Apr 14, · What animates this essay, then, is the tension between your belief or idea and the beliefs or ideas of others. Your Thinking. The “story” that is at the heart of this essay is the genesis of the tension, how you came to realize it, and how you came to a The essay should explore the values that triggered your challenge. There has to be a reason you adopted a new set of beliefs. By doing so, you’ll be able to write about the things that are important to you, how they came to be, and therefore paint a better picture of who you are to the admissions office Our negative core beliefs drive our dysfunctional immediate beliefs in the forms of attitudes and rules. If we believe we are unlovable, for example, this could translate into rules such as “I must be thin, because only then would I become lovable.” Or we may think we have to be rich, or always agreeable, or overly helpful, or constantly self-deprecating, or that we must never say no to
College Common App 3: Challenging Beliefs
See how your profile ranks among thousands of other students using CollegeVine. Unlike some other parts of your application, such as grades and test scores, the essay portion is subjective and allows you complete control over how you present yourself. It gives you a chance to show sides of yourself that may not be evident in the more objective aspects of your application.
Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? This prompt is a great way to show colleges who you are and what is important to you. While much of your application focuses on your intelligence, success as a student, hard work, and achievements, this is an opportunity to demonstrate your personality and willingness to take risks.
Reflecting on a time you challenged a belief or idea allows you to show colleges what your values are. This prompt may seem a little tricky at first because as a high school student, you may not have participated in many large-scale protests, which initially may seem like the only way to respond to this prompt, challenging a belief essay example. You can challenge beliefs in a multitude of small ways that may not even seem that radical to you, but may have made a difference—however big or small—to a person or a system.
Of course, if you do have an example of a time you effected great change, this is a great opportunity to do write about it. Usually, challenging a long-held belief or idea requires some kind of challenge or stress to your own way of acting.
But it does mean it should be something outside of your norm, and something that caused some amount of disruption to the way you and others typically behave. Think about why you did what you did and why it was important to you. Was it something that bothered you for a long time?
Did you know beforehand you were going to act, or was it a spur of the moment decision? You should also be sure to explore some ways what you did affected you. Did you learn anything from your actions? Did it change or alter your views in any way? In answering whether or not you would make the same decision again, explain why or why not.
For instance, you could write about a time you stood up for a friend or peer who was being bullied, or a time you befriended someone who was considered unpopular. Or you might describe a time you called someone out for using hateful or discriminatory language. The essay is less about the incident itself and more about what it demonstrates about you as a person. Note that challenging a belief essay example is okay to write about something somewhat controversial here.
But make sure you are limiting the controversy to the action or idea itself, and not how you present it or perceive it. For instance, if you engaged in an anti-war rally or a political protest, you should explain why the cause is important to you and your specific participation. Avoid disparaging others or explaining why you think the opposition is wrong or at fault—and never use insulting or derogatory language. There is definitely a such thing as too controversial. You should never write about a time when you did anything discriminatory, inappropriate, violent, or illegal.
If you have any concerns about how something might come across or how challenging a belief essay example will appear, you may want to avoid writing about that particular incident. If you are having trouble coming up with an idea for your essay, try making a list of values and opinions that are especially important to you. Then consider how you have presented these views.
Have there been any instances in which you needed to get outside your comfort zone in order to express something that is important to you? This is an opportunity to think outside the box a bit.
Instead, it might mean you started a club or program aimed at feeding the hungry and encountered some difficulties in getting people to take you seriously as a teenager.
Or perhaps you overcame your shyness in order to perform an act at a talent show. Such experiences provide an opportunity to explore how you might approach the situation differently in the future, or how you could manage or change your expectations.
You could even write about a time when you challenged a belief and later realized you were in the wrong, and explain how you came to that conclusion and what you think about it now. While it is certainly acceptable to write about implementing small-scale change, you should avoid topics that may come across as trivial or actions that you performed solely to directly benefit yourself. You should also avoid writing about a way you effected change that was meant to benefit you and no one else, unless it reflected a larger societal issue.
For example, your campaign to institute more clam chowder days at the cafeteria because you particularly like clam chowder is not going to impress the admissions committee. However, if you attempted to institute healthier food options in the cafeteria because childhood obesity is on the rise, that might be an issue you could tackle in your essay. You challenging a belief essay example telling a story in this essay, challenging a belief essay example.
Since this is an opportunity to talk about a particular experience that actually happened, keep in mind all the conventions of a narrative. The resolution could even be your own thoughts regarding the experience.
A good way to open the essay—and really, challenging a belief essay example, almost any personal essay—is to tell an anecdote. That helps draw the reader in and engage him or her in the narrative you are telling.
In this case, you might start with challenging a belief essay example incident itself, or, if you are describing a long incident or series of experiences, a particular moment.
For example, if you are writing about a time you organized a trip to Washington, D, challenging a belief essay example. to participate in a political rally, describe the setting. Bring yourself and the readers back to the scene. Tell them what it was like to sit on the bus and what you were thinking.
Were you nervous? What were you hoping to achieve? If you have not already done so in the anecdote, fully explain what happened during and afterwards in detail, including the reactions of others and your personal response. What did you feel while you were doing challenging a belief essay example you did, and how did you feel afterwards?
Explain what prompted you to act. Why did you do what you did? Did anything or anyone influence you in a particular way? How long did it take from ideation to execution? Describe the aftermath. What did you accomplish? Were the results positive, negative, or mixed? If you had it to do over again, would you?
This is another opportunity to convey your values to the admissions committee, as well as any life lessons you may have learned. How did the experience affect you? Did it change you as a person? Since you have a word limit, precision of language is key here. However, choose your details and the parts of the story to include very carefully. Throughout writing the essay, keep in mind that you challenging a belief essay example presenting yourself.
This is a chance challenging a belief essay example you to shine. Colleges want to know about your values and personality here—not those of a teacher, friend, or family member. Even if you are writing about a group effort, you should focus on yourself and your participation, as well as how it affected you and why you were involved. Consider your tone in the essay as well. You can express that you are proud of yourself, challenging a belief essay example, but avoid acting superior or putting down others for failing to act.
On the reverse side, avoid putting yourself down, deeming your efforts as useless or unimportant, or presenting yourself as a failure.
A little self-deprecation is okay, as long as it adds something to the overall essay. Remember, you want colleges to get a sense of who you are and what you deem important, and ultimately impress them.
Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. Laura Berlinsky-Schine August 18, 6 min read Applying to Collegechallenging a belief essay example, College EssaysCommon AppEssay Tips, challenging a belief essay example.
Do you know how to improve your profile for college applications? Prompt 3 of the Common Application asks the following: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. Unpacking the prompt This prompt is a great way to show colleges who you are and what is important to you. Writing the essay You are telling a story in this essay, challenging a belief essay example. Presentation Throughout writing the essay, keep in mind that you are presenting yourself.
Loved the article? Share it! Laura Berlinsky-Schine Senior Blogger at CollegeVine. Short bio. Laura Berlinsky-Schine is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in Creative Writing and minored in History. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and works as a freelance writer specializing in education.
She dreams of having a dog. Other articles by Laura. Is Double-Majoring Worth it? April 19, 3 min read Academic Tips and InfoChoosing Classes. Best Places to Find College Scholarships. April 9, 4 min read Scholarships.
Great Common App Essay on Challenging a Belief or Idea
, time: 6:55Great College Essays - Writing for the Belief or Idea Prompt | Great College Advice
Our negative core beliefs drive our dysfunctional immediate beliefs in the forms of attitudes and rules. If we believe we are unlovable, for example, this could translate into rules such as “I must be thin, because only then would I become lovable.” Or we may think we have to be rich, or always agreeable, or overly helpful, or constantly self-deprecating, or that we must never say no to “Challenged a Belief or Idea” Essay Example by Cornell Admit Background Info: One of my students who was accepted to Cornell Engineering wrote about her experience challenging a Science Olympiad judge’s conclusion about the vehicle she created with her partner Apr 14, · What animates this essay, then, is the tension between your belief or idea and the beliefs or ideas of others. Your Thinking. The “story” that is at the heart of this essay is the genesis of the tension, how you came to realize it, and how you came to a
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