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Text of the page (random words):
to when you want to learn more is this prompt for you look at the keywords topic idea or concept lose all track of time why what or who do you turn to do the keywords apply to you topic idea or concept is a very broad phrase that s good it means you can choose almost anything large or small lose all track of time is self explanatory you ve found yourself so engrossed in something that you didn t realize how much time had passed what or who do you turn to when you want to learn more this is how you learn independently you might ask a teacher questions after class search google read books watch videos etc why should you consider this topic colleges can learn 1 you re curious when something intrigues you you do something 2 you re resourceful you seek out new sources of information 3 you re independent you can direct your own learning 4 you ll be an independent curious learner in college pitfalls to avoid answer the entire question this question has three parts topic idea or concept why it captivates you who or what you turn to when you want to learn more you must answer all three parts don t shortchange why discussing why is one of the most important things you can do in an essay through why schools learn about you they see how you think what you care about or what concerns you after you ve written your draft read it again and ask yourself if you ve explored all the reasons why avoid the boring trap to me this essay prompt is missing something it doesn t ask you to look for that little bit of grit in your story most of the best essays have some grit they ve got an obstacle thrown in someone s path a problem to solve a decision that must be made grit makes your story more interesting it uncovers more of you so when you re writing this essay find the time you had to think a little harder become a little more self reliant make a decision or solve a problem you ll make your essay more interesting and avoid the boring trap example of a successful essay topic the artist joanne is an artist and when she s painting she loses track of time art gives joanne an expressive outlet for her thoughts and imagination and it has helped her develop her sense of personal expression she tries to interpret her world through her choice of colors shapes and setting in elementary school joanne s teacher told her that she had to draw people so they looked real for a while she did it the teacher s way but then she decided she didn t have to be like anyone else and joanne s been drawing her way ever since in her essay joanne writes that she s been influenced by two painters who use color and shapes in different ways grandma moses and georgia o keefe she describes how she looks carefully at the way they portray their worlds which gives joanne ideas about how she can find original ways to interpret hers it has also taught her the importance and value of appreciating the world from other people s perspectives whether she s looking at a painting or listening to friend with a different view whenever she can joanne takes art classes she reads about her favorite painters and she s learning about new ones next joanne says she s going to experiment with clay she s not sure what she ll be creating or what she ll learn about herself in the process but she can t wait to get started why this topic succeeds all the keywords are addressed joanne identifies what makes her lose track of time discusses why it captivates her and says what she does when she wants to learn more she doesn t shortchange why joanne digs deep to say why art captivates her she discusses two artists and their influence on her the schools get to see she s smart interesting and a self motivated learner and she takes it a step further showing how a lesson learned from art has made her more understanding of others which is a great core value she avoids the boring trap joanne s story about being told how to draw is important because it adds a little bit of grit that shows off her personality the reader sees she s an independent young woman who likes to follow her own path how to write common application essay prompt 7 topic of your choice here s the prompt 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 is this prompt for you answer yes if 1 the other prompts don t speak to you 2 you re inspired by another school s prompt 3 you want to ask and answer your own question 4 you ve already written an essay that showcases you as an excellent college candidate pitfalls to avoid don t stress over this prompt this prompt is meant to reduce your stress not add to it says scott anderson at the common application anderson adds topic of your choice doesn t mean default choice if the prompt feels too unstructured use one of the other prompts don t submit less than your best if you re submitting an essay you ve already written make sure it s well written and showcases you as an excellent potential college student don t forget the fundamentals prompt 7 doesn t provide as much guidance as some of the other prompts so this is a good time to recap what schools look for in a common application essay your writing skills your ability to communicate your ideas your personality what makes you laugh think hope dream care your thought process most of the best essays also have some kind of conflict like an obstacle in your path a problem you need to solve a decision you have to make a realization you came to or some other circumstance that helped shape you into who you are essays include reflection you need to be able to take a step back from your experience to understand how it s shaped you and or your goals example of a successful essay topic conversation with a philosopher james loved the novel the stranger by albert camus in it the title character meursault is estranged from the world indifferent to society and unaffected by feelings james knew his personality was the complete opposite so james wrote an essay where he argues with the book s main character over his philosophy of life in it james tells meursault that he attempts to live a purposeful life he tries things for pleasure like teaching himself to cook because trying and learning give him a better understanding of the world he tells meursault about the joy of learning music he talks about how he designed his own science experiments and how he learned that if you soak chicken bones in hydrochloric acid they ll bend at 45 degrees no information is useless james stresses to meursault at the end of the essay he tells meursault that he will always be glad he s forged his own path and that he has lived life to the fullest why does this essay topic succeed this topic didn t fit into any of the other prompts so prompt 7 was the natural choice james uses the conversation to show off his personality he cares he s eclectic and he s engaged james highlights his positive qualities of intellectual curiosity joy of learning and zest for life it s creative and original a word in support of some of my favorite prompts from the university of chicago if you re looking for essay inspiration check out the university of chicago s essay prompts uchicago prides itself on uncommon fun essay questions read the ones i ve listed below to see with a little imagination how you can let your imagination and personality fly a sampling of uchicago prompts history and art are full of heroes and their enemies tell us about the relationship between you and your arch nemesis either real or imagined how did you get caught or not caught as the case may be chicago author nelson algren said a writer does well if in his whole life he can tell the story of one street tell us the story of a street path road real or imagined or metaphorical don t play what s there play what s not there miles davis 1926 91 click here to read more uchicago prompts if you enjoyed this post i hope you ll like my facebook page sharon epstein is a writers guild award winner and two time emmy award nominee teaching students around the world how to master interview skills write resumes and transform their goals dreams and experiences into creative and memorable college application essays i work with students everywhere in person by phone facetime skype and email visit my website f or more info connect on pinterest and twitter back thank you for your response do you have questions or want to schedule a personal tutoring session get in touch i would love to hear from you name required email required website comment required submit δ share this share on facebook opens in new window facebook print opens in new window print share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on linkedin opens in new window linkedin share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest share on tumblr opens in new window tumblr more share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading categories college essay writing permalink march 31 2019 by sharon epstein 1 comment tips for writing 2019 2020 common application essay prompts 1 3 welcome this two part article provides helpful tips for the 2019 2020 common application prompts so you can write a strong compelling and memorable common application essay you ll learn what schools look for in common application essays how to choose a prompt common app do s and don ts and how to avoid college essay pitfalls i ll take you through each common app prompt and i ll give you common app essay examples too this is your time to shine let s get started first the common application essay basics the 2019 2020 common application has seven prompts you answer one of them the common app essay must be between 250 650 words you can t upload more than 650 words not every school accepts the common application so check every college on your list for its essay requirements what do schools want to see in a common application essay your writing skills your ability to communicate your ideas your personality on the page what do you care about what makes you laugh wonder hope dream reflect set goals challenge yourself want to change something and why a learning or growth experience now for something very important why am i doing this what s the purpose of this thing called the common application essay great question your essay is your personal connection to the schools you re applying to you get to show them who you are what you care about and why and that helps the colleges start to envision what you ll be like as a student on campus this is why you re writing 2019 2020 common application essay prompts 1 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 2 the lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success recount a time when you faced a challenge setback or failure how did it affect you and what did you learn from the experience 3 reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea what prompted your thinking what was the outcome 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 5 discuss an accomplishment event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others 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 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 ready let s do it how to write common application essay prompt 1 background identity interest or talent here s the prompt 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 is this prompt for you look at the keywords background identity interest talent meaningful incomplete without it do these keywords apply to you background identity interest talent these words are meant to spark your imagination take a minute to think about what s shaped your life ask yourself questions like who am i where i am from what makes me curious what are my hobbies you can write about almost anything from serious to funny hiccups anyone meaningful means this experience has shaped you in a fundamental way it has influenced your choices outlook perspective and or goals your application would be incomplete without it you need to tell this story in order for people to fully understand you it also shouldn t be anywhere else in your application choose this prompt if 1 this experience helps illustrate some of your best qualities 2 it helped shape you in a positive way 3 if you didn t tell this story the admissions committee wouldn t fully understand you tip if you re not sure of your best qualities download my positive qualities worksheet pitfalls to avoid it has to mean something sure you had a blast traveling last year or you like to spend time with your friends but unless it s an experience that helped shape you in some meaningful way it doesn t qualify you have to satisfy the keywords remember to say what you learned even though the question doesn t specifically ask for it make sure you include what you learned or how you grew from your experience this is essential for a complete answer example of a successful common app essay topic sharks nina loved animals mostly she loved the smaller docile ones when she volunteered at the local zoo nina showed visitors the sweeter animals and skipped the bigger more dangerous ones then something odd happened nina watched the movie jaws about a man eating shark and she fell in love with sharks she started to research them and as she learned more she become concerned about what she felt was society s inaccurate overly negative portrayal and she became interested in their preservation when nina s teacher assigned student presentations on a subject of their choice nina knew what she would do even though she was shy she created a powerpoint presentation designed to offer facts and to sway opinions a lot of it was serious but some of it was funny the class s favorite fact was that humans have a greater chance of dying by vending machine than by shark in her essay nina wrote that while she might not have changed how all her friends think about sharks the person who changed the most was nina she learned to be an advocate and discovered a passion she didn t know she had now when nina gives tours at the zoo she doesn t just educate visitors about the cuter animals she makes sure they unde...