The Common Application Essay Prompts were revised in 2015 to reflect a universal truth of meaningful conversation: ask a better question, get a better answer. If you're ready to start writing, and know you want our guidance, holler over here! We'll get right back to you with heart, humor, and hard questions--and we really want to know your real answers. Otherwise, read on to get oriented to the requirements of your college personal essay. By the way: the Common App changes of 2015 reflect feedback they received from their "constituents" who bothered to ask for better essay questions-- which means if you have feedback, there's a willing ear. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 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. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. My colleagues and I are all over these new Common Application essay prompts-- yeah, we're that delightedly nerdy-- because, simply put, they will generate better stories from applicants. The phrasing will not force applicants to bend their stories to the prompt (which sometimes is awkward and belabored, or just a weak fit). Instead the improvements Continue Reading …
Writing Tips
There’s more Inside! Your gutsy college essay…
Gut Feelings What’s more New York than a Deli with a botanical name pushing questionable health foods? Well, courtesy of my local deli comes a lesson in writing an authentic and gutsy college essay. In the GARDEN DELI window, a sign reads, “Fresh food all day.” The rub? The poster advertises the least fresh-looking food conceivable. Who you going to trust? It challenges famously. My words or your own (lying) eyes? Some delights cannot be feigned. Writer, take note. Continue Reading …
A Writer’s Inheritance: Fake it, then make it
Free-write Faker I follow my own rules for creativity when I’m with my students. When we free write, the law of the land is don’t stop writing no matter what. Because I am used to this physical commitment, rarely does nothing come out. So when my mind careened into a non-verbal ditch at an inopportune moment, in order to stay with the game, I kept on by fake writing. Not faking writing, but writing fake words. Pen still in motion. Rule not broken. Continue Reading …
November Essay-Writing Blues? Take a Shower!
Blue over You You don’t like your current college essay—at all. It revolts you: the written word should never have been invented. It’s late November: you’re freaking out. Your essay tastes like stale white bread instead of the perfection you could have said. Stop. Take a shower. Continue Reading …
Grammar As Game-Changer
Risky Statements Supposedly, Martin Luther King Jr. began his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on bits of toilet paper—the only paper he could get in confinement. His need to express his position on peaceful protest, like the need to use the bathroom, was that urgent. This was a personal statement, impeccable in its grammar, that risked his personhood in order to stand up for non-violent resistance as a radical act of love. This mission was why he was alive, and also why he would not be alive for very long. Continue Reading …
6 Life Lessons You Can Learn From Your Smartphone
Admit it: you think your smartphone is awesome. Maybe you’re even a little intimidated by it, or have a small crush on it--two ways we often feel about our best teachers. You may feel a sense of deflation when obliged to shut it off or stow it away. Continue Reading …