How to Write for Common App Prompt #2 – From Failures to the Future
by Michelle P.
From sleeping late past an alarm clock to losing a contact lenses or misspelling a word in a hasty text message—failures and mistakes are a natural part of life.
A previous post dives into Common App prompt #2 about failure and challenges for Essay Narwhals. This post will offer some additional insight for students hoping to make this Common App essay on failure into their big win for college applications!
Common App prompt #2 asks:
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?
There are 2 specific areas students should concentrate on when examining this prompt—’a time facing a challenge, setback, or failure’ and ‘what did you learn from the experience?’
What should you avoid for this prompt?
- Dwelling on the challenge or failure for most of the essay
- Not making it clear how the failure affected you
- I learned that hard work can get me through anything! (this is not a lesson that stands out)
A student was once working on an essay about a rough divorce in their family, and how it affected their focus in school and their goals. Their first draft spent about 90% of the essay talking about how sad and confused they felt during that time. While this was true and understandable, it did not fully answer the prompt.
The first draft did not do its job of discussing who the student was, or what they learned from the experience. However, after several in-depth revisions, the student later wrote an essay with a much stronger story, showing how they eventually found support beyond their family situation from new friends and the confidence they developed from talent shows they got involved in.
What can you do for this prompt?
- Go from the negative towards a positive direction
- Deal with complexity or mixed feelings
- Specify what you did to handle or deal with the challenge or failure
When the first tip mentions to ‘move from a negative towards a positive direction,’ that does not mean you will need to write to a mood where everything is ‘Live Laugh Love’ and fine and cheerful. Not only can this feel insincere, it can also seem unrealistic.
However, what you can do is indicate some forward progress after you have gone through a failure or setback. Not only should you show what you learned, you also want to demonstrate the actions you took after a challenge or failure—whether you asked for help from someone else, or learned from your peers, or decided to follow your own individual goals despite social obstacles.
For Essay Narwhals, no matter what kind of missteps or failures you hope to write about, know that our Essay Mentors are ready to help guide you along the way!