common app essay help

Applying to College
1

hello,
my brother is going to be applying to colleges so he needs some help with the 2015-2016 common app essays. to lower the stress during senior year, he is starting his essays now. he doesn’t want to screw up on them so can someone please tell us what the question is asking for? thanks

  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 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?
  3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
  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 or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
2

The questions are asking exactly what they are asking…

3

Each one is asking a different thing- but don’t think of it as a prompt. Basically, choose one of the five topics and answer it. This doesn’t mean open with: The time I challenged a belief is blah blah… this thing prompted me to act.

Basically they are providing you with a very wide set of possibilities for the essay. As long as your essay applies to one of the five topics, you’re fine. But as I said above, make sure you’re not just responding to the question- tell a story that shows how you have challenged a belief, overcome a failure, etc. Good luck!