The college application as a whole is the story of you, from your transcripts to your activities list and expressed interest, but the Common App essay is a uniquely open-ended chance to share who you are at your core. Admissions readers are looking for resourceful and resilient candidates to join their student body. But how do you make sure your best qualities shine through when sharing a story about a challenging experience? And how do you balance the negative aspects of your history with the positive outcome or clever solution? One of the best ways to get noticed as one of thousands of applicants to a college or university is to have not only a compelling and memorable story, but also a recounting of the steps you took to overcome obstacles in your way.
This guide will feature examples of effective approaches to the Common App Essay Prompt #2 and provide insights on crafting a memorable lessons-learned essay.
PROMPT #2: 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?
We have always believed that essays about overcoming obstacles are most effective when they focus more on solutions than problems (and show you have gumption and grit!). Accordingly, Prompt #2 essays should be predominantly filled with a student’s response, outlook, and demeanor when presented with one of life’s many hurdles, rather than a detailed account of the hurdle itself. Applicants should aim to showcase qualities like resilience, determination, and humility. The obstacles you choose to explore can vary widely in nature. They can be as serious as being tormented by bullies, as ingrained as a lifelong allergy, or as seemingly pedestrian as a mistake that cost you a tip while waiting tables.
While the possibilities are almost endless, students should be careful not to choose challenges that may seem trite (the inability to achieve an A on an exam and/or secure tickets to that Chappell Roan concert) or that illustrate a lapse in good judgment (that time you crashed your car or ate 15 bags of Cheetos in one sitting). Still, if you can isolate an incident of trial in your life and illustrate how you learned from it, this can be a rewarding prompt to explore.
Sharing a story of a lesson learned in an essay helps convey more than just academic achievements. You’d be surprised at just how many applicants have impeccable transcripts and GPAs only to get overlooked because their application is, otherwise, generic or lacks details that engender human connection. Admissions officers are human, after all! They want to get to know you and are compelled to take note of students who will enrich their campus and soak up all their school has to offer.
On top of being a breath of fresh air in a pile of endless applications, your unique perspective—thanks to overcoming a hardship—can also showcase your resilience, initiative, or social awareness. Admissions readers want to know where you have been to get an idea of whether or not where you’re going lines up with their institution. Have you already learned the lesson of procrastination? Did you realize, at a young age, that having empathy goes a long way in friendship? Remember: attending college is a two-way street, and they want to know if their community will benefit from adding you to their ranks as much as you’ll benefit from completing their coursework. Keep reading for tips on how to translate your lived experience and lessons learned into proof that you deserve to be one of their top picks for candidacy.
You should use this prompt as an opportunity to highlight your character rather than dwelling too much on the negative. Yes, you need to share the details of your obstacle, but you should then swiftly move on to the “good part” of how you assessed the situation, made a move to cope with it, and deftly grew as a person, friend, student, family member, or citizen of the world. Think of it like a 20/80 balance of obstacle to your response to it. There’s so much to explore beyond your circumstances—how it made you feel, how you reacted, what you learned, how you’re applying those lessons in the present, and how you will continue to apply them to college life and beyond.
Time to stand out! There are many teenagers out there who have overcome sports injuries, but did you use your time on the sidelines to organize new cheers/chants for each teammate? Seemingly small details can lead you to some of the most important insights about you. Though it’s hard to calculate your effect, do you think your moral boost led to more wins that season? What effect did it have on your teammates?
Once you’ve chosen a story that features clear character growth, you’ll then connect these experiences to your future goals. How will these skills serve you as a college student living on your own for the first time? Will you be your dorm roommates #1 fan, showing support on the sidelines of their freshman year? The possibilities for connecting your lessons learned to your future are endless, and once you get your thoughts moving, they’ll be impossible to ignore.
We are all a product of our lived experiences, and below is a short essay snippet from an NYU applicant who was able to reveal how their struggle to accept their background enriched their approach to life and sense of self:
Moving to a predominantly white boarding school and away from the rituals my family had passed down, I avoided addressing the distance I had wedged between myself and my background. I pushed away all things Latina as my fear of failing to honor my Puerto Rican heritage intensified. This distance only grew as my classmates jokingly commented on my inability to speak Spanish and my white-passing complexion, further tearing away bits of my Latinidad with each snide remark.
In an effort to build myself back up, I began to practice the small bits of Santería that I comprehended: lighting candles for good luck, placing a chalice of water by my bedside to absorb all maldad, and saying my prayers to San Miguel and my guardian angels each day. To my disbelief, the comments that attacked my Latinidad, or lack thereof, faded along with the aching feeling that I had failed to represent my heritage. As I embraced the rituals that I initially renounced, I finally realized the power in Titi’s practices. In all of her cleansing and prayer rituals, she was protecting me and our family, opening the doors for us to achieve our goals and overcome the negativity that once held us back. In realizing the potential of Santería, I shifted my practices to actively protecting myself and others against adversity and employed Santería as a solution for the injustice I witnessed in my community.
Santería once served as my scapegoat; I blamed the discomfort I felt towards black magic for the imposter syndrome festering inside me. Until I embraced Santería, it only served as a reminder that I wasn’t Latina enough in the eyes of my peers. Now, I understand that while intangible, ethereal, even, the magic of Santería is real; it’s the strength of my belief in myself, in my culture, and in my commitment to protect others.
Anonymous Writer (NYU)
See how this student jumped right into the discomfort but quickly focused and reflected on their response to it? They were vulnerable about their struggle, but didn’t dwell on the bullying or negative experiences. They got detailed about how they built themselves back up and, in the end, reflected on their progress and journey.
Answer this question: what does this say about who I am? Admissions wants to get an idea of what kind of attitude and energy you will bring to the classroom and campus life. Your essay is new territory for admissions to explore, and you’re their tour guide, ready to point out areas of interest and noteworthy vistas into your life. And after you’ve transported them from your memory to your vision for your future, what have they learned about who you are and what you care about?
Another angle to consider when selecting your story is whether any of these qualities connect to what you will pursue in college or as a career—this could be important information to reveal in your essay! Take admissions on a journey from your past to your present and into your future by connecting the dots of that challenging group project to your Business Admin major or how growing up as the daughter of intellectual parents has fueled your passion for being a teacher. Admissions wants to know that you will bring passion, a healthy sense of self-inquiry, and a unique perspective to their school and enrich their campus culture.
One fear of students who read this prompt is that their life lessons aren’t that interesting or effective. Not much has happened yet! We beg to differ. The key to this essay is to get vulnerable and be willing to share a moment of, perhaps, weakness or lack of knowledge that led you to grow and develop into the person you are today. We are all learning as we go, and what admissions wants to know is that you are open to personal growth and raising the bar for your own emotional intelligence. This doesn’t need to be your magnum opus or even the beginnings of a published memoir, just a short trip into your past (and present) to bring the reader into your world. Get detailed, be honest, and take control of your own narrative as you share a trying time and your journey to the other side.
After all, we are a product of our lived experiences. With authentic storytelling, you can share a compelling story that rounds out your application and leaves a memorable impression on admissions!
We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the Common App essay writing process for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to college application essays, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful Common App essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances.
