what i have learned in 2022 essay

Lessons Learned in 2022

I wrote down these learnings over the year in scattered forms, mostly in my weekly newsletter Looking Inwards . But I am putting them together here to have them in one place. 

Please relish.

Lessons 2022 Taught Me

# We can run as fast as we like. But life is always right there. Running behind. Chasing us. In this race we cannot win. For we are life itself, and she is us.

# I ain’t perfect but I can love myself despite.

# We are living in a different—and difficult—time. Things have changed, and we cannot send them back to their original course as if they never deviated. But we can accept them as the new normal. In our acceptance, we show courage and the will to move forward.

# “ Productivity Dysmorphia ” — No matter how much I do I’m never happy with how much I have done.

# “There is so much outside the false cloister of private experience; and when you write, you do the work of connecting that terrible privacy to everything beyond it.” Leslie Jamison

# Basic living in the forest roots me to the ground. You can’t really think when you have to watch where to put your foot and if a snake is dangling from the bamboo on your path ahead. It’s better to be mindful .

# Three secrets about relationships I have written here .

# I wasn’t always who I am. Yet, in a way, I was.

# Travel teaches you  to put yourself out, ask for favors, and accept them with gratitude. Asking someone for help or advice doesn’t make you a small person.

# Music can turn me into a child again.

# The bright Mac that went blank, the rude host who on our last day held my face in her hands and hoped she didn’t say what she had said, the Palaeolithic axe in the museum, the meaningful conversations with people from the North in the handicraft fair in the deep South, the Chennai restaurant owner who made the Malaysian fish-okra curry on one request, the guy from Spain with whom I could talk not only in Spanish and English but also in Hindi and Punjabi—out of all these what was in my control? Were they serendipities of life ? I would say life itself.

# We can enjoy the moments in between.

# When wars begin, we watch them with empathy as if they won’t affect us. But even that one person on the throne unleashing the battle isn’t out of its reach. Slowly, we, far away, smell the war in the air, too.

# “The habit of despair is worse than despair itself.” Albert Camus

# “How much there is in art that is beautiful, if only one can remember what one has seen, one is never empty or truly lonely, and never alone.” Vincent

# I need to love more.

# The absence of contact may not necessarily mean the absence of love.

# It is hard to smile at strangers because when they don’t smile back we feel we have been wronged and disrespected. It is tough to soften up because then the other person wants us to bend more. We are hesitant to offer someone bananas or flowers because our hand of friendship can be considered as our submissiveness. It has all happened in the past. But it’s also hard not to do these. ( Ideas on forming strong relationships with those around us.)

# There is soil as deep as three meters on tree canopies. (Source: Radiolab’s podcast episode Forests on Forests .)

# Irrespective of how many times we switch between pre-established systems, we are still blindly following someone else’s method, now of a different community than before. Both of which aren’t ours, not developed by us through trial and error, strict in their forms, and so not customized to our needs, temperaments, and beliefs. Instead of jumping into an existing system that promises the desired methods and outcomes, we should simplify our ways, do things naturally, and create a favorable space for our preferred conventions. ( Might Help: My definite guide to creating our own healthy, purposeful, aware life .)

# Playing with the cats, chuckling with my partner, strolling in the forest, and knowing I had food and tonnes of mangoes took me out of my emotional upheavals and sent me into this immediate real basic raw physical zone in which all I could do was take the step that would take me to the end of the road. Happiness, it seems, lies in the simple things .

# All the big events we plan, wait, and look forward to—our graduation, foreign trips, marriages, potlucks, successes, get-togethers, movie nights, and so on—happen soon and finish. In the end, we are left alone. But our loneliness can be complemented by the daily magic of nature. There is life oozing out of every nook and corner. We just have to look closely. And then we would never be alone.

# This life enriched in the arts, in books, in emotions , in science, in nature, in seeing the world, in love, in the body, in food, this life, I wouldn’t exchange this life for anything.

# “The concern a man has for another man, and an ability to be moved to make sacrifices at the sight of another person’s misery are the true basis of a society and it is immaterial whether a progressive is a believer or non-believer in god, and whether he participates directly in leftist politics or not.” D. Jayakanthan  

# I am not here to prove anything to anybody. After all these years, I am coming around to knowing that this is what I was meant to do.

# What is ugly and cruel to us could be the way of living for others. In other words, not everything is right or wrong. Black is black and white is white because I see it so. (Inspired by the movie Mudbound and my travels in Vietnam.)

# I feel secure when I control whatever I can. But while trying to squeeze it all together, I am dissuading the unknown from showing itself to me and losing out on moments of joy. When I let go of perfection, I am happier.

# A little nudge in the direction helps, but while thinking continuously about something(s) we didn’t do, we stall our progress. Putting a little thought in our head to do it later is generally enough. Now we have created a space for the thing inside. Tomorrow, while there is still time to do the task, we will give it its deserved attention. (As always, having some daily positive habits makes all the difference.)

# Time is to measure the passing of life. We don’t have to build our worth around how well we have used each hour.

# “One of those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”   T.S. Eliot

# What we do takes us where we want to be.

# We are the youngest we will ever be and the oldest we have ever been. (I read this somewhere.) [ Lessons from my twenties and Things I would tell my younger self.]

# While time runs, the only thing we can do is run along with it. If we immerse in the now, we won’t eternally be waiting to get done with the thing we are at and won’t feel empty when it has left us. It would be the moment, the doing, the immersion, the gradual progress or improvement that will drive us. And the fear of the upcoming won’t haunt us either. Because before we would be able to think about the future, we would arrive at it.

# There could be many definitions of cleaning clutter. But to me, it is to look at the one important thing and move the rest aside from the view, the kitchen shelf, and the computer.

# The dark is always up against the force of life.

# We resent why we didn’t think of this and that. But if we could think of this and that, we would have.

# We are sad that no one is kind to us while we are being unkind to others.

# We are scared by the dark, by the unknown, by strangers. But the known and the mysterious together make our world. The unknown is not fearsome, it is something we haven’t seen so far.

# We tell ourselves we have to do too many things and worry about them all. If we instead spend that time doing even a little bit—without worrying over the progress too much—we would get a lot more done. (I follow a routine to stay sane.)

# Some of us live in eternal imaginary suffering. We can come out of it any minute. 

# In a challenging situation, we forget about happy days.

# We are scared of being too happy afraid we might lose it all.

# We read too much into what others think of us or talk about us. Mostly their ideas about us are so different from what we imagine them to be—because what people think of us has nothing to do with who we are and what we do—that this activity is not only futile but also harmful. The sooner we get out of the habit of forging a likable image the freer we would be. ( 14 other things that we shouldn’t care about.)

# When we judge others , what we really say is that we wouldn’t want to be them. We may feel better about ourselves by judging someone, but that shows we are so unhappy that we have to stand on others to feel great. 

# Instead of blaming our parents, we should change what we don’t like about ourselves.

# Sometimes we don’t do certain things because we don’t want to. There is nothing more to the inaction than that.

# The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in his journal we now know as Meditations: “Neither worse than not better is a thing made by being praised.” No matter how much we love the flower or hate the cactus, both remain as they are. No one can go against their nature. Then does it not make sense to stop lusting for appreciation, live, and take whatever comes our way ever so lightly? 

# Not even pain stands a chance in front of the passing of time. 

# “There’s only one rule you need to remember: laugh at everything and forget everybody else! It sounds egotistical, but it’s actually the only cure for those suffering from self-pity.” Anne Frank (And other powerful quotes for life.)

# What if there’s nothing wrong with you?  (And other important questions to ask.)

# Those of us who can’t do anything else become writers.

# “Bad literature presents the reader with conventional stereotypes and encourages him to assume a role which, in the very nature of things, must be different from what he really is. Good literature presents the reader with the results of an honest investigation into what is, and so encourages him to break out of the role he happens to be playing and to discover for himself the realities of perception, thought, and feeling that lie behind his assumed mask and have been eclipsed by it.” Aldous Huxley

# I commit the same error repeatedly. And when I do, I get a familiar sinking feeling that starts seeping in as soon as I have done the thing. Something inside me says, “I have been here before. This, I know. Oh what the hell, I have done it again.” Now I have two options. Either I bury myself under the remorse, not so much for the error, but for repeating the blunder, or I use the past experiences as a ladder to rise out of the well faster, more gracefully, and if not with a smile, probably with fewer tear patches on my face. Even if to fall all the way under all over again. It might not appear so, but I am making progress. Forward movement is not always in changing, sometimes it is in the knowing.

# Such is life. Always feeling stuck, always moving despite. Even if not in the direction we like. Or in a direction we don’t understand.

# We can choose to have fun anytime we like. To rejuvenate myself, I walk around, drink lemon juice, disturb my partner, wash my face, go to the forest, make up a joke, tell it to my friends, dream about dinner, or pick up a book. After these amusements, I go back to the task of the day much more thrilled than before. But I don’t always do these things to get back to productivity. I do them because I enjoy them. If the course of the day is smooth and I am well, for sure I will be maneuvred toward my creative work naturally. But many times I have to make myself sit even if I don’t want to and then these refreshments are all the more priceless. They are my little secrets and they can be as ridiculous as I want them to be. (This is only one of the 30 tips on working from home I have collected over the years.)

# 5 Lessons from 5 Years of On My Canvas that I summed up this year at the blog’s fifth anniversary.

# I am not doing a favor to anyone by doing good work. I am just holding the end of the rope thrown towards me, helping in the running of the system, paying the dues for being here. (Don’t feel like working? Read this .)

# “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher

# In passing, we love.

# Our lives might look different. But they are different only in their appearance, like the clothing we wear, like the masks we put on, like our skin. Inside, at our core, all our blood, flesh, bone, suffering, joys, grief, and struggle all are the same. (Learning resilience and repetition from an old Himalayan woman .)

We are on tiny islands on this vast ocean that is our earth. But we came here by sailing the deep seas. What is it that we fear then? We have, literally, crawled out of those fathomless depths, lived on ice, slept on trees, and hunted with our own bare hands. What is it we fear then?   We are the most afraid of ourselves. What will we do in the face of this and that? But that moment isn’t here yet and we forget that we are endowed with enough strength, courage, and knowledge that we will know what to do when the time comes. And we cannot know better than what we would know at that moment. The journey is, after all, the endless pursuit of all we want right now. ( Everything I have learned in life is summed up in this essay. )

# Food is not part of a culture. Food is the foundation of a society. It’s the river along which communities are built. You take away food from people and you take away everything.

# Instead of making excuses, or lying, we can be honest and tell the person why we think/believe/do what we do. Maybe they won’t judge or criticize us as harshly as we fear they would. And even if they do, it’s their turn to be honest now. We have done our part.

# In most circumstances, we don’t have to react immediately. The instant reaction may seem like a painkiller, but if it is a painkiller, it is the one to which we will get so used that our body would simulate pain just to get the medicine. In our urge to react, we would tell ourselves unreal stories of how we are in danger, our sense of self and values are under threat, and so on. But if we step back for a bit, the clouds clear, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore, and we don’t need the medicine. All we would need is a reasonable conversation or actions that move us forward through the marsh. 

# Festivals are our excuses to laugh without a reason, dance without thinking, and meet without acknowledging that we are lonely. We don’t need faith to celebrate; we just need to keep our egos aside. 

# The question is how much you can pay for what you want.

# “Wanting to be someone else is the waste of a person you are.” Kurt Cobain (This advise echoes with one of the methods to do your best in your 30s .)

# When the dawn scares away the night, and when the sun sets and leaves with the light, neither is it dark nor is it bright. And that is most of our lives.

# Happy relationships are made of two things, Space and Silliness. 

# When we allow others to be, when we stop judging people harshly, but rather laugh at them and ourselves for the bizarre things we all do, that is when we really grow, not just individually, but together, too.

# Loneliness will get to us no matter where we are. (When I am lonely, I read Virginia Woolf , get out in nature , or work .)

# Doing the day-to-day isn’t wasting time, it is life. And I must be onto something here. For my food is fresh and delicious, my tasks are never overdue, and if I’m investing, I would have not only thoroughly understood what needs to be done but also enjoyed the figuring-out process.

But simply doing is different from constantly staying engaged in the daily, mulling over every little thing, and bothering about who said what. When we are tuned into the clutter, we can’t hear creativity speak. She raises her voice only when she knows we are listening. By obsessing over mundane, I will get temporary wins. But they will not take me anywhere, apart from making me care for them even more the next day. It is an addiction. We can detach ourselves from the humdrum of how things should be done. And slowly, those daily distractions will patter less and less leaving the path to us clear and fragrant for creativity . ( Here are some creative practices I follow and stand by to create regularly.)

Maybe you would like to continue reading about life lessons. Let me recommend everything I’ve learned so far , lessons from twenties , letter to younger self , and how to do our best in 30s .

What did you learn this year? I would love to hear.

Feature Image Courtesy: Odilon Redon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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5 Things We Learned from the Class of 2022 College Essays

• January 29, 2022

Congratulations! We made it through another college essay season.

As you begin to prepare the Class of 2023 for the application process, it’s natural to reflect back on the college essay season we’ve just finished. Last year was filled with big challenges. Students faced uncertainty over school schedules and the continuous threat of COVID, many families dealt with the aftermath of wildfires or hurricanes, and far too many seniors felt they only got a partial high school experience during the lockdown.

It can be easy to let these challenges take up a great deal of our mental real estate, so let’s take a moment to intentionally make space for joy.

At Wow, we end every weekly writing coach meeting with this prompt: Tell me something good.

There are no rules; it can be about something big or small, silly, or funny. Doesn’t really matter. We just like to share positive things. David is taking a comic writing class . One of Susan’s children’s poems is getting published this spring. Kim’s daughter got a raise–the second time in a year. I was able to reconnect with a cousin I hadn’t seen in quite some time.

We also always schedule time to talk about things that are going well on the work front: exciting brainstorms, personal statements coming to fruition, students who meet every deadline, and more. These little litanies of joy help all of our writing coaches maintain our own enthusiasm, and they remind us about what we love most about being college essay writing coaches: Our students.

The Class of 2022 College Essays

As 2022 gets underway, we’d like to share some of our moments of joy that come from our students. Here are five fun things that my fellow writing coach David Bersell and I learned from our students this year:

• “A student is a member of the Lumbee Tribe. I had never heard of this particular Native Tribe, so I did a little Googling. It didn’t take long to become fascinated by the Lumbee Tribe’s history of inclusivity and fight for federal government recognition. My student’s stories of gregarious family gatherings and cultural traditions humanized and gave context to the facts I found online.” Joe Kane ‎
• “I learned about how the online flight simming community uses YouTube videos and forums to share information. To me, mastering a flight simulator seems about as challenging as flying an actual plane.” David Bersell ‎
• “Thanks to one student, I discovered the literary magazine Dishsoap Quarterly this summer. My student and several friends co-founded the magazine during lockdown, and they already have three issues out. I wish I had done things this cool when I was in high school.” Joe Kane ‎
• “I learned about the online community of international gardeners. My favorite gardening lesson was how different soil recipes can help plants thrive–compost gives macronutrients, peat moss offers low compaction, perlite helps drainage, and Azomite rock dust supplies micronutrients.” David Bersell ‎
• “One of my students wrote about a life realization she had after listening to Oprah’s podcast . It’s been a long time since Oprah has been on my radar. Of course, she has a podcast; I shouldn’t be surprised. Reading my student’s story gave me flashbacks to kindergarten and daytime TV at my babysitter’s house. It’s kind of comforting to know that some things don’t change.” Joe Kane

While students share fun facts and interesting hobbies, they also teach us how to be better essay coaches. Some students present a challenge that forces us to think on our feet. Others remind us why our tried-and-true coaching strategies work so well.

In our professional training program, the College Essay Experience , we take college counselors through the same essay writing process we use with our students. We sometimes hear the term “highflyer” to describe gifted and exceptional teens–the ones you might think need less help on the essays than other students. We know that’s not the case. And I had a student this season who is a great reminder to us all that gifted and exceptional teens also need help on essays.

My student was beyond gifted. She was brilliant, passionate, had an impressive resume, and was a great writer. Despite all her skills and achievements, she was terrified of writing her college essays. After we got through the first Common App essay, she was able to quickly write exceptional supplemental essays. But getting started was always a challenge. She needed my help. It didn’t matter how well she wrote or how gifted she was. We worked on several essays together and her self-doubt was an issue during every brainstorm.

This year we had quite a few students apply to business schools requiring essays that presented either hypothetical business plans or hypothetical solutions to economic problems. I’m not an economist, but I thought a few of the economic solutions students wrote about seemed dubious at best.

Part of me wanted to do exactly what we warn parents against: tweak the students’ ideas until we arrived at something that seemed wise from my adult perspective. I restrained that urge, however, because I knew that would be overstepping; I also knew that admissions wanted authentic stories from applicants who have minimal or no business expertise.

In 2021, we paid closer attention to students’ vacation/camp/work schedules than we had in the past. We wanted to improve how we plan and schedule to make it easier for the students, and help us manage the process even more efficiently than before. We’re always looking for ways to keep improving things around here. It worked out great. We were more proactive and thoughtful about student commitment and energy levels.

“In a couple instances, I realized that students were ready and willing to work faster/harder, so I picked up the pace to accommodate them,” David said. “In other cases, I accepted that a student was busy and overwhelmed, and they could only accomplish so much each week. And finally, there were times when students were busy and tired, but that was not going to change any time soon, so I made choices to help them write effective essays as efficiently as possible.”

Coaching the Class of 2022 College Essays

As coaches, it’s our job (and yours) to help students effectively articulate their own ideas and stories , not tell them what to think or write about. No matter what David or I thought personally about any idea, we just followed the Wow approach, made sure the essays had solid themes, and let the students be in charge of their own essays. By the time we reached the final drafts, the students had clearly expressed their ideas and carefully considered their arguments. We consider each of them successful essays.

What did you learn from your students this past season? We’d love to hear more .

If you want to improve your own college essay coaching process, check out Wow’s resources for counselors and consultants .

Best of luck to the Class of 2022!

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Lessons Learned in 2022: Impact on Goals for 2023 by Christopher

Christopher's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2022 scholarship contest

Lessons Learned in 2022: Impact on Goals for 2023 by Christopher - December 2022 Scholarship Essay

As we move into 2023, there are several lessons that I have learned in 2022 that will impact my goals for the coming year. One of the most significant lessons that I have learned is the importance of adaptability and flexibility in achieving my goals. In a rapidly changing world, being able to adapt and adjust to new situations and challenges is essential for success. This is particularly true when it comes to collaboration and teamwork, as working with others towards a common goal can be much more effective than trying to achieve our goals alone Collaboration and teamwork are essential for achieving many of our goals, especially in a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. In 2022, I have seen firsthand the benefits of working with others towards a common goal, and how it can lead to greater success than trying to achieve our goals alone. For example, by collaborating with others, we can pool our knowledge, skills, and resources in order to tackle complex challenges and achieve our goals more effectively. We can also benefit from the diversity of perspectives and experiences that different individuals bring to the table, which can help us to think more creatively and innovatively. Furthermore, working with others can help us to stay motivated and accountable, as we can support and encourage each other along the way. And by building strong, collaborative relationships with others, we can create a sense of community and connection that can help us to stay engaged and committed to achieving our goals. Setting clear, specific goals is crucial for staying focused and motivated on the things that matter most to us. It helps us to prioritize our time and energy, and to avoid getting sidetracked by less important tasks and distractions. By setting SMART goals, we can ensure that our goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, which makes it easier to track our progress and make adjustments as needed. In 2023, I plan to use the SMART goal-setting framework to help me stay focused and motivated on achieving my aspirations. This means that I will take the time to carefully consider each goal, and to break it down into smaller, more manageable steps that I can track and measure over time. By setting specific, measurable goals, I will be able to see exactly what progress I am making, and to celebrate my achievements along the way. Furthermore, by setting achievable goals, I will avoid setting myself up for disappointment and frustration by setting unrealistic expectations. And by ensuring that my goals are relevant to my overall goals and priorities, I will avoid wasting time and energy on tasks that don't truly matter to me. Finally, by setting time-bound goals, I will be able to stay on track and avoid procrastination by giving myself deadlines to work towards. By following the SMART goal-setting framework, I will be able to stay focused, motivated, and on track towards achieving my aspirations in 2023. In conclusion, the lessons that I have learned in 2022 will greatly impact my goals for 2023. By prioritizing adaptability, collaboration, and goal-setting, I am confident that I will be able to achieve my aspirations in the coming year. Through collaboration, I will be able to leverage the knowledge, skills, and resources of others in order to tackle complex challenges and achieve my goals more effectively. And by setting SMART goals, I will be able to stay focused, motivated, and on track towards achieving my aspirations in 2023.

Reflections & Lessons of 2022: Powerful takeaways on what we've learned going into 2023

The end of the year is always a time to reflect on our lives, the events of the year, what we've gained, what we might have lost, and as many are set to make their resolutions or intentions for the coming year, I wanted to ask people what they have learned in 2022 and what are the main takeaways from this year as we head into 2023.

Things we learned in 2022 and things what we're leaving behind

The end of the year is always a time to reflect on our lives, the events of the year, what we've gained, what we might have lost, and as many are set to make their resolutions or intentions for the coming year, I wanted to ask people what they have learned in 2022 and what are the main takeaways from this year as we head into 2023. So I asked some of my favorite people on Twitter in my personal growth, lifestyle blogging, and travel community what they have learned this year.

For many, this year was the year the lockdowns were lifted. For others, it meant starting new paths after the stress of the pandemic and for others, it was about trying to get back to 'normal' life after the pandemic. So many world events have happened around the world as well.

“In the New Year, never forget to thank to your past years because they enabled you to reach today! Without the stairs of the past, you cannot arrive at the future!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

What have I learned in 2022?

On a personal level, I have learned so much about myself this year especially in terms of what I can achieve when I set my mind to it. I am also so grateful for the incredible people I have in my life. I have learned this year even more than ever that true friendship really is being able to pickup where you left off even after not seeing each other for a decade! I have worked on my uncomfortable feelings regarding public speaking, going 'live' on Instagram and Facebook, and not minding the public spotlight. I have to admit, this has NOT COME NATURALLY it's the EFT! I have been working intensively with EFT for public speaking and putting myself out there all this year and a year ago, I would never have been OK going live on Instagram :D . Looking forward to way more live events next year!~

On a professional level, I started a super intensive Level 3 Master program which has opened my eyes even further than I could have imagined and made me so incredibly grateful to have this incredible gift of confidence, clearing the emotional charge to past events, and helping people move forward. I am constantly learning from my clients who are a constant source of inspiration for me and I am blessed every day with this job.

So without further ado, let's see what people learned this 2022 to take into the new year. What about you? Leave your learnings in the comments below! 

What have you learned in 2022? 

What we learned about personal growth:.

@coralleskye

"Always be persistent and go after the things you want!"

Wandering Nick

@wanderngnick

“Fill your life, your feeds, and your soul with things that nourish and grow you. Love your family and love your friends, push your boundaries outward, and never stop becoming a better version of yourself.”

Things Want Friends To Know

@TwftkFriends

"Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You’ll be surprised by the amount of support out there. And you got this!"

@volupchatterbox

"Your job isn't worth your mental health. If you're sacrificing your mental health or feel unsafe in a work environment, the more you push yourself to go It's going to affect your health in all ways."

@ByFleurine ‍

"Healing doesn't have a timeline, it takes as long as it takes and sometimes you have to heal from the same thing multiple times."

Flyaway Couple, DPT, CFP®

@flyawaycouple

"For 2023 we are looking forward to learning more, reading more and helping more. Hopefully we can contribute at a higher level."

What we learned about professional life:

Vanessa ↟ thewellbeingblogger.com

@theWblogger

"I learned it's better to be happy than techy!"

FransicVerso

@Fransicverso

"Be aware and inspect everything to notice the mistakes sooner." RamblynJazz

@JazzyJazzGirl

"Consistency and helpful content is key to maintaining readership.... (and SEO is complicated!)"

On travel: Lilly  I Travel for the Stars

@travel4thestars

"It’s tempting to visit as many places as possible but it’s nice to stop and smell the roses. I’ve found spending more time exploring and focusing on fewer places has been rewarding for me in many ways."

Chalk And Cheese Travels

@Chalkcheese111

"I have learned this year that travelling within my own country is as liberating as anything I have ever done and anywhere new is exciting it doesn't matter how far a field you have to go."

What we’re looking forward to in 2023

Geoff Porter The Vine Doombringer

@TrulyJuxta

"I want my quests for 2023 to be about finding things, although losing some of my weight around my middle would be a blessing"

What about you? What have you learned this year? What are you looking forward to? Tell me in the comments below! :) 

‍ ABOUT ME: 

ANDREA HUNT - Online Transformational Life Coach & EFT Tapping Practitioner based in Munich, Germany

I'm an accredited transformational life coach from Animas Centre for Coaching UK  and a member of the International Coaching Federation. I'm also a Level 2 practitioner in EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) and a member of AEFTP (Association of Emotional Freedom Technique Professionals).

If you're not sure where to start transforming your life, you can download my free ebook on How to Start Your Personal Growth Journey.

Are you ready to change your life, let go of old beliefs, empower yourself for a mindset shift to move forward? Mark Batterson says: You're always one decision away from a totally different life.

If you're interested in booking a free 15 minute discovery call for transformational life coaching, EFT Tapping or checking out my services page click here .

header image:  Anastasiia Rozumna

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22 Valuable Life Lessons For 2022

With 2021 coming to an end, many of us look ahead to 2022 with optimism. A start of a new year allows the chance for growth, change, improvements… the possibilities are limitless. Last year I wrote about 21 lessons for 2021 . This year, we’re ramping it up a notch with 22 lessons that you can bring into the new year with you for 2022:

1) Not everyone is meant to be in your life forever

The truth is some people are just temporary figures in your life. While this can sound bad at first, it’s not.

Sure, it can be sad to lose contact with somebody you were once close to. However, instead of dwelling on what isn’t there, be grateful for the time you were able to spend with them. Those interactions shaped you into the person you are today for better or for worse.

Maybe they taught you a valuable lesson or helped you get through a particularly difficult time in your life. They helped aid your own story and personal development, and sometimes…

Well, sometimes that is good enough.

“Some people are going to leave, but that’s not the end of your story. That’s the end of their part in your story.” -Faraaz Kazi

2) Everything in moderation, including moderation

 When we hear the word addiction , it is usually related to drugs and alcohol. The truth of the matter is however you can be addicted to anything.

The obese man who is addicted to eating. The nervous girl that’s addicted to biting her fingernails. Porn, cleaning, working out, television … while some might be more harmful than others, addiction can hit from anywhere.

The best way to not be addicted is to avoid absolute obsession. That is why it is important to do everything in moderation. You don’t need to abstain completely, but you also shouldn’t overindulge. Even a healthy activity like exercise can become dangerous if done too often with too much intensity.

However, that is the beauty of this sentence. Everything in moderation, including moderation. There will be times when you will have to turn it up, use that fire burning inside of you, and go all out.

Just do it in moderation.

“Exactness in moderation is a virtue, but carried to extremes narrows the mind.” -Francois Fenelon

3) Take risks while you’re young

The cruel joke of life is that when we are young, we are dumb and inexperienced. Wisdom comes with age. Even being five years younger with the knowledge that you currently have can make all the difference.

The best way to gain this wisdom is through experiences. That is why it is important to take risks while you are young. Try new things. Do things that make you feel uncomfortable. Take chances.

If they do not work out, you still have time to bounce back! One of the main reasons I was not worried about moving across the country was that I knew if I didn’t like it, I always had the option to simply go back. Therefore, the risk wasn’t really a risk.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that’s changing so quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg 

4) Life happens unexpectedly

You will find that perfect relationship when you aren’t even looking for one. You will find that dream job when you stop thinking about it. If you try to predict your life 6 months from now, you will most likely be very, very wrong.

And this is because…

5) Life doesn’t give you what you want, it gives you what you need

In other words, everything happens for a reason. While you might have wanted that dream job, or to be in a relationship – that isn’t what you needed at that point in time.

Everything that has ever happened to you has worked out to get you to this point in your life. That’s because life has always given you what you needed when you needed it. Even if it didn’t feel like it at that time.

“Life doesn’t give you the people you want, it gives you the people you need. To love you, to hate you, to make you, to break you, and to make you the person you were meant to be.” -Walt Whitman

6) Happiness comes from helping others

Helping others is such a fulfilling and heartwarming experience, you can’t help but smile.

Volunteering, assisting your network, being there for a family member, cheering up a friend. Even small contributions that you don’t think much about can make a real impact on the lives of others.

And it will make an impact on your life.

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” -John Holmes

7) Know how to be independent

Learn how to cook for yourself, clean, small maintenance things around the house. You won’t always have someone to rely on at every moment in life. Knowing how to be independent and taking care of yourself is important for growth, and for survival.

“I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.” -Kamala Harris

8) Family are the people who are there for you

You can have friends that are family and family that aren’t even friends. The people that are there for you when you really need it, both at your lowest points and at your highest, those are the people that really matter.

That is your real family.

“Family is not about blood. It’s about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most.” -Anonymous

9) It is OK to disconnect

Turn off your phone from time to time and just be alone with your thoughts. In the world of the internet and social media, it is so easy to always be on, constantly stimulated, and caught up in what other people are doing. We rarely ever take a moment to really be with our thoughts, even when alone.

Disconnecting gives perspective, clarity, and helps us recharge.

“We need time to defuse, to contemplate. When we sleep our brains relax and give us dreams, so at some time in the day we need to disconnect, reconnect, and look around us.” -Laurie Colwin

10) Take a break from self-development

This may sound crazy coming from a self-development blog, but it’s true!

Like I said before, everything in moderation. Becoming obsessed with self-development will lead to burnout, which is unhealthy and can be demoralizing.

Take time to listen to music instead of that self-help podcast. Watch sports, do mindless things from time to time.

Breaks are important to recharge us so that we can continue to operate at peak performance.

“Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs.” -Russell Eric Dobda

11) Don’t be afraid to say “I’m sorry”

The day I decided it is okay to say sorry was one of the best days of my life.

It truly felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. No longer did I think it was weak to apologize. If anything, being able to put your pride aside and admit when you are wrong is one of the strongest things any person can do.

Plus, saying sorry doesn’t always mean you were 100% wrong.

“Apologizing does not always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.” -Mark Matthews

12) Say “I love you” more

You never know when it might be your last chance!

“The regret of my life is that I have not said ‘I love you’ often enough.” -Yoko Uno

13) Life is too short to not do what you want

Not what your parents want for you. Not what you think will make you rich. Do what you want to do and what will make you feel fulfilled at the end of the day.

You don’t want to look back on your life 60 years from now and think “damn, I should have done that.”

This includes following your own career path, but it could also be asking out that girl you like!

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” -Steve Jobs

14) It’s okay to say “no”

In any scenario, “no” is an acceptable answer. In fact, the most successful people often say no. They say no to anything that does not align with their goals, enthuse them, or may go against their core values.

“The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It’s very easy to say yes.” -Tony Blair

15) A great team makes all the difference

Working as part of a team that helps you out, uplifts you, and that you truly enjoy spending time with is extremely important. Nothing that makes a significant impact on the world can be done alone. That is why it is important to have amazing people by your side along the way.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” -Michael Jordan

16) Compromise is key

If you never compromise two unfortunate side effects will happen:

A) You close yourself off to new experiences B) You damage relationships

New experiences are part of growing and improving as a person. And relationships are fundamentally important for our sanity and happiness as people. Don’t let stubbornness affect your quality of life. Compromises don’t make you weak!

“Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.” -Jane Wells

17) Nothing is more important than health

I used to believe money could buy anything, even health. My ignorance about Magic Johnson was just one reason why. COVID helped me realize that money, status, fame, etc. – all come secondary to being healthy.

“He who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” -Thomas Carlyle

18) Everyone wants a friend

In the past two years with COVID, people have been lonelier than ever.

Even before, it was common to hear how difficult it was to make friends in today’s world.

The truth is, everybody wants a good friend. Somebody they can talk to, go out with, rely on, just have a fun time with.

Don’t be afraid to go up and talk to people. If you do, you might just form a new friendship. Even more so, you might be surprised by how receptive they are. Either way, you’ve got nothing to lose.

“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” -Maya Angelou

19) Be wary of gaslighters

Gaslighting is the act of somebody making you second guess yourself based on their words about a certain situation. This is often done in romantic relationships but can occur in any type of relationship including friends, family, and co-workers.

This is done to make you feel like you are in the wrong and the other person is right, making the situation your fault. When in reality, that is not the truth.

Be confident enough in yourself to not second guess yourself , hold your ground, and realize that you are right and the other person is gaslighting you.

“Gaslighting qualifies as a form of emotional abuse that involves denying a person’s experience and making statements, such as “that never happened,” “you’re too sensitive,” or “this isn’t that big a deal.” -Ramani Durvasula

20) Stop Complaining

This is a rule I’ve lived by for years, but every year I feel like it becomes even more relevant than the year before.

When you complain, you drain your own energy.

You drain the energy of those around you.

Nobody wins.

Instead of complaining about the situation, work on figuring out a solution!

“Complaining not only ruins everybody else’s day, it ruins the complainer’s day, too. The more we complain, the more unhappy we get.” -Dennis Prager

21) Small changes improve the world

You don’t need to be insanely rich and donate money to causes to be able to make an impact on the world.

Any small act of kindness that can put a smile on the other person’s face is a step in the right direction towards making the world a better place.

If we all did this, the world would change significantly and be filled with more positivity and love.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -Aesop

22) Communicate

You will get into fights with the people you care most about in life from time to time. It’s only normal that when you spend that much time around someone, combined with being so deeply invested in what is best for them, a fight will occur on occasion.

The important thing is talking through the fight and being able to communicate. They say never go to bed mad. Adding to this, take time for yourself and for the other person to both calm down, then talk it out. Oftentimes, the fight happens not because either party had malicious intentions, but because there was a miscommunication.

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” -Rollo May

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• Pingback: 23 Valuable Life Lessons for 2023 - The Eric Golban Blog

The health and communication part is essential I really like those two. In addition, learning to break up my work schedule and work more efficiently is helpful as well. I use this to build my finance and make money online blog-realdailycash.com

Thank you for the lesson. 2023 is here soon!

That’s awesome to hear! 2023 Life Lessons is also up on the site now, Cash.

Wow Great Post! You really helped me learn a lot 🙂 Keep it up

Thank you for the kind words! 23 Life Lessons for 2023 is also available if you enjoy this type of content.

Beautiful post! Absolutely love it! everyone can learn from it a lot. Thank you. Mitra

Thank you! I’m glad you found the post useful.

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Student Opinion

What Memorable Things Did You Learn in 2022?

Tell us the most fascinating facts you discovered in school, in The New York Times, online or anywhere else.

By Jeremy Engle

What new information did you learn last year that stands out most? A fact from a science or music class? A curiosity from the news, your social media feed or your own experiences? A surprising statistic from the world of sports or perhaps an intriguing story from a history textbook?

Each day, the editors of Times Insider scour the newspaper for the most interesting, enlightening or delightful facts to appear in articles throughout the paper. In “ 71 of Our Favorite Facts of 2022 ,” they compiled some of the best from last year.

Here is a sampling:

1. The “Star Trek” hand gesture for “live long and prosper” is derived from part of a Hebrew blessing that Leonard Nimoy first glimpsed at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Boston as a boy. To Boldly Explore the Jewish Roots of ‘Star Trek’ 3. Some of the most recognizable and potent odors, like hydrogen sulfide, can be sensed at the tiniest concentrations, like one part per billion. Sometimes, Life Stinks. So He Invented the Nasal Ranger. 28. A gasoline lawn mower generates as much pollution in an hour as a 300-mile car trip, according to the California Air Resources Board . The Tesla Effect: Snowmobiles, Boats and Mowers Go Electric 48. At depths of 1,000 feet, water pressure can reach about 440 pounds per square inch. Such pressure would crumple most human lungs immediately upon exposure, resulting in instant death. A Personal Submarine for Every Orthodontist 63. Nearly half of all millennials have tattoos, compared with 13 percent of the baby boomer generation, according to a 2015 survey by the Harris Poll. A 10-Year-Old Got a Tattoo. His Mother Was Arrested. 64. Beyoncé’s career total of 88 Grammy nominations ties that of Jay-Z, her husband, for the most received by any artist in the history of the awards. Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Adele Lead 2023 Grammy Nominations

Students, read the entire article , then tell us:

What is one new thing you learned in 2022? Are there any specific facts or curiosities that stand out from the last year, from your classes, conversations with friends, time spent online, reading, TV watching or anywhere else?

How has this newfound bit of knowledge affected how you think about the world or yourself? How might it be useful to you in the future?

Which of the 71 facts compiled in the article most struck a chord with you, and why? How might you be able to use these facts in your own life? Are there any other facts that you read in The Times last year that you think should be added to this list?

Do you love facts and trivia — memorizing names, dates and state capitals? Or are you more interested and moved by stories, feelings and emotions? Why?

Looking forward: What subjects do you want to know more about this year? What learning goals do you have? How will your life be different or better if you are able to meet them?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Jeremy Engle joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2018 after spending more than 20 years as a classroom humanities and documentary-making teacher, professional developer and curriculum designer working with students and teachers across the country. More about Jeremy Engle

What I learned - 2022

This past year showed that everything everywhere is changing all the time. The things I learned were all about reacting and responding to these changes and trying my best to remain resilient.

Thinking better thoughts and metacognition

I spend a fair amount of free time on how to think better thoughts . Whether it's writing as a way of thinking clearly or learning about metacognition, I'm interested anything that helps me reason about problems a bit better.

This year I read The Beginning of Infinity and it might be the book that has improved my thinking the most. As it turns out, learning about knowledge was exactly the thing I was looking for. It taught me about how we acquire knowledge, why error correction is important, and all the ways we fool ourselves . I'm realizing flaws in my thinking (and others) more fluently than before in ways that are difficult to describe.

This put me on to a few more books like I Am a Strange Loop . I found Hofstadter's explanation of Godel's incompleteness theorem and its relation to consciousness profound.

Running a startup during a recession

A lot of things that worked well when economic conditions were good, only worked well when economic conditions are good . Growth in tech during the pandemic wasn't permanent , but we were collectively fooled into thinking it was. As a result, we saw 100,000+ layoffs in tech in a roughly 6-month period.

I raised a Series A for Mosey in the spring/summer. I feel incredibly fortunate to have the right people supporting Mosey and timing it well— inflation causes downward pressure on startup valuations making it more difficult to raise. There is no way to know which way the market is going but being decisive when you can get good terms and running a tight process worked out well. (Hat tip to Weiheng Zhang, the CFO of Angelist, for helping me think it through in a single phone call).

The other lesson learned about running a startup during a recession is to focus on building the business and not just growth. For years the market rewarded growth with high multiples on revenue for tech companies , but that is changing. For early startups, getting to breakeven (default alive instead of default dead) is the equivalent of having infinite runway. Building a durable business is the ultimate way to preserve optionality.

The future of work is still remote

Back-to-office plans have come in waves but office occupancy stagnated . For example, permanent moves from SF have fallen to pre-pandemic levels but work-from-home happens the most in cities .

At the same time, I'm noticing more and more CEOs and VCs swinging wildly toward policies that are hostile to workers. When it comes to remote work, the preferences of employees seem to be completely missing from the conversation yet arguments for bringing people back to the office are, upon closer inspection, preferences of the executive team.

We're starting to see the impact of remote work in adjacent areas. NYC office real estate value declined due to remote work . San Francisco lost $400MM of tax revenue . I won't be surprised to see remote work become a political issue as more local government leaders unsuccessfully push for a return to the office.

I'm continually reminded that the radius of economic opportunity is still limited and it seems like remote work is a big lever we can pull to improve prosperity. There are a lot of obstacles in the way , not the least of which is compliance .

The great outdoors as renewal

This year I traveled to the Oberland of Switzerland, Yosemite, Sedona, Hawaii, and Mendocino. I realized how much being surrounded by natural beauty can be a source of renewal. I always feel better after visiting places like these.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still not over, I'm glad to rediscover the great outdoors.

Wrapping up

It was a good year and I'm grateful. While everything is changing rapidly around me, being better at reasoning about things for myself, focusing on what I can control, and looking ahead to the not-so-distant future is working well. I'm optimistic for 2023 and can't help but feel lucky.

Reflecting on Lessons Learned in Assessment and Accountability in Education in 2022

Identifying the Problems to Support Learning Recovery 

To wrap up 2022, Scott Marion provides his take on student learning recovery following the pandemic’s impacts on assessment and accountability in education and emphasizes the need to identify problems to properly support recovery efforts.

As 2022 draws to a close, we hope that the pandemic’s most egregious interruptions to “normal life” are behind us. As countless studies have shown, however, its effects on students’ learning and their social-emotional well-being aren’t going away anytime soon. Supporting student recovery has been and will continue to be a major focus for us here at the Center for Assessment. But if that focus is going to produce positive results, we need to clearly identify the problems we’re trying to solve. 

The most transformative scientists are those who ask the richest questions. When Einstein was just 15 years old, for example, he asked himself what he would see if the train on which he was riding was traveling at the speed of light. Asking this amazing question guided Einstein’s life’s work and led him to revolutionize theoretical physics. 

In our more humble domains of educational design and evaluation, we must focus on getting at the root of the problem we’re trying to address because, as my colleagues Juan D’Brot and Chris Brandt advised this year, we don’t stand a chance of launching the right programs or evaluations unless we clearly identify the problem to be solved .

Role of Assessment and Accountability in Education in Learning Recovery

Needless to say, the most pressing issue for all of us in education is to help school and district leaders accelerate student learning at extraordinary rates. High-quality assessments can play an important role in monitoring and supporting this recovery. A key aspect of defining the recovery problem is understanding where students are currently and how far they need to go. 

Unfortunately, many of the reports we saw this year did not include the level of detail necessary to help us understand the scope of the problem. Damian Betebenner, Leslie Keng, and I offered this guidance for reporting 2022 results, which we hope states will incorporate into their regular reporting going forward. 

Two NAEP releases this fall—the long-term trend results in early September, and the most important one in years, the “main” results on Oct. 24—portrayed a comprehensive picture of the deep trouble we’re facing. Unfortunately, the release also sparked many weak claims about the effects of remote instruction on student learning. These claims were an example of getting distracted from the real problem, as I wrote here . 

Supporting learning recovery was the focus of our annual conference (RILS) in September. Aside from the sheer enjoyment of seeing so many friends and colleagues in person, we collectively wrestled with how we can best use assessment and accountability systems to monitor and support educational recovery. My Center colleagues, along with several state and district leaders and other experts, shared their rich experiences and expertise about strategies for using assessment and accountability in education to monitor and support learning acceleration. 

In the two days of the conference, I never heard any of the almost 100 participants point fingers about decisions regarding remote learning. Rather, they were all looking forward and focusing on how they could improve school and student performance. If you missed the conference, you can access the conference presentations and other materials on this page .

Design Thinking and Innovation

We spend a lot of time every year working with our state and district partners to design or redesign assessment and accountability systems, but we spent even more time on those things in 2022. The first step in this type of work involves clearly defining the issue or problem and then specifying the intended goals of the solution. Chris Domaleski described the multiple steps of this process for large-scale assessment programs and school accountability systems. 

While they may sound wonky, theories of action are critical heuristics in these projects, because they require everyone to spell out and regularly re-evaluate the conditions and logical connections that are necessary to move from problems to solutions. We believe so strongly in this strategy—and harp on it so much—that our partners are surprised if someone from the Center doesn’t mention “theory of action” within the first 10 minutes of a conversation about design.

We’re excited that so many of our state and district partners, like Nebraska, Utah, Montana, Hawaii, Chicago, and Boston, are exploring innovations to better support learning for all students. We use careful problem identification and theories of action to help guide this work, and we describe them in these recent reports for Montana and Utah .

On the other hand, it’s no secret that we’ve been raising questions about through-year assessment systems. We’ve been somewhat challenging because we haven’t seen clear problem identification and explicit links between the problems states are trying to solve and through-year models as the proposed solution. 

Several of us are continuing to build on the expertise we harnessed in our November 2021 through-year assessment convening to further explore the connections between identified problems and proposed solutions. Nathan Dadey and Aneesha Badrinarayan ’s post about the connection between curriculum and assessment is a great example. Similarly, Carla Evans questioned whether state assessments can inform instruction, and Allison Timberlake and I examined how this issue plays out on the ground. We struggled to understand how the proposed solution (through-year assessment) wouldn’t cause more problems than it would solve. 

To be clear, we are not reflexively opposed to through-year assessment. In fact, we are working with several state partners to connect the strong assumptions associated with through-year models with the evidence or logic necessary to help these programs meet at least some of the stated goals. But right now, we see far too few of these explicit connections being made.

Communication and Reporting

“Our score reports are the only way we communicate with the public, yet they’re the last thing we attend to in test design.”

I’ll never forget those wise words spoken by Ron Hambleton, one of the true giants in our field, who passed away this past spring. Chris Domaleski paid homage to Ron in this post and recounted many of his lessons on score reporting.

Part of making tight connections between problems and solutions is specifying clear use cases —clearly describing the ways people will use the proposed system they’re designing. That’s an important part of the use case for assessment, but we don’t do it very well. In that spirit, we spent a lot of time in 2022 thinking about improving the way we communicate complex information pertaining to assessment and accountability in education.

Every year, the Center convenes the Brian Gong Colloquium. It was a joy to be in person again for this small meeting, where Center professionals dig into a complex topic with a handful of experts. In May, we gathered in Boulder, Colorado, to delve into ways we could improve our own communication and the communication strategies used by our clients. We learned a lot and summarized those learnings in this post .

Those of you who’ve been following the Center’s work know that we’ve stepped up our communication intensity in recent years, in service of improving policy and practice. We are thrilled that Catherine Gewertz joined our team as our first editorial director in September. Catherine is a nationally recognized journalist—just completing 22 years at Education Week—who supports the Center’s strategic communication efforts. In recognition of her reporting on assessment, the National Council on Measurement in Education named Catherine the winner of its first award for Excellence in Public Communication in 2019. Catherine is already pushing us to better connect, through clear thinking and writing, the issues we’re trying to address with our proposed resolutions.

Wishing You All the Best

We look forward to supporting you in 2023 and beyond as you work to identify problems and identify the best-fitting solutions. For now, I wish you all the best for a terrific holiday season and a happy and healthy 2023.

Privacy Overview

First-year applicants: Essays, activities & academics

Rather than asking you to write one long essay, the MIT application consists of several short response questions and essays designed to help us get to know you. Remember that this is not a writing test. Be honest, be open, be authentic—this is your opportunity to connect with us.

You should certainly be thoughtful about your essays, but if you’re thinking too much—spending a lot of time stressing or strategizing about what makes you “look best,” as opposed to the answers that are honest and easy—you’re doing it wrong.

Our questions

For the 2023–2024 application, we’re asking these short answer essay questions:

• What field of study appeals to you the most right now? (Note: Applicants select from a drop-down list.) Tell us more about why this field of study at MIT appeals to you.
• We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.
• How has the world you come from—including your opportunities, experiences, and challenges—shaped your dreams and aspirations?
• MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds together to collaborate, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to lending a helping hand. Describe one way you have collaborated with others to learn from them, with them, or contribute to your community together.
• How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn’t expect? What did you learn from it?

Depending on the question, we’re looking for responses of approximately 100–200 words each. There is also one final, open-ended, additional-information text box where you can tell us anything else you think we really ought to know.

Please use our form, not a resume, to list your activities. There is only enough space to list four things—please choose the four that mean the most to you and tell us a bit about them.

Self-reported Coursework Form

How you fill out this form will not make or break your application, so don’t stress about it. Use your best judgment—we’re simply trying to get a clear picture of your academic preparation by subject area. We see thousands of different transcripts, so it really helps us to view your coursework and grades in a consistent format.

Here are a few quick tips to help you complete this section:

• The self-reported coursework should be completed by students in U.S. school systems only. If you attend an international school, we’ll just use your transcript.
• The information you provide does not replace your official high school transcript, which must be sent to us from your school to verify your self-reported information (in order to avoid accidental misrepresentation, it might help to have a copy of your high school transcript in front of you while completing this form).
• Avoid abbreviations, if at all possible, and enter the names of your school courses by subject area. Please include all classes you have taken and are currently taking. If your courses were taken outside of your high school (at a local junior college or university, for example), tell us where they were taken in the “Class Name” field.
• In the “Grade Received” field, list term and/or final grades for each class, as found on your school transcript (semester, trimester, quarter, final, etc.). Use one entry only per class. For example, it’s not necessary to use a separate entry for each semester of the same class. Place all grades for a class in the same field, separating grades with commas.

Title Transfers and Changes

To prove vehicle ownership, it’s important to have a valid, up-to-date, and accurate California Certificate of Title. Here’s how you can transfer and change a title. 

Transfer your Title online!

You can now transfer a title online. Learn more about the steps and get started.

How to Transfer a Title

Anytime there’s a change to a vehicle or vessel’s registered owner or lienholder, that change must be updated in DMV’s records within 10 days and the California Certificate of Title must be transferred to the new owner.

A change in ownership is usually due to:

• Sale, gift, or donation
• Adding or deleting the name of an owner
• Inheritance
• Satisfaction of lien (full payment of car loan)

To transfer a title, you will need:

• Either the California Certificate of Title or an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) (if the title is missing). 
• The signature(s) of seller(s) and lienholder (if any).
• The signature(s) of buyer(s).
• A transfer fee .

Depending on the type of transfer, you might need to complete and submit additional forms. See below for other title transfers and title transfer forms.

Submit your title transfer paperwork and fee (if any) to a DMV office or by mail to: 

DMV PO Box 942869 Sacramento, CA 94269

Rush Title Processing

If you need us to expedite your title processing, you can request rush title processing for an additional fee.

Transfer Fees

Depending on the type of transfer, you may need to pay the following fees:

• Replacement title
• Use tax, based on the buyer’s county of residence
• Registration

See the full list of fees .

Renewal fees and parking/toll violation fees don’t need to be paid to issue a replacement California Certificate of Title.

Title Transfer Forms

These forms may be required when transferring ownership of a vehicle or vessel:  Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment (REG 262) form (call the DMV’s automated voice system at 1-800-777-0133 to have a form mailed to you) Statement of Facts (REG 256) Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release (REG 166) Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability Smog certification Vehicle Emission System Statement (Smog) (REG 139) Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)/Combined Gross Vehicle Weight (CGW) (REG 4008) Affidavit for Transfer without Probate (REG 5) Bill of Sale (REG 135) Verification of Vehicle (REG 31)

Other Title Transfers

When you’re buying a new car or a used car from a dealership, the dealer will handle the paperwork and you’ll receive your title from DMV in the mail.

When vehicle ownership is transferred between two private parties, it’s up to them to transfer the title. If you have the California Certificate of Title for the vehicle , the seller signs the title to release ownership of the vehicle. The buyer should then bring the signed title to a DMV office to apply for transfer of ownership. 

If you don’t have the California Certificate of Title , you need to use an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) to transfer ownership. The lienholder’s release, if any, must be notarized. The buyer should then bring the completed form to a DMV office and we will issue a new registration and title.

Make sure you have all signatures on the proper lines to avoid delays.

Other Steps for the Seller When Vehicle Ownership is Transferred

• 10 years old or older.
• Commercial with a GVW or CGW of more than 16,000 pounds.
• New and being transferred prior to its first retail sale by a dealer.
• Complete a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within 5 days of releasing ownership and keep a copy for your records.

Once the seller gives the buyer all required documentation and DMV receives the completed NRL, the seller’s part of the transaction is complete.

*If the vehicle has been sold more than once with the same title, a REG 262 is required from each seller.

Other Steps for the Buyer When Vehicle Ownership is Transferred

• Current registered owner(s), how names are joined (“and/or”), and lienholder/legal owner (if any).
• License plate number, vehicle identification number (VIN), make, model, year, and registration expiration date.
• Title brands (if any).
• Words “Nontransferable/No California Title Issued,” indicating a California title was not issued and a REG 227 cannot be used (see FAQs).
• Get a smog inspection (if applicable).

Once the buyer has provided the DMV with all the proper documents and fees, the vehicle record is updated to reflect the change of ownership and a registration card is issued.

A new title is issued from DMV headquarters within 60 calendar days.

To transfer a vehicle between family members, submit the following:

• The California Certificate of Title properly signed or endorsed on line 1 by the registered owner(s) shown on the title. Complete the new owner information on the back of the title and sign it.
• A Statement of Facts (REG 256) for use tax and smog exemption (if applicable).
• Odometer disclosure for vehicles less than 10 years old.
• Transfer fee .

You may transfer a vehicle from an individual to the estate of that individual without signatures on the Certificate of Title.

Submit the following:

• The California Certificate of Title. On the back of the title, the new owner section must show “Estate of (name of individual)” and their address. Any legal owner/lienholder named on the front of the title must be re-entered on the back of the title.
• A Statement of Facts (REG 256) confirming the owner is deceased and Letters Testamentary have not been issued. The person completing the statement must indicate their relationship to the deceased.

Use tax and a smog certification are not required.

Vehicle ownership can be transferred to a deceased owner’s heir 40 days after the owner’s death, as long as the value of the deceased’s property in California does not exceed:

• $150,000 if the deceased died before 1/1/20.
• $166,250 if the deceased died on or after 1/1/20.

If the heir will be the new owner, submit the following to a DMV office:

• The California Certificate of Title. The heir must sign the deceased registered owner’s name and countersign on line 1. The heir should complete and sign the back of the title.
• Affidavit for Transfer without Probate (REG 5) , completed and signed by the heir.
• An original or certified copy of the death certificate of all deceased owners.

If the heir prefers to sell the vehicle, the buyer also needs (in addition to the items above):

• Bill of Sale (REG 135) from the heir to the buyer.
• Transfer fee (two transfer fees are due in this case).

To transfer vessel ownership, submit the following:

• The California Certificate of Ownership. The registered owner signs line 1. The legal owner/lienholder (if any) signs line 2. Complete the new owner information on the back of the certificate and sign it.
• Bill(s) of sale, if needed to establish a complete chain of ownership.
• A Vessel Registration Fee .
• Use tax based on the tax rate percentage for your county of residence.

After you sell a vessel, complete a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within five days of releasing ownership and keep a copy for your records.

How to Update or Change a Title

Because a California Certificate of Title is a legal document, it is important to keep it accurate and up-to-date. Here’s how you can update or change a title. 

Order a Replacement California Certificate of Title

You must order a replacement California Certificate of Title when the original is lost, stolen, damaged, illegible, or not received. 

To order a replacement title, submit the following:

• Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) .
• The original title (if you have it).
• California photo driver license (if submitting form in person).
• Replacement title fee .
• If another replacement title was issued in the past 90 days, a Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) completed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). This requirement only applies if the registered owner’s name or address doesn’t match DMV records*.

You can submit your application either in-person* at a DMV office or by mail:

Department of Motor Vehicles Registration Operations PO Box 942869 Sacramento, California 94269-0001

If you’re submitting your form to a DMV office, we recommend you make an appointment so you can avoid any lines. 

You’ll receive your title by mail 15-30 calendar days from the date you submit the replacement title application.

*If you’re applying for a replacement title and the registered owner’s name or address doesn’t match DMV records (except for obvious typographical errors), you must submit your application in person with proof of ownership (e.g. registration card) and an acceptable photo ID (e.g. driver’s license/ID card).

Online Replacement Title Request

Visit our Virtual Office to request a replacement title online.

Change or Correct a Name on a Title

Your true full name must appear on your vehicle or vessel California Certificate of Title and registration card. If your name is misspelled, changes (e.g as a result of marriage or divorce), or is legally changed, you need to correct your name on your title.

To change or correct your name, submit:

• California Certificate of Title with your correct name printed or typed in the “New Registered Owner” section
• A completed Name Statement in Section F of the Statement of Facts (REG 256) .

You may submit your application to any DMV office or by mail to:

Department of Motor Vehicles Vehicle Registration Operations PO Box 942869 Sacramento, CA 94269-0001

Removing Information that was Entered by Mistake

If a name or other information is entered on a title by mistake, complete a Statement to Record Ownership (REG 101) .

Frequently Asked Questions

If the vehicle has a legal owner/lienholder, then section 5 of the REG 227 needs to be notarized. If the registration does not show a legal owner/lienholder, notarization is not required.

Need help finding the lienholder on your vehicle title? We keep a listing of banks, credit unions, and financial/lending institutions that may have gone out of business, merged, changed their name, or been acquired by another financial institution.

No. You must obtain a title from the state where the vehicle was last titled.

If you’re unable to obtain a title from that state, provide documentation that they cannot issue a title. A motor vehicle bond may be required

Contact us for more information .

Need something else?

Fee calculator.

Use our fee calculator to estimate any applicable registration or title transfer fees.

Renew Your Vehicle Registration

You need to renew your vehicle registration every 1-5 years in California, depending on the vehicle. Make sure your registration is up-to-date.

Make an Appointment

Some applications can be submitted to a DMV office near you. Make an appointment so you don’t have to wait in line.

General Disclaimer

When interacting with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Virtual Assistant, please do not include any personal information.

When your chat is over, you can save the transcript. Use caution when using a public computer or device.

The DMV chatbot and live chat services use third-party vendors to provide machine translation. Machine translation is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. The DMV is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any translation provided by the third-party vendors and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the content resulting from the use of the translation service.

The content currently in English is the official and accurate source for the program information and services DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated content, please refer to the English version.

Google™ Translate Disclaimer

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website uses Google™ Translate to provide automatic translation of its web pages. This translation application tool is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. Google™ Translate is a free third-party service, which is not controlled by the DMV. The DMV is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any translation provided by Google™ Translate and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the pages resulting from the use of the translation application tool.

The web pages currently in English on the DMV website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version.

The following pages provided on the DMV website cannot be translated using Google™ Translate:

• Publications
• Field Office Locations
• Online Applications

Please install the Google Toolbar

Google Translate is not support in your browser. To translate this page, please install the Google Toolbar (opens in new window) .

Microsoft Azure Blog

Category: AI + Machine Learning • 11 min read

From code to production: New ways Azure helps you build transformational AI experiences   chevron_right

By Jessica Hawk Corporate Vice President, Data, AI, and Digital Applications, Product Marketing 

What was once a distant promise is now manifesting—and not only through the type of apps that are possible, but how you can build them. With Azure, we’re meeting you where you are today—and paving the way to where you’re going. So let’s jump right into some of what you’ll learn over the next few days. Welcome to Build 2024!

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By Misha Bilenko Corporate Vice President, Microsoft GenAI

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI Content Safety , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Partners

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Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s new flagship model on Azure AI. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, vision, and audio capabilities, setting a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences.

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI , Azure Cosmos DB , Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) , Azure Migrate , Azure Web PubSub , Compute , Industry trends

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By Mike Hulme GM, Azure Digital Applications Marketing

81% of organizations believe AI will give them a competitive edge. Applications are where AI comes to life. Intelligent applications, powered by AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms are pivotal to enhancing performance and stimulating growth. Thus, innovating with intelligent apps is crucial for businesses looking to gain competitive advantage and accelerate growth in this era of AI.

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI , Azure AI Search , Azure App Service , Azure Cosmos DB , Azure Database for PostgreSQL , Azure Databricks , Azure DevOps , Azure Health Data Services , Azure Machine Learning , Azure Managed Applications , Azure SQL Database , Customer stories , DevOps , Events , Microsoft Azure portal , Microsoft Copilot for Azure , Microsoft Defender for Cloud , Migration , SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines

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What’s new in Azure Data, AI, and Digital Applications: Harness the power of intelligent apps    chevron_right

Sharing insights on technology transformation along with important updates and resources about the data, AI, and digital application solutions that make Microsoft Azure the platform for the era of AI.

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By Corey Sanders Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Cloud for Industry

Excited to explore this industrious spirit and a cloud culture closer to home, we ventured to the Northeastern and Midwestern states—the famed Rust Belt—to learn how entrepreneurial adaptability is energizing both people and businesses in the area. 

Latest posts

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Announcing Advanced Container Networking Services for your Azure Kubernetes Service clusters   chevron_right

By Deepak Bansal Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow, Microsoft Azure , and Chandan Aggarwal Partner Group Engineering Manager, Microsoft Azure

Microsoft’s Azure Container Networking team is excited to announce a new offering called Advanced Container Networking Services. It’s a suite of services built on top of existing networking solutions for Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) to address complex challenges around observability, security, and compliance.

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure Database for PostgreSQL , Azure Machine Learning , Azure OpenAI Service , Events , Migration

Published June 5, 2024 • 5 min read

Raise the bar on AI-powered app development with Azure Database for PostgreSQL   chevron_right

By Ramnik Gulati Sr. Director, Product Marketing of Microsoft Operational Databases

By harnessing the might of PostgreSQL in the cloud—with all the scalability and convenience you expect—comes Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL. This fully managed service takes the hassle out of managing your PostgreSQL instances, allowing you to focus on what really matters: building amazing, AI-powered applications.

AI + Machine Learning , Azure AI , Azure AI Services , Azure OpenAI Service , Cloud Services , Partners

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Unlock AI innovation with new joint capabilities from Microsoft and SAP   chevron_right

By Silvio Bessa General Manager, SAP Business Unit

Learn more about the transformative synergy of the Microsoft Cloud and RISE with SAP for business.

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure VMware Solution , Migration , Partners

Published May 30, 2024 • 3 min read

Microsoft and Broadcom to support license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation on Azure VMware Solution   chevron_right

By Brett Tanzer Vice President, Product Management

Microsoft and Broadcom are expanding our partnership with plans to support VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions on Azure VMware Solution. Customers that own or purchase licenses for VMware Cloud Foundation will be able to use those licenses on Azure VMware Solution, as well as their own datacenters, giving them flexibility to meet changing business needs.

Announcements , Azure Bastion , Security

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Enhance your security capabilities with Azure Bastion Premium   chevron_right

By Aaron Tsang Product Manager, Microsoft

Microsoft Azure Bastion, now in public preview, will provide advanced recording, monitoring, and auditing capabilities for customers handling highly sensitive workloads.

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From enhancing productivity and creativity to revolutionizing customer interactions with custom copilots, our customers demonstrate the transformative power of generative AI and truly, brought Build 2024 to life. So, how’d they do it? 

AI + Machine Learning , Industry trends , Thought leadership

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IT trends show customers need computing power to take advantage of AI    chevron_right

In a recent study, Microsoft surveyed over 2,000 IT professionals across ten countries on their tech readiness for and adoption of AI as well as their concerns and challenges along the way.

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By Nick Lee Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Maps and Local

Today, we’re announcing the unification of our enterprise maps offerings under Microsoft Azure Maps. This enables our customers to accelerate innovation by leveraging other Microsoft Azure cloud services while retaining many familiar features from Bing Maps for Enterprise.

AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Events

Published May 21, 2024 • 5 min read

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Published May 21, 2024 • 11 min read

Requirements to Join

Find out what it takes to serve..

Be part of something greater than yourself while becoming stronger by joining the U.S. Army.

Requirements to join the Army.

The requirements to join are different based on how you choose to serve—as an enlisted Soldier or Army Officer. We’re here to help you navigate the requirements, no matter which path you choose.

Perform important day-to-day operations and ensure the success of your unit’s mission. Requirements to join as an enlisted Soldier include:

Be between 17 and 35 years old

Be medically and physically fit

Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid Green Card

Have a high school diploma or equivalent

Earn a minimum score on the Army’s entrance test

Lead missions, make decisions, and ensure the safety of Soldiers under your command. Requirements to join as an Army Officer include:

Be at least 17 but under 31 in the year of commissioning as an Officer, or under 27 if you commission from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Be a U.S. citizen by the time you commission as an Officer

Be a college graduate by the time you’re commissioned as an Officer

Complete a background check, questionnaire, and interview, and provide the required documentation for a security clearance

What to know about joining the Army.

Make sure you’re prepared to take the next step by considering some of the common questions other Soldiers had before they joined. You can always talk to a recruiter  if you have any additional questions.

Can I join the Army if I’m older than the maximum age requirement?

The maximum age to join the Army as an enlisted Soldier is 35, while Officers must accept their commission before age 31. However, the Army can lift some restrictions based on the need for certain roles to be filled. It’s possible to receive an age waiver, especially if you have prior military service. Talk to your recruiter to learn more.

Medical & Physical

Can i join if i have a medical disqualification.

You can still join with a medical disqualification as long as you get a medical waiver, which is issued on a case-by-case basis.

Are there any restrictions around tattoos?

You can have tattoos almost anywhere on your body, with a few exceptions. There are some limits to the size and number of tattoos on highly visible areas like the hands, neck, and behind the ears. Tattoos in the mouth, ears, or on the eyelids are not allowed. It’s possible to get a waiver in some instances. However, tattoos anywhere on your body that are extremist, racist, sexist, or otherwise indecent aren’t allowed, no exceptions. See all tattoo requirements in the hair and appearance guidelines.

Can I still join if I have asthma, poor vision, or poor hearing?

Asthma will only prevent you from joining if you were diagnosed with it after your 13th birthday. Hearing, vision, and asthma qualifications are usually determined by medical exams. You can still request an asthma, vision, or hearing loss waiver if a doctor denies your application. 

Can I join if I have ADHD?

Yes. It will only prevent you from joining the Army if you’ve been treated with ADD/ADHD medication within the last year, or if you display obvious signs of the condition.

Will my height or weight prevent me from joining?

Height and weight restrictions vary by age and gender. Check the height and weight chart to see if you’re within the requirements to join.

Men (Ages 17 – 20)

Height: 58 – 80 in. Weight: 234 lb max

Women (Ages 17 – 20)

Height: 58 – 80 in. Weight: 119 – 227 lb.

If you enlist to become a Soldier and don’t meet the physical requirements at MEPS, you may be eligible for the fitness track of a program called the Future Soldier Preparatory Course. Over 90 days, Army health and fitness experts will help you meet the required body fat composition before you start Basic Training. Talk to a recruiter about program details and if it’s an option for you.

Are there any physical requirements to join?

For both the enlisted Soldier and commissioned Officer paths, you’ll need to meet the height and weight requirements for your age and gender before joining. A recruiter will work with you after you join to meet the physical requirements of your chosen Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) or Army job.

• The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) evaluates your physical and mental abilities, starting at Basic Training for enlisted Soldiers and during initial training for those commissioning as Officers
• Everyone will need to pass the ACFT during training and again several times a year for every year of service. Scores are recorded twice a year for active duty Soldiers in the Army, or once a year for members of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. The Army will be there to support your growth with resources during every step of the evaluation process to ensure your success

Can I no longer join if I score too low on the ASVAB placement exam?

Yes, the Army understands that some circumstances can impact your ability to score well. A waiver can be requested in those situations. If you want to improve your test score and have a minimum score of 21, the academic track of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course may be an option for you. This 90-day program provides training on all the subjects covered on the ASVAB, as well as opportunities to retake the test. Find out more about the ASVAB entrance test and work with a recruiter to see if this program is right for you.

Values & Character

If i have a previous felony or a conviction, can i still join.

Generally, felons and those with several convictions can’t join the Army, but waivers are available in some cases. The offenses and moral behavior-related issues that cannot be waived include:

• If you are under civil restraint, including parole, confinement, or probation
• If you are subject to civil court conviction or adverse disposition for more than one serious offense, or serious offenses with three or more other offenses (apart from traffic)
• If you are found trafficking, selling, or distributing narcotics, including marijuana
• If you have three or more convictions related to driving while intoxicated, drugged, or impaired in the past five years before joining
• If you are convicted for five or more misdemeanors
• If you are unable to pass a drug or alcohol test, or if you have current charges pending against you

Citizenship

What is the u.s. citizenship requirement to join the army.

Although the Army wants people from all different backgrounds and experiences, all candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid Green Card (officially known as a I-551 Permanent Resident Card). If you already have a Green Card, serving in the Army can reduce the residency requirement for becoming a U.S. citizen to as little as one day instead of five years. The naturalization process for citizenship can begin as soon as your first day of Basic Training.

What can I do if I don’t meet the eligibility requirements to join?

The Army has a waiver process that you can take advantage of to prove you overcame a disqualifying issue that would otherwise prevent you from joining the Army. After submitting a waiver, a review takes place to make sure you can join. If your waiver is denied, you can also look into pursuing a civilian career within the Army.

Height & Weight Requirement Chart

Requirements, see what it takes to join..

Take the Soldier Prep Quiz to find out how you can become part of the greatest team in the world.

OTHER ASPECTS OF JOINING THE ARMY

Take the first step..

Find out more about becoming a Soldier and if a career in the Army is right for you.

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Extracurriculars.

16 Strong College Essay Examples from Top Schools

What’s Covered:

• Common App Essays
• Why This College Essays
• Why This Major Essays
• Extracurricular Essays
• Overcoming Challenges Essays
• Community Service Essays
• Diversity Essays
• Political/Global Issues Essays
• Where to Get Feedback on Your Essays

Most high school students don’t get a lot of experience with creative writing, so the college essay can be especially daunting. Reading examples of successful essays, however, can help you understand what admissions officers are looking for.

In this post, we’ll share 16 college essay examples of many different topics. Most of the essay prompts fall into 8 different archetypes, and you can approach each prompt under that archetype in a similar way. We’ve grouped these examples by archetype so you can better structure your approach to college essays.

If you’re looking for school-specific guides, check out our 2022-2023 essay breakdowns .

Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Note: the essays are titled in this post for navigation purposes, but they were not originally titled. We also include the original prompt where possible.

The Common App essay goes to all of the schools on your list, unless those schools use a separate application platform. Because of this, it’s the most important essay in your portfolio, and likely the longest essay you’ll need to write (you get up to 650 words). 

The goal of this essay is to share a glimpse into who you are, what matters to you, and what you hope to achieve. It’s a chance to share your story. 

Learn more about how to write the Common App essay in our complete guide.

The Multiple Meanings of Point

Prompt: 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. (250-650 words)

Night had robbed the academy of its daytime colors, yet there was comfort in the dim lights that cast shadows of our advances against the bare studio walls. Silhouettes of roundhouse kicks, spin crescent kicks, uppercuts and the occasional butterfly kick danced while we sparred. She approached me, eyes narrowed with the trace of a smirk challenging me. “Ready spar!” Her arm began an upward trajectory targeting my shoulder, a common first move. I sidestepped — only to almost collide with another flying fist. Pivoting my right foot, I snapped my left leg, aiming my heel at her midsection. The center judge raised one finger. 

There was no time to celebrate, not in the traditional sense at least. Master Pollard gave a brief command greeted with a unanimous “Yes, sir” and the thud of 20 hands dropping-down-and-giving-him-30, while the “winners” celebrated their victory with laps as usual. 

Three years ago, seven-thirty in the evening meant I was a warrior. It meant standing up straighter, pushing a little harder, “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am”, celebrating birthdays by breaking boards, never pointing your toes, and familiarity. Three years later, seven-thirty in the morning meant I was nervous. 

The room is uncomfortably large. The sprung floor soaks up the checkerboard of sunlight piercing through the colonial windows. The mirrored walls further illuminate the studio and I feel the light scrutinizing my sorry attempts at a pas de bourrée, while capturing the organic fluidity of the dancers around me. “Chassé en croix, grand battement, pique, pirouette.” I follow the graceful limbs of the woman in front of me, her legs floating ribbons, as she executes what seems to be a perfect ronds de jambes. Each movement remains a negotiation. With admirable patience, Ms. Tan casts me a sympathetic glance.   

There is no time to wallow in the misery that is my right foot. Taekwondo calls for dorsiflexion; pointed toes are synonymous with broken toes. My thoughts drag me into a flashback of the usual response to this painful mistake: “You might as well grab a tutu and head to the ballet studio next door.” Well, here I am Master Pollard, unfortunately still following your orders to never point my toes, but no longer feeling the satisfaction that comes with being a third degree black belt with 5 years of experience quite literally under her belt. It’s like being a white belt again — just in a leotard and ballet slippers. 

But the appetite for new beginnings that brought me here doesn’t falter. It is only reinforced by the classical rendition of “Dancing Queen” that floods the room and the ghost of familiarity that reassures me that this new beginning does not and will not erase the past. After years spent at the top, it’s hard to start over. But surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become. In Taekwondo, we started each class reciting the tenets: honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet. 

The thing about change is that it eventually stops making things so different. After nine different schools, four different countries, three different continents, fluency in Tamil, Norwegian, and English, there are more blurred lines than there are clear fragments. My life has not been a tactfully executed, gold medal-worthy Taekwondo form with each movement defined, nor has it been a series of frappés performed by a prima ballerina with each extension identical and precise, but thankfully it has been like the dynamics of a spinning back kick, fluid, and like my chances of landing a pirouette, unpredictable. 

The first obvious strength of this essay is the introduction—it is interesting and snappy and uses enough technical language that we want to figure out what the student is discussing. When writing introductions, students tend to walk the line between intriguing and confusing. It is important that your essay ends up on the intentionally intriguing side of that line—like this student does! We are a little confused at first, but by then introducing the idea of “sparring,” the student grounds their essay.

People often advise young writers to “show, not tell.” This student takes that advice a step further and makes the reader do a bit of work to figure out what they are telling us. Nowhere in this essay does it say “After years of Taekwondo, I made the difficult decision to switch over to ballet.” Rather, the student says “It’s like being a white belt again — just in a leotard and ballet slippers.” How powerful! 

After a lot of emotional language and imagery, this student finishes off their essay with very valuable (and necessary!) reflection. They show admissions officers that they are more than just a good writer—they are a mature and self-aware individual who would be beneficial to a college campus. Self-awareness comes through with statements like “surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become” and maturity can be seen through the student’s discussion of values: “honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet.”

Sparking Self-Awareness

Prompt: 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? (250-650 words)

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

First things first, this Common App essay is well-written. This student is definitely showing the admissions officers her ability to articulate her points beautifully and creatively. It starts with vivid images like that of the “rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free.” And because the prose is flowery (and beautiful!), the writer can get away with metaphors like “I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms” that might sound cheesy without the clear command of the English language that the writer quickly establishes.

In addition to being well-written, this essay is thematically cohesive. It begins with the simple introduction “Fire!” and ends with the following image: “When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.” This full-circle approach leaves readers satisfied and impressed.

While dialogue often comes off as cliche or trite, this student effectively incorporates her family members saying “Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” This is achieved through the apt use of the verb “taunted” to characterize the questioning and through the question’s thematic connection to the earlier image of the student as a rustic princess. Similarly, rhetorical questions can feel randomly placed in essays, but this student’s inclusion of the questions “Was I so dainty?” and “Was I that incapable?” feel perfectly justified after she establishes that she was pondering her failure.

Quite simply, this essay shows how quality writing can make a simple story outstandingly compelling. 

Why This College?

“Why This College?” is one of the most common essay prompts, likely because schools want to understand whether you’d be a good fit and how you’d use their resources.

This essay is one of the more straightforward ones you’ll write for college applications, but you still can and should allow your voice to shine through.

Learn more about how to write the “Why This College?” essay in our guide.

Prompt: How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying (650 words).

Sister Simone Roach, a theorist of nursing ethics, said, “caring is the human mode of being.” I have long been inspired by Sister Roach’s Five C’s of Caring: commitment, conscience, competence, compassion, and confidence. Penn both embraces and fosters these values through a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum and unmatched access to service and volunteer opportunities.

COMMITMENT. Reading through the activities that Penn Quakers devote their time to (in addition to academics!) felt like drinking from a firehose in the best possible way. As a prospective nursing student with interests outside of my major, I value this level of flexibility. I plan to leverage Penn’s liberal arts curriculum to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges LGBT people face, especially regarding healthcare access. Through courses like “Interactional Processes with LGBT Individuals” and volunteering at the Mazzoni Center for outreach, I hope to learn how to better support the Penn LGBT community as well as my family and friends, including my cousin, who came out as trans last year.

CONSCIENCE. As one of the first people in my family to attend a four-year university, I wanted a school that promoted a sense of moral responsibility among its students. At Penn, professors challenge their students to question and recreate their own set of morals by sparking thought- provoking, open-minded discussions. I can imagine myself advocating for universal healthcare in courses such as “Health Care Reform & Future of American Health System” and debating its merits with my peers. Studying in an environment where students confidently voice their opinions – conservative or liberal – will push me to question and strengthen my value system.

COMPETENCE. Two aspects that drew my attention to Penn’s BSN program were its high-quality research opportunities and hands-on nursing projects. Through its Office of Nursing Research, Penn connects students to faculty members who share similar research interests. As I volunteered at a nursing home in high school, I hope to work with Dr. Carthon to improve the quality of care for senior citizens. Seniors, especially minorities, face serious barriers to healthcare that I want to resolve. Additionally, Penn’s unique use of simulations to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application impressed me. Using computerized manikins that mimic human responses, classes in Penn’s nursing program allow students to apply their emergency medical skills in a mass casualty simulation and monitor their actions afterward through a video system. Participating in this activity will help me identify my strengths and areas for improvement regarding crisis management and medical care in a controlled yet realistic setting. Research opportunities and simulations will develop my skills even before I interact with patients.

COMPASSION. I value giving back through community service, and I have a particular interest in Penn’s Community Champions and Nursing Students For Sexual & Reproductive Health (NSRH). As a four-year volunteer health educator, I hope to continue this work as a Community Champions member. I am excited to collaborate with medical students to teach fourth and fifth graders in the city about cardiology or lead a chair dance class for the elders at the LIFE Center. Furthermore, as a feminist who firmly believes in women’s abortion rights, I’d like to join NSRH in order to advocate for women’s health on campus. At Penn, I can work with like-minded people to make a meaningful difference.

CONFIDENCE. All of the Quakers that I have met possess one defining trait: confidence. Each student summarized their experiences at Penn as challenging but fulfilling. Although I expect my coursework to push me, from my conversations with current Quakers I know it will help me to be far more effective in my career.

The Five C’s of Caring are important heuristics for nursing, but they also provide insight into how I want to approach my time in college. I am eager to engage with these principles both as a nurse and as a Penn Quaker, and I can’t wait to start.

This prompt from Penn asks students to tailor their answer to their specific field of study. One great thing that this student does is identify their undergraduate school early, by mentioning “Sister Simone Roach, a theorist of nursing ethics.” You don’t want readers confused or searching through other parts of your application to figure out your major.

With a longer essay like this, it is important to establish structure. Some students organize their essay in a narrative form, using an anecdote from their past or predicting their future at a school. This student uses Roach’s 5 C’s of Caring as a framing device that organizes their essay around values. This works well!

While this essay occasionally loses voice, there are distinct moments where the student’s personality shines through. We see this with phrases like “felt like drinking from a fire hose in the best possible way” and “All of the Quakers that I have met possess one defining trait: confidence.” It is important to show off your personality to make your essay stand out. 

Finally, this student does a great job of referencing specific resources about Penn. It’s clear that they have done their research (they’ve even talked to current Quakers). They have dreams and ambitions that can only exist at Penn.

Prompt: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Coin collector and swimmer. Hungarian and Romanian. Critical and creative thinker. I was drawn to Yale because they don’t limit one’s mind with “or” but rather embrace unison with “and.” 

Wandering through the Beinecke Library, I prepare for my multidisciplinary Energy Studies capstone about the correlation between hedonism and climate change, making it my goal to find implications in environmental sociology. Under the tutelage of Assistant Professor Arielle Baskin-Sommers, I explore the emotional deficits of depression, utilizing neuroimaging to scrutinize my favorite branch of psychology: human perception. At Walden Peer Counseling, I integrate my peer support and active listening skills to foster an empathetic environment for the Yale community. Combining my interests in psychological and environmental studies is why I’m proud to be a Bulldog. 

This answer to the “Why This College” question is great because 1) the student shows their excitement about attending Yale 2) we learn the ways in which attending Yale will help them achieve their goals and 3) we learn their interests and identities.

In this response, you can find a prime example of the “Image of the Future” approach, as the student flashes forward and envisions their life at Yale, using present tense (“I explore,” “I integrate,” “I’m proud”). This approach is valuable if you are trying to emphasize your dedication to a specific school. Readers get the feeling that this student is constantly imagining themselves on campus—it feels like Yale really matters to them.

Starting this image with the Beinecke Library is great because the Beinecke Library only exists at Yale. It is important to tailor “Why This College” responses to each specific school. This student references a program of study, a professor, and an extracurricular that only exist at Yale. Additionally, they connect these unique resources to their interests—psychological and environmental studies.

Finally, we learn about the student (independent of academics) through this response. By the end of their 125 words, we know their hobbies, ethnicities, and social desires, in addition to their academic interests. It can be hard to tackle a 125-word response, but this student shows that it’s possible.

Why This Major?

The goal of this prompt is to understand how you came to be interested in your major and what you plan to do with it. For competitive programs like engineering, this essay helps admissions officers distinguish students who have a genuine passion and are most likely to succeed in the program. This is another more straightforward essay, but you do have a bit more freedom to include relevant anecdotes.

Learn more about how to write the “Why This Major?” essay in our guide.

Why Duke Engineering

Prompt: If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke (250 words).

One Christmas morning, when I was nine, I opened a snap circuit set from my grandmother. Although I had always loved math and science, I didn’t realize my passion for engineering until I spent the rest of winter break creating different circuits to power various lights, alarms, and sensors. Even after I outgrew the toy, I kept the set in my bedroom at home and knew I wanted to study engineering. Later, in a high school biology class, I learned that engineering didn’t only apply to circuits, but also to medical devices that could improve people’s quality of life. Biomedical engineering allows me to pursue my academic passions and help people at the same time.

Just as biology and engineering interact in biomedical engineering, I am fascinated by interdisciplinary research in my chosen career path. Duke offers unmatched resources, such as DUhatch and The Foundry, that will enrich my engineering education and help me practice creative problem-solving skills. The emphasis on entrepreneurship within these resources will also help me to make a helpful product. Duke’s Bass Connections program also interests me; I firmly believe that the most creative and necessary problem-solving comes by bringing people together from different backgrounds. Through this program, I can use my engineering education to solve complicated societal problems such as creating sustainable surgical tools for low-income countries. Along the way, I can learn alongside experts in the field. Duke’s openness and collaborative culture span across its academic disciplines, making Duke the best place for me to grow both as an engineer and as a social advocate.

This prompt calls for a complex answer. Students must explain both why they want to study engineering and why Duke is the best place for them to study engineering.

This student begins with a nice hook—a simple anecdote about a simple present with profound consequences. They do not fluff up their anecdote with flowery images or emotionally-loaded language; it is what it is, and it is compelling and sweet. As their response continues, they express a particular interest in problem-solving. They position problem-solving as a fundamental part of their interest in engineering (and a fundamental part of their fascination with their childhood toy). This helps readers to learn about the student!

Problem-solving is also the avenue by which they introduce Duke’s resources—DUhatch, The Foundry, and Duke’s Bass Connections program. It is important to notice that the student explains how these resources can help them achieve their future goals—it is not enough to simply identify the resources!

This response is interesting and focused. It clearly answers the prompt, and it feels honest and authentic.

Why Georgia Tech CompSci

Prompt: Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech? (300 words max)

I held my breath and hit RUN. Yes! A plump white cat jumped out and began to catch the falling pizzas. Although my Fat Cat project seems simple now, it was the beginning of an enthusiastic passion for computer science. Four years and thousands of hours of programming later, that passion has grown into an intense desire to explore how computer science can serve society. Every day, surrounded by technology that can recognize my face and recommend scarily-specific ads, I’m reminded of Uncle Ben’s advice to a young Spiderman: “with great power comes great responsibility”. Likewise, the need to ensure digital equality has skyrocketed with AI’s far-reaching presence in society; and I believe that digital fairness starts with equality in education.

The unique use of threads at the College of Computing perfectly matches my interests in AI and its potential use in education; the path of combined threads on Intelligence and People gives me the rare opportunity to delve deep into both areas. I’m particularly intrigued by the rich sets of both knowledge-based and data-driven intelligence courses, as I believe AI should not only show correlation of events, but also provide insight for why they occur.

In my four years as an enthusiastic online English tutor, I’ve worked hard to help students overcome both financial and technological obstacles in hopes of bringing quality education to people from diverse backgrounds. For this reason, I’m extremely excited by the many courses in the People thread that focus on education and human-centered technology. I’d love to explore how to integrate AI technology into the teaching process to make education more available, affordable, and effective for people everywhere. And with the innumerable opportunities that Georgia Tech has to offer, I know that I will be able to go further here than anywhere else.

With a “Why This Major” essay, you want to avoid using all of your words to tell a story. That being said, stories are a great way to show your personality and make your essay stand out. This student’s story takes up only their first 21 words, but it positions the student as fun and funny and provides an endearing image of cats and pizzas—who doesn’t love cats and pizzas? There are other moments when the student’s personality shines through also, like the Spiderman reference.

While this pop culture reference adds color, it also is important for what the student is getting at: their passion. They want to go into computer science to address the issues of security and equity that are on the industry’s mind, and they acknowledge these concerns with their comments about “scarily-specific ads” and their statement that “the need to ensure digital equality has skyrocketed.” This student is self-aware and aware of the state of the industry. This aptitude will be appealing for admissions officers.

The conversation around “threads” is essential for this student’s response because the prompt asks specifically about the major at Georgia Tech and it is the only thing they reference that is specific to Georgia Tech. Threads are great, but this student would have benefitted from expanding on other opportunities specific to Georgia Tech later in the essay, instead of simply inserting “innumerable opportunities.”

Overall, this student shows personality, passion, and aptitude—precisely what admissions officers want to see!

Extracurricular Essay

You’re asked to describe your activities on the Common App, but chances are, you have at least one extracurricular that’s impacted you in a way you can’t explain in 150 characters.

This essay archetype allows you to share how your most important activity shaped you and how you might use those lessons learned in the future. You are definitely welcome to share anecdotes and use a narrative approach, but remember to include some reflection. A common mistake students make is to only describe the activity without sharing how it impacted them.

Learn more about how to write the Extracurricular Essay in our guide.

A Dedicated Musician

My fingers raced across the keys, rapidly striking one after another. My body swayed with the music as my hands raced across the piano. Crashing onto the final chord, it was over as quickly as it had begun. My shoulders relaxed and I couldn’t help but break into a satisfied grin. I had just played the Moonlight Sonata’s third movement, a longtime dream of mine. 

Four short months ago, though, I had considered it impossible. The piece’s tempo was impossibly fast, its notes stretching between each end of the piano, forcing me to reach farther than I had ever dared. It was 17 pages of the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered. 

But that summer, I found myself ready to take on the challenge. With the end of the school year, I was released from my commitment to practicing for band and solo performances. I was now free to determine my own musical path: either succeed in learning the piece, or let it defeat me for the third summer in a row. 

Over those few months, I spent countless hours practicing the same notes until they burned a permanent place in my memory, creating a soundtrack for even my dreams. Some would say I’ve mastered the piece, but as a musician I know better. Now that I can play it, I am eager to take the next step and add in layers of musicality and expression to make the once-impossible piece even more beautiful.

In this response, the student uses their extracurricular, piano, as a way to emphasize their positive qualities. At the beginning, readers are invited on a journey with the student where we feel their struggle, their intensity, and ultimately their satisfaction. With this descriptive image, we form a valuable connection with the student.

Then, we get to learn about what makes this student special: their dedication and work ethic. The fact that this student describes their desire to be productive during the summer shows an intensity that is appealing to admissions officers. Additionally, the growth mindset that this student emphasizes in their conclusion is appealing to admissions officers.

The Extracurricular Essay can be seen as an opportunity to characterize yourself. This student clearly identified their positive qualities, then used the Extracurricular Essay as a way to articulate them.

A Complicated Relationship with the School Newspaper

My school’s newspaper and I have a typical love-hate relationship; some days I want nothing more than to pass two hours writing and formatting articles, while on others the mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver. Still, as we’re entering our fourth year together, you could consider us relatively stable. We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences; at this point I’ve become comfortable spending an entire Friday night preparing for an upcoming issue, and I hardly even notice the snail-like speed of our computers. I’ve even benefitted from the polygamous nature of our relationship—with twelve other editors, there’s a lot of cooperation involved. Perverse as it may be, from that teamwork I’ve both gained some of my closest friends and improved my organizational and time-management skills. And though leaving it in the hands of new editors next year will be difficult, I know our time together has only better prepared me for future relationships.

This response is great. It’s cute and endearing and, importantly, tells readers a lot about the student who wrote it. Framing this essay in the context of a “love-hate relationship,” then supplementing with comments like “We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences” allows this student to advertise their maturity in a unique and engaging way. 

While Extracurricular Essays can be a place to show how you’ve grown within an activity, they can also be a place to show how you’ve grown through an activity. At the end of this essay, readers think that this student is mature and enjoyable, and we think that their experience with the school newspaper helped make them that way.

Participating in Democracy

Prompt: Research shows that an ability to learn from experiences outside the classroom correlates with success in college. What was your greatest learning experience over the past 4 years that took place outside of the traditional classroom? (250 words) 

The cool, white halls of the Rayburn House office building contrasted with the bustling energy of interns entertaining tourists, staffers rushing to cover committee meetings, and my fellow conference attendees separating to meet with our respective congresspeople. Through civics and US history classes, I had learned about our government, but simply hearing the legislative process outlined didn’t prepare me to navigate it. It was my first political conference, and, after learning about congressional mechanics during breakout sessions, I was lobbying my representative about an upcoming vote crucial to the US-Middle East relationship. As the daughter of Iranian immigrants, my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents.

As I sat down with my congresswoman’s chief of staff, I truly felt like a participant in democracy; I was exercising my right to be heard as a young American. Through this educational conference, I developed a plan of action to raise my voice. When I returned home, I signed up to volunteer with the state chapter of the Democratic Party. I sponsored letter-writing campaigns, canvassed for local elections, and even pursued an internship with a state senate campaign. I know that I don’t need to be old enough to vote to effect change. Most importantly, I also know that I want to study government—I want to make a difference for my communities in the United States and the Middle East throughout my career. 

While this prompt is about extracurricular activities, it specifically references the idea that the extracurricular should support the curricular. It is focused on experiential learning for future career success. This student wants to study government, so they chose to describe an experience of hands-on learning within their field—an apt choice!

As this student discusses their extracurricular experience, they also clue readers into their future goals—they want to help Middle Eastern communities. Admissions officers love when students mention concrete plans with a solid foundation. Here, the foundation comes from this student’s ethnicity. With lines like “my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents,” the student assures admissions officers of their emotional connection to their future field.

The strength of this essay comes from its connections. It connects the student’s extracurricular activity to their studies and connects theirs studies to their personal history.

Overcoming Challenges

You’re going to face a lot of setbacks in college, so admissions officers want to make you’re you have the resilience and resolve to overcome them. This essay is your chance to be vulnerable and connect to admissions officers on an emotional level.

Learn more about how to write the Overcoming Challenges Essay in our guide.

The Student Becomes the Master

”Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one. 

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay is great because it has a strong introduction and conclusion. The introduction is notably suspenseful and draws readers into the story. Because we know it is a college essay, we can assume that the student is one of the competitors, but at the same time, this introduction feels intentionally ambiguous as if the writer could be a competitor, a coach, a sibling of a competitor, or anyone else in the situation.

As we continue reading the essay, we learn that the writer is, in fact, the competitor. Readers also learn a lot about the student’s values as we hear their thoughts: “I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was.” Ultimately, the conflict and inner and outer turmoil is resolved through the “Same, but Different” ending technique as the student places themself in the same environment that we saw in the intro, but experiencing it differently due to their actions throughout the narrative. This is a very compelling strategy!

Growing Sensitivity to Struggles

Prompt: 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? (650 words)

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

When my parents learned about The Green Academy, we hoped it would be an opportunity for me to find not only an academically challenging environment, but also – perhaps more importantly – a community. This meant transferring the family from Drumfield to Kingston. And while there was concern about Max, we all believed that given his sociable nature, moving would be far less impactful on him than staying put might be on me.

As it turned out, Green Academy was everything I’d hoped for. I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time – and a massive argument – to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it.

Through my own journey of searching for academic peers, in addition to coming out as gay when I was 12, I had developed deep empathy for those who had trouble fitting in. It was a pain I knew well and could easily relate to. Yet after Max’s outburst, my first response was to protest that our parents – not I – had chosen to move us here. In my heart, though, I knew that regardless of who had made the decision, we ended up in Kingston for my benefit. I was ashamed that, while I saw myself as genuinely compassionate, I had been oblivious to the heartache of the person closest to me. I could no longer ignore it – and I didn’t want to.

We stayed up half the night talking, and the conversation took an unexpected turn. Max opened up and shared that it wasn’t just about the move. He told me how challenging school had always been for him, due to his dyslexia, and that the ever-present comparison to me had only deepened his pain.

We had been in parallel battles the whole time and, yet, I only saw that Max was in distress once he experienced problems with which I directly identified. I’d long thought Max had it so easy – all because he had friends. The truth was, he didn’t need to experience my personal brand of sorrow in order for me to relate – he had felt plenty of his own.

My failure to recognize Max’s suffering brought home for me the profound universality and diversity of personal struggle; everyone has insecurities, everyone has woes, and everyone – most certainly – has pain. I am acutely grateful for the conversations he and I shared around all of this, because I believe our relationship has been fundamentally strengthened by a deeper understanding of one another. Further, this experience has reinforced the value of constantly striving for deeper sensitivity to the hidden struggles of those around me. I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story.

Here you can find a prime example that you don’t have to have fabulous imagery or flowery prose to write a successful essay. You just have to be clear and say something that matters. This essay is simple and beautiful. It almost feels like having a conversation with a friend and learning that they are an even better person than you already thought they were.

Through this narrative, readers learn a lot about the writer—where they’re from, what their family life is like, what their challenges were as a kid, and even their sexuality. We also learn a lot about their values—notably, the value they place on awareness, improvement, and consideration of others. Though they never explicitly state it (which is great because it is still crystal clear!), this student’s ending of “I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story” shows that they are constantly striving for improvement and finding lessons anywhere they can get them in life.

Community Service/Impact on the Community

Colleges want students who will positively impact the campus community and go on to make change in the world after they graduate. This essay is similar to the Extracurricular Essay, but you need to focus on a situation where you impacted others. 

Learn more about how to write the Community Service Essay in our guide.

Academic Signing Day

Prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

The scent of eucalyptus caressed my nose in a gentle breeze. Spring had arrived. Senior class activities were here. As a sophomore, I noticed a difference between athletic and academic seniors at my high school; one received recognition while the other received silence. I wanted to create an event celebrating students academically-committed to four-years, community colleges, trades schools, and military programs. This event was Academic Signing Day.

The leadership label, “Events Coordinator,” felt heavy on my introverted mind. I usually was setting up for rallies and spirit weeks, being overlooked around the exuberant nature of my peers. 

I knew a change of mind was needed; I designed flyers, painted posters, presented powerpoints, created student-led committees, and practiced countless hours for my introductory speech. Each committee would play a vital role on event day: one dedicated to refreshments, another to technology, and one for decorations. The fourth-month planning was a laborious joy, but I was still fearful of being in the spotlight. Being acknowledged by hundreds of people was new to me.     

The day was here. Parents filled the stands of the multi-purpose room. The atmosphere was tense; I could feel the angst building in my throat, worried about the impression I would leave. Applause followed each of the 400 students as they walked to their college table, indicating my time to speak. 

I walked up to the stand, hands clammy, expression tranquil, my words echoing to the audience. I thought my speech would be met by the sounds of crickets; instead, smiles lit up the stands, realizing my voice shone through my actions. I was finally coming out of my shell. The floor was met by confetti as I was met by the sincerity of staff, students, and parents, solidifying the event for years to come. 

Academic students were no longer overshadowed. Their accomplishments were equally recognized to their athletic counterparts. The school culture of athletics over academics was no longer imbalanced. Now, every time I smell eucalyptus, it is a friendly reminder that on Academic Signing Day, not only were academic students in the spotlight but so was my voice.

This essay answers the prompt nicely because the student describes a contribution with a lasting legacy. Academic Signing Day will affect this high school in the future and it affected this student’s self-development—an idea summed up nicely with their last phrase “not only were academic students in the spotlight but so was my voice.”

With Community Service essays, students sometimes take small contributions and stretch them. And, oftentimes, the stretch is very obvious. Here, the student shows us that Academic Signing Day actually mattered by mentioning four months of planning and hundreds of students and parents. They also make their involvement in Academic Signing Day clear—it was their idea and they were in charge, and that’s why they gave the introductory speech.

Use this response as an example of the type of focused contribution that makes for a convincing Community Service Essay.

Climate Change Rally

Prompt: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? (technically not community service, but the response works)

Let’s fast-forward time. Strides were made toward racial equality. Healthcare is accessible to all; however, one issue remains. Our aquatic ecosystems are parched with dead coral from ocean acidification. Climate change has prevailed.

Rewind to the present day.

My activism skills are how I express my concerns for the environment. Whether I play on sandy beaches or rest under forest treetops, nature offers me an escape from the haste of the world. When my body is met by trash in the ocean or my nose is met by harmful pollutants, Earth’s pain becomes my own. 

Substituting coffee grinds as fertilizer, using bamboo straws, starting my sustainable garden, my individual actions needed to reach a larger scale. I often found performative activism to be ineffective when communicating climate concerns. My days of reposting awareness graphics on social media never filled the ambition I had left to put my activism skills to greater use. I decided to share my ecocentric worldview with a coalition of environmentalists and host a climate change rally outside my high school.

Meetings were scheduled where I informed students about the unseen impact they have on the oceans and local habitual communities. My fingers were cramped from all the constant typing and investigating of micro causes of the Pacific Waste Patch, creating reusable flyers, displaying steps people could take from home in reducing their carbon footprint. I aided my fellow environmentalists in translating these flyers into other languages, repeating this process hourly, for five days, up until rally day.  

It was 7:00 AM. The faces of 100 students were shouting, “The climate is changing, why can’t we?” I proudly walked on the dewy grass, grabbing the microphone, repeating those same words. The rally not only taught me efficient methods of communication but it echoed my environmental activism to the masses. The City of Corona would be the first of many cities to see my activism, as more rallies were planned for various parts of SoCal. My once unfulfilled ambition was fueled by my tangible activism, understanding that it takes more than one person to make an environmental impact.

Like with the last example, this student describes a focused event with a lasting legacy. That’s a perfect place to start! By the end of this essay, we have an image of the cause of this student’s passion and the effect of this student’s passion. There are no unanswered questions.

This student supplements their focused topic with engaging and exciting writing to make for an easy-to-read and enjoyable essay. One of the largest strengths of this response is its pace. From the very beginning, we are invited to “fast-forward” and “rewind” with the writer. Then, after we center ourselves in real-time, this writer keeps their quick pace with sentences like “Substituting coffee grounds as fertilizer, using bamboo straws, starting my sustainable garden, my individual actions needed to reach a larger scale.” Community Service essays run the risk of turning boring, but this unique pacing keeps things interesting.

Having a diverse class provides a richness of different perspectives and encourages open-mindedness among the student body. The Diversity Essay is also somewhat similar to the Extracurricular and Community Service Essays, but it focuses more on what you might bring to the campus community because of your unique experiences or identities.

Learn more about how to write the Diversity Essay in our guide.

A Story of a Young Skater

​​“Everyone follow me!” I smiled at five wide-eyed skaters before pushing off into a spiral. I glanced behind me hopefully, only to see my students standing frozen like statues, the fear in their eyes as clear as the ice they swayed on. “Come on!” I said encouragingly, but the only response I elicited was the slow shake of their heads. My first day as a Learn-to-Skate coach was not going as planned. 

But amid my frustration, I was struck by how much my students reminded me of myself as a young skater. At seven, I had been fascinated by Olympic performers who executed thrilling high jumps and dizzying spins with apparent ease, and I dreamed to one day do the same. My first few months on skates, however, sent these hopes crashing down: my attempts at slaloms and toe-loops were shadowed by a stubborn fear of falling, which even the helmet, elbow pads, and two pairs of mittens I had armed myself with couldn’t mitigate. Nonetheless, my coach remained unfailingly optimistic, motivating me through my worst spills and teaching me to find opportunities in failures. With his encouragement, I learned to push aside my fears and attack each jump with calm and confidence; it’s the hope that I can help others do the same that now inspires me to coach.

I remember the day a frustrated staff member directed Oliver, a particularly hesitant young skater, toward me, hoping that my patience and steady encouragement might help him improve. Having stood in Oliver’s skates not much earlier myself, I completely empathized with his worries but also saw within him the potential to overcome his fears and succeed. 

To alleviate his anxiety, I held Oliver’s hand as we inched around the rink, cheering him on at every turn. I soon found though, that this only increased his fear of gliding on his own, so I changed my approach, making lessons as exciting as possible in hopes that he would catch the skating bug and take off. In the weeks that followed, we held relay races, played “freeze-skate” and “ice-potato”, and raced through obstacle courses; gradually, with each slip and subsequent success, his fear began to abate. I watched Oliver’s eyes widen in excitement with every skill he learned, and not long after, he earned his first skating badge. Together we celebrated this milestone, his ecstasy fueling my excitement and his pride mirroring my own. At that moment, I was both teacher and student, his progress instilling in me the importance of patience and a positive attitude. 

It’s been more than ten years since I bundled up and stepped onto the ice for the first time. Since then, my tolerance for the cold has remained stubbornly low, but the rest of me has certainly changed. In sharing my passion for skating, I have found a wonderful community of eager athletes, loving parents, and dedicated coaches from whom I have learned invaluable lessons and wisdom. My fellow staffers have been with me, both as friends and colleagues, and the relationships I’ve formed have given me far more poise, confidence, and appreciation for others. Likewise, my relationships with parents have given me an even greater gratitude for the role they play: no one goes to the rink without a parent behind the wheel! 

Since that first lesson, I have mentored dozens of children, and over the years, witnessed tentative steps transform into powerful glides and tears give way to delighted grins. What I have shared with my students has been among the greatest joys of my life, something I will cherish forever. It’s funny: when I began skating, what pushed me through the early morning practices was the prospect of winning an Olympic medal. Now, what excites me is the chance to work with my students, to help them grow, and to give back to the sport that has brought me so much happiness. 

This response is a great example of how Diversity doesn’t have to mean race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, or ability. Diversity can mean whatever you want it to mean—whatever unique experience(s) you have to bring to the table!

A major strength of this essay comes in its narrative organization. When reading this first paragraph, we feel for the young skaters and understand their fear—skating sounds scary! Then, because the writer sets us up to feel this empathy, the transition to the second paragraph where the student describes their empathy for the young skaters is particularly powerful. It’s like we are all in it together! The student’s empathy for the young skaters also serves as an outstanding, seamless transition to the applicant discussing their personal journey with skating: “I was struck by how much my students reminded me of myself as a young skater.”

This essay positions the applicant as a grounded and caring individual. They are caring towards the young skaters—changing their teaching style to try to help the young skaters and feeling the young skaters’ emotions with them—but they are also appreciative to those who helped them as they reference their fellow staffers and parents. This shows great maturity—a favorable quality in the eyes of an admissions officer.

At the end of the essay, we know a lot about this student and are convinced that they would be a good addition to a college campus!

Finding Community in the Rainforest

Prompt: Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better—perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background—we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke (250 words).

I never understood the power of community until I left home to join seven strangers in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Although we flew in from distant corners of the U.S., we shared a common purpose: immersing ourselves in our passion for protecting the natural world.

Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns. My classmates debated the feasibility of Trump’s wall, not the deteriorating state of our planet. Contrastingly, these seven strangers delighted in bird-watching, brightened at the mention of medicinal tree sap, and understood why I once ran across a four-lane highway to retrieve discarded beer cans. Their histories barely resembled mine, yet our values aligned intimately. We did not hesitate to joke about bullet ants, gush about the versatility of tree bark, or discuss the destructive consequences of materialism. Together, we let our inner tree huggers run free.

In the short life of our little community, we did what we thought was impossible. By feeding on each other’s infectious tenacity, we cultivated an atmosphere that deepened our commitment to our values and empowered us to speak out on behalf of the environment. After a week of stimulating conversations and introspective revelations about engaging people from our hometowns in environmental advocacy, we developed a shared determination to devote our lives to this cause.

As we shared a goodbye hug, my new friend whispered, “The world needs saving. Someone’s gotta do it.” For the first time, I believed that someone could be me.

This response is so wholesome and relatable. We all have things that we just need to geek out over and this student expresses the joy that came when they found a community where they could geek out about the environment. Passion is fundamental to university life and should find its way into successful applications.

Like the last response, this essay finds strength in the fact that readers feel for the student. We get a little bit of backstory about where they come from and how they felt silenced—“Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns”—, so it’s easy to feel joy for them when they get set free.

This student displays clear values: community, ecoconsciousness, dedication, and compassion. An admissions officer who reads Diversity essays is looking for students with strong values and a desire to contribute to a university community—sounds like this student!  

Political/Global Issues

Colleges want to build engaged citizens, and the Political/Global Issues Essay allows them to better understand what you care about and whether your values align with theirs. In this essay, you’re most commonly asked to describe an issue, why you care about it, and what you’ve done or hope to do to address it. 

Learn more about how to write the Political/Global Issues Essay in our guide.

Note: this prompt is not a typical political/global issues essay, but the essay itself would be a strong response to a political/global issues prompt.

Fighting Violence Against Women

Prompt: Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay. (250-650 words)

“One of the great challenges of our time is that the disparities we face today have more complex causes and point less straightforwardly to solutions.” 

– Omar Wasow, assistant professor of politics, Princeton University. This quote is taken from Professor Wasow’s January 2014 speech at the Martin Luther King Day celebration at Princeton University. 

The air is crisp and cool, nipping at my ears as I walk under a curtain of darkness that drapes over the sky, starless. It is a Friday night in downtown Corpus Christi, a rare moment of peace in my home city filled with the laughter of strangers and colorful lights of street vendors. But I cannot focus. 

My feet stride quickly down the sidewalk, my hand grasps on to the pepper spray my parents gifted me for my sixteenth birthday. My eyes ignore the surrounding city life, focusing instead on a pair of tall figures walking in my direction. I mentally ask myself if they turned with me on the last street corner. I do not remember, so I pick up the pace again. All the while, my mind runs over stories of young women being assaulted, kidnapped, and raped on the street. I remember my mother’s voice reminding me to keep my chin up, back straight, eyes and ears alert. 

At a young age, I learned that harassment is a part of daily life for women. I fell victim to period-shaming when I was thirteen, received my first catcall when I was fourteen, and was nonconsensually grabbed by a man soliciting on the street when I was fifteen. For women, assault does not just happen to us— its gory details leave an imprint in our lives, infecting the way we perceive the world. And while movements such as the Women’s March and #MeToo have given victims of sexual violence a voice, harassment still manifests itself in the lives of millions of women across the nation. Symbolic gestures are important in spreading awareness but, upon learning that a surprising number of men are oblivious to the frequent harassment that women experience, I now realize that addressing this complex issue requires a deeper level of activism within our local communities. 

Frustrated with incessant cases of harassment against women, I understood at sixteen years old that change necessitates action. During my junior year, I became an intern with a judge whose campaign for office focused on a need for domestic violence reform. This experience enabled me to engage in constructive dialogue with middle and high school students on how to prevent domestic violence. As I listened to young men uneasily admit their ignorance and young women bravely share their experiences in an effort to spread awareness, I learned that breaking down systems of inequity requires changing an entire culture. I once believed that the problem of harassment would dissipate after politicians and celebrities denounce inappropriate behavior to their global audience. But today, I see that effecting large-scale change comes from the “small” lessons we teach at home and in schools. Concerning women’s empowerment, the effects of Hollywood activism do not trickle down enough. Activism must also trickle up and it depends on our willingness to fight complacency. 

Finding the solution to the long-lasting problem of violence against women is a work-in-progress, but it is a process that is persistently moving. In my life, for every uncomfortable conversation that I bridge, I make the world a bit more sensitive to the unspoken struggle that it is to be a woman. I am no longer passively waiting for others to let me live in a world where I can stand alone under the expanse of darkness on a city street, utterly alone and at peace. I, too, deserve the night sky.

As this student addresses an important social issue, she makes the reasons for her passion clear—personal experiences. Because she begins with an extended anecdote, readers are able to feel connected to the student and become invested in what she has to say.

Additionally, through her powerful ending—“I, too, deserve the night sky”—which connects back to her beginning— “as I walk under a curtain of darkness that drapes over the sky”—this student illustrates a mastery of language. Her engagement with other writing techniques that further her argument, like the emphasis on time—“gifted to me for my sixteenth birthday,” “when I was thirteen,” “when I was fourteen,” etc.—also illustrates her mastery of language.

While this student proves herself a good writer, she also positions herself as motivated and ambitious. She turns her passions into action and fights for them. That is just what admissions officers want to see in a Political/Global issues essay!

Where to Get Feedback on Your College Essays

Once you’ve written your college essays, you’ll want to get feedback on them. Since these essays are important to your chances of acceptance, you should prepare to go through several rounds of edits. 

Not sure who to ask for feedback? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review resource. You can get comments from another student going through the process and also edit other students’ essays to improve your own writing. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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