Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
What is the prompt asking?
The prompt is a general one like the prompt 1. The prompt is asking you to mention the accomplishment, event, or realization that made you grow as a more mature person than before. You should not forget to answer how it changed on enriched the understanding of yourself or other people. The prompt is curious about how you identify changes in yourself.
What do the colleges want to know through the prompt?
The colleges want to know about the time you have grown mature as a person and your view towards your growth. Personal growth and maturity are complicated issues. You essay may touch on themes like personal responsibility and your role in the world and your community. It is not necessary to explain the whole of the achievement, event, or realization, but need to give colleges why this particular thing caused your growth. The colleges can learn about your sense of self-concept, ability to identify accomplishments to increase your confidence, and your judgement of self through this prompt.
What kind of topics can be included?
All students might not choose to attempt this prompt since it needs a deeper understanding of self and an ability to express the understanding. It’s important that your topic describes a transition that lead to real positive growth or change in you as a person.
Even if you think you have more maturing to do, you can attempt this prompt. This is because maturing or personal growth is not a single step; it involves a gradual process and it is important for to you understand that you are maturing, learning and growing. However, most adults feel like they have more maturing to do, so it is up to you how you see your maturity or immaturity. An example of topic for this prompt can be your realization of responsibilities as an elder sibling and your consequent care for juniors. Just focus in on a specific step in the process of growing up and explain what it meant to you and how you’ve changed.
What should you avoid?
You should avoid missing maturity while you are explaining about personal growth in the essay. It is easier to show personal growth, but quite challenging to demonstrate maturity alongside it. But, for this prompt, maturity is important.
You also want the personal growth and new understanding you describe in your essay to be positive in nature. If the conclusion of your essay is “and that’s how I matured and realized that the world is not a place to live,” that’s not going to play very well with admissions committees as you’ll seem pessimistic and unable to cope with challenges. Don’t be too vague while demonstrating maturity. You can demonstrate maturity even from an anecdote of simple discussion where you valued other’s opinions despite people criticizing you personally than in terms of opinion.