The Common Application Essay: Prompts 3 & 4

The Common App Essay continued…

We do hope you have managed to read the previous blogs of this series. It must be clear to you by now that for your essay to become truly memorable, it requires a riveting introduction and a meaningful conclusion that compels the admission committee to read it again.

So, let’s continue decoding the common app essay prompts.

Essay Prompt 3

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

This essay should be about challenging norms, conventions or the status quo. In challenging an existing norm or belief, you need to highlight your own values. There are 3 parts to this prompt too and these form the guiding points of your essay.

1. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. Do understand that belief or idea could be your own, a family member’s or even that of a group.

• Reflection is far more than summarizing or reminiscing, it is not recounting. To "reflect" upon something you did is to ‘introspect’ and then create the ‘actionable’ based on your analysis. 
• What were you thinking at the time, and in retrospect, were your thoughts at the time appropriate? 
• How have your questions and actions played a role in your personal growth?

2. What prompted your thinking? 
If you did the first part of the question effectively (reflect), then you've already responded to this part of the question.

• Explain why you were challenging the belief or idea.
• How did your own beliefs and ideas motivate you to question challenge some other belief or idea?
• What was the tipping point or trigger that spurred your to question the belief?

3. What was the outcome?

• Was challenging the belief worth the effort? 
• What did you or others learn because of it?

Thinking Points

• A ritual or belief you thought needed to be changed? Think about some of the rituals that dominate our culture-wastage associated with religious festivals; boys being given preference over girls–anything you feel strongly about. 
• Did you see someone being treated unfairly and attempt to rectify it? For example, you feel buying pets isnt a good practice, and adoption should be promoted-you took the initiative to bring awareness and increase sensitivity with the help of an NGO.
• Did you challenge what a group of friends told you to do because you thought they were wrong-stood up to bullying of a classmate from a different environment or a differently-abled.

Essay Excerpt-A student who protested against disturbance that was being permitted in the name of religion

Essay Prompt 4

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
 

• Step one in tackling this prompt is coming up with "a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve." It can be a huge problem or a small one or even something you want to study.
• Step 2 & 3 are about its relevance to you and what you did or hypothetically could do to find a solution.

Thinking Points

A community issue: Do local kids need a safe place to play? Is poverty or hunger an issue in your area? Are their transportation issues such as a lack of bike lanes or public transportation? 

• A design challenge: Did you (or do you hope to) design a product to make life easier for people? 
• A personal problem: Did you have (or do you have) a personal problem that prevented you from achieving your goals? Procrastination, indecisive or plain laziness?
• Environmental issues? Pollution, segregation of plastic, e-waste and other related concerns.
• Healthcare and financial support policies for senior citizens.
• Has your love of nature inspired you to start a charity to help save local endangered species’?
• Some academic research you are interested in or an invention you wold like to create .
• A Global problem: If you're someone who likes to think big, feel free to explore your dreams in your essay. You'll want to be careful with issues such as religious intolerance and world hunger-our advice is that local issues which form a segment of a global/regional issue works better.
• If talking about the impact of COVID 19, keeping it local under the large umbrella of common issuers is recommended.
• Consider this prompt from an aspirational perspective: What kind of change would you like to make in the world? 

It is important that the problem you choose is linked to your life and world in a meaningful way-'personal importance'.

Essay Excerpt-Based On The 'Panchayat System' Of India

If you have been following the blogs, you would have definitely understood the guidelines to writing these essays.

1. It is personal-it has to be your story. 
2. Along with the narrative, the essay should be able to show an inward journey of connecting with yourself.
3. Your choice of words should create images-the reader should be able to visually go through your journey along with you.
4. Your essay should leave your reader with a desire to know you further.

We will leave you here to mull over these thoughts-over the next few days, start scribbling your ideas - recall people, incidents, objects which are important to you. Through these jottings will emerge a powerful essay that defines who you are.

We shall meet again for the concluding part of the series.

Meanwhile, stay calm and do write!

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