label everything he can. Using graphic imagery, the reader can literally see all the labels in their mind’s eye. The student is stopped cold when he realizes he can’t label people or groups as easily as things. The comparison to labeling items vs. people allowed the essay writer to tackle a challenging topic while keeping the overall tone light and digestible.
Essay Theme 3 – Overcoming Tragedy with Wit
Sometimes life is so hard that if we didn’t interject humor, we might lose our minds. This student who wrote this essay did just that, sharing her raw feelings as she wrote about the heart-wrenching story of losing a parent too soon. The essay topic is based upon the letter “s” and how she now despises the “s” in parent(s), having only one parent now. Taking out her pain on the letter “s”, she progresses through the stages of grief until she gets to acceptance and discovers that two “s’s” are better than one when she finds her passion and joy again. Without seeking sympathy, this student shared something very personal in her essay to show admissions officers that she has the capacity to overcome extreme challenges and not only survive but thrive.
Essay Theme 4 – From Reluctance to Change
This light-hearted easy takes the form of a mock trial. Using the student’s family members to make up the court, the defendant on trial being math. Math is accused of being irrelevant and unnecessary. The essay writer is the prosecutor, and his father is the defendant’s counsel. His mother is the presiding judge and his siblings are the jury. The essay takes us through the trial, during which, after objectively contemplating all the evidence; the student changes his mind about math, now understanding the true necessity for it in its various forms.
Essay Theme 5 – Learning by Experience
The student who wrote this essay shared his experiences of traveling abroad to Asia over two consecutive summers. The first he visits a metropolitan area and the second a rural farming community. He writes about his experiences in both, but especially the farming community. Being a city kid, he didn’t expect to identify with the farmers but found that people of all kinds are fundamentally the same when we remove the outer layers and our world views. He used this eye-opening discovery to share his ability to grow and learn, even in the most uncommon of circumstances.
What We Learn from these Best College Essays
All these essays share some form of SPARC content, but they don’t necessarily share a great achievement. They are humble, raw, humorous, and truthful. These essays stand out not because of some outstanding achievement but rather because they share the experience of being human in one form or another. At the end of the day, traditional achievements (good grades, recognition, etc.) can be expressed in a resume, transcript, or test score, but it’s our true character that shines the most and only that can be conveyed in your essay. Don’t despise the essays but cherish them as your opportunity to stand out not by your achievements but simply by the wonderful person that you are.
