Common Application Prompts: Question 2
By Peter M on Updated:
Question 2 asks you to write about a challenge, setback, or failure. Colleges want to understand more than just your achievements; they want to see a complete picture of who you are as a student and person. Admissions officers look for evidence of adaptability, resilience, and the ability to learn from mistakes. Sharing your flaws and struggles helps colleges understand how you handle difficulties and grow from them.
Although it may feel uncomfortable, writing about failure is an opportunity to show strong character. Describe a time when you faced a challenge and explain how it affected you. Focus on what you learned and how the experience helped you improve. This prompt allows you to demonstrate personal growth, maturity, and perseverance, which are important qualities colleges value when reviewing applications.
Here are 3 Tips for approaching Prompt #2 of the Common App Essay:
- Pay attention to the question “What did you learn from the experience”
Colleges are looking for students who are teachable and adaptable. This is the perfect opportunity to represent those traits. After describing a challenge and how you overcame it, take it a step further to detail how you are different today. What impact did resolving that challenge have on you?
- Be Careful: Don’t Suggest You are Now Perfect
After describing your ability to overcome a hardship, you may slip into a perspective that suggests you have become totally enlightened from your experience. Be cautious that you don’t imply that you now know everything. For example, if you write about failing to listen to a friend, after showing how you learned to listen to those around you, don’t make it sound like you now always listen to everyone all the time. Be honest: you are still growing and learning. Colleges want you to be honest, and they might be turned off by an applicant who makes it sound like they’ve got it all figured out. Admitting your growth is a very mature mind-set that can impress schools.
- Make sure You are Still Representing Yourself in a Positive Light
You should avoid sounding perfect, but do not let your failure define you either. If you have a past regret, this may not be the best place to confess it. Instead, describe a challenge that helped you grow and become better over time. Be confident when writing about your failures and focus on one experience that had a positive long-term impact on you.
Want more ideas? Here is a sample essay from a student about failure.
And here is an essay about a relationship that revealed a student’s own failure.