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Written by the Luminao team, from your first college list to financial aid. No account needed.

Article · Essay Tips · 8 min read

The 7 Common App Essay Prompts, Ranked by How Hard They Are to Do Well

All seven Common App prompts for 2026–27, ranked from most forgiving to most dangerous. What each one is really asking, and the specific trap that sinks most students on it.

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5 articles so far. Mentors can submit articles too; each one is reviewed before it’s published.

Guides

17 step-by-step guides to the whole process. Each links its facts to their sources.

All 17 guides

The basics , 2 guides

Applications , 4 guides

Your college list , 2 guides

Essays , 5 guides

Financial aid , 3 guides

After you apply , 1 guide

Essay tips

17 short tips, one idea each, for the personal statement and supplements.

All 17 tips
Personal statement5 tipsWrite about a moment, not a themeSupplements4 tipsThe 'Why This School' essay is a research assignmentStrategy4 tipsStart your personal statement in JuneCommon mistakes4 tipsDon't let your parent rewrite your essay

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