Why You Should Start Your Common App Essay After AP Exams

At Weil College Advising, we’ve seen it time and again: students who begin their Common Application essay early—right after AP exams—start their college process with confidence, clarity, and a strong head start.

Why after AP exams? Because by late May or early June, the stress of standardized testing is behind you, school is winding down, and summer hasn’t yet kicked into full gear. It’s the perfect window to reflect, write, and revise your essay without distractions.

How Should You Decide What to Write About?

Keep in mind that colleges already have a lot of information about you: your transcript, your extracurriculars, your demographic profile, and (often) teacher recommendations. But they don’t yet know your voice—your values, your perspective, or the story only you can tell.

Your college essay is your chance to share something personal that isn’t already obvious on paper. It’s a window into what matters to you, how you think, and who you are beyond your GPA and test scores.

The key? Choose a topic that allows you to tell your most important story in your most authentic voice.

Take Action!

Here’s a great exercise we use at Weil College Advising to help students get started:

• Step 1: Read each Common App essay prompt.

• Step 2: Set a timer for two minutes per prompt.

• Step 3: Jot down the first one, two, or three ideas that come to mind for each question.

Don’t overthink it! Some prompts might spark lots of ideas; others may be tougher. Either way, in just 15 minutes, you’ll have a working list of potential essay topics.

Put that list away for a week or two, then revisit it. Which topics are you still thinking about? Which ones feel the most you? Which responses come most naturally? That’s your sign. Start there.

At Weil College Advising, This Is What We Do

We work closely with students to help them uncover their strongest stories and shape them into essays that are both powerful and personal. Starting early—right after AP exams—is one of the smartest moves you can make.