Essay example and analysis. A CollegeVine advisor wrote his essay on this topic about the experience of growing up with a unique name and feeling pressured to be different from other people. He would sacrifice his own desires and preferences just to make unconventional choices. In the end, he objected to the idea: this suggestion was chosen. 1 of the applicants. Tip 5, the “Discuss a Finding” essay was a close second. 7 of the elderly. The bronze medal went to tip 2, the “challenge.” The fifth option for the Common App essay is as follows: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that triggered a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Tip five asks you to delve into a time in your life when you experienced a period of personal growth and gained new understanding. Because the Common App essay is long and contains little formal guidance, organizing a response may seem daunting. Luckily, at CollegeVine we've developed a simple approach to formulating strong, unique answers. This section covers how to: 1 Brainstorm, 2 Organize, write a common app essay. BONUS TIP. Be careful if you choose: “Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that answers a different prompt, or one of your own design. While great personal statements can come from this message, my experience as an application reviewer tells me that it is not always the wisest choice: Complete the Common App application, including the personal essay from the Application Essay Prompts list. Common App: Check and see if the colleges you are applying for have other writing requirements or supplements. If so, be sure to complete those as well – review the entire application.