COALITION APP QUESTIONS

Prompt #1: Tell a story from your life, describing an

experience that either demonstrates your character or
helped to shape it.
As a launch point for an application essay, Prompt #1 leaves your options wide open. It should be a good
fit for any tale you have to tell that “demonstrates your character,” which should be a base requirement of
any personal statement you submit, regardless of the prompt you’re responding to. How do you define
yourself? What characteristics form the foundation of your personality? Are you generous and thoughtful?
Are you gutsy? Resilient? Funny? Think about some of the most memorable moments in your life—the
stories that come up over and over again, the moments that make you feel most proud. Maybe your
talkative approach to a science fair, and the warm reaction it elicited from the judges and even your
competitors, made you realize the value of being unabashedly gregarious. Perhaps a particularly boring
summer in your childhood inspired you to create a role-playing game that involved all the kids in the
neighborhood. What do these stories say about you and the lens through which you see the world? One last
thing to note in choosing this prompt is that, while it is broad in its overall inquiry, it does specifically ask
you to describe an experience, so if the idea you have in your head is character-related but not tied to a
specific event or occurrence, you might want to save it for a different prompt. (Don’t worry—more great
options are coming.)

Prompt #2: Describe a time when you made a meaningful

contribution to others in which the greater good was your
focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your
contribution.
The most important things to keep in mind when responding to this prompt are originality and sincerity.
There are many thoughtful, creative ways to write about your service trip to South Africa or the clothing
drive you organized at your school, but there are even more tired and clichéd ways to address these kinds
of efforts. Make sure your essay is highly personal in the details you include. Focus on the smaller
moments within these larger experiences and initiatives to ensure the essay shines a light not only on how
you made an impact, but also on how you were shaped by your contributions. Instead of talking about your
after-school tutoring work in a general sense, maybe you can discuss your relationship with a single
student and what motivated you to put in the effort required to really help another person learn.
Highlighting these personal anecdotes will prevent your essay from going down a generic path and lead
you toward a more sincere conclusion. Yes, giving back to people in need is rewarding, but what surprised
you about the act of contributing? And what motivated you to act in the first place? Discussing the under-
recognized elements of these experiences, the ones that perhaps only you have thought about, will show
admissions the true value of your actions and how your caring might show itself on campus.

Additionally, make sure your contribution is meaningful. Yes, donating the $1,000 you made at a car wash
you organized is awesome. But it is probably not what the Coalition is looking for when they talk about
focusing on “the greater good.” When have you made a sacrifice for the sake of another person or a cause?
What motivates you to go above and beyond? What causes are near and dear to your heart, and why do
you care about them? You have already completed all of these amazing initiatives. Show admissions that
your heart was really in it.
Prompt #3: Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-
cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you
respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
A question about having your beliefs challenged demands a great deal of introspection off the bat—and
this kind of disarming honesty can make an essay incredibly sincere and compelling. Your willingness to
examine your beliefs, whether they were taught to you by your parents, pursued through your own active
interest, or simply absorbed as you went about your daily life, can convey a level of maturity and curiosity
that is hugely valuable in the college environment. And the range of beliefs that can be challenged is as
wide as you make it. Maybe a particularly adventurous meal you had while abroad in China made you
reassess the boundaries you believed dictated your taste in food. You can discuss a belief that has been
long cherished or simply accepted, which means you can discuss something that has been a part of the
fabric of your values based on passionate feelings OR societal norms. When brainstorming topics for this
question, keep in mind that staying away from polarizing subjects like politics is probably a good idea.
You never know who will pick up your application, and you don’t want personal bias about hot button
issues getting in the way of a fair assessment of your passion and qualifications.

Prompt #4: What is the hardest part of being a teenager

now? What is the best part? What advice would you give a
younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to
you)?
Prompt #4 is the Coalition prompt that feels newest and freshest. What are some major misconceptions
people have about modern teenage life? Can you shed some light on these misunderstandings? What does
it mean to be an adolescent in this day and age, with the tools you have at your disposal? And what about
being a teenager today is truly awesome in a way most people wouldn’t expect? Essays that respond to
these questions are ripe for humorous responses (did the latest changes to the Instagram algorithm blow
your mind?), as long as you also think critically and relate the topic to your life, passions, and goals.
Although this can be an opportunity to get a little silly, it’s also a moment for you to gain some perspective
and think about what struggling really means to you. What are some of the toughest challenges you have
faced or that you know other people your age are facing? And what have you learned from dealing with
these struggles along with triumphs? As with service essays, if you are going to address a potentially
common subject like bullying or body image, make sure to approach it from a truly unique and highly
personal perspective. In the end, the essay should not be about teenage experience in general, but rather
about an aspect of teenage-hood you’ve chosen to highlight because of the way it affects or represents
YOU.

Prompt #5: Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

For many students, this catch-all prompt is a gift. Obviously, any essay you write will meet the
requirement of this prompt, so if you have already begun brainstorming with the Common App topics in
mind, fear not; this Coalition prompt has you covered. That said, if you are approaching the personal
statement for the first time, trying to find a place to begin, the topic of your choice may not be the place
you want to start. Having a wide-open runway for topic selection can be debilitating for some, so if your
creativity flourishes under stricter parameters, by all means, use one of the other awesome prompts to
guide your inspiration. No matter what, the thing that matters most is not the prompt you respond to, but
instead the story you are trying to tell and what it will communicate to admissions.

Whichever Coalition prompt you decide to respond to, and whatever you discuss, your essay should reveal
qualities and experiences that cannot be gleaned from your test scores, activity résumé, or any other
element of your existing application. This is where an admissions officer gets to know what it would be
like to have a conversation with you. It is, at least as far as we know, still one of the only opportunities the
Coalition offers you to speak to admissions in your own voice. Take that opportunity and make the most of
it.

 Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either

demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
 Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to
others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the
challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
 Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or
accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the
challenge affect your beliefs?
 What is the hardest part of being a student now? What’s the
best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or
friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
 Submit an essay on a topic of your choi

 Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either

demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
 Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to
others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the
challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
 Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or
accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the
challenge affect your beliefs?
 What is the hardest part of being a student now? What’s the
best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or
friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
 Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.