What Are the ApplyTexas Essay Prompts for 2019-2020?
If you’re a rising 12th grader interested in attending school in Texas, you might have heard about the ApplyTexas program. Designed to streamline your application process, this application could be the only one you have to fill out if the schools you want to attend participate.
In this post, we’ll give you an overview of ApplyTexas and provide the essay prompts for the 2019-2020 application cycle. If you think you might be going to college in Texas, you won’t want to miss this post.
Learn how to write the ApplyTexas essays for 2019-2020.
What Is ApplyTexas?
ApplyTexas is a collaboration between Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and many of the colleges and universities in the state. The program provides a streamlined process for applying to any Texas public university, as well as to participating community and private colleges.
Its online portal allows applicants to fill out a single application which can then be submitted to any number of schools that participate. Students can also apply for scholarships from participating universities and search for and view both general and university specific information.
Although ApplyTexas participant schools all accept the same application, other requirements such as application deadlines, fees, and essay supplements vary. You can learn more about the program, including which schools participate, in our post What is ApplyTexas? What Colleges Use It?.
What Are the ApplyTexas Essay Prompts for 2019-2020?
For first-year students applying through ApplyTexas, the essay prompts for 2019-2020 are as follows:
Topic A:
What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it has shaped you as a person.
Topic B:
Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.
Topic C:
You’ve got a ticket in your hand – Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?
Topic D:
(Please Note: The essay in this section is specific to certain college majors and is not required by all colleges/universities that accept the Apply Texas Application. If you are not applying for a major in Architecture, Art, Art History, Design, Studio Art, Visual Art Studies/Art Education, you are not required to write this essay.)
Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?
3 Tips for the ApplyTexas Essay
1. Check Individual School Requirements
This is an integral step if you want to be successful and not waste enormous amounts of time. Although ApplyTexas provides these prompts, if you visit the application instructions page on their website, you will learn that most colleges and universities in Texas do not require essays as part of the admissions process.
Yes, that’s right. Depending on which schools you plan to apply to, you might not even need to write an essay. Some colleges do certainly require an essay, but the majority do not. Do you research in advance to learn what the exact requirements are at every school on your list.
2. Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm
While the application software allows you to type your essay directly into the application field, this is not the intention and is not recommended. You will need to carefully consider your essay topic in advance by doing lots of brainstorming. A few questions to get you started might include:
- “Who Am I?”
- “Why Am I Here?”
- “What is Unique About Me?”
- “What Matters to Me?”
- “What Experiences Have Made Me Who I Am?”
Keep a running list of your answers to these questions so that you can thoughtfully plan your essay well ahead of time. Then write several drafts offline before you upload your polished piece into the final application.
3. Get Some Help From the Pros
Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.
For more tips on writing college essays, check out these CollegeVine posts:
College Essay Structures & How to Approach Them
What Is a College Personal Statement?
What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?
