<p>Hello, this is my first post. I wanted some help with my common app essay, which I discussed heavily with my brother. We seem to have different ideas on how to answer prompt 2 for the common app, and I'm no longer sure what the prompt is asking for, and what "failure" really means. I'm not sure which style do college admission officers hope to see. Please tell me if you want to look at it for me, and I'll PM you. </p>
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<p>About the differences in our ideas:</p>
<p>Basically I argue with him that since there are only 5 prompts but thousands of applicants, they are meant only as guidelines to write any story of my own. The point of the essay is not to show how I am exceptional, just to present a human side of my life. So I thought the prompt is very general and not asking for anything in particular; that I just need to write something that didn't go very smoothly. My essay was about how I faced numerous challenges doing something, and eventually realized something about myself. In a sense, it's more about persistence and self-enlightenment. </p>
<p>My brother, though, thinks that the point of the essay is to show the officers how I am exceptional and mature, and he says the failure essay has a fixed purpose in mind. The admissions officers hope to see how I am humble and willing to accept my shortcomings. He hopes that I write about a task where I have below-average skill, to allow me to admit my vulnerability and portray me as a very mature person and a deep thinker. He thinks my essay is off-topic, and should be rewritten to focus on humbleness.</p>
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<p>I'll also post the intro of the essay and a brief outline of the essay, to help any of you understand what I mean without having the entire essay posted here (which would be a security risk according to the forum admins' notices)</p>
<p>"I stood in front of a dusty metal door, fishing out my keys. Soon, a refreshing spring breeze and the sound of rustling leaves replaced the stale indoor air and the muffled voices from the upstairs TV. I let my thoughts roam unleashed as I walked on a relaxing path lined with greenery. It’s a habit of mine – to find somewhere peaceful and simply daydream.
That night, one fantastical idea began a lengthy mental adventure full of challenging obstacles. I embarked on that adventure with anticipation instead of apprehension.
I was going to bring a fictional universe into reality…through a computer game."</p>
<p>I talked about how I was doodling in my mind, and came up with a surreal universe where time travel was easy. I decided to try very hard to make the game come true, coming up with theories of time travel and game mechanics, eventually realizing that even after months of thinking I still couldn't get a satisfactory game outline. I said how I realized that my interests are in making the fantastical come into reality, and that I was willing to go through hardship and difficulty to get a product done. I didn't care if I completed the project with a product that was not very impressive, satisfied that I made it anyway. To me, ideas are worth investigating, and any idea could very well lead to meaningful inventions.</p>
<p>Thank you all! I'm in a hard position and would really appreciate your help!</p>