In my new position, I am learning a lot about recruiting, including admissions. And, in my conversations with parents of high schoolers, I’ve been privy to their anxieties about choosing colleges, getting into colleges, and I guess it starts with applying to colleges. And, despite discussions of holistic application review, I’m afraid that most admissions’ decisions are based on a test score and a GPA. But, I’ve only just begun this process, which we all know, should be Emery’s process. After all, I somehow figured out how to get into college and get a scholarship on my own. Of course, I made other poor decisions like choosing a college based on where my friends were going and retaking courses I already had credit for through dual enrollment (which will be another blog post).
I don’t know where to begin in my quest to help Emery get into the school he wants to, and I’m sure it’s too early to begin thinking about college. After all, Emery just started high school three days ago. But, why not? After all, I was reading books on raising kids before I gave birth to him.
So, I randomly decided to start with CommonApp.org, which is a website that agrees that the path to college begins with kindergarten, but it’s not about building a resume, but building “character.” Well, we will see what happens over the next four years. CommonApp, for those who are not familiar with the website, allows “students to apply to over 700 colleges with one application.”
In the meantime, here are the prompts for this year’s group of hopeful applicants. I’ve asked Emery to look through them and choose the one he would write about and why.
2017-2018 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. [No change]
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? [Revised]
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? [Revised]
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. [No change]
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]
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? [New]
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. [New]
Emery's Response
I would choose number one, and talk about what makes me an individual, unique. This is because when applying for collages, you want to stand out, and seem different from all the other applications they received. By sharing some of the circumstances I’ve had, and how I used them to my advantage, would make me look good in a positive way. I noticed that some of the other topics deal with explaining negative things that happened to the writer, and how it changed them. I feel like I have had a very good life so far, at least compared to the majority of other people, and it is easier to draw examples from the good or interesting parts of my life.
One of the biggest influences on how I act daily and make me unique are the people around me and friends I make. The friends I have made over the years have in a way taught me how to act in some situations, since most of them are older than me. And since I have friends who all think very differently, when faced with a problem I often see many angles of what impacts my choices will have, meaning I treat these situations very delicately.
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