50 Best Essay Prompts for College Students in 2024

• Nov 05, 2024
• 7 min read

• Tags: Academic Writing, Artificial Intelligence, Essay, Language

Are you a college student looking for inspiring essay topics? Look no further! Discover 50 amazing essay prompts for college applications and scholarships! 

These essay prompts will help you highlight your personal growth, unique perspective, experiences, and future goals. So without further ado, let’s explore these prompts! 

Practical essay prompts for college applications 

1. Write about your favorite subject that became your academic passion and changed your life. 

2. Elaborate about a book that changed your perspective and created an impact. 

3. Craft an essay about a difficult decision you made that transformed your life. 

4. Describe an incident of injustice you witnessed which made you make an important choice. 

5. Explain how your unique personal experiences, family, and upbringing had an impact on your career. 

6. Describe how you solved a problem using your skills, making your passion a successful business later. 

7. Write about how you participated in a massive event/competition that made you learn a life-changing lesson. Explain how you applied this lesson for personal/professional growth. 

8. Craft an essay explaining how another person gave you valuable advice that had an amazing effect on your life. 

9. Describe how a failure made you more determined to succeed in a project. 

10. Explain about an inner conflict you faced, the outcome, and how you decided to never give up. 

11. Write about how joining a group and volunteering helped you overcome your fears and insecurities. 

12. Write about how a movie/web series inspired you to make an important change in your life. 

13. Describe how your dream came true, its positive impact, challenges, and what you learned. 

14. Explain how growing up in an underprivileged community with fewer resources had an impact on your life. 

15. Talk about an important photo that you have always treasured and why and how it’s memorable and inspiring. 

16. Reflect on how a funny incident changed your perspective forever. 

17. Compare and contrast your and another family member’s experiences and how it made a deep impact on you. 

18. Write about a story that gave you courage in tough times to succeed. 

19. Describe how being a group leader made you learn and realize something important, shaping your career. 

20. Talk about your struggle to develop a good daily routine, your success, and its impact on your personal growth. 

21. Write about one of the most memorable days of your life and what you experienced. 

22. Describe a trip that shaped your perspective and influenced you. 

23. Explain how music played an important role in your personal life and career. 

24. Write about the challenges you faced while moving into a new city, what you learned, and your personal growth. 

25. Describe an incident where your idea/belief was challenged and what did you learn from the incident. 

26. Reflect on how you faced problems due to differences in language and culture and what those experiences taught you. 

27. Explain about a moment when you had to strongly take a stand for what you believed in. 

28. Write about a time when you had to plan and organize for a massive event and what you learned from it. 

29. Describe a time when you had to take initiative for an important role and its outcome. 

30. Narrate an incident where you had to be a good negotiator/mediator and what it taught you. 

Now let’s see engaging essay prompts for college scholarships! 

Good essay prompts for college scholarships 

31. Write about how winning this scholarship will help you accomplish your future goals. 

32. Describe your journey, explain how you had to move out of your comfort zone, and the outcome. 

33. Elaborate why you are passionate about your chosen field of study. Explain how you would like to bring a positive change through your education. 

34. Craft an essay about a memorable project, essay, or initiative that you are proud of. What did the experience teach you?

35. Explain in detail about your struggle to ensure time management and develop healthy habits and how you achieved success. 

36. Write about a time when you had to adapt to a new situation or environment. How did you overcome any challenges? 

37. Discuss a social or political issue you are passionate about. 

38. Narrate an incident where you had to face a phobia/fear. How did you overcome it and what did it teach you? 

39. Write about how sports have positively affected your life. 

40. Explain how you had to convince people to fulfill your dream. What communication strategies did you use? 

41. Why do you feel you should get this scholarship? Talk about what makes you stand out from others, your story, family background, hobbies, and unique experiences. 

42. Talk about your efforts to improve your mental health and how you decided to support others who are struggling. 

43. Write about any financial challenges you experienced, how you faced them, and the importance of this scholarship. 

44. Describe how you accepted your unique identity and how you opened up about your identity to your family, and discuss the outcome. 

45. Explain in detail about your plans to study abroad and how this scholarship will help you achieve your dreams. 

46. Talk about a moment when you had to think out of the box and quickly find a solution to a problem. Reflect on what you learned. 

47. Describe a time when you had to be a good public speaker. How did you prepare for the experience and what did you learn? 

48. Write about a time you helped someone and how the experience made an impact on your life. 

49. Reflect on how your values, passions, and aspirations align with the mission and values of the organization offering this scholarship. 

50. Describe a significant event or experience that has shaped your perspective on the role of art and creativity in society. 

With the growing popularity of ChatGPT, students can use it to enhance their essays. The next section explores how to use ChatGPT for essay writing. We’ve also included useful, sample ChatGPT prompts for college essays! 

How to use ChatGPT for essay writing 

1. Give ChatGPT a prompt and ask for related ideas. (Example: “Give me 20 ideas related to the topic “Cultural diversity” for writing a descriptive essay.”) 

2. Ask ChatGPT to give examples to support your point for the chosen essay topic. (Example: “Provide me 10 examples of recent times to support the opinion that AI”.) 

3. Request ChatGPT to explain the typical structure of the type of essay you’re writing (e.g., argumentative, narrative, or compare and contrast). (Example: “Tell me how to write an argumentative essay on the topic “Should online gambling be restricted or banned?”) 

4. Provide ChatGPT with a specific point or argument from your outline and ask it to expand on that idea. (Example: Expand on the argument “Countries must implement stricter gun control laws to reduce mass shootings and gun-related homicides”.) 

5. Paste your essay in ChatGPT and ask it to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. (Example: Tell me the strengths and weaknesses of the following essay titled “Ecotourism in the 21st Century”- [Insert text]). 

6. Give ChatGPT your essay outline and request suggestions for improvement or additional points to include. 

7. Paste your text in ChatGPT and ask ChatGPT to identify punctuation, spelling, or grammar errors in your draft.

8. Request alternatives for overused or repetitive words and phrases. (Example: Give me an alternative for the word “symbiotic”.). 

Note: While AI tools are helpful, it is essential to verify the accuracy of AI-generated content.

This concludes our article about good essay prompts for college students. Now you can select the most relevant essay prompts for college essays.

After writing your essay, the next step will be to edit it. At PaperTrue, our trained editors provide expert essay editing services to ensure high-quality essays. We also leverage advanced AI technology to edit and deliver polished documents faster. Don’t hesitate to contact us to ensure you have a polished essay ready for submission in time! 

Here are some other useful resources for you: 

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Priya

Priya has a talent for academic research and enjoys simplifying complex topics. When she's not helping students improve their writing, she can be seen reading poetry, playing the harmonium, or learning classical dance.