What Two Styles to Use for Writing Common App Essays: Evolutionary and Vignettes Sarah O'Neill Coatesville

In a world where no two sentiments are the same, why should writing a 650-word common application essay be? Sure, a general “5 paragraph essay” template is fine and should be applied to every genre of writing, but to stand out, applicants should definitely experiment with their style choices, which also include structure, once they choose their best topic and expand on that topic with details. What I am discussing now is what happens before the polishing stage as you tinker around with memorability and voice. I will discuss two styles that I identified over these ten years: EVOLUTIONARY and VIGNETTES. 

But, before we get to those, let’s read what I mean by the Common Application Essay and Writing Style. 

What is the Common Application Essay?

A Common Application essay is a personal statement that is part of the college admissions process for institutions that use the Common Application (Common App), a centralized application system for over 900 colleges and universities. The essay is an important opportunity for students to showcase their personality, experiences, and values to admissions committees, going beyond grades and test scores.

Each year, the Common App provides a list of essay prompts (typically 5–7 options), allowing students to choose one that resonates with them. These prompts encourage reflection on personal growth, challenges, passions, and life-changing moments. The essay is usually 250–650 words and should highlight qualities like creativity, problem-solving, self-awareness, and resilience.

What is Writing Style?

Writing style refers to the distinct way in which a writer expresses ideas through language. It encompasses various elements, including word choice, sentence structure, tone, and overall organization, which together create a unique voice or character in the writing. Writing style can be formal or informal, descriptive or straightforward, personal or objective, depending on the context and purpose of the text.

The writing style of a Common Application essay is characterized by its intimate, introspective, and narrative qualities, distinct from academic or formal writing. It serves as a direct window into the applicant's character and worldview, blending authenticity with reflection.

What is an Evolutionary Essay, and What is its Structure?

An evolutionary-style personal narrative is a type of storytelling that focuses on the progression of personal growth and transformation over time. In this style, the narrative traces a journey—whether emotional, intellectual, or experiential—showing how the narrator has evolved due to specific experiences, challenges, or realizations.

As for its structure, your exposition would start with the beginning of ONE story, and you would EVOLVE that story up until the very end in which you’d branch out into reflections. Your first paragraph introduces the situation, the body provides a chronological progression of that situation (perhaps even a flashback to your background if needed), and it trails off into how you see yourself in the future. It definitely can be a satisfying style and structure for admissions officers to read - feeling fulfilled from beginning to end. 

Take a look at an INTRO and CONCLUSION of an EVOLUTIONARY-type of essay:

INTRO: Transcending time and space, our living room is a portal to the past. Between its four walls, it holds the echoes of home concerts: wai gong belting out tunes from Peking Opera, while a younger me attacks the baby grand with gusto. Even now, I wish I could travel back to when I was five years old, poised on the piano bench, feet dangling. Hydrangeas and daylilies formed the audience as I, accentuating every note, played an (objectively poor) rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” As the dying fall hung in the air, wai gong sprung from the sofa, clapping with such intensity that you would have thought Rubenstein had just performed.

CONCLUSION: Although I miss our concerts, the living room has now become a blank score of possibilities waiting for us to compose new “music” together - no matter the medium.

Now, what is the Vignette Style, and What is its Structure?

A vignette-style essay is a type of writing that presents a brief, vivid snapshot of a specific moment, experience, or scene, focusing on mood, detail, and atmosphere rather than a full narrative arc. Unlike traditional essays, vignette-style essays do not follow a linear structure or require a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, they often depict a series of isolated, powerful scenes or moments that collectively reveal deeper insights or themes.

Take a look at an INTRO and CONCLUSION of a VIGNETTE-style Essay:

INTRO: During hot summer nights, I used to sit in a bamboo chair on the balcony, rocking gently back and forth while my mom taught me mesmerizing ancient Chinese proverbs. I found one specific story, “Jing Di Zhi Wa”, intriguing. I was told it meant “A frog in a well does not know the ocean”, but I never understood it. 

CONCLUSION: My life is a ragbag of events that furl and unfurl with the change of the tides. Only when reflect do I realize the order unfolding across my experiences. My life couldn’t have widened without corresponding setbacks. Ultimately, they make up my journey from well to world. For a long time, I thought “Jing Di Zhi Wa” was about two different frogs—one in the well without perspective, and one in the ocean with it. In fact, they are the same frog, but at different times. Through painful but rewarding experiences, the frog in the well finds its way to the ocean. 

*In the bodies, the writer identified three stories that fit in with her MOTIF of widening her world. This won her admission into Columbia! A motif is like that STRING of a message that you are pulling through the entirety of the piece to tie it all together. BEWARE of vignette-style as it can sound like a listy resume. It has to be done right! 

If you have any questions or need help with your college application essays, feel free to email me at sarahoneill3232@gmail.com  Supreme Editing, LLC. 

Sarah O'Neill, Supreme Editing, Coatesville