We’re back with the second prompt, which is surprisingly not so bad! Later in this series, you’ll read more about why our blog is essentially a prompt #7 stan account. But if open-ended nature of the last essay is too much for you to bear, you might consider this one. Keep reading for our thoughts:
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?
This is a fundamentally good prompt that a lot of people get tripped up on because they focus all 650 words on a failure and leave out the most important part. The thing is, we all fail. It makes us human, it keeps up humble, and it’s incredibly relatable. It’s okay to make mistakes!
But failure essays are not just about failure. They’re actually about growth. And colleges want to admit students who are open and willing to admit the fact that although they failed, they learned a lot and grew from the experience.
Here’s what you need:
A failure
Humility (and humor, if you can swing it)
Evidence of growth
Seems simple, right? Okay, maybe not so let’s break it down. Start with brainstorming on failure but hear us out: your failure doesn’t need to be the most tragic and traumatizing thing that’s ever occurred. It’s actually much better if it’s not, but if you have gone through something that needs explaining, you should use the additional information section of the common app essay to expand on that.
Maybe you tried to start a business that didn’t ultimately work out or forgot an important family member’s birthday. Maybe you actually did forget to blow out the candles or turn off your hair straightener on your way out. You’re looking for a misstep, yes, but it’s completely fine if it’s something small and seemingly meaningless to other people. Focus on experiences that forced you to learn something and grow, and to move forward in a way that you didn’t anticipate.
Once you have the failure, you need to write about it appropriately. Don’t be overly dramatic if the situation doesn’t call for it. We’re now in stage two, which is writing in a way that showcases humility. It’s okay to get vulnerable!
This takes us to the growth stage, which is the most important aspect of your essay. You’re still in the brainstorming stage here, so you want to spend some time thinking about how the challenge you endured prompted next steps. How did your setback help you understand how to move forward?
When it comes time to write, keep the word count in mind. We’re not going to get too specific here because we trust your judgment, but don’t dedicate too much space to the failure. You should clearly explain what happened, but spent just as much time explaining how you forged a new path. Instead of focusing on where things went wrong, think about highlighting an aspect of yourself that helped you get through things and figure out what to do next. And as always, the entire essay should be written in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
And finally, a note on humor writing. It’s much harder to write a funny essay than it is a serious one. College admissions teams are reading personal statements for hours on end, and we’re confident in saying that they would cherish some levity and humor. But with that being said, you still need write a 650-word essay. Before you go for broke trying to get a few laughs in, make sure the substance is there. Yes, it’s funny that you forgot to log out of Zoom class while you had a tense conversation with your parents about the sad state of your messy bedroom. But before you forge ahead with an inherently humorous topic, do a first draft and make sure you have enough meat to the story.
We love helping our clients craft essays and supplements. Drop us a line if you think you need help.