THE ODYSSEY PREPARATORY ACADEMY

2016-2017 Essay Prompts

The Common Application has announced that the 2016-2017 personal statement essay prompts will be the same as the 2015-2016 prompts.

2015-2016 Essay Prompts

We are pleased to share the 2015-2016 Essay Prompts with you.

• Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

• The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

• Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

The changes you see reflect the feedback and consensus of nearly 6000 individuals who responded to our recent survey. Among the survey highlights:

• 197 individual Member responses representing 110 Member institutions

• 5667 constituent responses (64% school counselors; 14% students; 11% independent educational consultants; 4% parents; 2% community based organizations; remainder = other)

• 82% of Members and 90% of constituents agree or strongly agree that the current prompts generate effective essays on the whole

• 62% of Members and 48% of constituents believe the “story/background” prompt is the most effective

• 76% of Members and 44% of constituents would like to see the “place where you’re content” prompt replaced

• 35% of Members and 30% of constituents feel that analytical ability and intellectual curiosity (as a combined percentage) are most the difficult attributes to convey through the current prompts

• 85% of Members and 82% of constituents feel the prompts should be left open to broad interpretation

• 3% of Member respondents suggested Topic of Your Choice as a new prompt

• 6% of constituent respondents suggested Topic of Your Choice as a new prompt, with the breakdown as follows: independent educational consultants (47%), community-based organizations (7%), school counselors (5%), parents (2%), other (2%), students (<1%)

4 Things Applicants Need to Know About

The 2016-2017 Common Application will be available to you starting August 1.

1. Explore Dashboard

The rollover process may take a few minutes depending on the amount of information you stored. As the rollover occurs, you’ll be taken to your account Dashboard. This is where you’ll keep track of all of your application requirements. Take some time to explore the Dashboard. You’ll check it again and again throughout the application process.

View Common App

After you explore the Dashboard, click on the Common App tab to continue working on your application. You may notice that some answers to questions in the Profile, Family, Education, Activities, Testing, and Writing sections have not rolled over. Remember that some questions change from year to year, so your answers to those questions will not roll over. Don’t fret – you’re already way ahead of the game! Keep it going…

2. There’s nothing magical about August 1. This is YOUR college search. Whether you have an account from last year, or you haven’t created one yet – that’s great. We’re ready for you even if you’re not ready for us.

3. Talk to your counselor and parents (and maybe a college admission officer) before you sign the FERPA Release Authorization. You have the right to access your letters of recommendation after you enroll in college, assuming the college saves those forms. In the “Recommenders and FERPA” section of the application, you’ll be asked if you wish to waive that right. You’re free to respond as you choose, but you need to know that there may be implications for the choice you make. (We explain this in more detail in the application.) For that reason, please make sure you talk to someone — a counselor or parent – who can help you understand your choice before you make it.

4. Check your application for accuracy before submitting. When it comes time to submit your applications–and for many of you, that will be months away–make sure everything on it looks right. Yes, that means proofreading, but it also means checking that your responses appear exactly as they should. If something looks wrong, we want you to tell us so we can help you fix the problem before you send the application. Remember that you can print preview each section as you work through the questions.