If you have read the previous blogs, your mind must be swirling with ideas and thoughts and you may be slightly overwhelmed. Take a deep breath-read on. 
 

 

Essay Prompt 5

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 

There are two distinct facets to this essay:

The first which asks to you identify an accomplishment, event or realisation–the relevance of these instances leads to the 2nd facet of the essay prompt that asks for personal growth and a new understanding of self or others.

This essay calls for introspection and analysis of a meaningful situation which results in an enhanced awareness of ‘yourself’ or maybe ‘somebody else’. Do not delve very far back into your childhood-your level of insights at age ten may not be strong enough to take this essay through. Avoid events like birthday parties; meeting somebody you admired or detested, or eating a particularly meaningful meal can make for a better essay.

Keep in mind that the "accomplishment, event, or realization" doesn't have to be a triumphant moment in your life. An accomplishment can be learning to deal with setbacks or failure, and the event could be one in which you forgot your lines on stage. Part of maturing is learning to accept our own shortcomings, and recognizing that failure is both inevitable and an opportunity to learn.

Most Important of All: "Discuss"

When you "discuss" your event or accomplishment, make sure you push yourself to think analytically. It has to go beyond a narration, a description or a summary. The essay needs to project your ability to explore the impact of the ‘event’ on your life

It can be interpreted as a ‘rite of passage’ essay where adding a learning experience is mandatory. The current pandemic and its impact on the ever-changing interpretation of the ‘normal’ should give you fodder for this topic.

 

Thinking Points

 

Accomplishments and Events

• You do something independently for the first time such as preparing a meal for the family, flying across the country, or looking after senior citizens in your neighburhood. 
• You overcome or learn to appreciate a disability or handicap.
• Working alone or with a team, you win an award or recognition (a gold medal in a music competition, a strong showing in Odyssey of the Mind, a successful fundraising campaign, etc.)
• You successfully navigate or extricate yourself from a dangerous or challenging situation (an abusive family, a problematic peer group, etc.)
• You complete a meaningful service project like a menstrual hygiene awareness camp  
• You have an interaction with someone (whether that be a friend, family member or stranger) that opens your awareness in a profound way.
• You experience a traumatic event such as an accident or sudden loss that makes you re-evaluate your behaviour or beliefs.
• You are moved by a world event that makes you reflect upon what you most value and what your role in the world might be.

Realization 

• You realize that you can accomplish something you hadn't thought possible.
• You realize your limitations.
• You realize that failure is as valuable as success.
• You realize that your understanding of people who are different than you had been limited or faulty.
• You experience something that makes you realize that you need to redefine your priorities.

The most important thing to keep in mind when searching for these moments is the element of growth, understanding, and transformation. The event, accomplishment, or realization you discuss should be something that helped you understand the world around you through a different, more mature lens.

 

Essay Excerpt-A student who learnt being open to different perspectives

 

 

Essay Prompt 6

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Describe—Describing your "topic, idea, or concept" is necessary to orient your reader. While responding to the question "why" should be at the heart of your answer, answering the ‘What’ part of the essay requires insights into how you fulfil your quest to learn more.

This essay is about the things you are curious about; ideas that you are passionate about and ultimately what is the fuel that propels your enthusiasm; its much more than an interest-it is a quest. You need to demonstrate your compulsion, fascination and infatuation keeping in mind the following parameters -

Why, When, What, Where and How.

 

Thinking Points

 

• An academic area of interest you have pursued–does the chemical composition of paints used in the 15th century intrigue you? Can we replicate them or have we bettered the pigments and paints we currently use?
• Did your love for watching family drama serials on TV propel you to do an analysis of the impact of current politics on family entertainment? 
• Did a childhood hobby of collecting stamps lead you to showcasing your knowledge of philately in the public space? 
• On any given Sunday morning, will we find you lost in the literature of Rabindranath Tagore or submerged in Manga comics?
• Did the idea of open source code inspire you to create a tech startup with a few of your friends? What projects do you work on, and why is the idea of sharing information still so revolutionary?
• How watching your grandma put papaya pulp on her skin led you research and explore about natural skin care products that can come out the kitchen? Maybe you have your own Instagram or a YouTube channel about it? 

At the end, like all the other topics, you need to be able to show your growth as an individual as well as progress in your stated interest. You also need to demonstrate your balancing act as you navigate between school work, home and your stated quest.  

Keep in mind that option #6 can overlap a bit with other options, especially option #4, a problem you'd like to solve-so this essay has to be presented differently.

 

Essay Excerpt-A student intrigued by reading

 

 

Essay Prompt 7

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. 

This topic seems the simplest-in reality, it could be the one that proves to be the most complex. Before attempting this essay, be mindful that it does not fit into any of the OTHER 6 PROMPTS. Do discuss with your teacher, mentor, peers and family that the content is truly unique ad does not mimic the expectations from the other prompts.

 

Thinking Points 

• Do you write great stories? Do you want to share one as your essay?
• Do you have a motto, or mantra you go by?
• Are you a pun-tastic person? Do you want to tell your story punnily? 

 

RECAP

 

This is your chance to add to your application-your essay is the ‘differential’ that can successfully convert your application into an admission. Start strong and fast to grab the reader
Have a POINT

How will you know which prompt best expresses ‘you’?
Evaluate the essay topics under the following guidelines:
1. Does this topic speak to me?
2. Does it convey something about me which is not in the application?
3. Does my essay show me in a humane light? 
4. Do I leave a ‘would love to meet this person’ impact?

The Actionable

• Attempt at least 2/3 prompts- write 200-250 words on each. 
• Use the above template to assess. 
• Share with others-choose between your teacher, mentor, coach, peers and maybe a parent. Get another opinion but be judicious in your choice-pick a person who knows you and can be objective about your work as well. 
• Write 
• Read Aloud and record- this is a simple but effective tip to assess the structure and flow of your essay. 
• Rewrite-share-take feedback-rewrite.
• Sit on it for a couple of weeks, even a month.
• Reread with fresh eyes-you should be able to spot the inherent deficiencies. Edit.
• Proof read, reread, proof read.  
• Take a final feedback and your essay is good to upload. 

Tips 

• Your essay is supposed to be between 250 and 650 words-but do not submit anything less than 630 words. 
• Start early-the essay topics are shared in advance so that you write the essay with clarity of thought, structure and correct grammar. 
• Starting in advance will give you time to write, rewrite, edit and polish your essay.

Stay calm and stay safe. And start writing the essay.

 

If you havent read the previous blogs of this series yet, follow the links below:

College Application Essays: Getting Started
The Common Application Prompts: 1 & 2

The Common Application Prompts: 3 & 4