Academic Writing Tips
20 + Application Essay Examples: Real Stories That Got Accepted
Author:
Jordan Blake
Aug 1, 2025
10 min
Table of contents
- What Makes a Great Application Essay?
- Application Essay Examples: Background, Identity, or Talent
- Application Essay Examples: Overcoming a Challenge
- Application Essay Examples: Personal Growth
- Application Essay Examples: Gratitude or Influence
- Application Essay Examples: Accomplishment
- Application Essay Examples: Passion or Interest
- Application Essay Examples: A Challenge in Your Community
- Application Essay Tips
- Let’s Recap
- FAQs
Writing an application essay feels odd. You’re told to be personal, but polished. Honest, but strategic. Like you're supposed to sum up your life and do it by midnight.
Most students write about identity, challenges, growth, passions, or community. They reveal what shaped you, what you care about, and where you’re headed next.
This article gives you application essay examples that actually reflect someone’s voice. You’ll see what works, what matters, and how to shape your own.
And if it ever feels too tangled to untangle on your own, EssayWriter is a platform that gets it. We help future college students write, revise, and rethink.
What Makes a Great Application Essay?
Now, let’s skip the polished advice and get real for a second. Good college application essays are the ones that stay with you do something else entirely:
- They sound like someone, not something. A great essay doesn’t read like it came out of a template. It sounds like a person thinking out loud, figuring stuff out as they go.
- They stick to one thing and dig deep. It’s not about covering your whole life story. It’s about picking one thread and pulling it until something true shows up.
- They leave a trace. Maybe it’s a line that lingers. Maybe it’s a feeling. But when it’s done right, the reader remembers you, without needing to reread.
- They show the shift. Whether it’s a quiet moment or something loud, good essays show you were one way, and then you weren’t.
- They don’t fake it. Real beats impressive every time.
Application Essay Examples: Background, Identity, or Talent
This type of essay is about where you come from, your culture, upbringing, family, or a specific talent that shaped how you see the world. It’s not about bragging or listing facts. It’s about showing how something core to who you are has influenced how you move through life.
Application Essay Examples: Overcoming a Challenge
This one asks you to talk about a moment that tested you. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, but it does need to show what changed. What was hard? How did you react? And most importantly, what did the experience leave behind in you that’s still there now?
- One piece of who you are that feels real and rooted
- Specific moments that bring this part of your life to life
- What it means to you, how it shaped your values, how it shows up in your day-to-day, or what it taught you about yourself.
Application Essay Examples: Personal Growth
If you’ve changed in a real way, your thinking, outlook, or priorities, this is where you unpack it. The focus here is internal. It’s less about what happened around you and more about what shifted within you and how you carried that forward.
- Focus on how your thinking or perspective changed.
- Show how you now respond differently to situations.
- Highlight what you learned about yourself along the way.
Application Essay Examples: Gratitude or Influence
Sometimes, the best way to write about yourself is by writing about someone else. This essay centers on a person, event, or idea that left a mark on you. It’s not just about admiration. It’s about showing how someone or something shaped your values or direction.
- Choose someone or something that genuinely changed you
- Focus on how it shaped your thinking or behavior
- Show what you carry with you because of that influence
Application Essay Examples: Accomplishment
Yes, you’re allowed to write about something you’re proud of. But the best accomplishment essays go beyond the trophy. What mattered wasn’t the award; it was the effort, the failure before it, the decision to keep going. That’s what this type of essay really wants to see.
- Focus on the effort, not just the result
- Show what you struggled with or had to overcome
- Reflect on how it shaped your mindset or growth
Application Essay Examples: Passion or Interest
This essay gives you room to talk about what lights you up. A topic you can lose time in, something you keep coming back to without being told. It’s not about sounding impressive. It’s about letting your curiosity or obsession speak for itself in an honest, grounded way.
- Choose something you return to, even when no one asks
- Show what you do with that interest and how it makes you feel
- Let your voice carry the energy, not big words or explanations
Application Essay Examples: A Challenge in Your Community
Here, the spotlight shifts outward. This essay looks at a problem, tension, or challenge in a community you’re part of, and how you responded to it. The key isn’t saving the day. It’s showing that you noticed, cared, and tried to make something just a little better.
- Choose a challenge you have personally seen or experienced
- Focus on small, thoughtful actions
- Reflect on what the experience taught you about responsibility and empathy
Application Essay Tips
There’s no secret formula, but there is a way to write an essay that sounds like a real person. Here are a few things that genuinely help with writing an application essay:
- Give yourself time. Let things sit, come back, rework.
- Don’t write to impress, write to connect. If it sounds like a college brochure, start over.
- Begin messy. First drafts are chaotic but you can clean it up later.
- Get specific. One moment, one scene, one sentence that only you could write. That’s what lands.
- Show what changed. It doesn’t need to be a big moment, just one that left a mark.
- Read it out loud. If you cringe, fix it. If it flows, you’re close.
- Ask for feedback from someone who knows you. They’ll catch the parts that don’t sound like you.
Let’s Recap
Before you head off to write, here are a few things worth keeping in mind: a good essay sounds like a real human being, not a résumé; you don’t need a huge story. Just one that means something to you; voice, honesty, and reflection carry more weight than perfect grammar.
If you’re stuck or unsure how to shape your draft, EssayWriter is a solid place to turn. We help students one-on-one, whether you need a free AI essay writer or guidance from a human professional.
FAQ
How to Make an Application Essay Stand Out?
Write something only you could write. Skip the fancy words and polished clichés. Focus on one story, moment, or shift in perspective, and let it feel personal, even a little unfinished. The most memorable essays sound like someone thinking in real time.
What Does a College Application Essay Look Like?
It looks like a short, true story from your life, told in your own voice. Around 500–650 words. No need for a formal intro or conclusion. Just a beginning, a middle, and a moment that made something click. That's all you need.
Sources
Johns Hopkins University. (n.d.). Essays that Worked [College Planning Guide]. Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved July 11, 2025, from
