Colleges Want THIS in Your Challenges and Circumstances Essay—Are You Ready?
- Kelly Anthony
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
She stared at the blank page, fingers hovering over the keyboard, heart pounding. The Challenges and Circumstances Essay prompt seemed simple enough, but every sentence she typed felt wrong. Delete. Reword. Delete again. She wasn’t just writing an essay—she was trying to prove she was worthy of her dream school.
What if she had started sooner? What if she had a clear plan?
The good news? You don’t have to make the same mistake. Whether you're a junior just starting your college journey or a transfer student navigating the process, there’s a smarter way to approach your essays. And it starts with understanding how to craft a Challenges and Circumstances Essay that truly reflects your story.
Big Changes for the 2025-2026 Common App
After gathering valuable feedback from students, counselors, teachers, and colleges, Common App has announced that the 2025-2026 essay prompts will remain the same as last year. However, there are two significant changes coming to the optional “Additional Information” section, effective August 1, 2025.
What’s Changing?
New “Challenges and Circumstances” Question
The previous "Community Disruption" question will be replaced with a broader "Challenges and Circumstances" question.
This update allows students to share a wider range of experiences, from family disruptions to access to technology and even global hardships.
The word and character limits will remain the same:
250 words for first-year applicants
1,250 characters for transfer applicants
Changes to the Additional Information Section
First-year applicants: Word limit reduced from 650 words to 300 words.
Transfer applicants: Character limit reduced from 3,500 characters to 1,500 characters.
Starting August 1, students who exceed the new word limit will receive an error message and will need to revise their response.
Why These Changes?
Common App is committed to ensuring that every student has a fair and clear way to share their experiences. These updates were made after consulting with advisory committees and listening to feedback from students and educators.
2025-2026 Common App Essay Prompts
While the Additional Information section has changed, the main essay prompts remain the same, giving students a variety of ways to share their unique stories:
Background, Identity, or Talent: Share a story that defines you.
Lessons from Obstacles: How have challenges shaped you?
Challenging a Belief: Describe a time you questioned an idea.
Gratitude & Impact: Reflect on an unexpected act of kindness.
Personal Growth: An event that changed your understanding of yourself or others.
Passions & Interests: A topic that fascinates you.
Free Choice: Submit an essay on any topic.
What This Means for Students
Start early! While some schools are discussing college options with juniors and transfer students, there’s no need to rush into writing. However, beginning in May or early summer can help reduce stress later.
Reflect before you write. The prompts are designed to help you tell your story in a meaningful way. Take time to brainstorm before drafting.
Use available resources. Common App provides essay writing guides and video tutorials to help students craft compelling responses.
Plan for the new word limits. The Additional Information section now has tighter constraints, so students should be concise and strategic in what they share.
Final Tips for a Strong Application
With the changes to the Challenges and Circumstances Essay, students now have a more structured way to share the challenges that have shaped their academic journey. Admissions officers want to see resilience, self-awareness, and personal growth—so be thoughtful and intentional in how you craft your response.
If you’re a junior or transfer student, now is the perfect time to start thinking, brainstorming, and planning for your essays.
Your Challenges and Circumstances Essay could be the key to standing out in your college application—so start writing it today!
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