What Would the Most Appropriate Essay Topic for an Application?

Hello! I see that you would like to apply to college, wouldn’t you? That’s great! Our application process requires an essay apart from your test scores and common application. Your essay should demonstrate everything you have to offer to this school and community and be formatted according to an appropriate academic format (i.e. MLA format or APA format) and include an outline . The word count will not be limited. It will be due the same day as the common application. So, now to the prompt. The question I will be posing you is: Why? The only limiting factor the university asks is that you do not respond with “why not.” Good luck with the application process I hope to hear from you soon.

Put yourself in the shoes of the students applying to this college, you are completely confused about what the assignment is asking. How do you answer the question “why?” with little to no context. This would not only put stress on the student, but it will also force them to think outside the box to come to a conclusion to what the prompt is truly asking. Due to the fact that the prompt is extremely broad, this assignment will require a significant amount of effort and creativity to answer. Hopefully, every response would be authentic and unique. Some may respond with why they want to attend the university, some with why they do what they do, some with why they are who they are, no matter what the applicant states, each will be a credible account of their being.

I would give the applicants this prompt because it will show me who each applicant is and the ideas they have to offer. In all honesty, I do not know how I would answer this question. There is no right or wrong answer, only the authentic and inauthentic. Extraordinary responses would not only answer the question but also reveal to the reader who that person truly is. Furthermore, to write an exceptional response, you do not need to be extremely intelligent, have experienced extreme adversity, or even understand the question. What the author must do is show their beauty through their articulation of thoughts and ideas that can be a valuable insight into the reality of life.

Ultimately, what I am looking for is wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to take the knowledge you have attained throughout your life to answer the most simple questions. Complicated questions are easy to answer; they just take some work, but the short questions are the ones that are life-changing. The short question that I always go back to is “Who am I?” This may sound like an easy question to most, but to answer this question without using your name, the activities you do, and the opinions you hold is extremely difficult. Maybe the more accurate question is who is your soul? Only life experience can give you the knowledge to understand what a soul is and very few can articulate it in words. In a world, so broken, so beaten, and so ruthless, we need more people that can answer the simple questions so that we can focus on the questions that really matter, not the ones that complicate.

Now, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Rid your mind of any thoughts you have conjured up in these few minutes. Think of the most impactful events that have happened to you. What do you see? How have these experiences shaped your perception of the world? Are these experiences positive, negative, happy, sad, confusing? Why did these experiences change your perception? Who is involved in these monumental moments? How have these moments shaped you? Who are you? Who is your soul? Now, I ask you the same question that I ask the applicants. Why?