conclusion for empathy essay

Essays About Empathy: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

If you’re writing essays about empathy, check out our essay examples and prompts to get started. 

Empathy is the ability to understand and share other people’s emotions. It is the very notion which To Kill a Mockingbird character Atticus Finch was driving at when he advised his daughter Scout to “climb inside [other people’s] skin and walk around in it.” 

Being able to feel the joy and sorrow of others and see the world from their perspective are extraordinary human capabilities that shape our social landscape. But beyond its effect on personal and professional relationships, empathy motivates kind actions that can trickle positive change across society. 

If you are writing an article about empathy, here are five insightful essay examples to inspire you: 

1. Do Art and Literature Cultivate Empathy? by Nick Haslam

2. empathy: overrated by spencer kornhaber, 3. in our pandemic era, why we must teach our children compassion by rebecca roland, 4. why empathy is a must-have business strategy by belinda parmar, 5. the evolution of empathy by frans de waal, 1. teaching empathy in the classroom., 2. how can companies nurture empathy in the workplace, 3. how can we develop empathy, 4. how do you know if someone is empathetic, 5. does empathy spark helpful behavior , 6. empathy vs. sympathy., 7. empathy as a winning strategy in sports. , 8. is there a decline in human empathy, 9. is digital media affecting human empathy, 10. your personal story of empathy..

“Exposure to literature and the sorts of movies that do not involve car chases might nurture our capacity to get inside the skins of other people. Alternatively, people who already have well-developed empathic abilities might simply find the arts more engaging…”

Haslam, a psychology professor, laid down several studies to present his thoughts and analysis on the connection between empathy and art. While one study has shown that literary fiction can help develop empathy, there’s still lacking evidence to show that more exposure to art and literature can help one be more empathetic. You can also check out these essays about character .

“Empathy doesn’t even necessarily make day-to-day life more pleasant, they contend, citing research that shows a person’s empathy level has little or no correlation with kindness or giving to charity.”

This article takes off from a talk of psychology experts on a crusade against empathy. The experts argue that empathy could be “innumerate, parochial, bigoted” as it zooms one to focus on an individual’s emotions and fail to see the larger picture. This problem with empathy can motivate aggression and wars and, as such, must be replaced with a much more innate trait among humans: compassion.

“Showing empathy can be especially hard for kids… Especially in times of stress and upset, they may retreat to focusing more on themselves — as do we adults.”

Roland encourages fellow parents to teach their kids empathy, especially amid the pandemic, where kindness is needed the most. She advises parents to seize everyday opportunities by ensuring “quality conversations” and reinforcing their kids to view situations through other people’s lenses. 

“Mental health, stress and burnout are now perceived as responsibilities of the organization. The failure to deploy empathy means less innovation, lower engagement and reduced loyalty, as well as diluting your diversity agenda.”

The spike in anxiety disorders and mental health illnesses brought by the COVID-19 pandemic has given organizations a more considerable responsibility: to listen to employees’ needs sincerely. Parmar underscores how crucial it is for a leader to take empathy as a fundamental business strategy and provides tips on how businesses can adjust to the new norm. 

“The evolution of empathy runs from shared emotions and intentions between individuals to a greater self/other distinction—that is, an “unblurring” of the lines between individuals.”

The author traces the evolutionary roots of empathy back to our primate heritage — ultimately stemming from the parental instinct common to mammals. Ultimately, the author encourages readers to conquer “tribal differences” and continue turning to their emotions and empathy when making moral decisions.

10 Interesting Writing prompts on Essays About Empathy

Check out below our list of exciting prompts to help you buckle down to your writing:

This essay discuss teaching empathy in the classroom. Is this an essential skill that we should learn in school? Research how schools cultivate children’s innate empathy and compassion. Then, based on these schools’ experiences, provide tips on how other schools can follow suit. 

An empathetic leader is said to help boost positive communication with employees, retain indispensable talent and create positive long-term outcomes. This is an interesting topic to research, and there are plenty of studies on this topic online with data that you can use in your essay. So, pick these best practices to promote workplace empathy and discuss their effectiveness.

Write down a list of deeds and activities people can take as their first steps to developing empathy. These activities can range from volunteering in their communities to reaching out to a friend in need simply. Then, explain how each of these acts can foster empathy and kindness. 

Based on studies, list the most common traits, preferences, and behaviour of an empathetic person. For example, one study has shown that empathetic people prefer non-violent movies. Expound on this list with the support of existing studies. You can support or challenge these findings in this essay for a compelling argumentative essay. Make sure to conduct your research and cite all the sources used. 

Empathy is a buzzword closely associated with being kind and helpful. However, many experts in recent years have been opining that it takes more than empathy to propel an act of kindness and that misplaced empathy can even lead to apathy. Gather what psychologists and emotional experts have been saying on this debate and input your analysis. 

Empathy and sympathy have been used synonymously, even as these words differ in meaning. Enlighten your readers on the differences and provide situations that clearly show the contrast between empathy and sympathy. You may also add your take on which trait is better to cultivate.

Empathy has been deemed vital in building cooperation. A member who empathizes with the team can be better in tune with the team’s goals, cooperate effectively and help drive success. You may research how athletic teams foster a culture of empathy beyond the sports fields. Write about how coaches are integrating empathy into their coaching strategy. 

Several studies have warned that empathy has been on a downward trend over the years. Dive deep into studies that investigate this decline. Summarize each and find common points. Then, cite the significant causes and recommendations in this study. You can also provide insights on whether this should cause alarm and how societies should address the problem. 

There is a broad sentiment that social media has been driving people to live in a bubble and be less empathetic — more narcissistic. However, some point out that intensifying competition and increasing economic pressures are more to blame for reducing our empathetic feelings. Research and write about what experts have to say and provide a personal touch by adding your experience. 

Acts of kindness abound every day. But sometimes, we fail to capture or take them for granted. Write about your unforgettable encounters with empathetic people. Then, create a storytelling essay to convey your personal view on empathy. This activity can help you appreciate better the little good things in life. 

Check out our general resource of essay writing topics and stimulate your creative mind! 

See our round-up of the best essay checkers to ensure your writing is error-free.

Essay on Empathy

Students are often asked to write an essay on Empathy in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Empathy

Understanding empathy.

Empathy is feeling what others feel. It’s like stepping into someone’s shoes and understanding their emotions. Empathy helps us connect with others.

Why is Empathy Important?

Empathy is important because it builds strong relationships. It helps us understand others better, making us kinder and compassionate.

Empathy in Everyday Life

We use empathy every day. When a friend is sad, we feel their sorrow. This understanding helps us be supportive.

Developing Empathy

We can develop empathy by listening and observing others. Remember, it’s about understanding, not agreeing. Practice empathy to grow as a person.

250 Words Essay on Empathy

Empathy, a fundamental aspect of human connection, is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It’s a cognitive attribute, allowing us to perceive the world from another’s perspective. It’s not merely about feeling the same emotions, but comprehending the emotional state of another, without losing the distinction between self and other.

The Types of Empathy

Empathy manifests in three primary forms: cognitive, emotional, and compassionate. Cognitive empathy refers to understanding someone’s thoughts and emotions, acting as a bridge for communication. Emotional empathy, on the other hand, involves sharing the feelings of others, often leading to a deep emotional connection. Compassionate empathy, the most actionable, combines understanding and feeling to drive us to help, if possible.

Empathy and Society

Empathy plays a pivotal role in society. It fosters tolerance, understanding, and mutual respect, acting as the glue that holds diverse communities together. Without empathy, societies would struggle to function harmoniously, leading to a rise in conflict and misunderstanding.

The Neurobiology of Empathy

Recent research in neuroscience has discovered the existence of ‘mirror neurons,’ cells in the brain that activate both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing the same action. This discovery has provided a biological basis for empathy, highlighting its inherent role in our lives.

In conclusion, empathy is a powerful tool that allows us to connect with others on a profound level. It’s an essential trait for maintaining harmony within societies and understanding the world around us.

500 Words Essay on Empathy

Introduction to empathy.

Empathy, a complex psychological phenomenon, is a fundamental aspect of human interaction. It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, a bridge between self and others. Empathy allows us to perceive the world not only from our perspective but also from the viewpoint of other individuals.

The Two Dimensions of Empathy

Empathy is broadly divided into two dimensions: affective and cognitive. Affective empathy refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions. It’s the ability to respond emotionally to another’s psychological state. Cognitive empathy, on the other hand, involves understanding others’ emotions from a more intellectual perspective. It’s the ability to identify and understand other people’s emotions.

The Role of Empathy in Society

Empathy plays a crucial role in society. By fostering understanding and compassion, it helps build strong and healthy relationships. It’s the foundation of effective communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation. Empathy is also a key aspect of leadership as it helps leaders understand and address the needs and concerns of their team members.

Empathy and Moral Development

Empathy is closely linked to moral development. It is the emotional response that propels us towards altruistic behavior. Empathy encourages us to act in ways that benefit others, even at a cost to ourselves. It is the driving force behind acts of kindness and compassion, shaping our moral decisions and ethical conduct.

Empathy in the Digital Age

Empathy: a skill to be cultivated.

Empathy is not just an innate ability; it’s a skill that can be cultivated. Through active listening, perspective-taking, and emotional intelligence training, we can enhance our empathic abilities. By fostering empathy, we can promote a more understanding, compassionate, and harmonious society.

In conclusion, empathy is a vital human capacity that enables us to understand and share the feelings of others. It plays a crucial role in our interpersonal relationships, moral development, and societal harmony. In the digital age, cultivating empathy is more important than ever. By enhancing our empathic abilities, we can foster a more understanding and compassionate society.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Emotions & Feelings — Empathy

Empathy Essays

Hook examples for empathy essays, anecdotal hook.

"As I witnessed a stranger's act of kindness towards a struggling neighbor, I couldn't help but reflect on the profound impact of empathy—the ability to connect with others on a deeply human level."

Rhetorical Question Hook

"What does it mean to truly understand and share in the feelings of another person? The concept of empathy prompts us to explore the complexities of human connection."

Startling Statistic Hook

"Studies show that empathy plays a crucial role in building strong relationships, fostering teamwork, and reducing conflicts. How does empathy contribute to personal and societal well-being?"

"'Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.' This profound quote encapsulates the essence of empathy and its significance in human interactions."

Historical Hook

"From ancient philosophies to modern psychology, empathy has been a recurring theme in human thought. Exploring the historical roots of empathy provides deeper insights into its importance."

Narrative Hook

"Join me on a journey through personal stories of empathy, where individuals bridge cultural, social, and emotional divides. This narrative captures the essence of empathy in action."

Psychological Impact Hook

"How does empathy impact mental health, emotional well-being, and interpersonal relationships? Analyzing the psychological aspects of empathy adds depth to our understanding."

Social Empathy Hook

"In a world marked by diversity and societal challenges, empathy plays a crucial role in promoting understanding and social cohesion. Delving into the role of empathy in society offers important insights."

Empathy in Literature and Arts Hook

"How has empathy been depicted in literature, art, and media throughout history? Exploring its representation in the creative arts reveals its enduring significance in culture."

Teaching Empathy Hook

"What are effective ways to teach empathy to individuals of all ages? Examining strategies for nurturing empathy offers valuable insights for education and personal growth."

The Value of My Life: Personal View

The power of empathy and acceptance in r.j. palacio’s "wonder", made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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Isolation in Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day"

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The Importance of Promoting Empathy in Children

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Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position.

Types of empathy include cognitive empathy, emotional (or affective) empathy, somatic empathy, and spiritual empathy.

Empathy-based socialization differs from inhibition of egoistic impulses through shaping, modeling, and internalized guilt. Empathetic feelings might enable individuals to develop more satisfactory interpersonal relations, especially in the long-term. Empathy-induced altruism can improve attitudes toward stigmatized groups, and to improve racial attitudes, and actions toward people with AIDS, the homeless, and convicts. It also increases cooperation in competitive situations.

Empathetic people are quick to help others. Painkillers reduce one’s capacity for empathy. Anxiety levels influence empathy. Meditation and reading may heighten empathy.

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Empathy and Its Development Essay

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Introduction

The meaning of empathy, connection between empathy and life in richmond, virginia, importance of empathy, works cited.

The rising economic hardships have forced many people to spend more time on hobbies and careers with little attention to other people’s lives. This means that they have no time left to listen to the woes of other people, to comfort those who are in pain, and to help them come of the problems surrounding them. Clearly, there is no doubt that we as human beings, ought to exercise empathy to the feelings, concerns, problems and predicaments facing other people. This article examines the meaning of empathy, the connection between empathy and life, and the importance of expressing empathy. It shows what it means to have empathy as a human being. The article will also examine the effects of expressing empathy and those of not expressing empathy.

We can define empathy as the ability to identify with a situation that another person is going through. In other words, empathy is the ability to put oneself in somebody’s situation as a way of expressing concern on what the other person is experiencing. When a person identifies with another person’s situation and tries to alleviate or mitigate the stressing factor in the situation, then one can say that he or she is expressing empathy. Acts of empathy may therefore include such actions as giving food to the needy in the society or providing shelter to those who are homeless. Generally, empathy has much to do with acts of kindness directed to people faced with situations, which are hostile. Thus, empathy is a form of kindness directed to people who need it based on how the donor or the person giving has perceived the situation at hand. For example, if a person living in Richmond loses a family member through death, the neighbors and relatives to come and comfort the family for the loss. In this way, they are expressing their empathies to those who affected (Eisenberg 3-7).

Most importantly, for a person to express empathy there must be bad scenarios that brings fear, discomfort, pain, and suffering. These scenarios must have created a clear psychological difference between the person being empathetic and the one who is the subject of empathy. Generally, two persons in the same unfortunate situation may not manifest empathy feelings towards each other. This is because of undergoing the same situation and neither of them may be in a position to help the other. However, if two people are experiencing different unfortunate circumstances at the same time, they may be able console each other thus, they may show empathy to each other. For instance, a bereaved person living in Richmond, Virginia may show empathy to another person who has lost his or her house to fire.

The word “empathy” is synonymous to “awareness” meaning that people who show empathy to others are sympathetic and would love to help those in trouble. For example, a youth living in Richmond, Virginia can express empathy to his or her friend experiencing loneliness by visiting the friend, and even watching a movie together. In some instances, some students offer to help others who are weak in math and sciences. Some people also show empathy by listening to the woes affecting other people while sharing a cup of coffee. In fact, empathy dwells more on emotional development than just being aware of the problems facing other people. For instance, in college, I have found some of my friends depressed just because they did not score good grades in the test. All they needed was sympathy and someone to encourage them that there is always another time to perform better. Somebody to make them understand that they need to change their reading habits or change some tactics in order to score good grades (Gallese 175-176).

As we have seen above, empathy is the ability to express feelings towards troubles, problems, and challenging times facing another person by showing sympathy and understanding. Sometimes, life can fix. When I first came to Richmond, I experienced homesick for a long period. A simple thing can cause me cry and I felt so much depressed. I had no friends at that time. Luckily, I met a colleague friend of mine who had noticed my depression. After lecture, he will invite me to accompany him to a restaurant where he could tell me the history of Richmond, studies, and his hobbies as we took coffee. With time, the homesick I used to experience disappeared. Indeed this is a classic example of empathy involving two people. Definitely, I was in a hostile situation and that friend came to assist me come out of that situation. It is worth noting that acts of empathy or helping others who are a hostile situation or in a position that need assistance should be on a voluntary basis. In other words, if someone wants to help a disadvantaged person, it should be voluntary and he or she should not expect something in return. Therefore, empathy has everything to do with the willingness to help out of one’s own volition or free will (Vincent 16-19).

Empathy is an important virtue possessed by human beings. People can express empathy in different ways. There is no doubt that people of all classes live in the city. There are those who are rich, while others are less privileged. Those who privileged should help those living in deplorable conditions. For instance, we have very many organizations in Richmond that assist the less privileged. We have also seen people visit children homes where they donate clothing and food to the children. Most of the children in these homes are orphans, and therefore, they do not have someone to cater for their needs. By spending time with them, playing and talking with them, they feel part of the community. This is important as it enables them to develop self-confidence and enhance their self-esteem. Apart from spending time with them, people also have time to educate them on necessary issues. By talking to them, the children also feel cared for and they can go on with their lives as if they have their biological parents (Slote 57-73).

Just like in any other society, people in Richmond also fall sick. Once admitted in hospital, they experience psychological stress, as they stand separated from their family members. It is the prerogative of the members of the family and friends to visit patients in hospitals, say encouragement words to them, and wish them quick recovery. This will definitely make them feel happy (Hojat 15-24).

Nobody should underestimate the importance of empathy to the community. In Richmond, many primary schools emphasize the importance of empathy to pupils, and they encourage them to help always their classmates, family members, and other people who may be in problems. Additionally, people should learn that indifference and insensitivity do not help at all, and they should express sympathy to those facing difficulties in life.

Eisenberg, Nancy. Empathy and Its Development . New York: CUP Archive, 1990. Print.

Gallese, Vittorio. “The Roots of Empathy: The Shared Manifold Hypothesis and the Neural Basis of Intersubjectivity”. Psychopathology 36.4(2003): 171–180. Print.

Hojat, Mohammad. Empathy in Patient Care: Antecedents, Development, Measurement, and Outcomes . New York: Springer, 2007. Print.

Slote, Michael. The Ethics of Care and Empathy . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.

Vincent, Steve. Being Empathic: A Companion for Counselors and Therapists . New York: Radcliffe Publishing, 2005. Print.

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Empathy Essay | Essay on Empathy for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Empathy Essay:  Empathy is the ability to understand an individual emotionally. It is the ability to understand what the other person feels. It is seeing things from their point of view. It is putting yourself in someone else’s position. It is the capability of imagining how someone else might be feeling.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Empathy for Students and Kids in English

We are providing the students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words in English and a short essay of 150 words on Empathy in English.

Long Essay on Empathy 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Empathy is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Empathy is a highly valued trait and is essential for social interactions. Empathy is the ability to understand a person’s emotions and feelings. It is an essential component for both professional as well as personal lives. It is the ability or trait to understand other people’s values, beliefs and cultures.

Empathy is the power of connection. It is a sensation of experiencing what the other person is going through. It is seen as a cognitive ability—a trait to imagine future scenarios or solve problems based on past experiences. Empathy makes an individual capable of creating a psychic and emotional connection with another person. It enables a person to enter into another individual’s mindscape. If a person feels connected to another person’s mindset, it is impossible to mistreat them, except unintentionally. A person gets to recoil from their experience of suffering in the same way of recoiling for their individual suffering. It brings a sense of desire to aid the person suffering.

There are several states of empathy which include, cognitive empathy, affective empathy and somatic empathy. Cognitive empathy is the capability to understand another person’s mental state. Affective empathy is also known as emotional empathy. It is the ability of a person to respond with an appropriate emotion to another person’s mental state. Somatic empathy is based on the physical reaction of an individual. It is based on mirror neuron responses.

Empathy manifests in education as well in between teachers and students. Empathy becomes difficult when there are differences between people regarding culture, language, skin colour, gender and age. Empathy is considered as a motivating factor for unselfish behaviour. Lack of empathy is similar to antisocial behaviour. Empathy develops deep roots in our brains, as our evolutionary history. Having empathy does not mean that a person is willing to help someone. It is an essential step toward compassionate action.

Empathy forms one of the most critical components of creating harmonious relationships. It reduces stress and enhances emotional awareness. People are well attuned to their feelings and emotions. Getting into someone’s head can be challenging at times. People tend to be empathetic when they listen to what others have to say. It makes an individual overwhelmed by tragic incidents. Empathy can make an individual concerned about the well-being of another individual.

Empathy helps to make an individual a better person. By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, people can respond appropriately. Social connections build up as a result of empathy. It helps in both physical and psychological well-being. Empathizing with others helps to regulate a person’s own emotions. It helps an individual to manage his feelings even at times of great stress.

Empathy helps a person to engage themselves in helpful behaviours. Not everyone experiences empathy. Some people may be more naturally empathetic than others. How a person perceives another person can influence empathy to a great extent. Being empathetic towards others will help to understand other’s suffering and create harmony in the world.

Short Essay on Empathy 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Empathy is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Empathy is a trait where an individual experiences an emotional response to another person’s sufferings. It is very different from sympathy. It is walking in someone else’s shoes and sharing their feelings. Feeling heard by someone and understood is one of the human needs everyone deserves to be understood. Empathy helps an individual to get in touch with his or her feelings and gives him or her emotional understanding of themselves and other people.

Empathy can be learned and practised. It is a vital aspect of our everyday lives. It enables an individual to show compassion. It helps to relate to other people, relatives, colleagues, loved ones and helps to impact the world in a positive way. Some people are born with empathy while some learn it and can increase or decrease it. It is a part of the emotional intelligence, which can be taught to the children at a very early stage. Children can be taught to be empathetic by sharing their things and not hurting others.

10 Lines on Empathy in English

• In the absence of empathy, relationships remain shallow.
• Empathy does not form a part of intuition; it is about understanding others.
• Empathy is basically a learned behaviour.
• The capacity of being empathetic to another person depends on each individual.
• Empathetic people tend to help others more.
• Painkillers can reduce your capacity of being empathetic towards other people.
• Anxiety and tension can influence empathy to a great extent.
• An individual can heighten their empathy through meditation.
• All humans are inclined towards empathizing others in their pain and sufferings.
• A genetic defect can reduce an individual’s empathy.

FAQ’s on Empathy Essay

Question 1. What is too much empathy, called?

Answer: Too much empathy is known as Hyper-empathy. Having too much empathy can lead a person to burn out.

Question 2. What can cause a person to have a lack of empathy?

Answer: Lack of empathy can be caused due to narcissism, antisocial- personality and its disorders, a genetic defect or even psychopathy.

Question 3. How can you overcome Hyper-empathy?

Answer: Hyper-empathy can be overcome by shifting the feeling of empathy to a skill. Making the mind clear that empathy is not behaviour; it forms a part of a skill. Setting clear boundaries and taking everything in a light manner can reduce a person from being too much empathetic about someone.

Question 4.  Does lack of empathy lead to autism?

Answer: No, it does not lead to autism.

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How to Write an Empathy Essay

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Article structure

Empathy Essay

What are the main features of empathy essay, how to start an empathy essay: tips on how to start, how to create an outline: outline structure, how to write a thesis for an empathy essay, how to write an introduction, how to write body paragraphs: tips on body writing, how to finish an empathy essay: tips on conclusion writing, tips on revision, empathy essay sample.

Have you ever felt sad or experienced difficulty that your colleagues go through as well as having the emotional feelings? Well, you have empathy towards others. However, can you express such empathy in an essay? Empathy essay elaborates on the aptitude that detects on the feelings of other people and emotional experience of the essay writer .

When writing such a paper, you should consider the following features:

• The essay should be in first person narration .
• It has an empathic task especially the understanding of the thought of the character in a situation.
• It should have facts and feelings.
• It should be comprehensive with writers giving more information about a character.
• This paper should have the proper interpretation of the reaction of the character (content about the feeling of the character).
• Use the style and language of the character such as the use of slang, form or informal as well as colloquial.
• Identify the feeling of the character about the subject and those of other characters.
• Identify special words to use in the essay.
• Prepare relevant quotations for the main characters or important ideas.
• Use the first person narration.
• Apply adjectives in writing and give an honest thought as the character speaks or thinks.

INTRODUCTION

• Provide a thematic subject.
• Highlight the first aspect of the subject.
• Highlight the second aspect of thematic subject.
• Highlight third aspect of thematic subject.
• Give reason/thesis statement for choosing the specific number of characters as example to the point.

First character

• Reason for selecting the character to demonstrate the theme.
• How the character shows thematic point of view.
• How the person illustrates the second thematic subject.
• How the person illustrates the third thematic subject.
• Summary of the way the character elaborates your point.

Second character

Third character

• Reason for selecting the character to demonstrate the theme

CONCLUSION (Summary paragraph)

• Provide the synthesis of the essay in a different way.
• Synthesize the first subtopic.
• Synthesize the second subtopic.
• Synthesize the third subtopic.
• Final statement

When writing a thesis statement, the writer should give a specific claim that supports his or her empathy. Besides, you should present the subject, your position and reason for defending the position. Furthermore, you should provide the number of thematic points or characters in the essay. Lastly, the statement should appear at the end of the introduction.

The introduction should begin with an engaging statement that reveals a thematic subject or point. The writer author follows in with the aspects of the thematic position in the order as they will appear in the body. Lastly, thesis statement appears at the last part of the introduction.

The following are the tips for writing body paragraphs of an empathy essay:

• Provide a clear topic sentence for each character elaborating on thematic point for every paragraph.
• Give specific evidence to support the point.
• Provide examples on how the character illustrate the thematic point.
• Provide a summary on how the character demonstrates the point.
• Use transitions between the sentences and the paragraphs.
• Provide an overview of the essay.
• Synthesize the thematic points in the body paragraphs as viewed by different characters.
• Provide the final statement and direction to the reader.

After completing empathy essays, students should

• Read the essay aloud and correct the mistakes within the paper.
• Invite a family member, a schoolmate or a friend to read the paper and identify the simple mistakes.
• Follow the instruction of the tutor regarding the format.
• Run the essay in Grammarly software to correct grammar mistakes, spelling errors, spacing errors and misused vocabularies before turn it in.

Mr. Robson:

“Don’t ever dare to come near my family! Crank. You think you can divert my attention and pay attention to your yappy mouth? Love! What about it? You moron get lost!”

Mrs. Robson:

“My dear I beg your pardon. He just wanted to express his opinion. However, his thoughts of meeting you have lowered your social status. Please, can we accord him a chance? Young men of today take time to learn etiquette and need some time to appreciate the elderly. Do you recall when you first approached my dad concerning our courtship? Well, it was a hell you went through.”

“Father, I hate, but I just have to admit that you don’t mean good for my courtship. I have dated Thompson for half a year, we’ve been in college for three years, and I am 26. Dad can I have some peace of mind?”

“Indeed Sheila is right Father. However, she ought to have notified your mood before allowing Thompson to speak out his mind. Meanwhile, I appreciate your concern as a father who wants the best for his family. For now, I will rest my thoughts with your opinion until you permit Sheila to plan her wedding. Goodbye.”

“Sorry sir I never intended to hurt your feeling, but I felt it right to inform you of my plans. However, I need no rush into wedding plans without your blessings. But, it will be a death warrant if I hurt her feelings! She loves her life, and I am exactly that! Will you lose her for good?”

After all, marriage is sacred, and everybody has a right to start a family. Robson won nothing.

Leslie Jamison

The empathy exams.

New York Times  Bestseller, Notable Book of 2014, and Editors' Choice. Named a Top 10 Book of 2014 by Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Oprah, Slate, Salon, the L Magazine, and Time Out: New York. Finalist for the ABA Indies Choice Award and the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. Published in the UK, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Korea, and China. 

Beginning with her experience as a medical actor who was paid to act out symptoms for medical students to diagnose, Leslie Jamison’s visceral and revealing essays ask essential questions about our basic understanding of others: How can we feel another’s pain, especially when pain can be assumed, distorted, or performed? By confronting pain—real and imagined, her own and others’—Jamison uncovers a personal and cultural urgency to feel. She draws from her own experiences of illness and bodily injury to engage in an exploration that extends far beyond her life, spanning wide-ranging territory—from poverty tourism to phantom diseases, street violence to reality television, illness to incarceration—in its search for a kind of sight shaped by humility and grace.

Buy the book at Indiebound.

Buy the book at Powell's .

“Extraordinary. . . . she calls to mind writers as disparate as Joan Didion and John Jeremiah Sullivan as she interrogates the palpitations of not just her own trippy heart but of all of ours. . . . Her cerebral, witty, multichambered essays tend to swing around to one topic in particular: what we mean when we say we feel someone else's pain. . . . I'm not sure I'm capable of recommending a book because it might make you a better person. But watching the philosopher in Ms. Jamison grapple with empathy is a heart-expanding exercise.” ― Dwight Garner, The New York Times

“Extraordinary and exacting. . . . This capacity for critical thinking, for a kind of cool skepticism that never gives way to the chilly blandishments of irony, is very rare. It's not surprising that Jamison is drawing comparisons to Sontag. . . . There is a glory to this kind of writing that derives as much from its ethical generosity, the palpable sense of stretch and reach, as it does from the lovely vividness of the language itself. . . . It's hard to imagine a stronger, more thoughtful voice emerging this year.” ― The New York Times Book Review

“Jamison writes with sober precision and unusual vulnerability, with a tendency to circle back and reexamine, to deconstruct and anticipate the limits of her own perspective, and a willingness to make her own medical and psychological history the objects of her examinations. Her insights are often piercing and poetic.” ― The New Yorker, "Books to Watch Out For"

“This quirky, insightful collection dazzles.” ― People

“If reading a book about [pain] sounds . . . painful, rest assured that Jamison writes with such originality and humor, and delivers such scalpel-sharp insights, that it's more like a rush of pleasure. . . . To articulate suffering with so much clarity, and so little judgement, is to turn pain into art.” ― Entertainment Weekly, Grade: A-

“A virtuosic manifesto of human pain. . . . Jamison stitches together the intellectual and the emotional with the finesse of a crackerjack surgeon. . . . The result is a soaring performance on the humanizing effects of empathy.” ― NPR

“Extraordinary. . . . Much of the intellectual charge of Jamison's writing comes from the sense that she is always looking for ways to examine her own reactions to things; no sooner has she come to some judgment or insight than she begins searching for a way to overturn it, or to deepen its complications. She flinches, and then she explores that flinch with a steady gaze. . . . [A] beautiful and punishing book.” ― Slate

“A brilliant collection. . . . We're in a new golden age of the essay . . . and in The Empathy Exams Leslie Jamison has announced herself as its rising star.” ― The Boston Globe

“Remarkable. . . . [Jamison] combines the intellectual rigor of a philosopher, the imagination of a novelist and a reporter's keen eye for detail in these essays, which seamlessly blend reportage, cultural criticism, theory and memoir.” ― Los Angeles Times

“A stunning collection. . . . a profound investigation of empathy's potential and its limits.” ― Cosmopolitan, "10 Books by Women You Have to Read This Spring"

“[Jamison] writes consistently with passion and panache; her sentences are elegantly formed, her voice on the page intimate and insistent. Always intelligent, self-questioning, willing to experiment with form, daring to engage with the weird and thrust herself into danger spots, a patient researcher and voracious processor of literature and critical theory, she is the complete package: state-of-the-art nonfiction.” ― Phillip Lopate, San Francisco Chronicle

“[Jamison] writes with intellectual precision and a deep emotional engagement. . . .  The Empathy Exams is a gracefully powerful attempt by a tremendously talented young writer to articulate the ways in which we might all work to become better versions of ourselves.” ― Star Tribune

“Jamison is determined to tell us what she sees and thinks without condescension or compromise, and as a consequence her act of witnessing is moving, stimulating, and disturbing in equal measure. . . . Jamison is always interesting, often gripping.” ― Bookforum

“ The Empathy Exams is a work of tremendous pleasure and tremendous pain. Leslie Jamison is so intelligent, so compassionate, and so fiercely, prodigiously brave. This is the essay at its creative, philosophical best.” ― Eleanor Catton, author of The Luminaries, winner of the 2013 Man Booker Prize

“Leslie Jamison threads her fine mind through the needle of emotion, sewing our desire for feeling to our fear of feeling. Her essays pierce both pain and sweetness.” ― Eula Biss

“Leslie Jamison has written a profound exploration into how empathy deepens us, yet how we unwittingly sabotage our own capacities for it. We care because we are porous, she says. Pain is at once actual and constructed, feelings are made based on how you speak them. This riveting book will make you a better writer, a better human.” ― Mary Karr

“ The Empathy Exams  is a necessary book, a brilliant antidote to the noise of our time. Intellectually rigorous, it's also plainly personal, honest and intimate, clear-eyed about its confusions. It's about the self as something other than a bundle of symptoms, it's about female pain and the suffering of solitary souls everywhere, it's an exploration of empathy and the poverty of our imaginations, it's ultimately about the limits of language and the liberating possibilities of a whole new narrative. . . .  The Empathy Exams  earns its place on the shelf alongside Sontag.” ― Charles D'Ambrosio

“These essays--risky, brilliant, and full of heart--ricochet between what it is to be alive and to be a creature wondering what it is to be alive. Jamison's words, torqued to a perfect balance, shine brightly, allowing both fury and wonder to open inside us.” ― Nick Flynn

“Leslie Jamison positions herself in one fraught subject position after the next: tourist in the suffering of others, guilt-ridden person of privilege, keenly intelligent observer distrustful of pure cleverness, reclaimer and critic of female suffering, to name but a few. She does so in order to probe her endlessly important and difficult subject--empathy, for the self and for others--a subject this whirling collection of essays turns over rock after rock to explore. Its perambulations are wide-ranging; its attentiveness to self and others, careful and searching; its open heart, true.” ― Maggie Nelson

“Leslie Jamison writes with her whole heart and an unconfined intelligence, a combination that gives The Empathy Exams --an inquiry into modern ways and problems of feeling--a persuasive, often thrilling authority. These essays reach out for the world, seeking the extraordinary, the bizarre, the alone, the unfeeling, and finding always what is human.” ― Michelle Orange

“Brilliant. At times steel-cold or chili-hot, [Jamison] picks her way through a society that has lost its way, a voyeur of voyeurism. Here now comes the post-Sontag, post-modern American essay.” ― Ed Vulliamy, author of Amexica: War Along the Borderline

“When we chance upon a work and a writer who summons and dares the full tilt of all her volatile resources, intellectual and emotional, personal and historical, the effect is, well, disorienting, astonishing. We crash into wonder, as she says, and the span of topics Jamison tosses up is correspondingly smashing and wondrous: medical actors, sentimentality, violence, plastic surgery, guilt, diseases, the Barkley Marathons, stylish 'ex-votos' for exemplary artists, incarceration, wounds, scars, fear, yearning, community, and the mutations of physical pain.” ― Robert Polito, from his Afterword

Argumentative Essay On Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and experience the feelings of others, particularly others’ suffering. Humanity’s gift of understanding complex emotions ushers in a new way of understanding ourselves and how we react to stimuli. This ultimately leads to questioning of everything, leading us to one strong notion: Does empathy guide or hinder moral action? One common misconception while considering empathetic influence is how it compares with sympathy. The two are a dichotomy, and must be differentiated. To sympathize is to feel sorry for someone, therefore making the victim suffer even more. Empathy empowers the victim, allowing company to play a role in how humans naturally interact with one another to bond and heal. With the …show more content…

Furthermore, during empathizing, emotional reaction in the observer correlates with the fact that connections between the person’s mental state and his or her behavior are not always governed by lawful conduct of emotion . The response to the other person’s mental state creates a gap between systemizing and empathizing, for without empathetic response, one could only have a very small or inaccurate reading of a person’s emotion. The systemizer only expects that the person’s mental state will at least constrain their behavior. The level of empathy one has is greatly affected by how systematic they are. Now, taking into account the SQ/EQ, we can determine how individuals would respond to regular situations. The response to stimuli is heavily weighted on self and our own experiences - as we are a product of our environment. However, fifty percent of one’s own personality is determined genetically, within one’s very own alleles. This is why people act so much like their parents. Mothers can actually pass down a gene to their sons that makes them dangerously unempathetic. This exact gene is what causes more men than women to become serial killers. In addition to the basis of human structure, men also have a higher tendency to be aggressive, rendering most empathetic responses null, and barely thought about. Since males are more likely to be systemizers, their

Qlt1 Task 3

I also believe you have to become aware of other people's feelings and emotions to be able to communicate empathy, as well as other emotions. Many people don’t try to relate to others because they feel they should put their focus on doing their job. You have to be able to show people that you understand what they are going through. We have to learn how to put away our thoughts and feelings and pay more attention to the feelings of others. The company will not be able to function properly as a team if they do not have an understanding of how to relate to the emotions of others.

Screen 5.5 Health And Social Care Essay

10. Empathy means trying to see things from another persons point of view and not judging them from your own set of morals.

Empathy At Moz Rhetorical Analysis

We talk a lot about empathy at Moz, and that’s because the value of empathy cannot be overstated — in marketing or in life. Empathy is a super power. Dr. Brené Brown describes that super power as “feeling with people,” and it creates a spark of connection for the person being empathized with. That spark can be fanned into the burning passion

Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another. " - Alfred Adler. It's important to be empathetic but their are risks associated with it. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores this in many situations and examples.

The Theme Of Empathy In Paul Bloom's 'What Makes Us Moral'

As we have all come to learn empathy is a broad and even controversial topic; having empathy may not always mean making good decisions. That is what each of the three pieces: “The Dark Side of Empathy” by Paul Bloom, “What Makes Us Moral” by Jeffrey Klugger, and “Why Mental Pictures Can Sway Your Moral Judgement” by Shankar Vedantam examine (2015, 2007, 2012). All three sources are effective in conveying their message about morals and empathy, however varying rhetoric methods are employed by each piece.

Anti Intellectualism Is Killing America Summary

Suppose I was guilty of murdering my boyfriend, what would be your reaction? Would you reconsider the verdict? Would you show some compassion? Would you even try to understand my reason? If you answer yes, you are showing me what is called empathy. “Deepa Kodikal, spiritual adept, says, “Empathy is putting yourself in another’s shoes to find out what exactly that person is feeling or going through at the given time. It basically refers to being at a common wavelength with someone” (Bajaj). Empathy is our confirmation that we haven’t lost our humanity.

Empathy Quotes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Daniel H. Pink once said, “Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eye. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate but it makes the world a better place”. This quote is explaining the basics of empathy. Empathy is seeing a problem or life in general, from another person’s of view. It allows us to understand another and overall helps make the world a better place.

Mirror Neurons Essay

Empathetic individuals use social cues to determine how to help or what to say. This creates trust in other people towards that individual, which allows the individual to survive in society. In order to pick up on these social cues and create empathy, an individual would use their mirror neurons in order to determine if an action is empathetic or not.

Empathy By Paul Bloom

Professor Paul Bloom states he is against empathy. He believes it is wrongfully used in our society and should not be used in certain situations. He still thinks it is important sometimes, but should not be primarily used as a result of anger, depression or retaliation. He believes compassion is the solution to empathy. In the long run, Bloom states that empathy will fail or burnout in a person. Hannah the extremely empathic person will eventually burnout according to Bloom. The use of empathy everyday as a core moral code will eventually be overwhelming and burned out and used up. The person will change direction and use empathy less in their lifetime. This essay will explore Paul Bloms opinion of empathy in his article, “Against

George Smith Sympathy Essay

I infer several conclusions from Smith’s definition and analysis of sympathy. First, sympathy is a mode of perception. The “eye of the mind” or the imagination perceives the situation witch elicits primary sentiments and secondary agreeable or disagreeable sentiments which are the basis of moral judgement. Secondly, I conclude from Smith’s propositions that the mind is a passive recipient, therefore moral knowledge is a by-product of external stimuli. In other words our external sense stimuli provoke a change in our minds, from which our imaginations produce sentiments by which we judge the propriety or merit of another’s conduct.

Mirror Neurology

The pain of another has the real potential to physically alter the neuronal firing within your brain. While there is some regulation of the extent of the mimicry of this system, in general, this process happens automatically. We can't choose not to empathize so we choose not to put ourselves in a situation where we would need to empathize. This behavioral consequence of the power of empathy will be discussed more in depth throughout the following chapter.

Empathy Vs. Compassion Essay

Often when using the words of empathy and compassion, many people envision them as having similar meaning. While they may share similar circumstances, they are actually quite different. Empathy is more of an emotional response with an understanding of a person’s particular situation; whereas compassion is an emotion that arouses an active response to alleviate a distressful situation. Nevertheless, these dissimilar expressions are paramount in the way people respond to the individual needs of others and how they reach out to others in their local communities. Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay “On Compassion” not only creatively offers a very detailed description of the day in the life in New York City, but effectively draws a picture of

The Development of Empathy

• 10581 Words

Empathy and caring is an essential part of human health. We love because we can empathize (Szalavitz & Perry, 2010). Empathy underlies everything that makes society work; such as altruism, collaboration, love and charity. Failures to empathize are a key part of social problems, such as crime, violence, war, racism, child abuse and inequity. Although we are genetically predisposed to care for others, the development of empathy requires a lifelong process of relational interaction (Szalavitz & Perry, 2010). More importantly, the first relationship humans experience, the

The Depth And Complexity Of Empathy

Most definitions of empathy are based on the same core idea - empathy is the ability to understand and identify someone else’s thoughts and feelings, as if they were one’s own (wordreference online dictionary, 2016). Although it’s been said “there are probably nearly as many definitions of empathy as people working on the topic.” (de Vignemont & Singer, 2006, p.435) suggesting that there is no singular way to even define empathy, let alone explain its impact on our behaviour. Due to the sheer depth and complexity of empathy it’s understandable that each discipline within psychology presents it’s own explanation for why we experience it, and how it can affect our interaction with the world around us. Psychologists have been exploring empathy for decades, in hope of gaining a complete grasp of what it means and how it can vary between each person, therefore its important we look at different psychological perspectives to try to understand it’s many dimensions.

Speech On Empathy

Have you ever heard the saying that goes “place yourself into the shoes of others”? Let’s analyze and take a deep look into the phrase. By placing ourselves into somebody’s shoes we develop a feeling of connection with them, better known as empathy. The question is, what is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. People often confuse empathy with pity, but it is actually aiming the understanding of people’s feelings and perspectives. And by understanding them we learn how to use them to guide our actions. I believe that in order to change our society, people should be able to learn how to feel empathy or compassion for others. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:15 to "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.”

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Empathy: Considering another’s perspective in a college application

In preparing their applications to college, high school students are encouraged to be authentic, engaged, passionate, and committed. These are indeed great aspirations, and, hopefully, kids get the message that being true and honest with themselves and putting together a good college application should not be at odds with each other.

One quality usually missing from this list of exhortations, though, might be the most important one: be empathetic. Empathy is a powerful idea whose definition often depends on context. For some, empathy is the same as sympathy, the state of caring for others and “feeling their pain.” It is an emotional response to a shared humanity. “I work in a food pantry for the poor because I feel bad for those who feel hunger; I teach kids how to play basketball because I know how much joy I get from it.” We believe such compassion to be a powerful part of children’s sociality and work to cultivate it. And when colleges ask applicants to write about how they help make the world a better place, it is this kind of empathy that students lay claim to and that admission officers wade through.

In urging students to feel sympathy for those with less privilege than they have, though, we might want to encourage them to do more than feel another’s pain. We also want to suggest a shift in perspective in which they go beyond describing their response towards imagining and interrogating how the other side in this equation feels. Social psychologists call this “perspective taking,” and define it as “ the ability to understand how a situation appears to another person and how that person is reacting cognitively and emotionally to the situation .”

Why does this matter to how students present themselves in their college applications? In reading about or listening to how students describe their community service, I am always struck by how they see it as a one-way street: they feel bad for someone who might not have what they do and tell us what they have done to alleviate that need. They rarely seem to realize that there is also another side in this philanthropic equation. The result is variations on the so-called “poor but happy villagers” community service experience that has become so frustrating – and even toxic – to admission officers. They read countless essays about suburban kids teaching, contributing to, and “giving voice” to those who are less privileged. These essays are filled with good intentions but lack even a rudimentary understanding of the inequality and lack of reciprocity in such philanthropic exchanges: the less privileged are merely there to be acted on, to be helped and, hopefully, to be grateful for the assistance.

Don’t misunderstand me. I think such service work can be hugely enriching to a student and can reflect a well-honed sense of social obligation, which I applaud. But we might want to open a conversation with young adults – as parents and as counselors – about what and who is on the other side of that helping hand; to add to their emotional sympathy for the less privileged some of the awareness that comes from a more rational empathy.

Shifting perspective and seeing an exchange from the viewpoint of another, also offers students useful insights about other parts of the application process and, indeed, of life. When students present themselves in essays and interviews, it is often clear that they have not given much thought to who their audience is. It is a one-way conversation: they ascribe to themselves the qualities they feel colleges value (I am determined, helpful, diligent, resilient, keen to help others). It does not occur to them that what they’re trying to say may not be what the other side is hearing! They reference extensive foreign travel, for example, sure that the admission reader will appreciate their global citizenship, when, in fact, the reader hears a blithe catalog of great privilege. And when they describe tutoring an underprivileged fellow student, they rarely consider that admission officers might have been such low-income students themselves — and could find their tone patronizing.

As educational counselors we work in the hope that whatever kids learn from applying to college – about choices and consequences, about good writing – they will bring to bear on other parts of their young lives too. In this, there are few skills more valuable to them than moving from seeing the world strictly through their own eyes, to understanding that in their every interaction with another, there is another viewpoint present too.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Empathy Essay

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Book Strangers in Their Own Land

great paradox can be understood with an empathetic viewpoint. Using empathy encourages understanding, which can in time tear down the cognitive and emotional barriers that create divisiveness and impede social progress and positive change. Although the great paradox is evident throughout the nation, Hochschild focuses on Louisiana for several reasons. One is that it was essentially a convenience sample, as the Berkeley sociologist admits to not having any social ties to any other red state. Capitalizing on the social networks of her contact, Hochschild is able to conduct in depth interviews with a conservative white cohort to help her understand… Continue Reading...

• Personal Leadership Development Plan

possession of a high degree of empathy towards others. Each of these qualities and characteristics is vital to being a good transformational leader. Self-confidence allows me to approach problem-solving knowing that I can find the solution and apply it effectively: I believe in myself because I know that I am willing to put in the time and effort needed to analyze a situation, identify the issues, and draw on past experience and training to develop a strategy for addressing them. My positive attitude always helps to generate a friendly and upbeat atmosphere wherever I go. My… Continue Reading...

• Child Adolescent Development

emotions are influenced by providing feedback to children whereas empathy and sympathy is influenced by how parents show concerns to the child's feelings. The patterns of positive development that are linked to positive development include sensitivity to a child's feelings and warm, sensitive parenting (McIntyre, n.d.). Child-rearing styles i.e. authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved styles affect a child's development through influencing the child's self-understanding. These styles affect important domains of a child's development, especially self-concept and self-esteem depending on the kind of relationship between the parent and child. The child's view of him/herself and understanding of the surrounding world… Continue Reading...

Unfair Treatment of People with Privilege

or insincere. After all, who wants to feel empathy for someone they think has it all. Given that, I will define why I refer to myself as over-privileged. The term is frequently used, associated with the very wealthy and comes with many assumptions regarding what it means. However, the term is a clumsy one. Indeed, to be privileged means that one has advantages and special rights. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as not being subject to usual rules or penalties due to some type of special circumstance. In my case, the special circumstances are a high level of… Continue Reading...

Helping a Married Couple with Communication

each of you being willing to boost emotional intelligence through self-mastery, encouraging self-awareness as well as empathy . Barriers to Communication Innumerable situational and psychological barriers to communication might arise during the course of your relationship. Conflict management is one of the most important strategies for maintaining a healthy marriage over time (Bevan & Sole, 2014, Chapter 8). Learning how to manage conflicts requires a certain degree of education, skill, and practice. You need to ideally develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence to manage conflict effectively, and we will discuss emotional intelligence in more detail later. For now, we will focus on some of the common barriers to… Continue Reading...

• Leadership Essay (Free Example)

others: his body language should be expressive of confidence but also of empathy and interest in what his followers are doing. Empathy is a major part of emotional intelligence, which has been shown to play a fundamental role in effective leadership (Sanders, 2006; Cacamis & El Asmar, 2014). Emotional intelligence is the tool whereby an individual is able to read another persons emotional output and respond with the appropriate words, gestures, expressions or ideas that help to support, stabilize, and develop the other persons emotional state. Empathy enables an individual to put himself into another persons shoes, so to speakto see the… Continue Reading...

The Stages of Childhood Development Physical Cognitive

development can demonstrate how children develop self-awareness, empathy , and complex use of language. The four main stages of development include the sensorimotor, the preoperational, the concrete operational, and the formal operational. While far from being discreet stages with strong demarcations between them, empirical research in cognitive, behavioral, and biological sciences have shown that indeed children do exhibit specific features of psychosocial, cognitive, and physical development during the age brackets Piaget had observed. Infancy: The Sensorimotor Stage The first few years of life prove critically transformative for childhood development physically, cognitively, and even socially and emotionally. In fact,… Continue Reading...

• Criminal Law and Psychopathy

the actual victims of beliefs that are inherently misguided. Their lack of impulse control or empathy is, therefore, a consequence of their neurological abnormalities. This text concerns itself with criminal law and psychopathy. In so doing, it amongst other things evaluates the insanity defense and diminished capacity, and assesses the concept of moral responsibility vis-à-vis legal responsibility. [1: Sofia Moratti and David Petterson, eds., Legal Insanity and the Brain: Science, Law and European Courts (Oregon: HART Publishing, 2016), 247. ] [2: Moratti and Petterson, eds., Legal Insanity and the Brain: Science, Law and European Courts, 247. ] II. Psychopathy Conceptualized In seeking to develop an… Continue Reading...

Top Three Traits Needed for Investigation

be globally important no matter what the area of specialization including situational awareness, the establishment of rapport and empathy , and self-control. Situational awareness is critical for investigators, who need to establish appropriate times and places for interviews and meetings. The investigator needs to take into account all aspects of the subject, including factors like age, gender, and ethnic or linguistic background. Therefore, situational awareness includes cross-cultural awareness: the knowledge that not all cultures read body language the same way, understand the same idiomatic expressions or humor, or conceptualize ethics in the same way. Knowing gender differences also helps the investigator remain sensitive to different communication styles. Investigators need… Continue Reading...

Jesus As the High Priest Roles Qualities and Functions

the High Priest must have a set of qualities that include empathy for those who are weak and sinful, humility, and patience. The primary role served by the High Priest is that of intermediary between God and humanity. Pilch (n.d.) offers the best metaphor of the intermediary role, in that the petitioner will need a patron or a broker to conduct complicated affairs or to restore order or harmony. The High Priest reconciles the human being who has sinned with God, who is offended by that sin. With humility, empathy , patience, and kindness, the High Priest helps the human being restore… Continue Reading...

• SLP Module 3

cultures (Zhu, 2011). I believe my forte is intercultural empathy , defined as a reasonable grasp and acknowledgement of a target culture's cultural disparities. Firstly, I strive to gain familiarity with target cultures, and to communicate with individuals belonging to them. Moreover, I understand that individual thinking patterns differ and this disparity fails to produce negative transfers of target cultures in me; rather, I attempt to learn their language. Lastly, I don't disregard cultural differences and don't tend to overemphasize cultural universals (Zhu, 2011). • What weaknesses are you able to identify? Stereotypes stem from cultural misinterpretation during dealings with… Continue Reading...

• Using Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

best supported by the utilization of emotional intelligence on the part of management. To the extent that a project manager expresses empathy , sympathy, and emotional support, the team is likely to succeed. The study by Ahmad & Ibrahim (2015) examines the working environment in Malaysia, in which the three main generational cohorts in the workplace today are Baby Boomers (1945-1964), Generation X (1965-1980) and Generation Y (1980-current). The study focuses on how each differs in terms of outlook and the ways in which managers can respond to these differences to establish a better workplace environment. Baby Boomers are found to be task-oriented and strong believers in staying late to finish a… Continue Reading...

• Communications and Integrated Marketing

with strong interpersonal characteristics. I think the most important is empathy , which in this sense means the ability to identify with customers, get into their shoes and feel what they feel about the product. Empathy goes beyond understanding customers’ concerns from an objective point of view. An empathetic… Continue Reading...

Efficiency in the Health Care Facilities

converge at the health care facility. This means there is need to have empathy as a medic or someone working in the health care facility setting to help each individual go through their challenges stronger and not to restrict ones role only to the ailment or the medical condition presented, empathy covers more that disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2013). This above is in line with the WHO (2018) assertion that there are factors that determine our health status such as the environment we live in, the state of the environment, income levels, genetics and education level among others act to determine whether one is… Continue Reading...

• What It Means to Be a Good Leader Essay

your disruptive impulses and mood) 3. motivation (passion to work for reasons other than money and status) 4. empathy (understand the emotional makeup of others) 5. social skill (ability to find a common ground and build rapport) Please write the essay as a leader not a follower. Leadership I believe I am naturally a leader because I am self-aware, can control my impulses, am self-motivated, am capable of empathy , and have social skills. Of these qualities, my social skills are the weakest set. I can build rapport but I am also direct with people at times and do not display requisite amounts of Emotional or Social Intelligence. As… Continue Reading...

• Clinical Interviewing Skills and Techniques in Social Work

lives (Bitfocus.com, 2016). Likewise, when engaging in clinical interviewing, it’s important to adequately convey empathy and engage in practices that suspend one’s own judgments and critiques in order to better absorb what the client is saying and to understand their needs. In a similar manner, engaging in active listening is crucial so that the client feels like he or she is being heard. Showing that one is listening through eye contact, nodding and asking appropriate follow-up questions is crucial when indicating that one is listening fully and adequately (Cournoyer, 2016). All of these factors are crucial in order to ensure that the client continues… Continue Reading...

Conflict Resolution Transformative Mediation Bible

the issues independently (Burgess, 1997). The benefit of transformative mediation is to change the nature of the discourse, to encourage empathy , understanding, and mutual respect. Because primary stakeholders reach the solution independently and with mutual respect, they are also more likely to perceive the results as being valid. Other core benefits to using transformative mediation include the willingness to patiently reach win-win conclusions rather than resort to unsatisfying compromises that leave resentment, misunderstanding, and other lingering issues. Naturally, the limitations of transformative mediation is that it has a long-range focus, requires a lot of time and willingness on the part of both parties to cultivate the emotional or psychological mindset… Continue Reading...

Noddings Care Based Ethics

She chooses specific language that is to be the basis of this vocabulary – empathy , care, attention, response, reciprocity, receptivity. A central theme of her paper is that these terms have special meaning, and when understood form the foundational element of care ethics. The point that care ethics can be the basis of a moral way of life is not dissimilar to some of the arguments that date to virtue ethics, or even deontological ethics. While there are elements that are different, all of these contrast consequentialism in the sense that they presuppose a set of rules that govern morality. Noddings simply argues that… Continue Reading...

• Organizational Behavior

interest in their employees or who do not engage with them on civil or sympathetic terms. They lack empathy , integrity or interest in their work. They bring negative stimuli to the workplace instead of positive stimuli. The effect of their influences is that workers become discouraged and resentful and can even sometimes go out of their way to sabotage the productivity of the organization. Schyns and Schilling (2013) thus show that managers and leaders must be engaged with their employees on a positive level in order to ensure the success of the organization. In the financial aid department where, the general relationship between employee behavior and the behavior… Continue Reading...

• Social Worker Job Concerns

Identify each phase of the GIM Model that you are engaged in. Empathy : “Weddings can be hard because they’re an occasion to pause and reflect how your own romantic relationships are.” “It’s never easy suddenly learning there’s a family member you didn’t know about.” Positive Regard: “You were brave just to attend the family reunion, let alone to see your sister the next day.” “That’s wonderful you decided to write to your uncle.” Congruence: “I agree. Most people would not have been able to go back to work so soon after that happened.” “You’re right. It does take a lot to approach… Continue Reading...

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25 Elite Common App Essay Examples (And Why They Worked)

Applying to competitive colleges? You'll need to have a stand-out Common App essay.

In this article, I'm going to share with you:

• 25 outstanding Common App essay examples
• Links to tons of personal statement examples
• Why these Common App essays worked

If you're looking for outstanding Common App essay examples, you've found the right place.

If you're applying to colleges in 2024, you're going to write some form of a Common App essay.

Writing a great Common App personal essay is key if you want to maximize your chances of getting admitted.

Whether you're a student working on your Common App essay, or a parent wondering what it takes, this article will help you master the Common App Essay.

What are the Common App Essay Prompts for 2024?

There are seven prompts for the Common App essay. Remember that the prompts are simply to help get you started thinking.

You don't have to answer any of the prompts if you don't want (see prompt #7 ).

Here's the seven Common App essay questions for 2022, which are the same as previous years:

• 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 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?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

The last prompt is a catch-all prompt, which means you can submit an essay on any topic you want.

Use the Common App prompts as brainstorming questions and to get you thinking.

But ultimately, you should write about any topic you meaningfully care about.

What makes an outstanding Common App personal essay?

I've read thousands of Common App essays from highly motivated students over the past years.

And if I had to choose the top 2 things that makes for incredible Common App essays it's these:

1. Being Genuine

Sounds simple enough. But it's something that is incredibly rare in admissions.

Authenticity is something we all know when we see it, but can be hard to define.

Instead of focus on what you think sounds the best to admissions officers, focus on what you have to say—what interests you.

2. Having Unique Ideas

The best ideas come about while you're writing.

You can't just sit down and say, "I'll think really hard of good essay ideas."

I wish that worked, but it sadly doesn't. And neither do most brainstorming questions.

The ideas you come up with from these surface-level tactics are cheap, because no effort was put in.

As they say,

"Writing is thinking"

By choosing a general topic (e.g. my leadership experience in choir) and writing on it, you'll naturally come to ideas.

As you write, continue asking yourself questions that make you reflect.

It is more of an artistic process than technical one, so you'll have to feel what ideas are most interesting.

25 Common App Essay Examples from Top Schools

With that, here's 25 examples as Common App essay inspiration to get you started.

These examples aren't perfect—nor should you expect yours to be—but they are stand-out essays.

I've handpicked these examples of personal statements from admitted students because they showcase a variety of topics and writing levels.

These students got into top schools and Ivy League colleges in recent years:

Table of Contents

• 1. Seeds of Immigration
• 2. Color Guard
• 3. Big Eater
• 4. Love for Medicine
• 5. Cultural Confusion
• 6. Football Manager
• 9. Mountaineering
• 10. Boarding School
• 11. My Father
• 12. DMV Trials
• 13. Ice Cream Fridays
• 14. Key to Happiness
• 15. Discovering Passion
• 16. Girl Things
• 17. Robotics
• 18. Lab Research
• 19. Carioca Dance
• 20. Chinese Language
• 21. Kiki's Delivery Service
• 22. Museum of Life
• 23. French Horn
• 24. Dear My Younger Self
• 25. Monopoly

Common App Essay Example #1: Seeds of Immigration

This student was admitted to Dartmouth College . In this Common App essay, they discuss their immigrant family background that motivates them.

Although family is a commonly used topic, this student makes sure to have unique ideas and write in a genuine way.

Common App Prompt #1: 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. (250-650 words)

I placed three tiny seeds, imagining the corn stalk growing while the pumpkin vines wrapped around it; both sprouting, trying to bear fruit. I clenched a fistful of dirt and placed it on them. “Más,” my grandpa told me as he quickly flooded the seeds with life-giving dirt.

Covered. Completely trapped.

Why This Essay Works:

Everyone has a unique family history and story, and often that can make for a strong central theme of a personal statement. In this essay, the student does a great job of sharing aspects of his family's culture by using specific Spanish words like "yunta" and by describing their unique immigration story. Regardless of your background, sharing your culture and what it means to you can be a powerful tool for reflection.

This student focuses on reflecting on what their culture and immigrant background means to them. By focusing on what something represents, rather than just what it literally is, you can connect to more interesting ideas. This essay uses the metaphor of their family's history as farmers to connect to their own motivation for succeeding in life.

This essay has an overall tone of immense gratitude, by recognizing the hard work that this student's family has put in to afford them certain opportunities. By recognizing the efforts of others in your life—especially efforts which benefit you—you can create a powerful sense of gratitude. Showing gratitude is effective because it implies that you'll take full advantage of future opportunities (such as college) and not take them for granted. This student also demonstrates a mature worldview, by recognizing the difficulty in their family's past and how things easily could have turned out differently for this student.

This essay uses three moments of short, one-sentence long paragraphs. These moments create emphasis and are more impactful because they standalone. In general, paragraph breaks are your friend and you should use them liberally because they help keep the reader engaged. Long, dense paragraphs are easy to gloss over and ideas can lose focus within them. By using a variety of shorter and longer paragraphs (as well as shorter and longer sentences) you can create moments of emphasis and a more interesting structure.

What They Might Improve:

This conclusion is somewhat off-putting because it focuses on "other students" rather than the author themself. By saying it "fills me with pride" for having achieved without the same advantages, it could create the tone of "I'm better than those other students" which is distasteful. In general, avoid putting down others (unless they egregiously deserve it) and even subtle phrasings that imply you're better than others could create a negative tone. Always approach your writing with an attitude of optimism, understanding, and err on the side of positivity.

Common App Essay Example #2: Color Guard

This student was admitted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Check out their Common App essay that focuses on an extracurricular:

Sweaty from the hot lights, the feeling of nervousness and excitement return as I take my place on the 30-yard line. For 10 short minutes, everyone is watching me. The first note of the opening song begins, and I’m off. Spinning flags, tossing rifles, and dancing across the football field. Being one of only two people on the colorguard means everyone will see everything. It’s amazing and terrifying. And just like that, the performance is over.

Flashback to almost four years ago, when I walked into the guard room for the first time. I saw flyers for a “dance/flag team” hanging in the bland school hallway, and because I am a dancer, I decided to go. This was not a dance team at all. Spinning flags and being part of the marching band did not sound like how I wanted to spend my free time. After the first day, I considered not going back. But, for some unknown reason, I stayed. And after that, I began to fall in love with color guard. It is such an unknown activity, and maybe that’s part of what captivated me. How could people not know about something so amazing? I learned everything about flags and dancing in that year. And something interesting happened- I noticed my confidence begin to grow. I had never thought I was that good at anything, there was always someone better. However, color guard was something I truly loved, and I was good at it.

The next year, I was thrown into an interesting position. Our current captain quit in the middle of the season, and I was named the new captain of a team of six. At first, this was quite a daunting task. I was only a sophomore, and I was supposed to lead people two years older than me? Someone must’ve really believed in me. Being captain sounded impossible to me at first, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from doing my best. This is where my confidence really shot up. I learned how to be a captain. Of course I was timid at first, but slowly, I began to become a true leader.

The next marching season, it paid off. I choreographed many pieces of our show, and helped teach the other part of my guard, which at the time was only one other person. Having a small guard, we had to be spectacular, especially for band competitions. We ended up winning first place and second place trophies, something that had never been done before at our school, especially for such a small guard. That season is still one of my favorite memories. The grueling hours of learning routines, making changes, and learning how to be a leader finally paid off.

Looking back on it as I exit the field after halftime once again, I am so proud of myself. Not only has color guard helped the band succeed, I’ve also grown. I am now confident in what my skills are. Of course there is always more to be done, but I now I have the confidence to share my ideas, which is something I can’t say I had before color guard. Every Friday night we perform, I think about the growth I’ve made, and I feel on top of the world. That feeling never gets old.

Common App Essay Example #3: Big Eater

This Common App essay is a successful Northwestern essay from an admitted student. It has a unique take using the topic of eating habits—an example of how "mundane" topics can make for interesting ideas.

This essay uses their relationship with food to explore how their perspective has changed through moving high schools far away. Having a central theme is often a good strategy because it allows you to explore ideas while making them feel connected and cohesive. This essay shows how even a "simple" topic like food can show a lot about your character because you can extrapolate what it represents, rather than just what it literally is. With every topic, you can analyze on two levels: what it literally is, and what it represents.

Admissions officers want to get a sense of who you are, and one way to convey that is by using natural-sounding language and being somewhat informal. In this essay, the student writes as they'd speak, which creates a "voice" that you as the reader can easily hear. Phrases like "I kind of got used to it" may be informal, but work to show a sense of character. Referring to their parents as "Ma" and "Papa" also bring the reader into their world. If you come from a non-English speaking country or household, it can also be beneficial to use words from your language, such as "chiemo" in this essay. Using foreign language words helps share your unique culture with admissions.

Rather than "telling" the reader what they have to say, this student does a great job of "showing" them through specific imagery and anecdotes. Using short but descriptive phrases like "whether it was a sum or Sam the bully" are able to capture bigger ideas in a more memorable way. Showing your points through anecdotes and examples is always more effective than simply telling them, because showing allows the reader to come to their own conclusion, rather than having to believe what you're saying.

This student's first language is not English, which does make it challenging to express ideas with the best clarity. Although this student does an overall great job in writing despite this hindrance, there are moments where their ideas are not easily understood. In particular, when discussing substance addiction, it isn't clear: Was the student's relationship with food a disorder, or was that a metaphor? When drafting your essay, focus first on expressing your points as clearly and plainly as possible (it's harder than you may think). Simplicity is often better, but if you'd like, afterwards you can add creative details and stylistic changes.

Learn the Secrets of Successful Top-20 Applications

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Common App Essay Example #4: Love for Medicine

Here's another Common App essay which is an accepted Dartmouth essay . This student talks about their range of experiences as an emergency medical responder:

I never knew I had the courage to talk a suicidal sixteen-year-old boy down from the edge of a bridge, knowing that he could jump and take his life at any moment.

I never knew I had the confidence to stand my ground and defend my treatment plan to those who saw me as less than capable because of my age or gender.

This essay has lots of detailed moments and descriptions. These anecdotes help back up their main idea by showing, rather than just telling. It's always important to include relevant examples because they are the "proof in the pudding" for what you're trying to say.

This topic deals with a lot of sensitive issues, and at certain points the writing could be interpreted as insensitive or not humble. It's especially important when writing about tragedies that you focus on others, rather than yourself. Don't try to play up your accomplishments or role; let them speak for themselves. By doing so, you'll actually achieve what you're trying to do: create an image of an honorable and inspirational person.

This essay touches on a lot of challenging and difficult moments, but it lacks a deep level of reflection upon those moments. When analyzing your essay, ask yourself: what is the deepest idea in it? In this case, there are some interesting ideas (e.g. "when they were on my stretcher, socioeconomic status...fell away"), but they are not fully developed or fleshed out.

Common App Essay Example #5: Cultural Confusion

This student's Common App was accepted to Pomona College , among other schools. Although this essay uses a common topic of discussing cultural background, this student writes a compelling take.

This student uses the theme of cultural confusion to explain their interests and identity:

Common App Essay Example #6: Football Manager

Here's a UPenn essay that worked for the Common App:

This essay has lighthearted moments in it, such as recognizing how being a football manager "does not sound glamorous" and how "we managers go by many names: watergirls..." Using moments of humor can be appropriate for contrasting with moments of serious reflection. Being lighthearted also shows a sense of personality and that you are able to take things with stride.

The reflections in this essay are far too generic overall and ultimately lack meaning because they are unspecific. Using buzzwords like "hard work" and "valuable lessons" comes off as unoriginal, so avoid using them at all costs. Your reflections need to be specific to you to be most meaningful. If you could (in theory) pluck out sentences from your essay and drop them into another student's essay, then chances are those sentences are not very insightful. Your ideas should be only have been able to been written by you: specific to your experiences, personal in nature, and show deep reflection.

Although this essay uses the topic of "being a football manager," by the end of the essay it isn't clear what that role even constitutes. Avoid over-relying on other people or other's ideas when writing your essay. That is, most of the reflections in this essay are based on what the author witnessed the football team doing, rather than what they experienced for themselves in their role. Focus on your own experiences first, and be as specific and tangible as possible when describing your ideas. Rather than saying "hard work," show that hard work through an anecdote.

More important than your stories is the "So what?" behind them. Avoid writing stories that don't have a clear purpose besides "setting the scene." Although most fiction writing describes people and places as exposition, for your essays you want to avoid that unless it specifically contributes to your main point. In this essay, the first two paragraphs are almost entirely unnecessary, as the point of them can be captured in one sentence: "I joined to be a football manager one summer." The details of how that happened aren't necessary because they aren't reflected upon.

In typical academic writing, we're taught to "tell them what you're going to tell them" before telling them. But for college essays, every word is highly valuable. Avoid prefacing your statements and preparing the reader for them. Instead of saying "XYZ would prove to be an unforgettable experience," just dive right into the experience itself. Think of admissions officers as "being in a rush," and give them what they want: your interesting ideas and experiences.

Common App Essay Example #7: Coffee

This student was admitted to several selective colleges, including Emory University, Northwestern University , Tufts University, and the University of Southern California . Here's their Common Application they submitted to these schools:

I was 16 years old, and working at a family-owned coffee shop training other employees to pour latte art. Making coffee became an artistic outlet that I never had before. I always loved math, but once I explored the complexities of coffee, I began to delve into a more creative realm--photography and writing--and exposed myself to the arts--something foreign and intriguing.

This essay uses coffee as a metaphor for this student's self-growth, especially in dealing with the absence of their father. Showing the change of their relationship with coffee works well as a structure because it allows the student to explore various activities and ideas while making them seem connected.

This student does a great job of including specifics, such as coffee terminology ("bloom the grounds" and "pour a swan"). Using specific and "nerdy" language shows your interests effectively. Don't worry if they won't understand all the references exactly, as long as there is context around them.

While coffee is the central topic, the author also references their father extensively throughout. It isn't clear until the conclusion how these topics relate, which makes the essay feel disjointed. In addition, there is no strong main idea, but instead a few different ideas. In general, it is better to focus on one interesting idea and delve deeply, rather than focus on many and be surface-level.

Near the conclusion, this student tells about their character: "humble, yet important, simple, yet complex..." You should avoid describing yourself to admissions officers, as it is less convincing. Instead, use stories, anecdotes, and ideas to demonstrate these qualities. For example, don't say "I'm curious," but show them by asking questions. Don't say, "I'm humble," but show them with how you reacted after a success or failure.

Common App Essay Example #8: Chicago

Here's another Northwestern essay . Northwestern is a quite popular school with lots of strong essay-focused applicants, which makes your "Why Northwestern?" essay important.

To write a strong Why Northwestern essay, try to answer these questions: What does NU represent to you? What does NU offer for you (and your interests) that other schools don't?

This essay uses a variety of descriptive and compelling words, without seeming forced or unnatural. It is important that you use your best vocabulary, but don't go reaching for a thesaurus. Instead, use words that are the most descriptive, while remaining true to how you'd actually write.

This essay is one big metaphor: the "L" train serves as a vehicle to explore this student's intellectual curiosity. Throughout the essay, the student also incorporates creative metaphors like "the belly of a gargantuan silver beast" and "seventy-five cent silver chariot" that show a keen sense of expression. If a metaphor sounds like one you've heard before, you probably shouldn't use it.

This student does a fantastic job of naturally talking about their activities. By connecting their activities to a common theme—in this case the "L" train—you can more easily move from one activity to the next, without seeming like you're just listing activities. This serves as an engaging way of introducing your extracurriculars and achievements, while still having the focus of your essay be on your interesting ideas.

Admissions officers are ultimately trying to get a sense of who you are. This student does a great job of taking the reader into their world. By sharing quirks and colloquialisms (i.e. specific language you use), you can create an authentic sense of personality.

Common App Essay Example #9: Mountaineering

Here's a liberal arts college Common App essay from Colby College . Colby is a highly ranked liberal arts college.

As with all colleges—but especially liberal arts schools—your personal essay will be a considerable factor.

In this essay, the student describes their experience climbing Mount Adams, and the physical and logistical preparations that went into it. They describe how they overcame some initial setbacks by using their organizational skills from previous expeditions.

This Colby student explains how the process of preparation can lead to success in academics and other endeavours, but with the potential for negative unintended consequences.

Common App Prompt #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? (250-650 words)

This essay does a great job of having a cohesive theme: mountaineering. Often times, great essay topics can be something simple on the surface, such as your favorite extracurricular activity or a notable experience. Consider using the literal activity as a sort of metaphor, like this essay does. This student uses mountaineering as a metaphor for preparation in the face of upcoming challenge. Using an overarching metaphor along with a central theme can be effective because it allows you to explore various ideas while having them all feel connected and cohesive.

Admissions officers want to see your self-growth, which doesn't always mean your successes. Often times, being vulnerable by expressing your struggles is powerful because it makes you more human and relatable, while providing the opportunity to reflect on what you learned. The best lessons from come failures, and writing about challenge can also make your later successes feel more impactful. Everyone loves to hear an underdog or zero-to-hero story. But counterintuitively, your failures are actually more important than your successes.

This essay has some nice ideas about focusing only on what's in your control: your attitude and your effort. However, these ideas are ultimately somewhat generic as they have been used countless times in admissions essays. Although ideas like this can be a good foundation, you should strive to reach deeper ideas. Deeper ideas are ones that are specific to you, unique, and interesting. You can reach deeper ideas by continually asking yourself "How" and "Why" questions that cause you to think deeper about a topic. Don't be satisfied with surface-level reflections. Think about what they represent more deeply, or how you can connect to other ideas or areas of your life.

Common App Essay Example #10: Boarding School

This personal essay was accepted to Claremont McKenna College . See how this student wrote a vulnerable essay about boarding school experience and their family relationship:

I began attending boarding school aged nine.

Obviously, this is not particularly unusual – my school dorms were comprised of boys and girls in the same position as me. However, for me it was difficult – or perhaps it was for all of us; I don’t know. We certainly never discussed it.

I felt utterly alone, as though my family had abruptly withdrawn the love and support thatI so desperately needed. At first, I did try to open up to them during weekly phone calls, but what could they do? As months slipped by, the number of calls reduced. I felt they had forgotten me. Maybe they felt I had withdrawn from them. A vast chasm of distance was cracking open between us.

At first, I shared my hurt feelings with my peers, who were amazingly supportive, but there was a limit to how much help they could offer. After a while, I realized that by opening up, I was burdening them, perhaps even irritating them. The feelings I was sharing should have been reserved for family. So, I withdrew into myself. I started storing up my emotions and became a man of few words. In the classroom or on the sports field, people saw a self-confident and cheerful character, but behind that facade was someone who yearned for someone to understand him and accept him as he was.

Years went past.

Then came the phone call which was about to change my life. “Just come home Aryan, it’s really important!” My mother’s voice was odd, brittle. I told her I had important exams the following week, so needed to study. “Aryan, why don’t you listen to me? There is no other option, okay? You are coming home.”

Concerned, I arranged to fly home. When I got there, my sister didn’t say hi to me, my grandmother didn’t seem overly enthusiastic to see me and my mother was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to be told why I was called back so suddenly just to be greeted as though I wasn’t even welcome.

Then my mother then came out of her room and saw me. To my immense incredulity, she ran to me and hugged me, and started crying in my arms.

Then came the revelation, “Your father had a heart attack.”

My father. The man I hadn’t really talked to in years. A man who didn’t even know who I was anymore. I’d spent so long being disappointed in him and suspecting he was disappointed in me, I sunk under a flood of emotions.

I opened the door to his room and there he was sitting on his bed with a weak smile on his face. I felt shaken to my core. All at once it was clear to me how self-centered I had become. A feeling of humiliation engulfed me, but finally I realized that rather than wallow in it, I needed to appreciate I was not alone in having feelings.

I remained at home that week. I understood that my family needed me. I worked with my uncle to ensure my family business was running smoothly and often invited relatives or friends over to cheer my father up.

Most importantly, I spent time with my family. It had been years since I’d last wanted to do this – I had actively built the distance between us – but really, I’d never stopped craving it. Sitting together in the living room, I realized how badly I needed them.

Seeing happiness in my father’s eyes, I felt I was finally being the son he had always needed me to be: A strong, capable young man equipped to take over the family business if need be.

Common App Essay Example #11: My Father

This Cornell University essay is an example of writing about a tragedy, which can be a tricky topic to write about well.

Family and tragedy essays are a commonly used topic, so it can be harder to come up with a unique essay idea using these topics.

Let me know what you think of this essay for Cornell:

My father was wise, reserved, hardworking, and above all, caring. I idolized his humility and pragmatism, and I cherish it today. But after his death, I was emotionally raw. I could barely get through class without staving off a breakdown.

Writing about tragedy, such as the loss of a loved one, is a tricky topic because it has been used countless times in college admissions. It is difficult to not come off as a "victim" or that you're trying to garner sympathy by using the topic (i.e. a "sob story"). This essay does a great job of writing about a personal tragedy in a meaningful and unique way by connecting to values and ideas, rather than staying focused on what literally happened. By connecting tragedy to lessons and takeaways, you can show how—despite the difficulty and sorrow—you have gained something positive from it, however small that may be. Don't write about personal tragedy because you think "you should." As with any topic, only write about it if you have a meaningful point to make.

This essay is effective at making the reader feel the similar emotions as the author does and in bringing the reader into their "world." Even small remarks like noting the the "firsts" without their loved one are powerful because it is relatable and something that is apparent, but not commonly talked about. Using short phrases like "That was it. No goodbye, no I love you..." create emphasis and again a sense of relatability. As the reader, you can vividly imagine how the author must have felt during these moments. The author also uses questions, such as "What did I last say to him?" which showcase their thought process, another powerful way to bring the reader into your world.

Admissions officers are looking for self-growth, which can come in a variety of forms. Showing a new perspective is one way to convey that you've developed over time, learned something new, or gained new understanding or appreciation. In this essay, the student uses the "sticker of a black and white eye" to represent how they viewed their father differently before and after his passing. By using a static, unchanging object like this, and showing how you now view it differently over time, you convey a change in perspective that can make for interesting reflections.

Common App Essay Example #12: DMV Trials

Here's a funny Common App essay from a Northwestern admitted student about getting their driver's license.

This topic has been used before—as many "topics" have—but what's important is having a unique take or idea.

What do you think of this Northwestern essay ?

Breath, Emily, breath. I drive to the exit and face a four-lane roadway. “Turn left,” my passenger says.

On July 29, [Date] , I finally got my license. After the April debacle, I practiced driving almost every week. I learned to stop at stop signs and look both ways before crossing streets, the things I apparently didn’t know how to do during my first two tests. When pulling into the parking lot with the examiner for the last time, a wave of relief washed over me.

This essay does a good job of having a compelling narrative. By setting the scene descriptively, it is easy to follow and makes for a pleasant reading experience. However, avoid excessive storytelling, as it can overshadow your reflections, which are ultimately most important.

This essay has some moments where the author may come off as being overly critical, of either themselves or of others. Although it is okay (and good) to recognize your flaws, you don't want to portray yourself in a negative manner. Avoid being too negative, and instead try to find the positive aspects when possible.

More important than your stories is the answer to "So what?" and why they matter. Avoid writing a personal statement that is entirely story-based, because this leaves little room for reflection and to share your ideas. In this essay, the reflections are delayed to the end and not as developed as they could be.

In this essay, it comes across that failure is negative. Although the conclusion ultimately has a change of perspective in that "failure is inevitable and essential to moving forward," it doesn't address that failure is ultimately a positive thing. Admissions officers want to see failure and your challenges, because overcoming those challenges is what demonstrates personal growth.

Common App Essay Example #13: Ice Cream Fridays

This Columbia essay starts off with a vulnerable moment of running for school president. The student goes on to show their growth through Model UN, using detailed anecdotes and selected moments.

My fascination with geopolitical and economic issues were what kept me committed to MUN. But by the end of sophomore year, the co-presidents were fed up. “Henry, we know how hard you try, but there are only so many spots for each conference...” said one. “You’re wasting space, you should quit,” said the other.

This essay has a compelling story, starting from this author's early struggles with public speaking and developing into their later successes with Model UN. Using a central theme—in this case public speaking—is an effective way of creating a cohesive essay. By having a main idea, you can tie in multiple moments or achievements without them coming across unrelated.

This student talks about their achievements with a humble attitude. To reference your successes, it's equally important to address your failures. By expressing your challenges, it will make your later achievements seem more impactful in contrast. This student also is less "me-focused" and instead is interested in others dealing with the same struggles. By connecting to people in your life, values, or interesting ideas, you can reference your accomplishments without coming off as bragging.

This essay has moments of reflection, such as "math and programming made sense... people didn't". However, most of these ideas are cut short, without going much deeper. When you strike upon a potentially interesting idea, keep going with it. Try to explain the nuances, or broaden your idea to more universal themes. Find what is most interesting about your experience and share that with admissions.

Stories are important, but make sure all your descriptions are critical for the story. In this essay, the author describes things that don't add to the story, such as the appearance of other people or what they were wearing. These ultimately don't relate to their main idea—overcoming public speaking challenges—and instead are distracting.

Common App Essay Example #14: Key to Happiness

Here's a Brown University application essay that does a great job of a broad timeline essay. This student shows the change in their thinking and motivations over a period of time, which makes for an interesting topic.

Let me know what you think of this Brown essay:

Common App Prompt #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? (250-650 words)

This student's first language is not English, which provides some insight into why the phrasing may not seem as natural or show as much personality. Admissions officers are holistic in determining who to admit, meaning they take into account many different factors when judging your essays. While this essay may not be the strongest, the applicant probably had other qualities or "hooks" that helped them get accepted, such as awards, activities, unique background, etc. Plus, there is some leniency granted to students who don't speak English as their first language, because writing essays in a foreign language is tough in and of itself.

It's good to be confident in your achievements, but you don't want to come across as boastful or self-assured. In this essay, some of the phrasing such as "when I was the best at everything" seems exaggerated and is off-putting. Instead of boosting your accomplishments, write about them in a way that almost "diminishes" them. Connect your achievements to something bigger than you: an interesting idea, a passionate cause, another person or group. By not inflating your achievements, you'll come across more humble and your achievements will actually seem more impactful. We all have heard of a highly successful person who thinks "it's no big deal," which actually makes their talents seem far more impressive.

This essay has some takeaways and reflections, as your essay should too, but ultimately these ideas are unoriginal and potentially cliché. Ideas like "what makes you happy is pursing your passion" are overused and have been heard thousands of times by admissions officers. Instead, focus on getting to unique and "deep" ideas: ideas that are specific to you and that have meaningful implications. It's okay to start off with more surface-level ideas, but you want to keep asking questions to yourself like "Why" and "How" to push yourself to think deeper. Try making connections, asking what something represents more broadly, or analyzing something from a different perspective.

You don't need to preface your ideas in your essay. Don't say things like "I later found out this would be life-changing, and here's why." Instead, just jump into the details that are most compelling. In this essay, there are moments that seem repetitive and redundant because they don't add new ideas and instead restate what's already been said in different words. When editing your essay, be critical of every sentence (and even words) by asking: Does this add something new to my essay? Does it have a clear, distinct purpose? If the answer is no, you should probably remove that sentence.

Common App Essay Example #15: Discovering Passion

Here's a Johns Hopkins essay that shows how the student had a change in attitude and perspective after taking a summer job at a care facility.

It may seem odd to write about your potential drawbacks or weaknesses—such as having a bad attitude towards something—but it's real and can help demonstrate personal growth.

So tell me your thoughts on this JHU Common App essay:

Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

This student uses vulnerability in admitting that they held preconceived notions about the elderly before this experience. The quote introduces these preconceived notions well, while the description of how this student got their job in the care facility is also engaging.

Admission officers love to see your interactions with others. Showing how you interact reveals a lot about your character, and this essay benefits from reflecting upon the student's relationship with a particular elderly individual.

It is good to be descriptive, but only when it supports your expression of ideas. In this essay, the author uses adjectives and adverbs excessively, without introducing new ideas. Your ideas are more important than having a diverse vocabulary, and the realizations in this essay are muddled by rephrasing similar ideas using seemingly "impressive," but ultimately somewhat meaningless, vocabulary.

This essay touches on some interesting ideas, but on multiple occasions these ideas are repeated just in different phrasing. If you have already expressed an idea, don't repeat it unless you're adding something new: a deeper context, a new angle, a broadened application, etc. Ask yourself: what is the purpose of each sentence, and have I expressed it already?

It's true that almost any topic can make for a strong essay, but certain topics are trickier because they make it easy to write about overly used ideas. In this essay, the main idea can be summarized as: "I realized the elderly were worthy humans too." It touches upon more interesting ideas, such as how people can be reduced down to their afflictions rather than their true character, but the main idea is somewhat surface-level.

Common App Essay Example #16: "A Cow Gave Birth"

This Common App essay for the University of Pennsylvania centers on the theme of womanhood. Not only is it well-written, but this essay has interesting and unique ideas that relate to the student's interests.

Common App Essay Example #17: Robotics

This Common App essay was for Washington University in St. Louis .

This student writes about their experience creating and using an engineering notebook to better document their robotics progress. They share the story of how their dedication and perseverance led to winning awards and qualifying for the national championships.

Lastly, they reflect on the importance of following one's passions in life and decision to pursue a business degree instead of a engineering one.

This essay touches on various lessons that they've learned as a result of their experience doing robotics. However, these lessons are ultimately surface-level and generic, such as "I embraced new challenges." Although these could be a starting point for deeper ideas, on their own they come off as unoriginal and overused. Having interesting ideas is what makes an essay the most compelling, and you need to delve deeply into reflection, past the surface-level takeaways. When drafting and brainstorming, keep asking yourself questions like "How" and "Why" to dig deeper. Ask "What does this represent? How does it connect to other things? What does this show about myself/the world/society/etc.?"

Although this essay is focused on "VEX robotics," the details of what that activity involves are not elaborated. Rather than focusing on the surface-level descriptions like "We competed and won," it would be more engaging to delve into the details. What did your robot do? How did you compete? What were the specific challenges in "lacking building materials"? Use visuals and imagery to create a more engaging picture of what you were doing.

The hook and ending sentences of "drifting off to sleep" feel arbitrary and not at all connected to any ideas throughout the essay. Instead, it comes off as a contrived choice to create a "full circle" essay. Although coming full circle is often a good strategy, there should be a specific purpose in doing so. For your intro, try using a short sentence that creates emphasis on something interesting. For the conclusion, try using similar language to the intro, expanding upon your ideas to more universal takeaways, or connecting back to previous ideas with a new nuance.

Common App Essay Example #18: Lab Research

Common app essay example #19: carioca dance.

Having a natural-sounding style of writing can be a great way of conveying personality. This student does a fantastic job of writing as they'd speak, which lets admissions officers create a clear "image" of who you are in their head. By writing naturally and not robotically, you can create a "voice" and add character to your essay.

This student chooses a unique activity, the Carioca drill, as their main topic. By choosing a "theme" like this, it allows you to easily and naturally talk about other activities too, without seeming like you're simply listing activities. This student uses the Carioca as a metaphor for overcoming difficulties and relates it to their other activities and academics—public speaking and their job experience.

Showing a sense of humor can indicate wit, which not only makes you seem more likeable, but also conveys self-awareness. By not always taking yourself 100% seriously, you can be more relatable to the reader. This student acknowledges their struggles in conjunction with using humor ("the drills were not named after me—'Saads'"), which shows a recognition that they have room to improve, while not being overly self-critical.

Common App Essay Example #20: Chinese Language

The list of languages that Lincoln offered startled me. “There’s so many,” I thought, “Latin, Spanish, Chinese, and French.”

As soon as I stepped off the plane, and set my eyes upon the beautiful city of Shanghai, I fell in love. In that moment, I had an epiphany. China was made for me, and I wanted to give it all my first; first job and first apartment.

Using creative metaphors can be an effective way of conveying ideas. In this essay, the metaphor of "Chinese characters...were the names of my best friends" tells a lot about this student's relationship with the language. When coming up with metaphors, a good rule of thumb is: if you've heard it before, don't use it. Only use metaphors that are specific, make sense for what you're trying to say, and are highly unique.

Whenever you "tell" something, you should try and back it up with anecdotes, examples, or experiences. Instead of saying that "I made conversation," this student exemplifies it by listing who they talked to. Showing is always going to be more compelling than telling because it allows the reader to come to the conclusion on their own, which makes them believe it much stronger. Use specific, tangible examples to back up your points and convince the reader of what you're saying.

Although this essay has reflections, they tend to be more surface-level, rather than unique and compelling. Admissions officers have read thousands of application essays and are familiar with most of the ideas students write about. To stand out, you'll need to dive deeper into your ideas. To do this, keep asking yourself questions whenever you have an interesting idea. Ask "Why" and "How" repeatedly until you reach something that is unique, specific to you, and super interesting.

Avoid writing a conclusion that only "sounds nice," but lacks real meaning. Often times, students write conclusions that go full circle, or have an interesting quote, but they still don't connect to the main idea of the essay. Your conclusion should be your strongest, most interesting idea. It should say something new: a new perspective, a new takeaway, a new aspect of your main point. End your essay strongly by staying on topic, but taking your idea one step further to the deepest it can go.

Common App Essay Example #21: Kiki's Delivery Service

Common App Prompt #6: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (250-650 words)

I spent much of my childhood watching movies. I became absolutely engrossed in many different films, TV shows, and animations. From the movie theatres to the TV, I spent my hours enjoying the beauty of visual media. One place that was special to me was the car. My parents purchased a special screen that could be mounted on the back of the headrest, so that I could watch movies on trips. This benefited both parties, as I was occupied, and they had peace. Looking back, I realize this screen played a crucial role in my childhood. It was an integral part of many journeys. I remember taking a drive to Washington D.C, with my visiting relatives from Poland, and spending my time with my eyes on the screen. I remember packing up my possessions and moving to my current home from Queens, watching my cartoons the whole time. I can comfortably say that watching movies in the car has been an familiar anchor during times of change in my life.

I used to watch many different cartoons, nature documentaries, and other products in the car, yet there has been one movie that I have rewatched constantly. It is called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Hayao Miyazaki. My parents picked it up at a garage sale one day, and I fell in love. The style of the animations were beautiful, and the captivating story of a thirteen year old witch leaving home really appealed to me. To be honest, the initial times I watched it, I didn’t fully understand the story but the magic and beauty just made me happy. Then, the more I watched it, I began to see that it was more about independence, including the need to get away from home and establish yourself as your own person. This mirrors how I felt during that period of my life,with mehaving a little rebellious streak; I didn’t agree with my parents on certain topics. That is not the end of the story though. As the years passed, and I watched it a couple more times, although with less frequency than before, my view of this movie evolved yet again.

Instead of solely thinking about the need for independence, I began to think the movie was more about the balance of independence and reliance. In the movie, the girl finds herself struggling until she begins to accept help from others. Looking back, this also follows my own philosophy during this time. As I began to mature, I began to realize the value of family, and accept all the help I can get from them. I appreciate all the hard work they had done for me, and I recognize their experience in life and take advantage of it. I passed through my rebellious phase, and this reflected in my analysis of the movie. I believe that this is common, and if I look through the rest of my life I am sure I would find other similar examples of my thoughts evolving based on the stage in my life. This movie is one of the most important to me throughout my life.

Common App Essay Example #22: Museum of Life

Using visuals can be a way to add interesting moments to your essay. Avoid being overly descriptive, however, as it can be distracting from your main point. When drafting, start by focusing on your ideas (your reflections and takeaways). Once you have a rough draft, then you can consider ways to incorporate imagery that can add character and flavor to your essay.

Admissions officers are people, just like you, and therefore are drawn to personalities that exhibit positive qualities. Some of the most important qualities to portray are: humility, curiosity, thoughtfulness, and passion. In this essay, there are several moments that could be interpreted as potentially self-centered or arrogant. Avoid trying to make yourself out to be "better" or "greater" than other people. Instead, focus on having unique and interesting ideas first, and this will show you as a likeable, insightful person. Although this is a "personal" statement, you should also avoid over using "I" in your essay. When you have lots of "I" sentences, it starts to feel somewhat ego-centric, rather than humble and interested in something greater than you.

This essay does a lot of "telling" about the author's character. Instead, you want to provide evidence—through examples, anecdotes, and moments—that allow the reader to come to their own conclusions about who you are. Avoid surface-level takeaways like "I am open-minded and have a thirst for knowledge." These types of statements are meaningless because anyone can write them. Instead, focus on backing up your points by "showing," and then reflect genuinely and deeply on those topics.

This essay is focused on art museums and tries to tie in a connection to studying medicine. However, because this connection is very brief and not elaborated, the connection seems weak. To connect to your area of study when writing about a different topic, try reflecting on your topic first. Go deep into interesting ideas by asking "How" and "Why" questions. Then, take those ideas and broaden them. Think of ways they could differ or parallel your desired area of study. The best connections between a topic (such as an extracurricular) and your area of study (i.e. your major) is through having interesting ideas.

Common App Essay Example #23: French Horn

This student chose the creative idea of personifying their French horn as their central theme. Using this personification, they are able to write about a multitude of moments while making them all feel connected. This unique approach also makes for a more engaging essay, as it is not overly straightforward and generic.

It can be challenging to reference your achievements without seeming boastful or coming across too plainly. This student manages to write about their successes ("acceptance into the Julliard Pre-College program") by using them as moments part of a broader story. The focus isn't necessarily on the accomplishments themselves, but the role they play in this relationship with their instrument. By connecting more subtly like this, it shows humility. Often, "diminishing" your achievements will actually make them stand out more, because it shows you're focused on the greater meaning behind them, rather than just "what you did."

This student does a good job of exemplifying each of their ideas. Rather than just saying "I experienced failure," they show it through imagery ("dried lips, cracked notes, and missed entrances"). Similarly, with their idea "no success comes without sacrifice," they exemplify it using examples of sacrifice. Always try to back up your points using examples, because showing is much more convincing than telling. Anyone can "tell" things, but showing requires proof.

This essay has a decent conclusion, but it could be stronger by adding nuance to their main idea or connecting to the beginning with a new perspective. Rather than repeating what you've established previously, make sure your conclusion has a different "angle" or new aspect. This can be connecting your main idea to more universal values, showing how you now view something differently, or emphasizing a particular aspect of your main idea that was earlier introduced.

Common App Essay Example #24: Dear My Younger Self

Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

Younger Anna,

• Don’t live your life as if you're constantly being watched and criticized. Chances are, no one is even paying attention to you.
• Wear your retainer.
• Empathy makes your life easier. People who are inexplicably cruel are suffering just as much as the recipients of their abuse. Understanding this makes your interactions with these people less painful.
• Comparing yourself to your classmates is counterproductive. Sometimes you will forge ahead, other times you will lag behind. But ultimately, you’re only racing yourself.
• Speak up to your stepmom.
• Always eat the cake. I couldn't tell you how many times I’ve turned away a slice of cake, only to regret it the next day. If you really can’t commit, do yourself a favor and take a slice home with you.
• Cherish your grandparents.
• Forgive your mother. Harboring resentment hurts you just as much as her. All the time I spent being angry at her could’ve been spent discovering her strengths.

This essay chose a unique structure in the form of a letter addressed to themselves with a list of lessons they've learned. This structure is unique, and also allows the student to explore a variety of topics and ideas while making them all feel connected. It is tricky to not seem "gimmicky" when choosing a creative structure like this, but the key is to make your essay well thought-out. Show that you've put effort into reflecting deeply, and that you aren't choosing a unique structure just to stand out.

This essay is highly focused on lessons they've learned, which shows a deep level of reflection. Your ideas and takeaways from life experience are ultimately most compelling to admissions officers, and this essay succeeds because it is focused almost entirely on those reflections. This student also manages to incorporate anecdotes and mini stories where appropriate, which makes their reflections more memorable by being tangible.

Showing humility and self-awareness are two highly attractive traits in college admissions. Being able to recognize your own flaws and strengths, while not making yourself out to be more than what you are, shows that you are mature and thoughtful. Avoid trying to "boost yourself up" by exaggerating your accomplishments or over-emphasizing your strengths. Instead, let your ideas speak for themselves, and by focusing on genuine, meaningful ideas, you'll convey a persona that is both humble and insightful.

The drawback of having a structure like this, where lots of different ideas are examined, is that no one idea is examined in-depth. As a result, some ideas (such as "intelligence is not defined by your grades") come across as trite and overused. In general, avoid touching on lots of ideas while being surface-level. Instead, it's almost always better to choose a handful (or even just one main idea) and go as in-depth as possible by continually asking probing questions—"How" and "Why"—that force yourself to think deeper and be more critical. Having depth of ideas shows inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness, and ultimately are more interesting because they are ideas that only you could have written.

Common App Essay Example #25: Monopoly

Feeling a bit weary from my last roll of the dice, I cross my fingers with the “FREE PARKING” square in sight. As luck has it, I smoothly glide past the hotels to have my best horse show yet- earning multiple wins against stiff competition and gaining points to qualify for five different national finals this year.

This essay uses the board game "Monopoly" as a metaphor for their life. By using a metaphor as your main topic, you can connect to different ideas and activities in a cohesive way. However, make sure the metaphor isn't chosen arbitrarily. In this essay, it isn't completely clear why Monopoly is an apt metaphor for their life, because the specific qualities that make Monopoly unique aren't explained or elaborated. Lots of games require "strategy and precision, with a hint of luck and a tremendous amount of challenge," so it'd be better to focus on the unique aspects of the game to make a more clear connection. For example, moving around the board in a "repetitive" fashion, but each time you go around with a different perspective. When choosing a metaphor, first make sure that it is fitting for what you're trying to describe.

You want to avoid listing your activities or referencing them without a clear connection to something greater. Since you have an activities list already, referencing your activities in your essay should have a specific purpose, rather than just emphasizing your achievements. In this essay, the student connects their activities by connecting them to a specific idea: how each activity is like a mini challenge that they must encounter to progress in life. Make sure your activities connect to something specifically: an idea, a value, an aspect of your character.

This essay lacks depth in their reflections by not delving deeply into their main takeaways. In this essay, the main "idea" is that they've learned to be persistent with whatever comes their way. This idea could be a good starting point, but on its own is too generic and not unique enough. Your idea should be deep and specific, meaning that it should be something only you could have written about. If your takeaway could be used in another student's essay without much modification, chances are it is a surface-level takeaway and you want to go more in-depth. To go in-depth, keep asking probing questions like "How" and "Why" or try making more abstract connections between topics.

In the final two paragraphs, this essay does a lot of "telling" about the lessons they've learned. They write "I know that in moments of doubt...I can rise to the occasion." Although this could be interesting, it would be far more effective if this idea is shown through anecdotes or experiences. The previous examples in the essay don't "show" this idea. When drafting, take your ideas and think of ways you can represent them without having to state them outright. By showing your points, you will create a more engaging and convincing essay because you'll allow the reader to come to the conclusion themselves, rather than having to believe what you've told them.

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"nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone.", empathy and compassionate care essay by: olivia gagne, december 4, 2019 ogagne.

One important thing I have learned in clinical is that I have the power to make a difference in patients lives, one patient at a time.  To do so, a nurse must remember to not only use empathy, but compassion as well.  One story that I always remember is the star fish story.  It’s about a five year old girl on a beach in Florida after a hurricane had destroyed their land.  There were thousands of star fish washed up on the shore.  The little girl was throwing starfish back into the ocean, one starfish at a time.  When her father saw her, he said “why are you even bothering?  You will never be able to save them all”.  As the little girl looked at her father, she picked one up and threw it back into the ocean.  She then said, “I saved that one”.  This is a story my high school guidance councilor told me.  It has always stuck with me and has made me realize one important lesson in nursing.  It’s not about how many lives you saved, its about making a difference one person at a time.

From the hallway of the hospital I heard my patient moaning.  When I walked in for the first time, they reached for my hand but spoke no words.  They squeezed my hand, very tight, and immediately calmed down.  As I introduced myself, they intimately looked at me and moaned “hi”.  At that moment I realized a few things.  They could hear and understand me, but they cannot talk due to the accident the patient was in.  Secondly, they needed human touch.  No student nurse had taken care of this patient prior to when I had arrived that day.  The nurses said the patient has been agitated and emotional since the morning.  But as I held the patients’ hand, they were relaxed and showed their half dropping smile.

Throughout my clinical I took care of this patient.  In the beginning, I immediately had empathy.  I put myself in the patients’ shoes and started to picture how scared I would be if I was waking up from a coma.  I pictured what it would feel like if I couldn’t talk or communicate the way I wanted to.  But during this time, I learned that communication isn’t always through speaking, but can also be from hand squeezing for yes, or shaking their head for no.  I could tell they were scared when they moaned after trying to speak to their PT instructor.  Later in the night, it was time to give the patient a bed bath.  After washing my patients’ body with a warm wet cloth, I asked the patient if they wanted lotion and a foot massage.  Immediately they squeezed my hand for yes.  When we massaged my patients’ feet, once again, their whole body relaxed.  At the end of the night, I realized that it’s important to focus on the small things for each individual patient.  Although some wouldn’t know how to comfort this patient, I slowly figured it out over my seven-hour clinical.  You need to have patience, and to focus on going above and beyond to make your patient feel cared for.  As a good nurse, you need to use compassionate care, and focus on the small actions throughout your shift.  During this shift I started to realize what compassionate care was.  It’s not about going into the patients; room, taking their vitals and leaving.  It’s about using empathy to feel what they feel and putting to action what you think would make them feel better; such as a foot massage with lotion and holding their hand when they reach out.

            As a future nurse, in order to use empathy and compassion in my future practice, it’s important to understand what they mean and how they intertwine with nursing.  Empathy is being able to feel what the patient is going through while putting yourself in their shoes.  How would you feel if this was you?  It’s important for nurses to use empathy.  By putting ourselves in the patients’ shoes, we are only then able to further understand what they are feeling, and what they are going through.  Jean Watson, a nurse herself, put together ten carative factors that help to support empathy in nursing.  She stated that it’s important to “create a healing environment for the physical and spiritual self, while respecting human dignity” (Watson, 2018).  While respecting the patient and creating an environment of healing, this encompasses empathy in nursing.  By trying to understand how they feel and what they are going through, the nurse then can move on to compassionate nursing.

Compassionate nursing is using kindness, empathy, and love to ultimately care for the patient.  It’s being able to focus on the patients’ needs and to help relieve their suffering.  Jean Watson’s carative factor one focuses on “the formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values” (Gonzalo, 2019).  This refers to using love and kindness in your care of practice.  For example, this could be as simple as holding your patients’ hand while they are crying.  It’s holding back their hair while they throw up and giving them an ice pack when the medications haven’t relieved their pain.  Compassionate care is going above and beyond what one needs to do.  It’s not only providing physical healing, but as said in carative factor eight, it’s the “provision of support, and corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual” help for the patient (Gonzalo, 2019). 

A nurse who demonstrates compassionate care is able to “understand a deeper meaning of (the patients) healthcare situation”, as demonstrated throughout Jeans ten carative factors (Watson, 2018).  Both empathy and compassion are found throughout Jean Watsons Carative factors.  By using both, it truly changes the patients’ outcomes.  Carative factor four states the importance of the “development of a helping-trusting, human caring relation” (Gonzalo, 2019).  Therefore, by using empathy and compassion, the patient trusts the nurse more, and builds a stronger foundation of hope, care, and love between both the nurse and the patient.  This increases patient healing far past only physical healing, and truly benefits the clients outcomes.  Both compassionate care and empathy help to demonstrate the amazing power of a compassionate nurse in healing the patient not only physically, but mentally.

My role for the patient talked about above was wanting to help them feel loved and cared for.  By holding their hand when they reached out, and focusing on the small things the patient needs,  I was able to build a stronger patient nurse relationship.  I also met the patients’ spouse multiple times, and learned more about what they patient did before the accident.  In my future, I want to remember this patients impact on me, and my impact on the patient.  The patient made me realize that they aren’t only patients.  They are a mother, father, aunt, uncle, daughter, cousin, and friend.  They might be a couch, teacher, firefighter, singer, gymnast, or swimmer.  In my future, I want to improve in remembering that each patient has a different identity than what the nurse knows them as.  They are more than just a patient.  They are human.  They need touch just like we need touch, they need love and kindness, and ultimately they need understanding and care. 

In my future I will have more patients, more documentation, and more priorities.  But I need to remember this one special thing I have learned.  In my future, I want to remember why I joined nursing.  This includes something I learned from the starfish story.  It truly does not matter the amount of patients you helped compared to how many your co-worker helped.  It comes back to providing compassionate care for one patient at a time and being the best nurse you can be for that individual patient.  This includes helping people heal not only physically, but socially, emotionally, and mentally.  My goal is to improve on focusing on each patient for who they are and helping to provide the patient with what they need.  I will incorporate this into my everyday life as a future nurse by coming back to the core of nursing.  This includes being kind, loving, caring and compassionate.  By remembering a nurses’ core values, I will be able to focus on the little things every day to make a small difference one patient at a time.

Gonzalo, A. (2019, September 12). Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring. Retrieved November 12,

2019, from https://nurseslabs.com/jean-watsons-philosophy-theory-transpersonal-caring/ .

Watson, J. (2018, October 7). Jean Watson Theorist Presentation. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=313&v=o1EN0VH9xCE&feature=emb_logo

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Empathy Essays

Empathy empathy.

Does Empathy Influence Helping Behaviors? There is a correlation regarding being empathetic will result in helping others. Better interpreted, “Social cognitive skills such as empathy (matching the emotional state of another) and theory of mind (understanding others’ mental states) are crucial for everyday interactions, cooperation, and cultural learning” (Goldstein & Winner, 2012). So therefore if social cognitive skills are crucial for everyday interactions as stated by Goldstein and Winner (2012)

Proctor II, empathy is the skill to project oneself into someone’s point of view to achieve experience the thoughts and feels someone is going though. Empathy is beneficial because it is to better understand other people, gain more confidence and learning to trust others. Opening a two-way communication with someone else is something everyone does, becoming more appreciated and sensitive towards others issues and concerns are also some characteristics of how empathy is helpful to everyone. Empathy in a

The Development Of Empathy: The Concept Of Empathy

Many mysteries revolve around the idea of empathy. It is similar in complexity to the concept of emotion. (Brothers, L. 1989) Because of its complexity, a significant number of studies have been produced from philosophy, neuroscience, developmental, social, and personality psychology in order to more thoroughly identify the concept of empathy from multiple perspectives (Preston, S. D., & De Waal, F. B. M., 2002), The word empathy itself has been used to describes a multitude of different phenomena

Importance Of Empathy

Empathy is the ‘capacity’ to share and understand another person’s ‘state of mind’ or their emotion. It is an experience of the outlook on emotions of another person being within themselves (Ioannides & Konstantikaki, 2008). There are two different types of empathy: affective empathy and cognitive empathy. Affective empathy is the capacity in which a person can respond to another person’s emotional state using the right type of emotion. On the other hand, cognitive empathy is a person’s capacity

Notes On Empathy

What is Empathy?  Empathy the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions. The ability to share someone’s pain. 2. Can you state what the problem is in this scenario?  The problem in this scenario is that Wilson did not apply the empathy towards his work and teammate that’s why even though his working very hard no one can recognize his effort. 3. How many years has it been since Wilson joined CTO&A Ltd.?  5 years 4. Describe Wilson and his work attitude

Informative Empathy

Informative Empathy Essay Empathy: what is it? How is it expressed and how does it affect others? Most people respond well when they interact with someone who engages with them and seems to understand how they feel. This emotion has a name: empathy. Evidence is growing that the ability to empathize affects our well being and happiness, as well as our relationships with others. Empathy is an emotion, behavior, and experience that is often mistaken for sympathy. It’s therefore important to understand

Reflection On Empathy

1. What is empathy? Empathy is the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective. You place yourself in their shoes and feel what they are feeling. Empathy is known to increase prosocial (helping) behaviors. While American culture might be socializing people into becoming more individualistic rather than empathic, research has uncovered the existence of mirror neurons, which react to emotions expressed by others and then reproduce them. 2. Can you state what the

Empathy In Nursing

relates to personal caring through noticing, interpreting, responding and reflection. The concept that will be explored in this paper is empathy. Patient/Client Situation

Empathy In Relationships

Empathy is another agent that binds a loving relationship together. Empathy can be both healthy and destructive for a relationship. Empathy allows us to form a deeper more fulfilling emotional bond with our partner. Empathy can be defined as the ability to feel and experience another’s emotions, moods or attitude within our own body as though it were our own feelings and sensations. It is sort of like compassion for another person, only empathy takes understanding and compassion to a whole new

Definition Essay On Empathy

Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand what someone is feeling and to feel what they are feeling. I completely agree with that definition. Empathy is a really weird concept though, because very few species are known to be able to feel it and one of them is the human race. I don’t think that we are empathetic because we are human. I think that we are human because we are empathetic. That is where the concept of being humane comes from. That means that I don’t think that we are born with

Empathy In Social Media

Empathy is instilled in all humans but we show it in different ways. Empathy is feelings people have for one another. Humans show empathy by being compassioned, caring and understanding to each other feelings. On one hand, as technology, social media and cell phones has evolved empathy has been decreasing for each other according to research. Because technology have taken over how we interact with each other people aren’t having face to face conversations anymore. Cellphones and social media have

Empathy And Social Competence

Empathy includes cognitive processes and emotional experiences, and implies a mainly cognitive response showing understanding of how another person feels as well as an emotional communion (Gallo, 1989). Haynes and Avery (1979) described empathy “as the ability to recognize and understand another person’s perceptions and feelings and to carefully express that understanding in an accepting response” (p. 527). The response may be either verbal or nonverbal, or pro-social behavior such as sharing or

Situational Leadership and Empathy

to narrow down or pinpoint an exact definition to be applied to this term is non-existent. Rather you can only apply certain aspects of this term to better understand it. The area which I will go into is “how situational leadership coincides with empathy as far as generating a successful or non-successful leader.” First let us look at what situational leadership is. Situational leadership is seen as a leadership method according to the present situation you may be in. A true exceptional leader

Examples Of Cognitive Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and feel others emotions, and/or thoughts. This ability is used on a daily basis by many whether they realize it or not, but in the end is it a good thing? Empathy both guides and hinders moral action depending on the situation, and the type of empathy that is being used. There are some situations that empathy is helpful, but there are also times where empathy does more harm that good. For example, in Paul Bloom’s (a Yale psychologist) article “Empathy can lead

Empathy Overrated Summary

Paul Bloom (2017) in his article entitled "Is empathy overrated?" discuss about empathy try asking ' what is the empathy that makes the world better? '. Empathy means the ability to feel the emotional state of others, be they feel distress as well as the pleasure of others. Sometimes this empathy can invite us to do something to ease the pain of the people who make us empathize. Lately lots of cases that invite us to empathize. Examples include the cases of persecution and bullying a fellow teenager

Empathy: Why It Matters

Civilization has existed there has been a universal word for caring, Empathy. Empathy historically has many different interpretations within specific genders, races, and regionally throughout the world. Within this paper I will show my take on what Empathy is which I have curated through the reading of a book, Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It. I will take his arguments and apply it to our everyday lives to show examples of how we use Empathy. In effect, establishing a working idea of what it is, why

Empathy Vs. Compassion

Often when using the words of empathy and compassion, many people envision them as having similar meaning. While they may share similar circumstances, they are actually quite different. Empathy is more of an emotional response with an understanding of a person’s particular situation; whereas compassion is an emotion that arouses an active response to alleviate a distressful situation. Nevertheless, these dissimilar expressions are paramount in the way people respond to the individual needs of

Empathy In Human Development

almost always had the ability to feel what each other is feeling. However, empathy is a relatively new term that stems from the German word Einfühlung. By the 19th century, most humans were starting to become aware of this aspect of human nature that compassionate and perspective-taking come from, according to the book “Empathy and Its Development”. There are two types of empathy: affective and cognitive. Affective empathy refers to our despondence to other people’s mental state, such as feeling sympathy

Empathy And Transcendence Summary

The article, “Empathy and Transcendence”, by Carol M. Davis seeks to explore the transcendence qualities of empathy and makes a case for how that aspect of empathy is often ignored by individuals and professionals, while the author examines the work of other researchers on that subject. The author states that “In this article I will present a common view in holistic health, or caring for the whole person with physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social needs and functions, and focuses

Empathy Scholarship Essay

I believe developing empathy as a skill directly stems from experience, and seeing firsthand the value of well-rounded care allows me to connect with patients I have encountered thus far. As a physician, I want to use this skill in order to be the bridge that lets patients understand their care with as little doubts as possible when determining a course of treatment. My ability to empathize with others developed after a diagnosis: a brain tumor of unknown pathology. This diagnosis left frightening

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How Do You Show Empathy to Patients: The Heartfelt Approach

Table of contents, listening with undivided attention, validating emotions, using open and compassionate communication, showing patience and respect, empathetic body language, empowering informed decision-making, practicing cultural sensitivity, conclusion: the healing touch of empathy.

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How LGBTQ+ Essays Can Help Foster Understanding and Acceptance in Schools

• Author: Samuel Njoroge
• Posted: August 28, 2024
• anxiety , bullying , depression , discrimination , LGBTQ+ , LGBTQ+ Essays , LGBTQ+ Schools , Loneliness , mental health , Transgender

The world is becoming more diverse than ever. So by now, schools and educators should have made it a culture to accept, tolerate, and understand all kinds of people. One of the best ways to promote a more open-minded world is through LGBTQ+ essays. LGBTQ+ essays help crystal clear the notion that LGBTQ+ doesn’t mean you’re a stereotype. It’s a life; a way of living, just like everybody else. For students who need help structuring their essays, an essay writing service like Academized can be invaluable. Academized helps students craft well-organized and thoughtful essays, supporting them in sharing their ideas more effectively.

What are the benefits of LGBTQ+ essays? Why exactly are they beneficial to schools that are filled with prejudice? How can LGBTQ+ essays change schools? Here’s how.

Encouraging Empathy Through Personal Stories

Personal narratives in LGBTQ+ essays can be especially effective: you’re more likely to ask a student to read about the life of a LGBTQ+ person than about, say, the life of an urban black person. And what could be a more effective nudge toward empathy than to read about someone LGBTQ+ or lesbian – someone, in other words, we might feel inclined to stereotype – struggling against and overcoming their sexuality? By knowing this person, we make the label behind the story a real person.

Reading these essays in the classroom, students become cognizant of what it feels like to have a difference judged by someone else: to be someone else. ‘Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes,’ the saying goes. Understanding someone else’s perspective and walking in their shoes, is fundamental to building a school community that’s more tolerant of differences. This can be further supported by looking into the best essay writing services review, where students can find professional assistance to improve their writing and convey their messages effectively.

Breaking Down Stereotypes and Misconceptions

Perhaps the greatest enemy of inclusion is ignorance: not knowing LGBTQ-identified people, buying into stereotypes received from family and friends when they haven’t been presented by those people with facts and testimonies countering those stereotypes. The LGBTQ essay, and especially the data-driven essay, is an alert sounding off false information and the death knell for this ignorance.

Rather, when school curricula introduce LGBTQ+ topics, this provides a space where they can begin a more dispassionate and objective dialogue about gender and sexual identity on the basis of verifiable and evidence-based facts. In doing this, schools are able to transform preconceptions into more accurate information, leading to a more tolerant attitude.

Promoting Inclusivity With Factual Data

It is not just a story in essays about LGBTQ+ issues, but statistics and numbers thrown in to provide a larger context, because numbers don’t spew emotions based on their own personal beliefs (take that, math’s haters!). They are facts about a reality that many LGBTQ+ people go through on a daily basis.

For example, 42 per cent of LGBTQ+ youth have attempted suicide, while 61 per cent of LGBTQ+ students report experiencing bullying at school, almost twice the rate for non- LGBTQ+ students.

These are included in essays as it lets students feel the real picture of discrimination and helps them understand why we should be accepting.

How LGBTQ+ Acceptance Benefits All Students

To be clear, LGBTQ+ acceptance not only benefits LGBTQ+ students. By being more inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community, schools create a safer environment for all students to freely express themselves, improving all students’ mental health, academic performance and school climate.

When students feel accepted for who they are, they are more likely to thrive among their peers and in the classroom. By encouraging LGBTQ+ acceptance in essays and discussions, schools encourage all students to feel valued and supported.

Encouraging Open Dialogue Among Students

LGBTQ+ essays produce a safe, structured dialogue between students about taboo topics. As many students read and write LGBTQ+ essays, it provides a platform for them to voice their questions, share their views, and listen to others' opinions.

Classroom discussions can help students overcome their barriers, and also show them how to have respectful talks about difficult topics. This is an important skill for life – not just school. Schools doing this work are creating open-minded and open-hearted citizens.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Students’ Mental Health

LGBTQ+ students suffer disproportionately from mental health problems due to bullying, loneliness and discrimination. LGBTQ+ essays can be a proactive way to lower stigma and promote understanding. When an individual sees representations of their selfhood in a space, they feel seen and valued.

While some of the essays deal directly with mental health – for example, the central message of one essay was why LGBTQ+ mental-health support is important – others are more indirect. They might orient students to being better allies, which will lead to positive change in reducing the mental health burden that many LGBTQ+ students currently face. Even schools that don’t go so far as to embrace the language of positive psychology can take small steps in this direction by explicitly recognizing the challenges that LGBTQ+ students face, creating a much more welcoming environment.

Teaching Respect for Diversity

However, the last type of essays – LGBTQ+ ones – are really crucial to students’ education since they help them grasp the importance of plurality. Schools are the mirror of society and the way they act will influence everything when the students are youngsters in real life. And tolerance towards the “others” is essential today, especially in the multicultural world.

For these reasons, LGBTQ+ essays can be a more inviting gateway for introducing these ideas to students. Reading about subjectivities helps them to imagine others’ experiences, and possibilities, in ways that can broaden their perspective about what it means to be human. Ideally, it’ll teach them that difference is something to be embraced, not feared.

LGBTQ+ essays have a valuable role to play in schools because they can help to humanize the LGBTQ+ experience by sharing personal stories that break through stereotypes and present factual data that can spark wider conversations. They can encourage acceptance by promoting dialogue in an inclusive environment, thereby creating a safer space for students.

With such essays as part of the school curriculum, schools can take a step towards treating their students with more empathy and respect. And not only LGBTQ+ students will benefit from such a community but also the entire student population.

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The Psychology behind Learning Empathy

There are some emotions which are necessary for the survival of the human race. And one such emotion is that of empathy. In the simplest terms, empathy can be defined as the ability or capacity of an individual to feel and understand what any other person might be feeling within a specific frame of reference. Empathy comprises of a broad range of social emotions and it can also be defined as the ability of an individual to place himself or herself in somebody else’s shoes. These are also some of the reasons why children are taught about what is empathy from an early age. There are different types and levels of empathy. And in this academic writing piece, readers will be able to learn about all these topics. Readers will also be able to learn about what is empathy in detail and neural basis of empathy. All these points of discussions are mentioned below.

An Introduction to Empathy and its Types

Empathy can be defined as the ability of an individual to feel or understand what some other individual might be feeling or going through. This is one of the most important emotions which are necessary for the survival of the human race or species. If one wishes to understand what is empathy then that individual should also be aware of the different elements of empathy. And some of the major elements of empathy are mentioned below.

The Capacity to Understand other People This is the most important element of empathy as it consists of actually being conscious of what some other individual might be feeling. This element requires an individual to be sensitive to what the other person might be feeling and to also take an active interest in trying to help the other individual.

Development of Others This element refers to the fact that one should also help some other individual to reach his or her full potential. An individual must be able to act on the needs and requirements of other individuals around him or her.

Service Orientation Approach This component of Empathy encompasses the ability of an individual to put somebody else’s need before him or her. This type of approach is often used in work situations in which the motto is that the customers always come first.

Diversity Leverage This section is more about celebrating everybody’s uniqueness and brings together the factors of that uniqueness to create opportunities and help somebody new.

Political Awareness The word ‘political’ is often associated with negative emotions or manipulations. However, this is not true as the word ‘political’ actually means to the power relationships and emotional undercurrents of a group. This factor can enable an individual to dodge negative relationships and emotions.

Above mentioned information gives you enough ideas about segments of empathy, And before proceeding to the next section in this academic writing piece, it is important to discuss those types of empathy. Corresponding to above data, in the next section three different types of empathy is listed.

Cognitive Empathy It refers to the ability of an individual to understand what an individual might be thinking and feeling. This type of empathy is very vital for an individual to possess if he or she wishes to be an effective communicator.

Emotional Empathy

Also known as affective empathy and it can be defined as the potential of an individual to share his or her feelings with some other individual. Practicing this kind of empathy allows an individual to develop emotional connections with other people.

Compassionate Empathy Considered as empathic concern and this element goes beyond the task of understanding how one might feel or think as in this type of empathy an individual tries to do something to help the other individual.

In the next section of this academic writing piece, readers will be able to learn about the levels of empathy.

The Levels of Empathy

There are five different levels of empathy which an individual can learn if he or she is planning to be a counselor. And those five different levels of empathy are mentioned below.

Level 1 This utmost level of empathy only shows little to negligible awareness of the emotions acquired by someone.

Level 2 Moderately low level of awareness is shown at this level of empathy.

Level 3 At this level, an individual is able to recognize the emotions of the other individual and tries to respond to it accurately.

Level 4 Preceding to above level here an individual is highly aware of the emotion of other people and tries to respond to those emotions accurately.

Level 5 At last, the individual is able to understand the feelings of others with a broader depth and breadth.

These are the different levels of empathy which an individual can learn to a certain extent. However, given below section encompasses information about the neural basis of empathy.

The Neural Basis of Empathy

There are many academic writing pieces which are written on this topic. However, most of those academic writing pieces, fail to take into account several bodily facts. And in this section of this academic writing piece, readers will also be able to learn about important bodily facts related to the neural system. There have been many types of research done on the topics of empathy and neuroscience. And while the brain is a very complex organ and it can be quite difficult to say anything with 100% certainty when it comes to the brain but there are still many experts who agree on a number of major points related to the brain and empathy. And some of those major points are mentioned below.

The Mirror Neural System According to experts, there are some specialized cells in the brain which are responsible for compassion and empathy. These cells allow an individual to mirror the emotions of other individuals present around him or her. These mirror neurons are also triggered by events happening outside of the body.

Emotional Contagion This is an important finding in the field of neuroscience as it shows that many people pick up on emotions easily while there might be certain people for whom this skill might not come that easily.

The Increased Sensitivity to Dopamine Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which is responsible for pleasure response. And according to different studies, it has been found that empathic individuals are more sensitive to the dopamine levels within his or her body.

These facts clearly show that while the potential for empathy might be present from birth but it is something which can be taught or learned throughout the life of an individual.

The Conclusion:

Empathy can be defined as the ability of an individual to understand and feel what somebody else might be feeling. This is an important emotion for the survival of the human race. And there are three different types of empathy including cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy. Empathy and brain are very interesting subjects. This is why a lot of studies have been conducted on this topic. The majority of the studies on the topic of the neural basis of empathy show that empathy can indeed be learned or taught.

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Virtual Gilman Writing Workshop - Getting Started on the Three Essays!

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Online Faculty, Staff, Students

Gilman Program Application Is Now Open ! 

NOW is the time to start on your essays by opening an application account in the IIE Gilman portal.  You will want to work closely with Katie Jones, the Graduate Assistant in the Fellowships Office and Dr. Brenda Tooley, who leads the GVSU Fellowship Office. In this Virtual Workshop, we will go over the three required essays, talking about the prompts for each. 

You’ll want to copy us on your google doc drafts of your essays – just use my gmail address, [email protected] (we work just like the Writing Center). Definitely DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to begin working on your essays! 

What is the IIE Gilman International Scholarship? It is a US State Department fellowship for US students who are Pell recipients to help defray the cost of undergraduate study abroad. Here is the Gilman blurb:

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means (Pell recipients) to study or intern abroad, providing awards of up to $5,000 for study-abroad programs. The program aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries or areas and world regions. The program also encourages students to study languages, especially critical need languages (those deemed important to national security by adding a supplement of up to $3,000 for intensive language study of designated critical need languages). Are you planning to study abroad? Are you eligible for the IIE Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship? Join us to learn more about the application process!

AM I ELIGIBLE?

-  I am a U.S. citizen.

-  I am a GVSU undergraduate  in good standing  (not on probation; with no conduct violations).  Spring/Summer Applicants can walk at April graduation but their degree cannot be conferred until after they complete their study abroad program.

-  I am eligible for the  Pell Grant .    Not sure?  Ask  GVSU Financial Aid Office .

OR  —  dependent child of an active-duty military member(s) during the time of application . Parent/guardian must serve in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, or Coast Guard. Applicant must currently receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid. Study abroad program must meet all other Gilman eligibility. The  Gilman-McCain Scholarship uses the same application as the Gilman Scholarship .

Thinking about study abroad? Receive up to $5,000 to go abroad as a college student if you’re a U.S. citizen and Federal Pell Grant recipient! If you’re studying a critical need language in a country in which the language is predominantly spoken, you can apply for the supplemental Critical Need Language Award of up to $3,000. If you’re interested in conducting STEM-related research while studying or interning abroad, you could receive an additional $1,000 by applying for the STEM Supplemental Award.

The application closes October 10! Learn more at Gilman Scholarship Program - Study Abroad with a Gilman Scholarship . And see Application Overview - Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship (gilmanscholarship.org) for an overview of the application process!

And this is ONLY ONE of MANY fellowship opportunities that help with the costs of study abroad - others include IIE Freeman-Asia, Phi Kappa Phi, Bridging (for study in Japan), Watanabe (for year-long study in Japan), Boren (for intensive language study of a critical need language) and more.

Click here for additional information

RSVP for this event

Location Information

The information session will take place via Zoom. Once registered you will receive a link to the session. 

Contact Information

For information about this and other fellowships, email [email protected] .

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This event was added to the calendar by Brenda Tooley ( tooleyb@gvsu.edu ) on Thursday, August 22, 2024 and was last updated on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 8:26 a.m.

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Essays on climate crisis a welcome call to action

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I encourage people to do the same thing now to address climate change. Send your elected representatives emails supporting climate initiatives. Details about bipartisan carbon fee and dividend legislation, permitting reform and upgrading our national grid can be found on the Citizens’ Climate Lobby website. This outreach takes only a few minutes and their offices will respond. We can’t risk worsening wildfires, floods and increasing food prices.

— Margaret Mann, Point Loma

Do your part on the climate crisis

Thank you for featuring three op-eds on climate change. Now everyone needs to answer Michelle Obama’s question: What are you going to do? There are simple and effective actions people can take. Volunteer for the Environmental Voter Project, which works to have people who are concerned about the environment become regular voters. Volunteer for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the most effective organization in the country at helping Congress to pass meaningful climate legislation. It’s election season, ask candidates what they are going to do about climate change and remind them you are a climate voter. Joan Baez said “action is the antidote to despair.”  We are grateful the Union-Tribune gave so much space to this critical issue. Now it’s up to the rest of us to get to work.

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Study shows how students and teachers are using AI for college essays, letters of recommendation

by Nathalie Graham on August 21, 2024 at 7:18 am August 21, 2024 at 7:50 am

A new study from Seattle-based education research organization foundry10 found that 30% of students and teachers surveyed are using AI to help with the college essay and letters of recommendation process.

But while generative AI may help level the playing field by providing students who normally wouldn’t have access to college tutors or advisors, the ethical implications of using these tools are still unclear , at all levels of education.

“This is a huge question in education right now,” said Jennifer Rubin, a senior researcher at foundry10. “What does ethical use of generative AI look like?”

In the study, Rubin found a range in the way students utilized AI. Of the 30% who used generative AI for help on their essays, 50% used it for brainstorming ideas, 48% used it for spelling and grammar checks, 47% had it create an essay outline, 32% used it to generate a first draft, and 20% used it to create a final draft. 

“There’s a range of activities and they really vary in regards to ethics as to what use can look like as opposed to questionable use,” Rubin said. “Generating a first essay and final essay draft is the ethically-murky area.”

Brainstorming, spell checking, and outline formation are viewed as more ethical. That’s on par with how a college admissions coach or tutor would help a student in the application process, Rubin said. Yet, it isn’t seen as a valid tool.

“There’s a bias against students who are using ChatGPT to help assist in the college essay writing process,” Rubin said. 

That bias is held by students and teachers alike. In this same study, foundry10 polled teachers as well. Around 31% have used generative AI to craft letters of recommendations for students applying to colleges. They viewed their own use of AI as ethical — a timesaver for an increasingly demanding job— but viewed students using AI as unethical. 

The difference, Rubin believes, is that when students utilize AI, they are viewed as taking a shortcut and not building necessary skills. 

Part of the study included an experiment where people read the same paragraph from a college essay. While the paragraphs stayed the same, the information about how the student wrote the essay changed. One scenario explained the student received assistance from ChatGPT while writing the essay, another stated the student received help from a tutor. The control was a scenario where the student received no help. Participants answered questions about the student who wrote the paragraph.

Across the board, people rated the student who used ChatGPT as less competent, agentic, and likeable. On the other hand, students using a college admissions coach received an average competency rating. 

“The generative AI approach was rated as less ethical and less beneficial,” Rubin said. “Surprisingly, participants rated this as more accessible than an admissions coach.”

College admissions tutoring and coaching has been on the rise for the better part of a decade. These for-hire people lay bare the application process and can often steer students in the right direction with their personal essays. They are sounding boards and guides which only those with means can utilize. 

Rubin said she was a first-generation college student. The landscape was much different when she applied back in 2002, but it was still daunting for her. “At the time, I didn’t have resources to explore what the admissions cycle looked like and what made a good college essay,” she said. “I can see these [AI] tools as helping students who might not have access to those resources.”

Generative AI, which can be accessed for free via several available online tools, can do some of the work that a college coach could. For instance, Khan Academy last year launched an AI chatbot, Khanmigo, specifically designed to help students think through their college essays. 

Rubin clarified that she didn’t believe generative AI would fix all the problems in college admissions. But, it can give students more agency over the process by helping them easily research what colleges match their interests, potential majors, and giving them a tool to help with their essays. 

“Generative AI can potentially fill a gap,” Rubin said.

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Fiona Wright named Charles Perkins Centre 2024 Writer-in-Residence

Acclaimed Australian poet, editor and critic Fiona Wright is the 2024 Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre , receiving $100,000 to support the next 12 months as she embarks on her third collection of essays. Coming out of her experience of COVID, the collection will examine future perspectives on science, society and selfhood.

Now in its eighth year, the Fellowship is a pioneering initiative that enables leading Australian creative writers to navigate the complex health and social challenges our world faces, alongside global health researchers and educators at the University of Sydney.

“The residency at the Charles Perkins Centre has always been appealing to me – I’ve applied every year since it started in 2016,” Wright said. “As a writer I’ve had a long-held interest in science and medicine, and the interconnections between society, science and selfhood. I am also fascinated by how new and emerging ideas find traction and become embedded in our lives.” 

Acclaimed poet and essayist Fiona Wright is the 2024 Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellow. Photo: Michael Amendolia.

Personal storytelling

Wright is renowned for the deeply personal revelations in her work, detailing her own experiences with eating disorders, autism, and disability, a practice she wishes to continue during her fellowship.

“My work has always been interested in the possibilities of personal stories, as a powerful means of building empathy and awareness, and exploring the ways in which big-picture issues are experienced and felt across our individual lives.”

Her anticipated third collection of essays arose out of a series of questions she encountered during the pandemic and is still grappling with in its aftermath.

“After the pandemic, I became really interested in the stories that we tell ourselves about the future and the ways we imagine and expect it to play out,” Wright said. “In the first lockdown, there was a lot of grief and confusion. A lot of people around me were saying things like ‘this isn’t supposed to happen’ or ‘this isn’t following my plan’ and it blew my mind. I've never been a planner or thought that you have much control over your future.” 

What happens when the future fails us?

Drawing from research from a wide range of disciplines as well as personal stories and lived experiences, Wright’s idea for the essay collection is to explore the narratives we carry that shape our expectations for our lives and of the world; assumptions that are often so ingrained and familiar, sometimes they’re impossible for us to see until they’re shattered.

“Living with chronic illness and receiving my autism diagnosis in 2020, right at a time when the world suddenly became unavailable, upended some of my long-held narratives about myself and my future,” she said. “The narratives I had absorbed about medicine – about its infallibility and objectivity, and about control – proved flawed, and the loss of these narratives affected me deeply. Watching other people begin to grapple with this kind of loss over these last years has been a profound experience. 

“I became fascinated by ideas about the future – both on a personal and societal level – where they come from, how they are understood by neuroscience and psychology, or affected by history and cultural norms, what they might mean and what we might need instead, in a time of ever-increasing precarity and existential threat.”

The science of poetry

Professor Stephen Simpson and Judy Harris. Photo: Michael Amendolia.

It's the second time a poet and essayist has been selected for the residency, after Sarah Holland-Batt in 2021.

“I am drawn to essays and poems as a form because they allow for many-angled examinations of complex questions that resist tidy answers,” Wright said. “So much of my work as a poet is just me in a room, working through the thoughts in my head. It’s been incredible to receive feedback from previous applications and now financial support from the Charles Perkins Centre to be part of something more collaborative through this year’s Fellowship.” 

The 2024 Fellowship is the final year that Professor  Stephen Simpson , Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, will be involved before he  moves to another role at the University . 

“Fiona is an outstanding and acclaimed writer with an impressive body of work that is insightful, powerful and moving,” Professor Simpson said. 

“It makes me incredibly proud that the Writer-in-Residence program, generously funded by our donor and patron Judy Harris, is highly regarded by Australia’s creative writer community. The transformative Fellowship has greatly enriched the Charles Perkins Centre, the University of Sydney and our wider community, and has supported many of Australia’s premier writers.

"I am delighted that Fiona is joining us and I look forward to working with her as she explores some of the great health challenges and questions that shape us and our society, particularly through times of uncertainty and upheaval."

Fiona Wright’s writing has been published in various literary journals, newspapers, art catalogues and magazines across the world. Her debut collection of poetry, Knuckled (2011) received the Dame Mary Gilmore Award in 2012, and her book of essays Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays in Hunger  (2015) won the Kibble Award, the University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award in the Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards for non-fiction in 2016. Her latest book of essays, The World Was Whole (2018) was longlisted for the Stella Prize in 2019 and the Nib Award for research, and shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Prize.

Read more about the  Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellowship at the Charles Perkins Centre.

Hero photo: Professor Stephen Simpson, Fiona Wright and Judy Harris in the Charles Perkins Centre. Photo: Michael Amendolia.

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