Common App 2018-19 Prompts Analysis: Prompt #3
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you questioned a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
What is the prompt asking?
You can answer this prompt in two ways. The first way is to talk about a time when you questioned a person or a group on idea of theirs. The second way is to talk about a time you question a long-existing belief in your mind.
Since questions do not arise without a reason, you need to explain what triggered you to question the belief in either of the cases above. You also need to be clear on what change did the question bring in you, or the other person or group. You may get tempted to write on how someone gave you a new piece of information which changed your mind, but that is a bad idea. Your story should be explaining your actions and your feelings about those actions.
What do the colleges want to know through this prompt?
This prompt is designed to know what beliefs, values, and ideas you have and how conscious you are about them. Whether you’ve reconsidered your own beliefs or asked others to reconsider theirs, it shows that you are genuinely conscious about what your belief is and why you have the belief.
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