Winning Essays

Six students share the personal “Common App” essay that helped get them into a Top 20 school.

  • “I plan to pursue Public Policy, so Big Green helped me craft an essay about how I discovered my passion for serving low-income communities.”

    Thomas (Brown)

  • “My faith is a key component of my personality, so Big Green helped me write a personal essay that blended academic ambition with spirituality.”

    — Alexandra (Notre Dame)

  • “Big Green helped me define my personal narrative as someone who wants to combine tech-based entrepreneurship with environmental conservation.”

    — Benicio (Stanford)

  • “Big Green helped me talk about my signature high school achievement in a way that was fun and accessible — but above all — deeply personal.”

    — Saanvi (MIT)

  • “Because American universities use holistic admissions, I was able to compensate for inconsistent grades with really strong essays.”

    — Adil (UC Berkeley)

  • “Big Green helped me understand that the whole point of the Personal Statement is to showcase your personality: to show the real you.”

    — Peter (Yale)

Some names and images were changed for privacy.