Personal Characteristic Essay Assignment – Option B
Prompt for paper: Write a personal statement or essay for a college application that
focuses on your personal characteristics, values, beliefs, or experiences. You may choose
a prompt for the ones listed below or select one from the colleges you are applying to.
Scoring: Possible points = 45
35 points - quality of writing and content/ideas
10 points – essay must be error-free ~ no typos, no misused words, no errors spelling or
grammatical mistakes of any kind
Use one of these prompts or provide one from a specific college. Put prompt you are
answering at the top of your essay.
University of Michigan Supplement Essay Prompts – Due Nov. 1st
Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things)
shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual
heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and
your place within it. (Approximately 250 words)
Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School
(including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the
University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (500 words maximum)
U of M Application Essay and Short Answers
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space
below (150 words or fewer).
Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed
below. This personal essay helps us to become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart
from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to
organize your thoughts and express yourself.
Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have
faced and its impact on you.
Calvin College Essay
Please submit a written response (250-500 words) to the following question.
Calvin seeks to enroll students who will succeed in and contribute to a Christian learning
environment. With this in mind, please write about how your faith relates to Calvin’s mission as a
Christian college, and how this will guide your activities and academic pursuits. Why is Calvin a
good fit for your college experience and your future?
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University of Arizona
Most people would agree that all human beings are entitled to certain basic rights and
freedoms, although there is not universal agreement about which rights are human rights.
Some that might be included are the right to education, freedom from torture, equality
under the law, and the right to food. What do you think are basic human rights and, of
these, which is most significant to you? Please tell us how you hope for your UA Honors
education to contribute to your knowledge of and engagement with this human right.
(NOTE: Please try to limit the answer to this question to approximately 500 words.)
University of Tennessee
Scholarship application
Your leadership and experience
Describe one important activity outside of class that has been an important experience for you, particularly
one in which you have played a leadership role. Explain how this activity has helped in your own growth and
development (maximum length: one typed page).
University of Washington
Choose one of the following two topics and write a short essay. (Recommended length: 250 - 500 words)
1.
2.
The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural
backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?
Describe an experience of cultural difference, positive or negative, you have had or observed. What did
you learn from it?
The Personal Statement is our best means of getting to know you and your best means of creating a context for
your academic performance. When you write your personal statement, tell us about those aspects of your life that
are not apparent from your academic record:




a character-defining moment
the cultural awareness you've developed
a challenge faced
a personal hardship or barrier overcome
Directions
Choose either 1 or 2. Recommended length: 2 pages. (500-650 words)
1.
Discuss how your family's experience or cultural history enriched you or presented you with opportunities
or challenges in pursuing your educational goals.
- OR 2.
Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped
to shape it. \
University of Washington Honors College
All applicants must answer Essay Prompt 1 and then must answer either Essay Prompt 2a or 2b, using no more
than 300 words per response:
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1.
Carol Dweck has said the following about success in college: "'Hard working' is what gets the job done.
You just see that year after year. The students who thrive are not necessarily the ones who come in with
the perfect scores. It's the ones who love what they're doing and go at it vigorously." How does this fit
into your imagined future at the university?
2. Respond to ONE of the following:
How is the work of a poet similar to that of a scientist?
Write three paragraphs. In the first, describe yourself from the point of view of a parent, in the
More prompts:
Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have
faced and its impact on you.
Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to
you.
Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science,
etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the
educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what
you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the
importance of diversity to you.
Describe your most significant academic achievement or intellectual endeavor. Highlight how it
will influence your undergraduate education or goals for the future
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