Real Essays from Real Admitted Students
Stop reading generic essay advice. Access 600+ verified essays that got students into Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, and more. Filter by school, essay type, or topic category to find inspiration that matches your story.
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Verified Essays
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Essays from students admitted to
Common App Personal Statements
The Common App personal statement is your most important essay. Our database includes hundreds of successful essays organized by prompt and theme. See how admitted students approached each prompt and what made their responses stand out.
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Browse essays by school, prompt, theme, and admission outcome
Screenshot: School-Specific Supplements
Stanford, Princeton, Harvard supplements organized by year and prompt
School-Specific Supplements
Each school has unique supplemental essay prompts. Our database includes successful supplemental essays from 200+ colleges, organized by school and year. See exactly how admitted students tackled “Why This School” and other challenging prompts.
AI-Powered Essay Feedback
Our AI Essay Editor analyzes your essays against patterns from successful applications. Get instant feedback on structure, tone, storytelling, and what makes essays stand out to admissions officers.
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Get instant feedback and improvement suggestions on your essays
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Find essays by theme: identity, leadership, challenges, and more
Find Essays That Match Your Story
Every essay is categorized by theme so you can find inspiration that matches your story. Whether you're writing about personal identity, academic passion, overcoming challenges, or leadership, we have essays that can guide your approach.
The personal essay is your chance to be more than a number. But with hundreds of thousands of applications, how do you write something that stands out? Start by studying what worked.
Our database of 600+ verified essays includes Common App personal statements, supplemental essays, and short answers from students admitted to every top college. Filter by category—personal identity, academic interests, leadership, community service—to find essays that match your story.
Looking for essays that got into Stanford? Our database includes dozens of verified Stanford essays from admitted students, covering the “What matters most to you” prompt, the “Meaningful to you” short answer, and more. See exactly how successful applicants approached each prompt and what made their responses stand out.
Princeton's supplemental essays are notoriously challenging. Browse our collection of Princeton supplemental essays from admitted students to see how they tackled prompts about extracurricular activities, community engagement, and intellectual curiosity.
Yes, all 600+ essays in our database come from real students who applied to colleges between 2017-2024. We protect student privacy by anonymizing personal details, but all essay content and admission results are authentic and verified.
Collegebase offers a searchable database of 600+ real essays from admitted students, including Harvard. You can filter by college, essay type (Common App, supplemental, short answer), and topic category to find relevant examples.
Absolutely. Our database includes supplemental essays from 200+ colleges, organized by school and year. You can browse prompts and successful responses to help craft your own unique supplemental essays.
Our database includes Common App personal statements, school-specific supplemental essays, short answer responses, and scholarship essays. Essays are categorized by theme including personal identity, academic interests, leadership, community service, and more.
Use our essays for inspiration, structure, and understanding what works—never to copy. Study how successful writers approach topics, organize their thoughts, and convey personality. Then write your own authentic story using the insights you've gained.
Yes! Each essay in our database is linked to the student's complete profile, including their GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and admission outcomes. This context helps you understand how the essay fit into their overall application.
Join thousands of students who used real essay examples to craft compelling applications and get into their dream schools.