Skip to content
Test prep
College admissions
Arena
Pricing
Log in
Get started
Home
College admissions
Essays
Essays
Common App personal essay
The first time I fixed my grandmother’s sewing machine, I used a butter knife and a repair video on mute. She watched for an hour without saying a word. When the needle finally moved, she laughed and handed me a stack of torn shirts. That summer I learned that fixing things is mostly patience, and that people who trust you with their broken things are trusting you with more than things.
71 words
179 more words to reach 250
250 to 650 words
Read essays that worked
The sewing machine
Got into University of Michigan
Common App, 612 words
Rated 4.8 by readers
MICHIGAN
Night shifts at the bakery
Got into University of Virginia
Common App, 598 words
Rated 4.7 by readers
UVA
My brother’s science fair
Got into Georgia Institute of Technology
Common App, 640 words
Rated 4.9 by readers
GEORGIA TECH
Learning my grandmother’s language
Got into UNC Chapel Hill
Common App, 571 words
Rated 4.6 by readers
UNC
The bus route map
Got into University of Texas at Austin
Common App, 633 words
Rated 4.7 by readers
UT AUSTIN
Why I count birds
Got into University of Wisconsin–Madison
Common App, 588 words
Rated 4.5 by readers
WISCONSIN
Sell your essay
Got in? Put your essay up for students applying next year.
Get started
Questions
How long is the Common App essay?
Who owns an essay after it sells?
