There are seven prompts provided by the Common Application.  Over the next few days, we’ll examine each one in depth to help you come up with essay topics of your own. If you need more help, consider registering for the “Brainstorm Your College Essay” workshop on Wednesday, June 27, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Westford, Mass. You’ll leave with a solid topic and the opening paragraph. Your first draft will be edited if submitted by a mutually agreed upon deadline.

Examining prompt #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. 

One of my students was planning to apply to engineering schools so he wrote his essay about a physics team challenge he experienced. His dilemma was that his two teammates seemed not to be as serious about the project as he was. He decided to take charge and direct them. His essay was expository, meaning he explained the project and how his team solved a problem. But he also interjected a human element into the story by acknowledging that he had judged his teammates harshly. By the end of the challenge, he respected both of them and realized their strengths were different from his. In the process of telling his story, he had also highlighted his technical skills without being didactic.

This student landed at the University of Rochester. It was clear that he would do well based on his performance in my workshop. He listened quietly to everyone else’s topic ideas and thought deeply about his own experiences. He wrote the beginning of his essay before the workshop ended and then sent me his first draft for editing only a week later. His well written final draft subtly showcased his engineering abilities, added tension to arouse curiosity in the reader and showed how an experience taught him something about first impressions.

If you’d like to read this essay take my workshop!