On this page
Good news first: formatting a Common App essay is much simpler than formatting a school paper. You do not upload a document. You paste plain text into a box, so fonts, margins, line spacing and MLA headings all disappear.
What does matter is that your paragraphs survive the paste and the essay reads cleanly on the reader's screen. Here is what to do.
The short version
- No MLA or APA format, no heading with your name, teacher or date.
- No title required. Add one only if it genuinely helps.
- Paragraphs separated by a blank line, not by an indent.
- Between 250 and 650 words.
- Plain text. Do not rely on bold, italics or special characters surviving.
Fonts, spacing and MLA
None of these apply. The Common App shows every essay in its own font and spacing, so a reader never sees your choice of Times New Roman or double spacing. Write in whatever document you like, then paste the text.
MLA and APA are formats for academic papers with citations. A personal essay has no sources to cite, so leave the heading, page numbers and works cited out.
Paragraphs
Tabs and first-line indents often do not survive a paste into a web form. Separate paragraphs with an empty line instead, so each one is clearly visible.
Short paragraphs are fine, and a one-line paragraph can land a turn or a punchline. A wall of text with no breaks is harder to read on a screen than it was in your document.
Should a college essay have a title?
It is optional, and most do not have one. A title adds nothing if it is generic ("My Common App Essay") and it counts toward your word limit if you type it into the box. If a short title adds a layer of meaning, put it on the first line on its own.
How to paste without breaking anything
- 1Finish editing in your document and run a final spell check there.
- 2Copy the text into a plain text editor (Notes, TextEdit in plain text mode, or Notepad) to strip hidden formatting.
- 3Copy it from there into the Common App essay box.
- 4Check that paragraph breaks, apostrophes and quotation marks came through correctly.
- 5Check the word count the box shows, then preview the PDF of your application before you submit.
Dialogue, quotes and special characters
- Dialogue is fine. Use ordinary quotation marks and keep it short: a line or two that matters.
- Words from another language are fine too, but characters outside the Latin alphabet may not display correctly. Check the preview.
- Avoid emoji, symbols and bullet points in the personal essay. It should read as prose.
- Italics and bold may or may not survive the paste, so never let a sentence depend on them.
Questions
A score out of 100, a note on every sentence, the paragraph costing you most and a 10-point draft check, in 5–10 minutes. We never write a word of your essay.
Check my essay →