The College Application Gets A Makeover

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The college application is getting a makeover.

The common application is used by over 700 colleges and universities. The latest version of the application has seven essay prompts. In addition to two new questions, several have been revised.

Brenda Bernstein is a college essay and resume coach based in Madison, Wisconsin. She says one of the new questions is designed to measure a prospective student's passion for a particular subject or topic.

"Describe a topic, idea, or concept that you find so engaging that it makes you lose track of all time. I think that's pretty cool."

Another prompt asks you to share an essay you've already written. Bernstein says the downside to sharing an old essay is that the reader may not get to know the real you.

"It's not showing enough of the student or the personality or growth of the student," Bernstein said.