How to Write a Winning Common Application Essay

For high school juniors and seniors across the United States, the college application season brings one looming challenge: the common application essay.

With a 650-word limit to summarize your identity, growth, and potential, the pressure to stand out is immense. Admissions officers at top-tier universities aren't just looking for high GPAs and test scores — they are looking for "global citizens," students with empathy, resilience, and a perspective that extends beyond their zip code.

This is where your time with Projects Abroad becomes your greatest competitive advantage. But simply having an international experience isn’t enough; it’s how you translate that experience into a compelling narrative that wins over admissions committees.

Here is how your Projects Abroad program can provide the "spark" for a winning common application essay.

1. Finding Your "Identity"

Common App Prompt 1: Share a story about a meaningful part of your background, identity, interest, or talent.

The most successful essays are those that showcase a specific lens through which you view the world. If you spent your summer participating in a Medical Internship in Spain or Sea Turtle & Coastal Conservation in the Maldives, you have a unique "interest" that is backed by real-world action.

The Strategy: Instead of writing broadly about "loving science," write about the specific moment you realized that healthcare is as much about cultural trust as it is about medicine. Use your Projects Abroad experience to show, not tell, your commitment to your future field.

2. Demonstrating Resilience Through Challenges

Common App Prompt 2: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.

Admissions officers love "grit." When you travel to a different country, things don’t always go according to plan. Perhaps there was a language barrier during your Rhino Conservation project in Nepal, or perhaps the physical demands of living and working in the Amazon Rainforest were harder than you anticipated.

The Strategy: Focus on a moment of frustration or "culture shock" and, more importantly, how you navigated it. How did you adapt? How did you learn to communicate without words? This shows colleges that you are prepared for the rigors and unfamiliarity of campus life.

3. Avoiding the "Volunteer Cliché"

One of the biggest pitfalls in a common application essay is the "Savior Narrative" — the idea that you went abroad and "fixed" a community. Admissions officers are wary of this.

The Projects Abroad Edge: Because our programs are developed and managed by local staff - who you'll work alongside - your essay can focus on reciprocity. Projects also take place year-round and are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which means one person can make a big impact in just two-weeks, contributing to something much larger and longer-term. For example, we are the only provider who works full-time with the Galapagos National Park, giving a unique insight into conservation in a global context but also a totally local cultural setting at the same time.

The Strategy: Write about what the local community taught you. Shift the focus from "I helped them" to "They challenged my worldview." This demonstrates humility and intellectual curiosity — traits that are gold in the admissions office.

4. Personal Growth and Maturity

Common App Prompt 3: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth.

High school is a bubble. Stepping out of that bubble and into a Community Development project in Vietnam or a Culture & Adventure project in Japan is often the first time a student truly functions as an independent adult.

The Strategy: Detail a specific "Eureka!" moment. Maybe it was a conversation with your host family over dinner, or a realization while observing a courtroom in a different legal system. Contrast who you were before the trip with who you were when you stepped off the plane back in the US.

5. Connecting the Dots for Your Future

For students applying to specialized programs (pre-med, law, environmental Science), a Projects Abroad experience provides the "Why."

When your college asks, "Why do you want to study Marine Biology?" you don't have to give a theoretical answer. You can point to the weeks you spent collecting data on coral reefs in Thailand.

This turns your common application essay from a dream into a proven direction of travel.

Final Tip: Focus on the "Small" Moments

You don't need to describe the entire two weeks of your program. The best essays focus on a single, vivid "slice of life" — a specific conversation, task, or thing you saw.

Ready to give yourself the ultimate essay hook?

An international service project or internship is more than just a line on your resume — it’s a transformational experience that provides the raw material for a world-class college application.

Explore our High School Specials designed specifically for students aged 14 to 18, and start building the story that will get you into your dream school.

Here's what we know

It's all about what you can take away from your experience with us. That's why we ask teens who travel with us about the impact on them, personally.

Here's what they told us they took from their time with Projects Abroad:

Personal growth

93% felt more confident about themselves and their abilities
80% developed leadership skills
97% became more independent
94% felt they had become more adaptable to new situations

Cultural awareness

93% developed a better understanding of global issues
81% said they were more likely to view themselves as global citizens

Education & Career

93% would add their experience to their common application essay(s)
75% got skills or insight to support them in college
76% got "career clarity" through their experience, helping them to think more clearly about their future