Hooray, a good prompt is lurking below! Prompt #6 is a little different than the rest and we’re here for it. Below you’ll find our tips and tricks:
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?
This prompt is fantastic, and we rarely say that. It’s fun, it doesn’t need to be taken too seriously, and it cuts right to the core of what colleges want to know about you, which is the weird things you just can’t quit. But we want to provide you with some more information on how to proceed before you approach this one, so keep reading before you start writing.
If you’re familiar with our blog, you should know by now that we often talk about how no aspect of your college application should be random. And that advice is valuable, except for when it comes to answering this prompt. What we mean is, if you have straight A’s in all of your Humanities classes and started a literary magazine at your school, you shouldn’t be applying to college as a Chemistry major. But for this prompt, and this prompt only, set that advice aside.
If you answer this prompt, and your essay topic feels like it’s out of left field, you’re on the right track. It shouldn’t even be tangentially related to what you plan to write about in your supplements, because then you would be missing out on an opportunity to shed light on another aspect of your personality. Maybe you really do love Chemistry, but you’re also obsessed with classical music. Or maybe you’re a future dance major who spends their weekends reading about the history about Greek mythology. Whatever it is, go there and don’t look back. This prompt is basically begging you to get super weird, which is awesome. They want to know about the weird rabbit holes you go down, the YouTube videos that you watch, and the things your friends are sick of hearing you talk about how hours on end.
And now, a tip on writing. While we do like this prompt, we don’t recommend literally answering all of the questions. You need to address everything, but don’t break form to do it. The best way to approach this? Rely heavily on the “show, don’t tell” method. So instead of writing “for the past three years, I’ve spent all of my free time learning how to maintain a rooftop garden. My interest started in Biology class and ever since then, I’ve spent my weekends prepping soil and watering my plant,” show yourself doing what you love. Drop the reader into the scene when you’re (gasp!) avoiding homework to shovel dirt from plot to plot. Show them, with impassioned writing and a genuine love of your hobby, why it’s so important to you and why you care. The why, who, and what aspect of the prompt should be made perfectly clear in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
This prompt serves as a good reminder that your common app essay can be light and joyful. You’re a teenager with passions and interests that align well with your age. And yes, we’re saying that your essay will likely come off as disingenuous if you pretend that you spend your weekends reading about the stock market. Unless you really do, and in that case, go off.
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