• The College Essay Topics 

    ApplyTexas Topics

    Topic A (Freshman and International Freshman): 

    Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

    Topic B (Freshman and International Freshman): 

    Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.

    Topic C (Freshman and International Freshman): 

    You've got a ticket in your hand - Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

    Topic D

    Please Note: The essay in this section is specific to certain college majors and is not required by all colleges/universities that accept ApplyTexas applications. If you are not applying for a major in Architecture/Interior Design, Art, Art History, Design, Studio Art, Visual Art Studies/Art Education you are not required to write this essay.

    Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture/interior design, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?

     

    Common App Topics

    1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.

    2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

    3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

    4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

    5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

    6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

    7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

     
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