Fall 2025 UGA Essay Questions

 By David Graves, UGA Admissions

For First Year students applying to UGA for Fall 2025, we will keep the same longer personal essay (250-650 words) as before, using the essay prompts from the Common App. The shorter UGA specific essay (200-300 words suggested) topic will also remain the same as last year, with the following essay prompt:

“The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”

• FYI – We are not restricting you to the exact years of 8th-9th grades, but rather the general timeframe of the middle to high school transition, which can extend somewhat further than one year on each end. Feel free to use your discretion in your choice of the timeline focused on the shift to your high school years.

As always, we also share an essay from an enrolling First-Year student that we believe shows great writing skills:

As a middle-schooler on the brink of entering high school, I was like lost cattle entering a vast social and academic wilderness. In the center, a winding, sun-soaked desert path stretched far into the horizon, beckoning my gaze with its promise of adventure and discovery. Enter The Alchemist and its magnificent idea of the “Personal Legend”– a life goal so lofty that it made locating my locker on the first day of high school appear easy. Forget about the difficulty of making new hobbies or friends; the content from this novel sure played an essential role in determining my ideology related to pursuing my future.

The protagonist enthusiastically praised the significance of believing in one’s dreams, which led my younger self down the correct path. Generating profits after extensive hours of work through my business, navigating changes in learning after COVID-19, and confronting adversity due to my darker skin color all presented difficult periods where persistence and faith were important in progress. Although self-belief was a crucial aspect of pushing through difficult times, it also motivated me to be more confident. Taking risks, from soloing in my 8th-grade jazz band to giving my crush a cringeworthy love letter, changed my belief in embracing adversity.

Furthermore, the book’s emphasis on interacting with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems mirrors my journey into the real world. Whether developing a dancing board at a Purdue summer camp or a calculus Halloween graph, collaboration enforces the ability to work with others who may share different ideas. Diverse backgrounds boosted my understanding, tolerance, and empathy while increasing my engineering career readiness. Not only was The Alchemist a great book, but it enforced critical systems that I use until this day to succeed in life. The Alchemist played an essential role in instilling new concepts I needed as an adolescent. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires you to achieve it.” Thank you, Paulo Coelho.  – Josh W, Collins Hill HS.

• This essay gives us insight into the student’s feelings and thoughts, and he shares his ideas through descriptive word choice. This is an excellent essay, but please know that we are not expecting this level of writing from the applicant pool overall. This essay example is meant to show our applicant pool how to express themselves through examples, personal growth and emotion. When we are reviewing essays, we are looking more at the student’s voice coming through and less on technical writing skills.

The Additional Information Section in the Common Application: A Key to Providing Context

By: North Shore College Consulting

When and How to Use It Effectively

When it comes to college applications, every detail matters. The Common Application provides a platform for students to showcase their achievements, experiences, and aspirations, giving colleges a holistic view of who they are. However, sometimes there are circumstances or nuances that can't be fully captured within the standard sections of the application. That's where the "Additional Information" section comes into play. In this blog post, we'll explore the ins and outs of this often-overlooked section and guide you on when and how to use it effectively.

Understanding the Additional Information Section

Located towards the end of the Common Application, the Additional Information section provides students with an opportunity to provide context and explanations for aspects of their application that may not be immediately clear elsewhere. With a generous word limit of 650 words, this section can be a powerful tool for addressing gaps or unusual circumstances that might raise questions for admissions officers.

It's essential to understand, however, that the Additional Information section is not meant to serve as a second personal statement. While colleges are interested in learning about your experiences, accomplishments, and challenges, this section should not be used to reiterate or duplicate information already provided elsewhere in your application.

When to Use the Additional Information Section

The Additional Information section should be reserved for circumstances that warrant further explanation or elaboration. Students should carefully evaluate their application for any areas that might benefit from additional context. Some situations where the use of this section could be appropriate include:

1. Explaining Gaps: If you've experienced gaps in your education due to personal or family issues, this is the place to explain them. Perhaps you had to take a break from school due to illness, family responsibilities, or other challenges. This section allows you to provide context without leaving admissions officers wondering about the missing pieces. You can also use it to address any discrepancies or unusual circumstances in your academic record.

2. Special Circumstances: If there are factors beyond your control that have affected your academic performance or extracurricular involvement, this section is ideal for explaining them. For instance, if you had to relocate frequently due to a parent's job, it might have impacted your ability to participate in certain activities. 

3. Personal Challenges: Some personal challenges are deeply impactful but might not be suitable for the main essay. If you've overcome adversity, such as dealing with a serious illness, overcoming a learning disability, escaping an abusive situation, or taking on significant caregiving responsibilities, you can briefly touch on these experiences in this section. Use this section to elaborate on how you demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity.

4. Personal Identity: If aspects of your personal identity, such as sexual or gender identity, played a role in your educational experience, you can explain how they influenced your path. For example, if you used different pronouns than those mentioned in recommendation letters due to not being out as trans or nonbinary to your teachers, this section can provide insight.

5. Provide Additional Context: Many students participate in extracurricular activities or honors that may not be widely recognized but hold personal significance. The Additional Information essay is a good place to describe a significant volunteer experience or community involvement that influenced personal growth and cannot be adequately described in the 150 character limit of the Common App’s Activity section. . 

What Not to Include in the Additional Information Section

While the Additional Information section provides an opportunity for students to provide context, there are certain topics that should be avoided. 

1. COVID-19: The Common Application includes a dedicated section for COVID-19 related information. Avoid discussing the pandemic here unless it's directly tied to a unique circumstance that can't be addressed elsewhere.

2. Irrelevant Details: Don't use this space to reiterate your achievements or list additional activities. Admissions officers already have that information in other sections. Avoid irrelevant details, like listing your favorite books, foods or hobbies, as these can detract from the overall impact of your application.

Self-Evaluation: Do You Need to Use the Additional Information Section?

While the Additional Information section can offer valuable insight into your life, it's essential to use it wisely. Admissions officers read through countless applications, and they appreciate conciseness and relevance. So, before deciding to use the Additional Information section, take a step back and evaluate your application as a whole. Is there any crucial context missing? Consider whether there is any key context or information that could help admissions officers gain a deeper understanding of your achievements, challenges, or personal circumstances. If you determine that there are relevant aspects that require further explanation, utilizing the Additional Information section can be a valuable opportunity. Conversely, if your application is comprehensive and leaves little room for confusion, it's perfectly acceptable, and often advisable, to skip this section.

It's Okay to Skip It

Lastly, it's important to emphasize that it is perfectly acceptable not to use the Additional Information section if you do not have any pressing issues or gaps to address. Remember, this section is truly optional, and if your application is comprehensive and provides a clear picture of who you are as an applicant, there may be no need for additional explanations.

Closing Thoughts

In the realm of college applications, transparency and authenticity reign supreme. The Additional Information section is your chance to provide a comprehensive view of your journey, shedding light on the aspects that might not be immediately evident. Use it thoughtfully and strategically to enhance your application's narrative and ensure that admissions officers leave with a full understanding of your unique story. Remember, it's okay not to use this section if you have no pressing issues to address; quality is always better than quantity.

How important are college essays?

From: The College Essay Guy

The college application process is stressful for many reasons. It can be difficult to keep track of different deadlines, get sealed copies of your transcripts, and get those super-important letters of recommendation. But nothing seems to stress applicants out quite as much as writing the college essay.

How important is the college essay? What can you do to make your personal statement better, and why is the essay more important for some schools than it is for others? Keep reading to discover the answers you need to create a killer college essay!

How important are college essays?

Many frustrated applicants often find themselves asking “are college essays important?” Generally, the answer is “yes.” But how important will depend on the selectivity of schools you’re applying to. Remember, most colleges in America accept a majority of applicants. But on the very narrow end of the spectrum, some schools accept as low as 3.5% of students. So to understand how important college essays are as part of your application, you’ll have to narrow down the schools to which you wish to apply.

For example, when you apply to “top-tier” schools (though heads up that we think you should be wary of ranking systems), around 25% place “considerable importance” on the college admission essay (and another 30ish% give it “moderate importance”). And it’s important to understand how to write a college essay because many of these highly-selective just have way too many qualified applicants. Because of that, a good essay that helps a reader understand who you are and what you bring to their campus and community may make the difference in whether you or a similarly-qualified applicant get admitted.

These schools place more importance on the essays because personal statements can illuminate important qualities a candidate has (ranging from overall career aspirations to volunteer service) that things like a standard transcript simply can’t convey. So it’ll be important to understand how to write a strong college essay. And because these institutions are trying to build a village of diverse students who wish to create a better community, the essay helps to simultaneously demonstrate both your values and your commitment to helping others (side note: something that a good activities list may also help with).

What are common or cliche essay topics?

What cliche topics should you steer away from? Generally speaking, you should avoid the “resume” essay (where you essentially just list your various achievements) or the “big sports moment” or “big performance” or “sports injury” essay. It can be hard to make a cliche tale of being an immigrant work well (it’s an important story, but you’ll need to make it feel and sound different from others). And be wary of writing about your personal heroes, or that time you got a B in that one class but then raised your grade, or your first romance.

So with that in mind, and once you realize how important college essay admissions are, you’ll likely want to focus first on exploring less common essay topics. And any good advice on how to start a college essay must include understanding your audience, including what they do (and probably don’t) want to read.

Admissions committees read countless essays each year, and many applicants write about the same common and cliche topics. If you choose such a topic for your own college application essay, and write about it in the way other people are, it’s tougher for them to understand what you might bring to their community that someone else doesn’t. And you will now be dealing with a kind of unintentional curve: when someone has to read many essays on the same topic as your own, it’s entirely possible many of them will be stronger than yours. But if you choose a less common topic, the college will have few (or even no) other essays to compare it to.

There are of course exceptions to the rule, and you might be able to come up with an exciting new angle most other writers miss. But most of the time, getting noticed is easier if you go with a topic the college doesn’t see quite as much.

How do supplemental essays affect admissions?

Short answer: They can be just as important as your personal statement. UPenn, for example, has said that its ”Why Us” supplemental essay is generally more important. We mentioned earlier that your academic record is not always enough to let an institution know enough about you. Quite frankly, there will virtually always be someone out there with a similar (if not better) record. When it comes down to very selective colleges that receive many applicants with similar records, it may be a supplemental essay that helps give a reader a reason they want to fight for you.

At minimum, supplemental essays help admissions professionals learn more about you, adding texture and flavor to your application. Your essays help reveal things like your personality, hobbies, and special interests, allowing admissions to determine if you’re a good fit for the kind of academic village they are building. Speaking of being a good fit, the supplemental essay is a way to provide additional context for your special skills and expertise and for you to demonstrate how these skills plus your drive and motivation will help you leave a lasting impact on the college.

So the answer to “how important are college essays” (answer: more important the more selective a school is) applies to any supplemental essays you may write. Can a good college essay get you in by itself? No. But selective institutions focus on candidates that combine great academics with great essays. If you start researching how to write a good college application essay now, you can give yourself a serious advantage in understanding the qualities to show in a college essay.

How test optional/test blind have changed admissions

As you can tell, college essays are very important for applicants hoping to get accepted into prestigious institutions. And if you are planning to apply to any colleges that are test optional or test blind, then the essay probably becomes more important, since schools have fewer data points to work with.

If you don’t already know, test optional schools are ones that do not require you to submit ACT or SAT test scores as part of the application process. And test blind schools are ones that go one step further and actually refuse to look at test scores when it comes to choosing who they will admit.

Test optional and test blind schools have embraced this methodology because it helps them to attract a more diverse array of students than they would normally get. But if you are applying to such schools, keep in mind that your college essay will be one of the most important parts of your application.

Ultimately, the college essay remains important because it can be a key factor in the admissions process. So before you submit that application packet, make sure your essay has all the “write” ingredients to help you stand out.

 

Free College Essay from an Expert - The College Essay Guy

We’re super excited to launch a brand new partnership with a number of college admissions counselors, experts and former admissions officers from colleges like NYU and Pomona College. College Essay Guy Parent Community We’re inviting parents to join a private community where you’ll get access to: Interactive sessions with top leaders in the college admissions field A comprehensive college planning calendar of what to do when Access to college admissions experts through regularly scheduled office hours Meaningful and supportive connections with other parents just like you Recordings of past webinars and sessions to watch ondemand Lots more.  Check out our upcoming live sessions: Insider Tips for College Visits and Interviewing (Today, July 29) Ask Me Anything (Aug 3rd) Tips for Crafting an UnCommon Common Application (Aug 5) 20 Ways Parents Can Support their Teen Applying to College (Aug 10) 4 Major College Application Deadlines to Keep in Mind (Aug 17) AMA - Ask Me Anything (Aug 19) Lots more throughout August. Join the Parent Community Heads up: To celebrate opening this group, the CEG Parent Community is free through August 31st! Students: we’re not leaving you hanging. You get your own separate community. Students Discord Community High school students can join a separate private community with content tailored specifically for students, including:  Weekly sessions with college admissions experts and advisors and Live Ask-Me-Anything sessions Incredible college essay resources and advice A community of peers collaborating to plan the transition to college Lots more. It's all free, all the time. Join Here

How To Write About Yourself: Great Tips For Personal Writing That Won't Sound Awkward

College Essay Guy

 

Does writing about yourself feel like pulling teeth? Or maybe writing a personal essay feels like wrestling an angry cat into a tiny Christmas sweater? Or perhaps it just feels like a rainy Saturday on the first free weekend you’ve had in months?

For lots of high school students, writing about yourself feels awkward and forced. How can you share personal things without resorting to cliches or feeling braggy? How do you write an essay describing yourself and your accomplishments without making it sound like a resume?

Well, just like most things, you get better at writing about yourself … by writing about yourself. You practice. That’s it.

Your personal statement is a big part of any college application and writing it shouldn’t be the first time you’ve ever written about yourself, your accomplishments, or the challenges you’ve faced.

To help you hone your writing chops and prepare for your personal essay, here are four of the best ways to learn how to write about yourself.

How to write about yourself:

1. Become a better writer by journaling

2. It’s good to write more, period

3. Different types of writing help you know your audience + hone your voice accordingly

4. Good personal writing is vulnerable

1. Become a better writer by journaling

Journaling has been shown to help manage anxiety and reduce stress—both things that are helpful as you navigate this challenging time of standardized testing and college applications. Journaling also helps you hone your writing voice outside of academic expectations or social media’s pressure to be funny or deep.

If writing about your feelings in a notebook every night feels a little too Judy Blume/Dear Diary, there are plenty of other options. You could keep a giant Google Doc filled with bullet points or record voice notes on your phone.

You could keep a video journal—you don’t have to show it to anyone or upload it to YouTube! You could write lists on any topic that sparks your interest—fantasy jobs, favorite books, times I thought I’d ruined everything but it turned out fine.

If you’re not sure what to journal about, here are a few journaling prompts:

• The two moments I’ll never forget in my life are (describe them in great detail, and what makes them so unforgettable)

• The words I’d like to live by are…

• I couldn’t imagine life without…

• When I’m in pain — physical or emotional — the kindest thing I can do for myself is…

• Make a list of the people in your life who genuinely support you, and whom you can genuinely trust. (Then make time to hang out with them.)

Regardless of the shape your journal takes, keeping a record of your thoughts helps you track important experiences in your life—something that will come in handy when you’re writing that personal essay.

2. It’s good to write. Period.

The more you write the better your writing will be.

And any kind of writing counts! Emails, journal entries, long Instagram captions—any writing that helps you tap into your voice and your experiences will prepare you for your college essays.

You’ll get in the habit of including details, crafting narrative arcs, and structuring your sentences with care. We all need junky first drafts, and the more you write, the more first drafts you’ll have that can be edited into something great.

3. Good personal writing includes interesting details.

Good personal writing, whether you’re writing a social media post or scholarship essay, includes interesting details. Specifics add color and context to a story. Telling your reader you were shy, for example, is fine. But opening your essay with this paragraph is more interesting:

The clock was remarkably slow as I sat, legs tightly crossed, squirming at my desk. “Just raise your hand,” my mind pleaded, “ask.” But despite my urgent need to visit the restroom, I remained seated, begging time to move faster. You see, I was that type of kid to eat French Fries dry because I couldn’t confront the McDonalds cashier for some Heinz packets. I was also the type to sit crying in front of school instead of asking the office if it could check on my late ride. Essentially, I chose to struggle through a problem if the solution involved speaking out against it. For the rest of this essay, click here.

Telling your readers that you took a trip to an unfamiliar place is fine. But this paragraph is better:

Day 1: “Labbayka Allāhumma Labbayk. Labbayk Lā Sharīka Laka Labbayk,” we chant, sweat dripping onto the wispy sand in brutal Arabian heat, as millions of us prepare to march from the rocky desert hills of Mount Arafat to the cool, flat valleys of Muzdalifa. As we make our way into the Haram, my heart shakes. Tears rolling down my cheeks, we circumvent the Ka’ba one last time before embarking on Hajj, the compulsory pilgrimage of Islam. It became the spiritual, visceral, and linguistic journey of a lifetime. For the rest of this essay, click here.  

4. Be vulnerable.

Writing about yourself doesn’t need to reopen emotional wounds. If you’re wondering what to write your personal essay about, the answer isn’t necessarily “That thing I go to therapy for.”

That being said, being vulnerable in your writing is one of the best ways to showcase your accomplishments without being annoying or braggy. Share your own personal before and after—the challenges you overcame in order to accomplish something, the self-doubt you worked through to become good.

When you’re writing about yourself, contextualize it by providing a backstory. How many hours did you practice that trumpet solo before you auditioned? How many times did you run that lab test before you got the results you wanted? How many times did you try out for the varsity soccer team before you made it?

And good personal writing doesn’t always end with a traditional win. Maybe you never made the varsity soccer team, but you learned a lot about yourself when you tried out. Perhaps the results of your lab tests didn’t turn out the way you expected, but you discovered something important in the process. Show us the work that went into the person you are now.

Learning how to write about yourself doesn’t have to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Promise! Use these personal writing tips to practice being reflective before you start your college essays. Practice may not make perfect, but it will definitely make it easier for you to showcase yourself to colleges down the line.