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The 2016-17 Coalition Application Essay Prompts Have Been Released

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2016-17 coalition application essay promptsThis past September, a coalition of 80+ top-tier colleges announced their #squadgoals to create a new kind of college application that would promote college access, affordability, and success for all students. This new platform would compete directly with the well-established Common App, offering students an alternative pathway to some of the best schools in the nation. Obviously, we have all be salivating in anticipation of the full roll-out of the 2016-17 Coalition application (which, incidentally, is also what happens to us when anyone says “donuts” or “pizza”), which is slated to take place in July. Questions abound. Would the “virtual lockers” include a corner for crushed sandwiches and a space to hang photos of Drake? What other secret features would be unveiled? And most importantly: What would the essay prompts be?

While we will have to wait until July for answers to some of our burning questions, we do know one thing for sure: the 2016-17 Coalition application essay prompts are out! And… they’re very, very similar to the Common App prompts. See for yourself:

  • Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
  • 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 a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? 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? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
  • Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

The good (actually, amazing) news is: no surprises. You know how to do this. And we’ve been counseling students for years to ignore the prompts until the last second: a good story can almost always be backed into a broad prompt like this. That said, there are some nuances to keep in mind about these prompts, so stay tuned for more updates and resources on the blog and CEA social media. In the meantime, our Guide to the 2017-2018 Common Application and YouTube tutorial videos are a great place to start.

Still not sure what to do with these prompts? We made you a Coalition Guide.

More burning questions about the Coalition? Email us!

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