student government application essay

Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Student Government — Student Council Application

Student Council Application

Categories: Leadership Student Government

About this sample

Words: 407 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 407 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

Expert in: Business Government & Politics

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4 pages / 1813 words

3 pages / 2631 words

3 pages / 1757 words

4 pages / 2188 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Student Government

The deep-rooted diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Romania can be traced back centuries ago. On the 13 February 2015 both countries’ embassies celebrated 135 years of successful cooperation between [...]

Brexit is the inescapable withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) starting with those European Union (EU). Clinched alongside a submission on 23 June 2016, 51. 9% of the taking an enthusiasm UK electorate (the turnout might have [...]

In Shakespeare’s play, the protagonist, Hamlet, is faced with the mission of avenging his father. He decides to act mad as part of his plan to kill Claudius and avenge his father. As the plot of the play rises, his madness [...]

After the end of the Cold War, the achievement of sustainable peace in post-conflict regions became a top priority for the international community. Rising numbers of internal conflicts around the world caused enormous loss of [...]

Gentrification is a complex urban phenomenon that has garnered significant attention in recent years. It is a process commonly observed in Westernized cities and large towns, characterized by the transformation of neighborhoods [...]

In order to describe the concept of homeland security and its relationship to homeland defense and national security, I believe you have to start first by defining their missions. According to Bowman (2003), homeland security is [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

Essay Service Examples Education Student Life

Why I Want to Run for Student Council: Essay

Proper editing and formatting
Free revision, title page, and bibliography
Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

Our writers will provide you with an essay sample written from scratch: any topic, any deadline, any instructions.

Cite this paper

Join our 150k of happy users

Get original paper written according to your instructions
Save time for what matters most

Fair Use Policy

EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].

We are here 24/7 to write your paper in as fast as 3 hours.

Provide your email, and we'll send you this sample!

By providing your email, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy .

Say goodbye to copy-pasting!

Get custom-crafted papers for you.

Enter your email, and we'll promptly send you the full essay. No need to copy piece by piece. It's in your inbox!

Student Government in High School and College

Explore and compare a list of accredited schools to enroll in your next program.

Boost Your Resume While Making a Difference

Student government offers students excellent ways to get involved in the inner workings of their schools, both in high school and in college. Students who participate in their student governments are privy to a range of personal and professional benefits, and they can be exposed to a variety of opportunities in school and beyond. Hearing from students who have gone through it before and gaining a little background information on student government structures, roles, benefits and challenges can help high school and college students decide whether student government is the perfect addition to their personal and academic pursuits.

Student Government 101

Many students are aware their schools have a student government, but the details can be bit hazy. With some understanding of student governments and their various elements, students can see why they might want to participate and where they fit into their school’s organizations.

What is student government?

Student government is a group of students that are charged with managing a wide range of events, activities, programs, policies and initiatives around school. Some members are elected by the student body, and others may be appointed by the elected officials to help with specific tasks or areas of interest. Student government represents the best interests of a school’s student body and helps shape the student experience on campus.?

What does student government do?

Student governments may take on a wide range of responsibilities, and a student government’s role can vary greatly depending on the school and its needs. For instance, high school student councils are generally responsible for organizing student activities like dances, spirit weeks, community service and fundraising movements and assemblies. College student governments, especially those of smaller schools, may take on similar responsibilities and manage clubs and student activities. Larger college student governments may have more responsibilities, like managing campus health and wellness, community outreach, sustainability, drafting and pushing initiatives and policy and budgeting for clubs.

Schools may have more than one student government to manage different areas of campus interest. For example, UC Berkeley is comprised of multiple student governments that represent the university’s schools and colleges. The main student government, ASUC, is so large that it is run as an independent non-profit entirely separate from university governance. ASUC not only controls student club funding, provides student support and organizes programming and activities, it also represents and advocates for students at the university at the local, state and national level.

How does student government differ in high school and college?

It depends on the school, but typically, high school student councils are smaller and have fewer responsibilities than their collegiate counterparts. A high school student council’s focus is very much within the school and centers around student activities. College student governments have the potential to be much larger to accommodate a larger student body and more intricate social and academic system. College student governments may have more roles and varied responsibilities, be comprised of both elected and appointed members, represent many aspects of student life and can have influence on university policies and standards as well as local, state and national legislature.

Who joins student government?

Any student can run for a position or try to get involved in other ways. Typically, students who get involved in their schools’ governments care a lot about their schools and campus communities, do well in leadership roles, are proactive, want to get involved with student life at its roots and are interested in government and politics.

Why is student government important?

It’s common for students to think that their student government isn’t important, but without student government, many of the aspects of high school and college life that they enjoy exist and persist because of student government. Student government also works as a representative body through which students can voice their concerns and interests. They are students advocating for students.

Is Student Government Right for You?

There isn’t a set of personality traits that students are required to have to join student government. Especially as they get into college, students will find that there are many different roles and responsibilities that benefit from unique perspectives, experiences and interests. However, having certain skills, wants and attributes can help students be successful in their leadership roles and enjoy the experience.

Doing a self-evaluation is helpful in figuring out if student government is a good fit.

Students who feel they are lacking in some of these qualities shouldn’t be discouraged; they may find that student government is an excellent way to develop and hone leadership skills and traits.

Structure, Roles & Responsibilities

High school and college student governments have established structures and roles to help ensure they function as effectively as possible. Looking at a school’s government organizational chart or trying to decipher descriptions of roles, especially when you’re not very familiar with the names and purposes of school-specific clubs, initiatives and events, can get overwhelming.

Luckily, while there is some variance, most student governments and councils have similar structures and positions for students to fill.

How Student Governments are Structured

The structure of student government can vary depending on the school, and the size of the institution and its level of student participation can play heavily into which structure works best. Despite their differences in details, there are a few main structures after which most student governments are modeled.

It’s common for student governments, particularly at the college level, to be modeled after the U.S. government. These student governments are made up of three branches: Executive, legislative and judicial. These branches work together to ensure balance of power within the student government.

The executive branch can take many shapes but at minimum consists of the President, Vice President and other directorial positions. It’s common for the executive branch to have a Treasurer, Secretary and Chief of Staff, who may act as head of the Presidential Cabinet, if one exists. The Cabinet can be composed of directors or vice presidents of different significant interest groups or factions of the student government, such as Legislative Affairs or Diversity and Inclusion.

Legislative

A senate typically makes up the bulk of the legislative branch. School senators represent different colleges and schools or interest groups around campus and may cast votes on behalf of these groups. A speaker and parliamentarian preside over the senate and facilitate meetings. The legislative branch meets to address student needs, organize and carry out committee projects and initiatives, create legislation and work on ways to improve campus life.

The judicial branch is the big player in any legal matters associated with the student government and student interests. Comprised of a Chief Justice and Associate Justices, this branch works to ensure the executive and legislative branches, along with other student groups, uphold and adhere to legal standards. They may handle cases relating to student government bylaws and constitutions, contested elections and student government member conduct.

Schools may find that a bicameral system works better for them. Some schools may call this a “senate style” of student government. This model is similar to the federal model, but it usually forgoes the judicial branch. For instance, New York University is made up of a Student Senators Council and a President’s Council. These two groups work together to enhance student life and create policy that improves the overall student experience. The Student Senators Council brings student concerns to the University Senate, and the President’s Council works with the Student Senators Council to enact senatorial policy and increase student engagement.

High schools and some smaller colleges, like community colleges and technical schools, are likely to stick with a small student government, comprised mostly of the main roles of the executive branch: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. At the high school level, the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer may be supported by officers and representatives from each class.

At the college level, club presidents may act as part of the student government, representing student interests. In these types of student governments, administrators and other school staff may play a larger supportive role than in larger student governments.

Common Roles & What They Do

The roles a student may pursue in their student government can be numerous and varied, depending on where they go to school, so the best way to learn about specific roles and responsibilities within a particular school’s student government is to go to a few meetings on campus and research positions online or in person.

However, students who want to get a general idea of the governmental roles they may come across at their schools can check out the following list to learn about common titles and what parts they play.

High School

Responsibilities: Runs student council meetings and facilitates discussion, acts as representative of the student body when meeting with school faculty, breaks ties in voting and participates heavily in student activities.

Responsibilities: Shares the president’s responsibilities and stands in for the president when needed. May be in charge of managing student clubs and other academic committees.

Responsibilities: Records the minutes and attendance of student council meetings, keeps records of discussions and decisions, and manages files and other important documents.

Responsibilities: Manages the student council’s funds and expenses, keeps financial records and works with the president and vice president to create budgets and allot funds for clubs and events.

Responsibilities: Each class level has its own president, vice president, secretary and/or treasurer. These are known as class officers, and they represent the particular interests of each class. They may have separate meetings from the student body council, and the president from each class may serve as the class’s representative voice during student body council meetings.

Responsibilities: Some schools may have students with close ties to student associations, clubs or other groups participate in student government. They voice the concerns, needs and desires of their respective groups during meetings.

Responsibilities: Student councils may have special roles for duties that may not inherently fall under another council member’s. For example, a speaker serves as emcee at student activities or presents the student council’s ideas to faculty and the student body. An activity coordinator is responsible for putting together events and activities.

Responsibilities: Elected by the student body and represents the student body as a whole. They choose a cabinet and designate roles to help ensure the school is run in a way that best serves the student body.

Responsibilities: Varies, but generally to assist the president in managing executive branch members and activities. May stand in for the president if the president is absent.

Responsibilities: Overseeing cabinet members and many of the logistics of running the executive branch. Chief advisor to the president and vice president and make sure that agendas are addressed and deadlines met. May meet individually with cabinet members to discuss needs and relay them to the president and vice president.

Responsibilities: The variety and type of committees, boards and groups colleges may have can be vast, and the president of a school’s student government is often responsible for creating roles to represent and meet the needs of these groups and interests. For example, a president’s cabinet could consist of a Director of Campus Life, Director of Equity and Outreach, Director or Sustainability, Director of Public Relations and a Director of Academic Affairs. There may also be smaller roles within these breakout groups that exist as part of the executive branch.

Responsibilities: College legislatures are composed of senators that represent schools, clubs or other committees within the college. Senators voice the concerns and interests of their respective student groups and work with one another to enact legislature that will improve students’ overall college experience. They may also vote in favor of or against the President’s cabinet appointees.

Responsibilities: Presides over and facilitates senate meetings. Serves as the representative voice of the senate in meetings with other student government branches, university staff and faculty, the student body and the general public.

Responsibilities: Operates the internal affairs of the senate. May manage the signing on and resignation of senators, the senate’s finances and relay necessary information to senate members.

Responsibilities: Facilitates senatorial elections, writing and disseminating bylaws and enforcing procedure during meetings.

Responsibilities: Presides over and serves as spokesperson for the judicial branch. Writes the official orders and decisions made by the judicial branch and relays this information to other student government branches and the university.

Responsibilities: Must attend all meetings and cast votes in hearings brought to the student government’s judicial branch. Must ask questions in hearings and ensure they hear all sides of an issue before casting a vote.

Responsibilities: Acts as a liaison between grieving parties, accused parties, justices and other student government branches as part of the judicial branch. They may receive complaints against student government members and conduct investigations.

Responsibilities: College student governments can have a lot of breakout groups and members within those groups, so students may be able to find student government roles specific to their interests. Responsibilities will vary based on the group and role.

The Benefits & Challenges

Participating in student council or student government can be an enriching experience with lasting positive impacts. However, the rewards don’t come without their difficulties. As with any commitment, students should be sure to consider all aspects of joining student government before going all-in.

Famous People Who Were Class Presidents

Participation in student government won’t necessarily skyrocket students to lives of prominence and fame, but student government members can at least count on being in good company.

Blake Lively

After filming her breakout role as Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, actor Blake Lively finished her senior year at Burbank High School in California, where she served as senior class president.

Hugh Jackman

Add political prowess next to acting, singing and dancing on Hugh Jackman’s list of accomplishments. Before Les Miserables, X-Men and a slew of other high-profile roles, Hugh Jackman was class president of Knox Grammar School in Australia.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton’s political career began early in her life. She was senior class president of Wellesley College before pursuing bigger roles in American politics.

Herbie Hancock

One of America’s most prominent and innovative jazz pianists, Herbie Hancock, was elected president of his sophomore class at Hyde Park High School, where African Americans were in the minority, and was elected president of student council twice.

This iconic movie star, known for his unique voice and gait as much as for the iconic roles he played in movies like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, True Grit and The Alamo, was class president at Glendale High School.

Halle Berry

Prior to becoming an on-screen superhero, playing both Catwoman and X-Men’s Storm, Halle Berry was class president at Bedford High School in Ohio.

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson, who is known for his lifetime of civil rights activism, was elected class president at Sterling High School. He would later run for President of the United States twice.

Ronald Reagan

The American actor who would later become the 40th President of the United States was first student body president of Eureka College.

Student Government Alums Weigh In

Susanna Compare High School Student Council Vice President

“I joined the student government my freshman year when I was new to Milton Hershey School. I wanted to get involved, and it sounded like a great opportunity to gain leadership experience while also meeting new people and learning about myself and how I could help impact the Milton Hershey School community. Some of the highlights for me were being able to plan events for my class and watch them come together as one, and work with other students who also wanted to make a difference. I also had the opportunity my senior year to get students involved in leadership roles and taking initiative who normally would not be in that position.

Being in student government, of course, has its challenges, but they also seem so minimal when you are actually able to make an impact. It was challenging to work on an idea and propose it and be told “no.” This, however, also made the times when you heard “yes” even better. My time in student government had a huge impact on who I am today. It gave me communication skills, confidence and friendships that I carried through all of high school. It also helped give me a better idea of what I wanted to do for my future career. I have those leadership skills ready for when I enter the real world.

I plan on doing student government to some extent in college, but if I decide not to, I will definitely be using the skills I learned. I learned a lot about patience, time management and how I can best serve those around me. I would highly recommend student government to other students—it is a great opportunity to not only be a leader to your peers, but to help you grow as a person and prepare you for after high school.”

Michelle McAdams College Student Government President

“I joined student government because I was applying for scholarships, and they all asked what I did outside of the classroom. I was looking for something to put on my resume other than just classes, and student government was during a time I didn’t have class. I never really had an interest in government before, but there are so many wonderful highlights that came out of being in SGA.

Getting to know what the Student Affairs department did and how to get involved in the University of North Georgia community was the best thing. I realized I had a love for Student Affairs and hope to be able to return to UNG as an employee in the Student Affairs Department and earn my Master’s Degree. I actually changed my major from business to General Studies so I could learn more about a variety of things for this type of position.

As SGA President, I was asked to give several speeches and address the student body and different members of the community in many ways. I hope through these speeches, I was able to encourage students to become more involved in the UNG community and to enjoy their time at UNG as much as possible.

I was also able to create new SGA positions and increase opportunities for leadership and campus involvement, and I had a hand in creating a memorial wall and carrying out a community service project that united UNG’s different campuses. UNG had gone through a consolidation a few years before I started, and we wanted to help students feel like they were part of the same university no matter what campus they take classes on.

The most challenging thing about my position was getting the help I needed to accomplish the things my council and I wanted to do. We had very poor attendance and participation because we are a commuter campus. Most students come to campus just to take classes, then leave to go home or to their job. Getting students to stay on campus was a challenge and getting them to commit to joining SGA was even harder. They felt they didn’t have time to participate in any activity.

The best lesson I learned from SGA was that to see an idea come to life, it takes a lot of time and dedication, but it also takes a lot of help from others. You have to have negotiating skills and leadership skills to be able to influence others to help you reach the goals you have set for yourself and your organization.

My advice would be to join and learn as much as you can about the organization, then run for office. Become a leader and participate in the activities at your school. You will form a tighter bond and connection with the community, and it will be a much more rewarding experience all around. Take advantage of all the opportunities you get to attend leadership training and conferences. You will not only learn new skills and have amazing experiences, but you will also make new friends you will keep for a lifetime. You might even have a new network of people you can turn to in your future career. And it looks great on your resume, too.”

Kendall Burchard

“I joined student government because I had a desire to serve my community and directly contribute to the events and extracurricular activities that gave so much meaning to school. Some of my fondest memories come from Leadership/Student Council in high school; both directly being responsible for and subsequently participating in the quintessential “high school” moments like Homecoming, Winterfest, Prom, etc. was both educational and meaningful. It wasn’t without its rough spots, though.

In high school, I lost two elections within two weeks of each other, and I was devastated. It was the first time my sense of self-worth had been rocked at my core, and the experience taught me how to fail gracefully and how to root my confidence and sense of being in something other than the titles I held. I’m grateful for the lesson to this day.

When I entered college at the University of Oklahoma, I continued my participation in student government. I was part of the Sooner Freshman Council during my first year, then served as Director of Student Organizations (Sophomore), Director of Student Organizations (Junior) and eventually became Director of the Interior for my senior year.

That year, the University of Oklahoma experienced a national controversy when fraternity men on a bus began a racially-charged chant while coming home from a party. As Director of the Interior, I handled a lot of the response for the Student Government Association, coordinating with the administration, other SGA members and community members. This was one of the most challenging and unexpected student government experiences I underwent.

I’d like to think that the student governments I’ve served in have made a positive impact. We created experiences for students to enrich their time outside of class, like prom; we advocated for their voices to the administration, like addressing parking concerns; and we saw our students through trying times on campus by serving as examples, like acting appropriately when dealing with the fraternity incident and, in high school, when a violent video of students fighting circulated around school.

I also credit my time in student government with developing my ability to manage people. I run two large organizations at my law school, and I find myself comfortable in management positions. It has also inspired an interest to serve my broader community in some capacity one day. I have also learned to work with administration and hold my own against those with actual power, and how to speak truth to power.

I’d absolutely recommend participating in student government to other students. The experience will enable you to hone a skill set and a number of organizational abilities that a classroom education cannot, and you’ll make memories to last a lifetime.”

Students looking to learn more about student government and student council or get ideas for improving their current student government system can start their research at these websites:

American Student Government Association (ASGA) ASGA is a go-to resource for members of collegiate student governments. This website provides a wide range of resources and services, from revamping an existing student government to conducting research.

Campus Compact Student Government Resource Center Students can use Campus Compact’s student government training and resources to become better leaders and build strong campus governments.

National Student Council (NatStuCo) NatStuCo is a national organization dedicated to helping student build more effective student councils. They provide leadership development opportunities, host events and provide a ton of resources for high school student councils.

Student Government Resource Center Student Government Resource Center is a comprehensive resource for college student governments. Students can access toolkits, training and other information and services to help them improve their campus governments.

“Fundraising Ideas for Student Council: Class Acts” – YouCaring Geared towards high school student councils, this YouCaring blog provides an array of fundraising ideas.

Best Accredited Online Ph.D. Programs 2024

Online Ph.D. programs provide students with flexible schedules and affordable tuition. Check out the top-ranked programs in this comprehensive guide.

Best Accredited Online Master’s Programs 2024

Best Accredited Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs 2024

Shape your future with an online degree.

Connect with a community of peers, and find a program that will allow you to continue your education in a fast and flexible way.

Choose Your Test

Search Blogs By Category
College Admissions
AP and IB Exams
GPA and Coursework

How to Join Your High School's Student Council

Extracurriculars

Thinking about joining student council? You should be! It's a great way to make friends and gain leadership experience, especially if you're interested in politics. However, it can also require a significant time commitment.

What is student council and what duties will you have as a member? How do you join? Should you join? I'll answer these questions and more below!

What Is Student Council?

Student Council, sometimes called Student Government, is the elected governing body at your high school. The group is composed entirely of students; often they have a faculty adviser.

Typically (though this may vary slightly by high school/region), each grade level has its own grade-level council (i.e. freshman student council, sophomore student council, junior student council, and senior student council). Usually, each grade-level council has their own faculty adviser. The grade-level councils typically plan and execute grade level specific programs (such as creating a class t-shirt, organizing a class fundraiser, planning the class float for the Homecoming parade, etc.).

Additionally, there is usually a school-wide student government that plans and executes programs for the entire school (such as Homecoming Week or a school-wide fundraiser). The school-wide council typically has its own faculty adviser but still gets assistance with its events from the grade-level councils.

Think of the individual grades as individual states with their own governments, but they all fall under one country (school) and one federal government (the school-wide student council). I’ve created the chart below as a visual reference of this hierarchy. Additionally, I’ve listed the typical positions available on each council.

What Do Student Council Members Do?

In this section, I’ll discuss the general responsibilities of all members. I'll then go on to discuss the duties of specific officers (President vs. Secretary, etc.).

Duties for All Members

All student government members are responsible for attending meetings (usually weekly, though the specifics will vary from school to school). If you’re on a grade-level council, you’ll likely have meetings both with your grade-level council and the school-wide council. These weekly meetings include all members of the council as well as the faculty adviser. At these weekly meetings, members brainstorm events they'd like to plan and divvy up the tasks. Occasionally (typically once or twice each school year), the grade-level student councils will hold an open meeting to allow their classmates to come and voice their concerns or suggest ideas.

As I said above, members of the grade-level councils are responsible for planning and executing grade-level specific programs (such as creating a class t-shirt or organizing Junior Prom). Members of the school-wide council plan and execute programs for the entire school (such as Homecoming Week or a school-wide fundraiser).

In addition, members of grade-specific councils are responsible for assisting the school-wide council in planning and running major school-wide events such as the Homecoming parade, Homecoming dance, and pep rallies.

Typically, senior student government members have an obligation after graduating from high school: planning your high school reunions.

What Are the Position Specific Duties?

I’ll go down the hierarchy. The duties of each position remain the same whether it’s for the freshman council or school-wide council. As I said above, every member is responsible for attending meetings and helping make school events happen. The duties listed below are the additional duties for each position.

President: Responsible for planning and running meetings (i.e. creating meeting itineraries, facilitating discussions), delegating tasks (i.e. deciding who on the council will be in charge of finding someone to design the class t-shirt, who will be responsible for finding a company to print the t-shirt), and for holding people accountable (i.e. making sure people complete their assigned tasks).

1st / 2nd Vice President: Responsible for assisting the president (i.e. running meetings in their absence, making sure people are completing assigned tasks, etc.)

Secretary: Responsible for taking notes at all meetings and emailing those notes to all council members.

Treasurer: Responsible for budgeting and managing money (i.e. collecting money when selling tickets for Homecoming, depositing that money into the proper account, keeping records).

How Can You Join Student Council?

To be in student government, you need to be elected. Elections for freshman student council typically happen at the beginning of the school year, in the fall. Elections for sophomore, junior, senior, and school-wide student councils typically happen near the end of the school year before summer vacation. You usually have to sign up to run. Make sure to talk to the front office at your school and ask how to sign up to run for student government.

If you’re trying to run for a position for the first time (i.e. you’ve never held a position on student council at your high school before, whether as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior), I recommend first trying to run for what are considered smaller positions: treasurer or secretary. There is usually less competition for these positions, which will make it more likely that you’ll be elected. Additionally, while these positions are considered smaller, you have the same responsibility as the president or VP, to help plan and execute great events.

If you hope to be class president someday, you can prove yourself in a smaller position and then run for bigger positions in future elections. I started as my freshman treasurer, then became sophomore VP, then junior class president, and I became Student Government President my senior year. No matter what position you run for, how you campaign is important. You only need one tip to win your campaign...

The Most Important Campaign Tip: Make Sure People Know (and Trust) You!

Plain and simple, you will not win your campaign if only ten people know who you are. You will also likely not win if your entire grade knows you, but only as the person failing all of your classes or the person who doesn’t take anything seriously (aka class clown). To win the campaign, you need to make sure people know you and trust you.

How do you get people to know you? If your school allows it, make posters, stickers, pencils, etc. with your name on it. The size of the posters doesn’t matter, but the quantity does. It’s better to print 50 posters on printer paper than to make 10 on fancy posterboard. You want people to see your name so that they can talk to their friends about you and try to figure out who you are before election day.

Next, start to develop your campaign platform or main focus. Why do you want to be on student council? Do you want to improve school dances? Do you want to have a wider variety of school lunch options? Create a class field trip? Start a fundraiser? Having a focused platform will help you seem trustworthy and will help you stay motivated.

Now you have to spread your message. During your lunch period, you should not be sitting down; instead, walk around the cafeteria or campus. Introduce yourself! Hand out pencils and stickers. Talking to people is your best weapon. Tell them about yourself and why you want to be part of student government. Ask them what events they’d like to see planned this year or what ideas they have. However, you don't want to annoy other students (if you do, you definitely won't get elected), so try to cap yourself at 2-3 minutes of chatting, and then move on to another group.

How do you get people to trust you? This is a more difficult task. Talking to people and asking about their ideas will help build some trust. To continue to build trust, you need to show your competence in the classroom. Make sure you’re known as the person who does all of their homework, gets good grades, engages in class discussions, etc. Don’t be known as the person who is always late to class or on their cell phone.

How to Ace Your Campaign Speech

Some schools allow campaign speeches (mine didn't!). Speeches provide you with another opportunity to show that you're trustworthy. Here are my bullet points for a good campaign speech:

Introduce yourself (It may seem obvious, but it will help students who may not know you).
“Hi, I’m John Doe, and I’m running for sophomore class secretary.”
Say why you want to be on student council and why you’re qualified. Your qualifications will be a combination of personal characteristics and past experiences and successes.
“I'm an excellent note-taker. I served as drama club secretary.”
State your campaign platform or main focus .
“I want to plan a class trip to Disney.”
Explain how you plan to accomplish your goals.
“I will raise the money for the class trip by hosting a school-wide hot dog eating contest.”
End with your name (again, it'll help students who may not know you).
“Remember, vote for John Doe for s ophomore class secretary .”

These should be the main points you hit, but also, try to inject some humor into your speech to make it more entertaining. Your speech should NOT be too long (I’d recommend 2-3 minutes maximum). Make it brief or you’ll lose your audience.

What Are the Benefits of Joining Student Council?

By joining the student government, you’re able to influence your high school. You can start new events and fundraisers. For example, as student government president, I started a donation drive to collect used prom dresses for a non-profit called Becca’s Closet . If there are things that bother you about your school that you'd like to improve, student council gives you an opportunity to do so. If you hated the Homecoming dance last year, you could plan a better event. Instead of having the Homecoming dance in your gym, you can move it to a hotel ballroom. If you dislike school lunches, you can try to change the menu.

Student government also gives you a great leadership experience to discuss on your college application. Colleges like to see leadership experience and involvement on your resume. It shows that you can get involved in your school and improve things, which makes colleges think that hopefully you would do the same at their school.

Be aware that there are potential drawbacks to joining student council. You might get blamed or criticized if people don’t enjoy your events. Nothing is worse than the class t-shirt. Someone is always unhappy and doesn’t like the design.

Should You Join Student Council?

If you’re truly interested in planning school events and organizing fundraisers, then YES! If you’re just looking for another activity on your resume, then NO! Colleges aren’t looking for students with a laundry list of activities on their resume. Colleges are looking for students who do one thing and who do it VERY well. For more on this, read our article, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum.

If you love the idea of improving your school, then make student council your main extracurricular . Don’t be a mediocre student government member! To be an effective member of student council, make sure you have the time to commit to it. You'll want to have at least five hours per week to dedicate to student council. Plan on one hour for meetings and four hours for event planning or executing events. Be on time to meetings and events. Show up to meetings with ideas for events. Take charge of event planning. Try to plan the best events your school has ever had. Plan new amazing fundraisers! Try to make real positive changes at your school!

What’s Next?

Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing , community service , and volunteer abroad programs.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Success Stories
AI Scholar Program
Startup Internship Program
Research Scholar Program
GOALS Academic Support Program
Test Prep Program
Passion Project Program
For Families
For Schools
For Employers
Partnerships

Content Guides

News And Awards
College Admissions
Events and Webinars

Applications

Extracurricular(s)

Student Council and Student Government 101

Pre-Application
Acceptance Rates
Exams (ACT, AP, SAT)
Interviews & Networking
Letters of Recommendation
Research Projects
Summer Programs
Arts (Fine & Performing)
Business & Economics
Engineering
Computer Science
Humanities & Social Science
Mathematics
Hard Sciences

Grade Levels

High School
Undergraduate
Middle School

Madeleine Karydes

Lead admissions expert, table of contents, student government 101.

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

Student Council and Student Government 101

For many high-achieving high school students, applying to student council seems like a natural addition to your schedule. As an officer, you can have a say in the event planning and development of your high school. Plus, it probably looks great for college apps… right? Well, it definitely can highlight your application strengths. However, there are a few key steps you need to take to make the most of your experiences. Don’t worry, Empowerly is here to help! Do you hold a position in student government at your school? Let’s review what colleges want to know about your activities.

Introductions

Student government organizations go by many names. At my high school, for example, it was known as ASB: All Student Body. At other schools, it may be called Student Council, Student Government, or something else entirely . These organizations vary in their size and impact. The main point is that high school students elect their peers to represent the student population in decision-making. These elected representatives serve a variety of positions, including Class President, Co-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and more. Responsibilities may include leading campus announcements, planning events like Homecoming and Prom, and discussing potential changes to the school format.

Now that we understand what the activity consists of, let’s make it count for college apps! Here, we discuss the pros and cons of adding student government to your schedule in high school. With every extracurricular activity, you’ll want to weigh your options to understand if you’re spending your time wisely. The same goes for holding a position in student government.

Is Student Government Good for College Apps?

The strong aspects of holding a position in student government include:

Demonstrating leadership, through election by your peers
Taking initiative above and beyond to participate in your campus community
Building strong relationships with your supervising teachers
Serving your peers, taking responsibility for outcomes
Practice coordinating logistics and collaborating with other officers
Demonstrating interest in public service and operations on an institutional level

Each of these elements can demonstrate desirable characteristics in your application. Even better, you can probably ask a teacher you worked with for a letter of recommendation, since they know how you work outside the classroom!

Finally, student government is a great addition to a humanities or social science focused application. For those of you looking at majors like public policy or political science, this can be a strong way to expand your interests and experiences.

Is Student Government a Waste of Time?

On the other hand, there are reasons why someone might choose to not participate in student government. Some colleges view student government positions as not important , depending on the kind of work you’re able to do. For this reason, participation in student government just to have another title (or coasting by, and not leading any initiatives) can be easily dismissed as unimportant.

We don’t recommend spending all of your extracurricular time on student government at the expense of other activities. This is even more true for students who are not following a humanities or social sciences path. For those students, spending your after-school time on more relevant subjects is a better move. Nonetheless, this extracurricular can pay off if it’s meaningful to you.

How Can I Make the Most of My Student Government Position?

Still unsure if student government is right for you? Of course, feel free to discuss with an expert college counselor whether this activity fits your goals. If participating does make sense for you, great! This activity can bring students focus and purpose. Here are tips on how to get the most bang for your buck:

Quantify your projects (take note of student attendees, total money raised, or any tangible impacts on the school).
Keep your personal reasons in mind; if you’re there to gain or practice certain skills, be sure to volunteer for projects that will help you along.
Take initiative for “owning” and leading a few projects that you can talk about in-depth in an interview.
Use every opportunity to demonstrate your strengths & talents so you can connect your personal narrative cohesively in your applications.
Remember specific instances where you grew or made an impact on someone; that would be a great essay topic!

All in all, student government is a great way to gain hands-on experience with humanities and social sciences in action. It’s a strong way to build up your extracurricular profile, and can demonstrate great leadership characteristics. However, make sure you are being intentional with your time in order to make the most of your experiences!

Remember, Empowerly is a fantastic resource to help you make these kinds of decisions and weigh your options. Our college counselors are experts in the college admissions process. We would love to tell you more about our program and how it could work for you. Book a conversation below to get the details!

Share this article:

College apps can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. empowerly college counseling is in it with you., related articles.

350+ Good Persuasive Speech Topics For Students & Debaters

Best Division 2 Schools with High Acceptance Rate

40 Incredible Internships for High School Students (2024)

Board of Trustees
Honored Faculty and Staff
Mission, Vision and Values
Accreditation
FERPA Rights
Privacy and Data Protections
Safety and Security
Office of Church Relations
Babcock Arboretum
Welcome to Quincy
Conference Services
Marketing and Media
Information Technology
Institutional Effectiveness and Research
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
Traditional Undergraduate Fields of Study
Adult and Graduate Fields of Study
ENC Online Fields of Study
Course Catalogs
Faculty Directory
Graduation Requirements
Registrar Policies
Honor Roll and Deans List
Calling and Career
Library and Research
Honors Scholar Society
Academic Symposium
Traditional Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
Adult and Graduate Tuition and Fees
Online Program Tuition and Fees
Financial Aid
Financial FAQs
Payment Plans
Important Dates and Timelines
Net Price Calculator
Transfer Credit Calculator
Student Accounts
Overview, Departments, Staff
Student Handbook and Resources
Counseling Services
Health and Wellness
Multicultural Affairs
Formation and Discipleships
Local Area Churches
Summer Ministry Teams
Residential Life
Title IX / Sexual Harassment
Bias Reporting
Campus Centers
Campus Technology
Clubs and Activities
Athletics Staff
Athletics Schedule
Carroll F. Bradley Hall of Fame

Board Announces Developing a Plan for Closure

Jun 25, 2024

The Board of Trustees of Eastern Nazarene College today announced it has voted unanimously to begin the process of closing ENC and transitioning it into a new educational enterprise that will carry on ENC’s legacy of providing a transformational education that equips diverse students to lead and serve our world as agent of Christ’s love and truth.

Heading to College? Why You Should Join Student Government

Jul 19, 2021

Depending on your past experiences, you might have a lot of ideas about what it is and feelings about what it means to you personally. Or, you may not have any thoughts about it at all.

Whether you’ve been involved in student government (or student council) or never even considered it, this is a fantastic opportunity to look into as you head to college.

Find out what student government is, why students join and why it’s a great way to apply your heart for service at a school like Eastern Nazarene College.

What Is Student Government?

If you’ve never been a part of it, it may not be obvious to you what a student government is in the first place. The benefits of joining are clearer once you get an idea of its purpose.

The two most common names for student governments are student council and student government association (SGA). (That’s here in the U.S. Other countries often use the term student union . Here, “student union” usually refers to a place for students to hang out.)

Student Council – Although some colleges use this term, student councils are usually the middle school or high school version of student government.
Student Government Association – College students involved in SGAs usually have more responsibilities than high school student councils and more independence.

In either case, the basic idea behind student government is the same:

Student government is a group of students charged with managing a wide range of events, activities, programs, policies and initiatives around school.

Just as in other forms of government, members who provide the highest levels of leadership are elected by the student body. Others can be appointed by elected members.

What Do You Do in Student Government?

The benefits of being in student government are tied to what you’ll actually be doing. To get a sense of that, you need to know the basic structure of SGA.

Most SGAs in the U.S. are, not surprisingly, modeled somewhat after the U.S. federal government. There are some important differences, though.

Rather than a three-branch system of legislative (making rules), executive (enforcing rules) and judicial (judging whether rules are fair), SGAs typically have one or two bodies .

In a two-body system, there is an executive council and a senate. Executive officers are often in charge of clubs and student organizations. Senators often represent interest groups who want to add or change campus rules and policies.
In a one-body system, common to smaller schools like ENC, the roles are combined. SGA members are representatives of student body interests and have the responsibilities of creating and managing programs, events, etc.

Executive Council

The leader of an SGA is the student body president. Other members of the executive council might include a vice president, treasurer, and secretary.

There may also be a presidential cabinet of directors who are each in charge of a different area, such as events, clubs and organizations, intramural sports, publications, spiritual life and others.

“[A]ll these seven positions have the same mindset of wanting to improve student life and make a difference in the student life, and that is why I’m excited to be part of a team of people, like a family, who have the same passion and mindset ‘cause ENC is a great place and I would love to see it grow.” – Joanna Mohnkern , SGA Director of Spiritual Life, 2019-2020

Class Councils

Each class – freshman, sophomore, junior, senior – typically has its own council. There may also be additional councils to represent the interests of nontraditional students, such as commuters.

These groups may be totally independent or work with the executive council.

Directors appoint others to help them come up with ideas and make them a reality. Their groups might be called committees, sub-committees, or councils.

Members might be in charge of announcing plans (communications), recruiting volunteers, getting permission from the administration, etc.

Why Students Join

Whether in an elected or appointed position, as an SGA member, you get to be a part of making your school a better place. You can do a lot to help others and yourself.

1. Improve daily life.

When you see what needs to change to make attending your school a better experience – like improving the furniture , perhaps – you’ll have the power to do something about it.

2. Be a hero to your fellow students.

Students turn to SGA members first when they identify something on campus that needs to be addressed, such as their safety and security concerns . You can help amplify their voice.

3. Launch a career.

Career development opportunities abound for SGA members. Not only do they often get to attend leadership trainings, just participating in SGA helps you develop useful skills .

4. Feel empowered.

It just feels good to be in position to do so much good! You’ll enjoy having a seat at the table with decision makers and having the opportunity to exercise your influence.

Find Your Place in Student Government at ENC

At ENC, the SGA is part of the Office of Community Life of a Christian college. That should tell you something about its focus: improving the lives of students in a way that is pleasing to God.

The SGA strives to honor God and encourage, empower, and serve the Eastern Nazarene College community by inspiring students to seek opportunities and find their “why.”

In general, as an SGA member at ENC, you will partner with other students to carry out this mission. What you do specifically depends on the role you take on, your passion area and skills.

Are you interested in generating ideas and organizing people?

You may want to run a campaign and get elected to the executive council, where you can provide general leadership (maybe as student body president) or be in charge of specific programs.

Are you interested in responding to the ideas of others, helping to improve them and making something real out of them?

Elected members will need your help! Offer your skills and interests in speaking, writing, record-keeping, budgets or whatever gifts God has given you.

Whatever position you have, you will find many opportunities to learn how to be a leader as you serve God and your student neighbors.

Why Patient-Centered Care Matters Now More than Ever

Jun 20, 2024

The healthcare landscape constantly evolves, with a growing emphasis on patient empowerment and personalized treatment plans. This shift has led to the rise of patient-centered care, a philosophy that prioritizes the individual needs and preferences of each patient....

The Art of Effective Communication: 4 Modern Skills Every Manager Must Know

Jun 6, 2024

Most current—and aspiring—managers know that effective communication empowers you to motivate your employees, delegate tasks, and navigate conflict with confidence. But as businesses and people have evolved, so have the types of communication skills needed in the...

Master of Education in Higher Education Administration: Why This Degree Matters for Your Career

May 30, 2024

“Postsecondary education administrators typically need a master’s degree,” says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But why? If you currently work in higher education, you know the landscape is changing rapidly. Those who want to grow their career in this field will...

Business Administration vs. Business Management: Which Is Right for You

May 23, 2024

If you're interested in a business career, you will no doubt come across two popular degree options: Business Administration and Business Management. While both paths offer exciting opportunities, each has a distinct focus, and it’s important to understand the...

Community Essay Examples

When crafting your college applications, writing strong essays is essential. Through your essays, you demonstrate who you are–from your values and passions to your lived experiences. Indeed the personal statement is the most common college essay. However, you will also likely have to write some supplemental essays as part of your college application requirements. One of the most common supplemental essay types is the community essay. This essay type is also known as a describe the community you live in essay, cultural diversity essay, or community service essay.

In this article, we will introduce several community essay examples. Most importantly, we’ll describe why they are considered college essays that worked. Specifically, we will share community essay examples from the two schools:

Princeton University
Columbia University

By studying these admissions essay samples, you can see what makes these college community essay examples strong and apply those same principles to your writing.

Reviewing Types of College Essays

Each school has different supplemental essay prompts for their college application requirements. However, there are a few types of essays that are most common. By becoming familiar with these essay types, you can begin to brainstorm and strategize what you will write about early on. You might start as early as sophomore or junior year in high school.

Now, let’s take a look at the most common supplementary essay questions.

Common Supplementary Essay Questions

1. why school.

A Why School essay is, as it sounds, about why you wish to attend a specific institution. The key to answering this prompt well is to be specific. You should identify examples of what you like about a school. Avoid general comments such as “it is a top school” or “it is diverse.” Share specific programs, professors, teaching approaches, cultural elements, or unique opportunities such as research or study abroad.

2. Why Major

The Why Major essay asks you to share specific reasons behind your choice of major and how it relates to your future goals. A strong response to a Why Major essay will highlight your specific motivations. But it will also connect those motivations to a school’s unique opportunities. For example, perhaps you wish to be a pre-law history major, and the school you are applying to offers law-related internships. By highlighting these specific connections, you draw a compelling connection between yourself and the school.

3. Extracurricular Activity

Many schools ask you to describe an extracurricular activity that is particularly meaningful for you. When responding to this question, do not feel limited to only talk about the most popular extracurricular activities for college applications, like clubs or sports. Consider all of the activities you do outside of school. Then choose the one that is most meaningful to you. Also, give specific examples of how you grew or made an impact within your extracurricular activities for college.

4. Community Essay

The Community Essay can have slightly different angles to it. But, the uniting factor is that the school wants to know how you engage with others around you. Some types of community essays are a describe the community you live in essay or a cultural diversity essay. In recent years, the cultural diversity essay has been a more common college application requirement.

Coming up, we will share a bit more about how to break down community essay prompts. We’ll also take a look at college essays that worked. By reading these examples, you’ll know how to approach these common prompts.

How to identify a community essay?

While community essays can have slightly different focuses, they all share the goal of learning about where you come from. A supplemental essay prompt might ask you to share more about your background via a group you are part of. This is likely a community essay. Indeed, a community essay can also be called a describe the community you live in essay, or a cultural diversity essay. Other college community essay examples focus on how you will contribute to a college campus. Finally, in a describe a community you belong to essay example, you will see that students highlight any community that is meaningful to them.

You may be wondering why so many colleges have community essays as a college application requirement. For one, many colleges use a holistic admissions process. This means they care about all aspects of who you are, not simply your grades and test scores. How you engage with your communities shows them your character and values. For example, a describe the community you live in essay example about visiting church every Sunday demonstrates your commitment to religion. Similarly, a cultural diversity essay helps colleges learn more about your cultural background.

Additionally, colleges want to learn more about how you will engage with their on-campus community. You’ll notice this important factor in the college community essay examples we will share. To some degree, how you have engaged with previous communities can be an indicator of how you will show up on their campus.

How is a community essay different?

As we mentioned, community essays can have slightly different focuses. Some prompts ask you to write a describe the community you live in essay. These types of community essays are more like cultural diversity essays.

Keep in mind that the word “community” can have many different meanings. A community can be your school, church, or neighborhood. It could also stem from your interests. For example, your dance or robotics team can form your community.

Some community essay prompts want to know specifically how you help strengthen your communities. These types of essays are considered a community service essay. Another term for community service is “civic engagement.” An example of civic engagement might be getting people in your cultural community to sign up to vote. Or, another could be helping with church fundraisers to ensure that your local community has the resources it needs to thrive.

In sum, the keywords you might see in a community essay prompt are “civic engagement,” “community service,” “serve your community,” “contribute to your community,” or “diversity.” No matter how it’s phrased, your essay should demonstrate the impact you’ve had on your community–whichever one you choose to highlight.

What are some examples of community essays?

In this article, we will share several community essay examples. Specifically, we will highlight Princeton essay examples and Columbia essays examples. Let’s look at these two colleges’ essay prompts.

The first Princeton supplemental essay prompt is a part of our college community essay examples and our cultural diversity essay examples. Here is the prompt:

Princeton Community Essay Prompt #1: Cultural Diversity Essay and College Community Essay Examples

Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you (please respond in 500 words or fewer.).

In this cultural diversity essay prompt, Princeton wants to know about your lived experiences. By this, they refer to any experiences that have shaped you profoundly. A lived experience can be a specific event, such as experiencing a car crash or winning an award. Or, it could be a set of experiences that resulted from life circumstances, such as being a first-generation college student or having taken a gap year .

This essay prompt will also lead to college community essay examples. Indeed Princeton wants to read about your lived experiences and how they impacted you. But, they also want to know how you will bring those lessons to the Princeton community, should you enroll . Also, note that this prompt mentions challenging ideas and beliefs via conversation. As you respond, look for ways to highlight how you have engaged in fruitful dialogue and how you would do so at Princeton.

To answer this prompt effectively, share specific examples. Additionally, be sure to answer all parts of the prompt.

Princeton has a second supplemental essay prompt that focuses on how you engage with your community outside of the classroom. The prompt is as follows:

Princeton Community Essay Prompt #2: Civic Engagement

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (250 words or fewer) .

To answer this prompt well, you must highlight specific examples of how you have positively impacted your community. As a starting point, consider which of your communities you have most engaged with. How have you done so and what results did you have?

The Columbia Community Essay Prompt is another of our college community essay examples. It is a cultural diversity essay, as well. Here is the prompt:

Columbia Community Essay Prompt: A Cultural Diversity Essay

A hallmark of the columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer).

While this prompt is similar to Princeton’s, it also references perspectives and viewpoints. In doing so, the prompt opens you up to share opinions or values that are important to you. You might consider highlighting values in your family or community that you either hold close or disagree with.

Note that Columbia also highlights the word “collaborative” in this prompt. This indicates that your cultural diversity essay should also show how you collaborate with others.

Which schools require a community essay?

In addition to Princeton and Columbia, many other schools have community essays as part of their college application requirements. Here are some other examples of community essay prompts:

In this UNC-Chapel Hill prompt , you must describe a specific example of how you made an impact on a community. The prompt reads:

The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill: A Community Service Essay Prompt

Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. this could be your current community or another community you have engaged. (250-word limit).

In responding, be sure to highlight what community you are referencing, the specific impact you made, and what personal quality helped you do so.

This prompt from UMichigan is a describe a community you belong to essay example, as well as a cultural diversity essay:

The University of Michigan: Describe a Community You Belong to Essay Example

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (required for all applicants. 1,500 character limit.).

In addition to describing the community, make sure to share how you engage with it and what it has taught you. Remember that community is a broad term. So, for this prompt you can respond with any type of community in mind, whether physical or cultural. In contrast to the describe the community you live in essay, you do not have to be geographically close to the community you describe here.

Duke University: Cultural Diversity Essay Prompts

Duke offers students five supplemental prompts to choose from, of which they can reply to two. Of these supplemental prompts, four are examples of cultural diversity essays:

1. We believe a wide range of viewpoints, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to maintaining Duke as a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.

2. we believe there is benefit in sharing or questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with what are you agreeing or disagreeing about, 3. duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community., 4. we recognize that not fully “fitting in” a community or place can sometimes be difficult. duke values the effort, resilience, and independence that may require. feel free to share with us circumstances where something about you is different and how that’s influenced your experiences or identity..

Each of these prompts is a slightly different type of cultural diversity essay, from sharing a range of opinions to not fitting in within a community. Choose the essay prompts that most resonate with you. And share specific examples that bring your cultural diversity essay to life.

In this Yale University supplemental prompt , you must choose a community that you feel connected to and describe why it is meaningful. Here’s the prompt:

Yale University: Describe a Community You Belong to Essay Example

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. why is this community meaningful to you you may define community however you like. (400-word limit).

When responding, be sure to highlight what you have learned or how you have grown from this community. In contrast to a describe the community you live in essay, this essay can be about any community, near or far, that resonates with you. Indeed, the prompt gives you plenty of leeway in what you consider community.

When responding to the UC system prompts , you must choose four of the eight available personal insight questions. One of the PIQs is a community service essay prompt:

The University of California Personal Insight Question: A Community Service Prompt

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place, things to consider: think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. you can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community, why were you inspired to act what did you learn from your effort how did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community.

Similar to many of the other prompts, when answering this question, be sure to identify the specific impact you made on your community.

Now that we have looked at various examples of community essay prompts, we can explore community essay examples. Reading essay examples is a great way to get inspired to write your own college essays.

In each of the highlighted college essays that worked, note what the author did expertly. Rather than trying to copy their responses, topics, or ideas, consider how you can apply those same skills to your writing.

Princeton Community Essay Examples

In this section, we will highlight Princeton essay examples that respond to their two community essay prompts: a cultural diversity essay and a community service essay.

The first of our Princeton essay examples responds to the following Princeton prompt:

Princeton Essay Examples #1: Cultural Diversity Essay

Now, let’s take a look at a student’s response to this prompt focusing on lived experiences.

Princeton Essay Examples #1 Student Response

I have spent most of my life living in a 41% minority town of 1.8 square miles called Highland Park, NJ. This typically overlooked town has introduced me to a diverse array of people, and it has been the main influence on my life experiences and core values.

In the face of distinct cultures and customs, we forge a single identity as Highland Parkers and come together to organize large community events. The most prevalent example is our highly touted annual Memorial Day parade, where we join together with neighboring New Brunswick to invite military service members, family members of our fallen war heroes, our legislative and congressional representatives, and our townspeople. Moreover, as our high school band’s vice president, I help organize and lead our ensemble into these performances with a positive and uplifting spirit. We communicate with the town government and arrange the performances every year to perform at the parade. The parade is an example of many of our large community events that serve as a unifying force for our diverse community, reminding us that we are fundamentally connected as one cohesive group, despite our differences.

As someone deeply interested in historical and political matters, I am well aware of the consequences that arise from dictatorial protocols that limit the freedom of speech and diversity of voices. From my experiences debating in Model UN conferences, I have grown accustomed to being able to present viewpoints from both sides of the argument, and I have learned to incorporate and respect the viewpoints of all sides of an issue before making up my own mind. For example, in a Model Congress debate, I found myself advocating for the interests of a state heavily reliant on traditional fossil fuels. While researching and articulating that perspective, I gained insights into the economic challenges faced by the states that are reliant on these resources. This experience not only broadened my understanding of the complexities surrounding environmental policies but also highlighted the necessity of considering diverse viewpoints for comprehensive decision-making.

My background and experiences have fostered in me a profound appreciation for the value of diversity, inclusivity, and the pursuit of knowledge. At Princeton University, I will seek to contribute as an active participant in the community, actively provide unique perspectives and insights, and respect and learn from others’ perspectives even if there are disagreements. I wish to partake in student government, which has like-minded peers who want to make a substantive impact, and also participate in service programs like the Civic Leadership Council. Also, I hope to increase my impact from the leadership positions I currently hold on the Red Cross club and teen mayoral advisory council using the platforms in Princeton. I look forward to making a positive impact on both the campus and the broader community.

Why This Cultural Diversity Essay Worked

In the first of our Princeton essay examples, the student successfully responds to all parts of the Princeton prompt. They begin by describing their community and sharing some details about its makeup. Indeed, the first sentence hooks the reader–it is unique and compelling.

Then, the student illustrates how they specifically contribute to their community each year by leading the high school band in the Memorial Day parade. They also highlight how their experience in Model UN shaped their appreciation for diverse perspectives. In sharing these two examples, the student demonstrates their leadership and open-minded thinking. Finally, the student ends by highlighting how they would use these values to contribute to Princeton’s community– by partaking in student government and Civic Leadership Council, among other activities.

In the second of our Princeton essay examples, the student responds to the second Princeton prompt which is:

Princeton Essay Examples #2: A Community Service Essay

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (250 words or fewer).

And, here is a student’s response:

Princeton Essay Examples #2 Student Response

My first experience with the Red Cross was when my older sister was desperately trying to recruit people to join the club during the harsh COVID year. Things were so bad for the club that I, as a freshman, ran for the position of treasurer unopposed. My first blood drive experience was marked by masks, social distancing, and low turnout among blood donors. Even many donors who showed up ended up being turned away due to health-related issues. Needless to say, it was not the greatest first high school service experience, and I admittedly started to doubt if the time I spent on this front was worth it.

However, as we returned in person, things quickly turned around. As the vice president of the club, I helped recruit more than twice the club membership compared to the previous year, and our blood drives started to regain momentum; our blood targets have been exceeded every time since. Organizing and participating in blood drives has become a passion. It’s fulfilling, especially when I personally donate, to know that I’m actively serving the community and saving lives. I have realized that, despite my relatively young age, I am capable of making an impact through public service. I plan to continue my commitment to the Red Cross’s adult program and participate in service programs like Community Action at Princeton to serve the Princeton community and abroad.

Why This Essay Worked

In this admissions essay sample, we learn about a student’s volunteerism with the Red Cross as an example of civic engagement. This essay works for several reasons. First, it provides a specific example of the student’s civic engagement and demonstrates their impact by becoming vice president and increasing membership. Secondly, the essay provides an honest take on the struggles of this service experience, which lends credibility and authenticity to the story.

The student also demonstrates an important lesson learned. This aligns with Princeton’s values– that students can have a positive impact on society.

Columbia University Essay Examples

In this section, we will highlight Columbia essays examples that landed students admission to the prestigious Ivy League university. The first of our Columbia essays examples is written by the same student who responded to the first Princeton prompt above. Here’s a reminder of the Columbia prompt:

As you read the example below, notice how the student edited their Princeton cultural diversity essay to meet the prompt and lower word count for Columbia:

I have spent most of my life living in a 41% minority town called Highland Park, NJ. This typically overlooked town has introduced me to a diverse array of people, and it has been the main influence on my life experiences and core values.

HP has convinced me that we can build institutions that are strong and united while embracing a wide variety of voices and perspectives. It has shaped my core values of diversity and inclusion. An English teacher used to encourage me to talk in front of the class by saying even if I believed my thoughts were “dumb,” I could only enrich the conversation.

At Columbia University, I will seek to continue my contributions as an active participant in the community and look to actively provide unique perspectives and insights. Actively engaging in student groups such as ColumbiaVotes will be a big part of my experience.

The Columbia essay prompt only allows for a 150-word response. This could pose a challenge for many students. What makes this essay among the Columbia essays examples that worked is how succinctly it completely answers the prompt.

The response begins by hooking the reader with a relevant detail of the student’s community. Then, the student shares how this community shaped them by influencing their values of diversity and inclusion. Finally, the student shares how they would engage with a Columbia organization that also supports diverse viewpoints. Though short and sweet, this response clearly answers all parts of the Columbia prompt.

More Community Essay Examples

The final of our community essay examples is a community service essay. Let’s look at how student framed their service experience:

“I don’t believe that’s the best way to do this.”

The moment I thought this the first time I volunteered at my local soup kitchen was one that resulted in a drastic change. When I was informed of the way the food was being served to the public, the initial excitement that I had felt diminished. We were told that the plates would be served before anyone arrived and would remain in an area where people could pick it up and seat themselves. I felt that this method was impersonal and inconsiderate, and disappointment washed over me.

I turned to the people that were around me and discovered that they shared the same disapproval I felt. When we agreed that a change must be made, we exchanged ideas on how to present this to the woman in charge of the program. I suggested that we should serve each person one-by-one, and only give them the food if they wanted to/could eat it. They suggested multiple ideas, including that we should offer to seat them, hold their plates for them, continue to check in on them, and dispose of their plates once they finish their meal. We believed that this way would genuinely make them feel better and would allow us to get to know some of them personally. A simple smile and conversation could be enough to improve their day.

From this day on, the way in which the local soup kitchen serves our community has changed dramatically. This experience taught me the importance of speaking up for what you believe in. In a group setting, it is likely that there will be others who share the same end goal and are willing to contribute different ideas to achieve the goal. These different perspectives can allow you to see situations in ways that you previously hadn’t, and can result in better outcomes. It also showed me the importance of leadership.

If I had never spoken up about the way the food was being served, a change might have never happened. When you work in the group, the end goal may not be for the benefit of anyone in the group, but for others who are in need. This experience also showed me the beauty in doing good for others and making others happy, even through small things such as serving them food to their liking.

In this community service essay, the student shares their experience volunteering at a soup kitchen. Volunteering at a soup kitchen is not necessarily unique in the list of extracurricular activities for college applications. However, the student highlights several aspects of the experience that make it meaningful to them.

To start, the student shares their experience challenging the way that food was served. The student suggested that food be served directly to attendees in order to better connect with community members. Through this experience, the student learns about leadership and working with others to achieve a common goal. This specific example demonstrates the student’s collaborative values and compassionate way of thinking, both of which are great attributes to highlight in college applications.

How To Write A Community Essay

As we saw in the community essay examples, there are several hallmarks of college essays that worked. To write a good community essay, whether it be a community service essay, a cultural diversity essay, or a describe the community you live in essay, you must start by understanding the prompt. Once you have carefully read through the prompt, brainstorm examples from your own life that relate to it. Sharing specific details and examples will make your response stronger and more unique.

Additionally, showcase how you grew throughout your response. In each of the community essay examples we shared, the student discussed a skill or perspective they developed through their experiences. Finally, connect your response to the school you are applying to. If you are writing a cultural diversity essay, for example, demonstrate how you would contribute to the cultural diversity at that school, both inside the classroom and in your extracurricular activities for college.

Topics To Avoid In Your Community Essay

When writing community essays, there is technically no topic that you cannot discuss. However, how you discuss certain topics is important.

For example, in a community service essay, it is important to not come off as a savior of a community with less privilege than yourself. Similarly, if you are writing a describe the community you live in essay or a cultural diversity essay, you will want to avoid stereotyping any community. Speaking from your own personal experience as a member of a community is fine. However, generalizing your experience to the community at large can come across as insensitive to that community’s diversity. To avoid these pitfalls, have a variety of people read your community essay examples and look for these dynamics.

Additional Tips for Community Essays

We’ve highlighted the strengths in the community essay examples above. Now we will now share some more tips for making your community essays a strong part of your college applications:

Tips for Writing Community Essays

1. research the college.

When reviewing our college community essay examples, you will notice that students highlight specific clubs, programs, or groups on campus to which they will contribute. If you are specific, you demonstrate real interest in the school which adds strength to your college applications.

2. Tell a story

In each of the college essays that worked, students gave details that told a full story . This story incorporated where they come from and what they learned through their experiences. Rather than telling us who they were, the students used this particular story to show us.

As the college admissions landscape gets ever more competitive, students are sometimes tempted to read other students’ essays and copy ideas. Or, more recently, they may even want to use artificial intelligence to write their essays. However, AI and other students’ experiences won’t show admissions who you really are. Don’t worry about whether you have the best extracurricular activities for college or the most unique cultural diversity essay. Instead, talk about the experiences that truly matter to you. By being honest, you are more likely to come across as convincing and interesting. In each of our college community essay examples, students presented a true and well-thought-out response to the prompts.

Other CollegeAdvisor Essay Resources to Explore

As you work on your college applications, you might be in search of additional resources. CollegeAdvisor has a wealth of webinars and articles that can help you navigate writing your essays. Here are a few:

More CollegeAdvisor Resources for Essays

1. short essay examples.

Some of the cultural diversity essays you may write will be short, meaning that they are 150 words or less. This article with short essay examples can help you understand how to write short and sweet cultural diversity essays.

2. Cultural Diversity Essay Examples

In this article , you will find additional examples of cultural diversity essays. Many community essays are also cultural diversity essays. As such, becoming familiar with how students write about their cultures is useful.

3. The Ultimate Guide to Supplemental Essays

In this webinar , CollegeAdvisor experts provide a rundown of how to write strong supplemental essays for your college applications. In particular, this webinar will help you decode essay prompts and make sure you answer each prompt fully.

4. Editing Your Supplemental Essays

Once you have read up on college community essay examples and written your cultural diversity essays, you might need help editing them. This webinar will provide tips for how to edit your supplemental essays effectively.

Community Essay Examples – Final Thoughts

Completing your college applications can be a daunting task, especially when you must write multiple essays. For some students, writing cultural diversity essays is challenging. These prompts ask you to dig deep and reflect upon your life influences.

In this guide to community essays, we provided an overview of what a community essay is and how to respond to the different types of community essay prompts. We shared cultural diversity essay examples and describe the community you live in essay examples. We also described what makes these essays strong and how they meet college application requirements.

In short, the key to writing stand-out essays is to be authentic and thorough in your responses. If you need additional help writing your cultural diversity essay, seek out the support of a trusted resource like CollegeAdvisor. We are here to help you craft the best college applications that could gain you admissions to the school of your dreams!

This article was written by Courtney Ng. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

Personalized and effective college advising for high school students.

Advisor Application
Popular Colleges
Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice
Student Login
California Privacy Notice
Terms and Conditions
Your Privacy Choices

By using the College Advisor site and/or working with College Advisor, you agree to our updated Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , including an arbitration clause that covers any disputes relating to our policies and your use of our products and services.

Grades 6-12
School Leaders

Have you entered to win this adorable math giveaway? ✨

10 Winning Scholarship Essay Examples From Real Students

Make your application shine.

Only at the ice rink could I be myself; the feeling of the cold rink breeze embracing me, the ripping sound of blades touching the ice, even the occasional ice burning my skin as I fell—these were my few constants.

Writing a scholarship essay can be intimidating. The competition is fierce and the stakes are high, so students are bound to feel the pressure. It may be helpful, therefore, to look at essays that were successful. What did those students do to impress the committee? These scholarship essay examples will give you a better idea of how to make an application shine!

Tips for Writing a Scholarship Essay

We’ve put together a whole guide for how to write a scholarship essay , so if you haven’t read it already, definitely give it a look! In addition, here are some quick tips to help students get started.

Carefully read the rules

The last thing you need is to be disqualified from winning a scholarship because you didn’t do the right thing.

Start early

Don’t wait until the last minute to start researching and applying for scholarships. Give yourself plenty of time to work through the process.

Get to know the provider

Think of the scholarship provider as your target audience. You want to tailor your essay to impress them, so do your research. What kinds of candidates are they looking for? What causes do they support? Dig deep for the information you need!

Think about who you are, what you want to say, and how to appeal to the scholarship committee. Write everything down and then choose the best ideas.

The scholarship committee will be reviewing many applications. How can you make yours unforgettable? Highlight your strongest assets, share hard lessons if they showcase your growth as a person and/or student, and be honest. Never lie in a scholarship essay!

Be professional

Consider this the most important academic paper you’ve ever written. Don’t use slang or casual language. Submit a properly formatted essay that’s been well-edited and proofread by multiple people.

One last tip

Don’t reuse scholarship essays! Yes, it’s time-consuming, but students need to put the same effort into every application. Use the same process and it will get faster and easier every time!

Scholarship Essay Examples

Afc visionary scholarship essay by nicole kuznetsov.

Award Amount: $5,000

Essay prompt: Why do you want to go to college? Why is it important to you?

Why it was successful: The beauty of this essay is that it’s well-organized and simple. Nicole Kuznetsov chose to outline her story by using chronology and provided a clean, concise story following a linear path.

As a child, my life had structure. Coloring books had lines, letters took on very specific shapes, and a system of rules governed everything from board games to the classroom.

North Coast Section Foundation Scholarship Essay by Christine Fung

Award Amount: $1,000

Why it was successful: Christine Fung masterfully shared how her upbringing instilled strong values, a love for education, and a passion for medicine .

The more involved I became, the more I learned as a leader and as a person.

The Bill Browning Scholarship Essay by Gabby DeMott

Award Amount: $10,000

Essay prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Why it was successful: Gabby DeMott shared her experiences with personal growth and overcoming fears in Germany. She also appealed to the very human feeling of wanting to belong in a way that was inspiring.

Never have I felt so accepted while being an outsider, so proud of a country that isn’t even mine, so part of something I didn’t really belong to.

Life Happens Scholarship Essay by Emily Trader

Award Amount: $15,000

Essay prompt: How has the death of a parent or guardian impacted your life financially and emotionally? Be sure to describe how the loss of your parent/guardian impacted your college plans, and explain how the lack of adequate (or any) life insurance coverage has impacted your family’s financial situation.

Why it was successful: Emily Trader fully addressed the prompt in honest, beautiful detail. She knew her audience and tailored her essay to appeal to them while telling her compelling story.

If this devastating experience has taught me anything, it is this: financial planning for these situations is absolutely invaluable.

Change a Life Foundation Scholarship Essay by Isabella Mendez-Figueroa

Essay prompt: Please explain how your experience volunteering and participating in community service has shaped your perspective on humanity. Elaborate on how these experiences have influenced your future ambitions and career choice.

Why it was successful: Isabella Mendez-Figueroa shared an empowering story about her parents overcoming financial adversity so that she and her sister could be the first in their family to go to college.

As I’ve grown I’ve learned to fight my own monsters but I now also battle the ones that frighten my parents, the monsters of a world that they weren’t born into.

Giva Scholarship Essay by Joseph Lee

Essay prompt: Who is (or what makes) a good doctor?

Why it was successful: Joseph Lee offered a captivating , personal story that was essentially a list of things that make someone a good doctor without it feeling boring or calculated.

I learned such lessons in the purest manner possible, by being a patient myself, and will use them to guide me in all future patient encounters, as I strive to be a

New York University College of Arts and Science Scholarship by Ana

Award amount: $39,500

Essay prompt: Explain something that made a big impact in your life.

Why it was successful: Ana discussed how early experiences w ith learning difficult things has contributed to her passion for teaching and supporting students.

The Fund for Education Abroad Rainbow Scholarship Essay by Steven Fisher

Award amount: $7,500

Essay prompt: The Fund for Education Abroad is committed to diversifying education abroad by providing funding to students who are typically under-represented in study abroad. Please describe how you and/or your plans for study abroad could be viewed as under-represented.

Why it was successful: Steven Fisher’s powerful essay connected his realizations about his own sexual identity with embracing the beautiful diversity found all around the world.

My growth as a person was exponential. I rewrote so many areas of my life where I didn’t do things I wanted because of social conditioning.

Women’s World Banking Founder’s Scholarship Essay by Rosaisha Ozoria

Essay prompt: Write about your hopes for the future of women and girls worldwide.

Why it was successful: Rosaisha Ozoria focused on a very specific topic , financial literacy for Hispanic women, and emphasized its importance and relevance to her own life.

This is a tremendous goal, but for me, it is an opportunity to make a difference – in my neighborhood and for my Spanish community.

The Millennium Gates Last Dollar Scholarship Essay by Famyrah Lafortune

Award amount: $3,500

Essay prompt: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela Describe a change you would like to make in the world. Tell us about how you would plan to make that change, and what obstacles you might encounter along the way.

Why it was successful: Famyrah Lafortune starts with a strong statement about ending racial inequality and then details the steps she’ll take to make it happen.

By raising awareness of racial disparities that occur everywhere, I might encourage a new wave of change in our country ...

Do you have any great scholarship essay examples? Share them below!

Plus, check out the ultimate guide to college scholarships, want more suggestions be sure to subscribe to our newsletters ..

Need money for college? These scholarship essay examples will help your application stand out over the competition!

Examples of mental health activities for teens such as adult coloring books and fidgets.

26 Empowering Mental Health Activities for Teens

Help teens build resilience. Continue Reading

Get the Reddit app

Join the A2C Discord!

r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. A2C supports a welcoming and inclusive environment. Harassment, intimidation, and bullying are not tolerated.

For any of you that are in student government, what have you done to make yourself stand out as well as befit your school?

I’m running for student government and am looking for things that I can do that stand out. I already have some ideas (making new students feel more welcome, increasing student involvement in community service, recognizing teachers/staff/high achieving students more, holding meetings between staff and students, etc...) but am looking for other ideas. I don’t know if these things are realistic for student government to do but they’re things that I would like to do anyways. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Common Application Essays 2024-2025 (With Examples)

The Common App essay is one of the most important parts of your application, but it can be extremely daunting if you’re not familiar with creative writing or what admissions officers are looking for.

In this blog post, we’ll provide advice on how to break down these prompts, organize your thoughts, and craft a strong, meaningful response that admissions officers will notice. If you’d like more free personalized help, you can get your essays reviewed and explore school-by-school essay help on CollegeVine.

Why the Common App Essay Matters

Admissions is a human process. While admissions committees look at grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, there are five students that have great qualifications in those areas for every spot in a university’s class. As an applicant, you need an admissions counselor to choose you over everyone else — to advocate specifically for you.

This is where essays come in; they are an opportunity for you to turn an admissions counselor into an advocate for your application! Of your essays, the Common App is the most important since it is seen by most of the colleges to which you apply. It is also your longest essay, which gives you more space to craft a narrative and share your personality, feelings, and perspective.

It’s not hyperbole to say that getting the Common App essay right is the single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of admission as a senior.

Overview of the Common App

The Common App essay is the best way for admissions committees to get to know you. While SAT scores, your past course load, and your grades provide a quantitative picture of you as a student, the Common App essay offers adcoms a refreshing glimpse into your identity and personality. For this reason, try to treat the essay as an opportunity to tell colleges why you are unique and what matters to you.

Since your Common App essay will be seen by numerous colleges, you will want to paint a portrait of yourself that is accessible to a breadth of institutions and admissions officers (for example, if you are only applying to engineering programs at some schools, don’t focus your Common App on STEM at the expense of your other applications — save that for your supplemental essays).

In short, be open and willing to write about a topic you love, whether it is sports, music, politics, food, or watching movies. The Common App essay is more of a conversation than a job interview.

What Makes a Great Common App Essay?

A great Common App essay is, first and foremost, deeply personal. You are relying on the admissions committee to choose you over someone else, which they are more likely to do if they feel a personal connection to you. In your essay, you should delve into your feelings, how you think about situations/problems, and how you make decisions.

Good essays also usually avoid cliche topics . A couple overdone themes include an immigrant’s journey (particularly if you’re Asian American), and a sports accomplishment or injury. It’s not that these topics are bad, but rather that many students write about these subjects, so they don’t stand out as much. Of course, some students are able to write a genuine and unique essay about one of these topics, but it’s hard to pull off. You’re better off writing about more nuanced aspects of your identity!

You should also, of course, pay close attention to your grammar and spelling, use varied sentence structure and word choice, and be consistent with your tone/writing style. Take full advantage of the available 650 words, as writing less tends to mean missed opportunities.

Finally, it’s a good practice to be aware of your audience – know who you are writing for! For example, admissions officers at BYU will probably be very religious, while those at Oberlin will be deeply committed to social justice.

See some examples of great Common App essays to get a better idea of what makes a strong essay.

How your Common App Essay Fits with Your Other Essays

The Common App is one part of a portfolio of essays that you send to colleges, along with supplemental essays at individual colleges. With all of your essays for a particular college, you want to create a narrative and tell different parts of your story. So, the topics you write about should be cohesive and complementary, but not repetitive or overlapping.

Before jumping in to write your Common App essay, you should think about the other schools that you’re writing essays for and make sure that you have a strategy for your entire portfolio of essays and cover different topics for each. If you have strong qualifications on paper for the colleges you are targeting, the best narratives tend to humanize you. If you have weaker qualifications on paper for your colleges, the best narratives tend to draw out your passion for the topics or fields of study that are of interest to you and magnify your accomplishments.

Strategy for Writing the Common App Essays

Because the Common App essay is 650 words long and has few formal directions, organizing a response might seem daunting. Fortunately, at CollegeVine, we’ve developed a straightforward approach to formulating strong, unique responses.

This section outlines how to: 1) Brainstorm , 2) Organize , and 3) Write a Common App essay.

Before reading the prompts, brainstorming is a critical exercise to develop high-level ideas. One way to construct a high-level idea would be to delve into a passion and focus on how you interact with the concept or activity. For example, using “creative writing” as a high-level idea, one could stress their love of world-building, conveying complex emotions, and depicting character interactions, emphasizing how writing stems from real-life experiences.

A different idea that doesn’t involve an activity would be to discuss how your personality has developed in relation to your family; maybe one sibling is hot-headed, the other quiet, and you’re in the middle as the voice of reason (or maybe you’re the hot-head). These are simply two examples of infinitely many ideas you could come up with.

To begin developing your own high-level ideas, you can address these Core Four questions that all good Common App essays should answer:

“Who Am I?”
“Why Am I Here?”
“What is Unique About Me?”
“What Matters to Me?”

The first question focuses on your personality traits — who you are. The second question targets your progression throughout high school (an arc or journey). The third question is more difficult to grasp, but it involves showing why your personality traits, methods of thinking, areas of interest, and tangible skills form a unique combination. The fourth question is a concluding point that can be answered simply, normally in the conclusion paragraph, i.e., “Running matters to me” or “Ethical fashion matters to me.”

You can brainstorm freeform or start with a specific prompt in mind.

Sometimes, it can be helpful to start by jotting down the 3-5 aspects of your personality or experiences you’ve had on a piece of paper. Play around with narratives that are constructed out of different combinations of these essential attributes before settling on a prompt.

For example, you might note that you are fascinated by environmental justice, have had success in Model Congress, and are now working with a local politician to create a recycling program in your school district. You may also have tried previous initiatives that failed. These experiences could be constructed and applied to a number of Common App prompts. You could address a specific identity or interest you have associated with public advocacy, discuss what you learned from your failed initiatives, explore how you challenged the lack of recycling at your school, fantasize about solving waste management issues, etc.

Selecting a prompt that you identify with

For example, consider the following prompt: 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?

Perhaps you had been a dedicated and active member of your school’s debate team until one of your parents lost their jobs, leaving you unable to afford the high membership and travel dues. You decided to help out by getting a job after school, and responded to your familial hardship with grace and understanding (as opposed to anger). A few months later, and after speaking with your former debate coach and your parents, you set up a system to save up for your own trips so that you could still participate in debate!

In general, the most common mistake CollegeVine sees with Common App essays is that they aren’t deeply personal. Your essay should be specific enough that it could be identified as yours even if your name wasn’t attached.

If you get stuck, don’t worry! This is very common as the Common App is often the first personal essay college applicants have ever written. One way of getting unstuck if you feel like you aren’t getting creative or personal enough is to keep asking yourself “why”

For example: I love basketball…

Because I like having to think on the fly and be creative while running our offense.

It can often help to work with someone and bounce ideas off them. Teachers are often a bad idea – they tend to think of essays in an academic sense, which is to say they often fail to apply the admissions context. Further, it is unlikely that they know you well enough to provide valuable insight. Friends in your own year can be a good idea because they know you, but you should be careful about competitive pressures applying within the same high school. Older friends, siblings, or neighbors who have successfully navigated the admissions process at your target universities (or good universities) strike that medium between no longer being competitive with you for admissions but still being able to help you brainstorm well because they know you.

Overall, there is no single “correct” topic. Your essay will be strong as long as you are comfortable and passionate about your idea and it answers the Core Four questions.

Common App essays are not traditional five-paragraph essays. You are free to be creative in structure, employ dialogue, and use vivid descriptions—and you should! Make sure that context and logic are inherent in your essay, however. From paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, your ideas should be clear and flow naturally. Great ways to ensure this are using a story arc following a few major points, or focusing on cause and effect.

The traditional approach

This involves constructing a narrative out of your experiences and writing a classic personal essay. You are free to be creative in structure, employ dialogue, and use vivid descriptions—and you should! Make sure that context and logic are inherent in your essay, however. From paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, your ideas should be clear and flow naturally. Great ways to ensure this are using a story arc following a few major points, or focusing on cause and effect.

The creative approach

Some students prefer to experiment with an entirely new approach to the personal essay. For example, a student who is passionate about programming could write their essay in alternating lines of Binary and English. A hopeful Literature major could reimagine a moment in their life as a chapter of War and Peace, adopting Tolstoy’s writing style. Or, you could write about a fight with your friend in the form of a third person sports recap to both highlight your interest in journalism and reveal a personal story. Creative essays are incredibly risky and difficult to pull off. However, a creative essay that is well executed may also have the potential for high reward.

Your Common App essay must display excellent writing in terms of grammar and sentence structure. The essay doesn’t need to be a Shakespearean masterpiece, but it should be well-written and clear.

A few tips to accomplish this are:

Show, don’t tell
Be specific
Choose active voice, not passive voice
Avoid clichés
Write in a tone that aligns with your goals for the essay. For example, if you are a heavy STEM applicant hoping to use your Common App essay to humanize your application, you will be undermined by writing in a brusque, harsh tone.

“Show, don’t tell” is vital to writing an engaging essay, and this is the point students struggle with most. Instead of saying, “I struggled to make friends when I transferred schools,” you can show your emotions by writing, “I scanned the bustling school cafeteria, feeling more and more forlorn with each unfamiliar face. I found an empty table and ate my lunch alone.”

In many cases, writing can include more specific word choice . For example, “As a kid, I always played basketball,” can be improved to be “Every day after school as a kid, I ran home, laced up my sneakers, and shot a basketball in my driveway until the sun went down and I could barely see.”

To use active voice over passive voice , be sure that your sentence’s subject performs the action indicated by the verb, rather than the action performing onto the subject. Instead of writing “this project was built by my own hands,” you would say “I built this project with my own hands.”

Finally, avoid clichés like adages, sayings, and quotes that do not bring value to your essay. Examples include phrases like “Be the change you wish to see in the world” (it’s also important to know that sayings like these are often seriously misquoted—Gandhi did not actually utter these words) and lavish claims like “it was the greatest experience of my life.”

A few tips for the writing (and re-writing!) process

If you have enough time, write a 950 word version of your personal statement first and then cut it down to the official word limit of 650. In many cases, the extra writing you do for this draft will contain compelling content. Using this, you can carve out the various sections and information that allow you to tell your story best.
Revise your draft 3-5 times. Any more, you are probably overthinking and overanalyzing. Any less, you are not putting in the work necessary to optimize your Common App essay.
It can be easy for you to get lost in your words after reading and rereading, writing and rewriting. It is best to have someone else do your final proofread to help you identify typos or sentences that are unclear.

Deciding on a Prompt

This section provides insights and examples for each of the 7 Common App essay prompts for the 2024-2025 cycle. Each of these prompts lends itself to distinct topics and strategies, so selecting the prompt that best aligns with your idea is essential to writing an effective Common App essay.

Here are this year’s prompts (click the link to jump to the specific prompt):

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..

This prompt offers an opportunity to engage with your favorite extracurricular or academic subject, and it allows you to weave a narrative that displays personal growth in that area. An essay that displays your personality and a unique interest can be attention-grabbing, particularly if you have an unconventional passion, such as blogging about Chinese basketball or unicycling.

Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t have a passion that is immediately “unique,” however. Even an interest like “arctic scuba diving” will fail as an essay topic if it’s not written with insight and personality. Instead of attempting to impress the Admissions Officer by making up unusual or shocking things, think about how you spend your free time and ask yourself why you spend it that way. Also think about your upbringing, identity, and experiences and ask yourself, “What has impacted me in a meaningful way?”

Here Are A Few Response Examples:

Background – A person’s background includes experiences, training, education, and culture. You can discuss the experience of growing up, interacting with family, and how relationships have molded who you are. A background can include long-term interactions with arts, music, sciences, sports, writing, and many other learned skills. Background also includes your social environments and how they’ve influenced your perception. In addition, you can highlight intersections between multiple backgrounds and show how each is integral to you.

One student wrote about how growing up in a poor Vietnamese immigrant family inspired her to seize big opportunities, even if they were risky or challenging. She describes the emotional demand of opening and running a family grocery store. (Note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of the author and subjects in all the examples.)

The callouses on my mother’s hands formed during the years spent scaling fish at the market in Go Noi, Vietnam. My mother never finished her formal education because she labored on the streets to help six others survive. Her calloused hands not only scaled fish, they also slaved over the stove, mustering a meal from the few items in the pantry. This image resurfaces as I watch my mother’s calloused hands wipe her sweat-beaded forehead while she manages the family business, compiling resources to provide for the family.

Living in an impoverished region of Vietnam pushed my parents to emigrate. My two year-old memory fails me, but my mother vividly recounts my frightened eyes staring up at her on my first plane ride. With life packed into a single suitcase, my mother’s heart, though, trembled more than mine. Knowing only a few words of English, my mother embarked on a journey shrouded in a haze of uncertainty.

Our initial year in America bore an uncanny resemblance to Vietnam – from making one meal last the entire day to wearing the same four shirts over and over again. Through thin walls, I heard my parents debating their decision to come to the United States, a land where they knew no one. My grandparents’ support came in half-hearted whispers cracking through long-distance phone calls. My dad’s scanty income barely kept food on the table. We lived on soup and rice for what seemed an interminable time.

However, an opportunity knocked on my parents’ door: a grocery store in the town of Decatur, Mississippi, was up for rent. My parents took the chance, risking all of their savings. To help my parents, I spent most of my adolescent afternoons stocking shelves, mopping floors, and even translating. My parents’ voices wavered when speaking English; through every attempt to communicate with their customers, a language barrier forged a palpable presence in each transaction. My parents’ spirits faltered as customers grew impatient. A life of poverty awaited us in Vietnam if the business was not successful.

On the first day, the business brought in only twenty dollars. Twenty dollars. My mother and my father wept after they closed the shop. Seeing the business as a failure, my mom commenced her packing that night; returning to Vietnam seemed inevitable.

The next business day, however, sales increased ten-fold. More and more customers came each successive day. My mom’s tears turned into—well, more tears, but they were tears of joy. My mother unpacked a bag each night.

Fifteen years later, my parents now own Blue Bear Grocery. My parents work, work, work to keep the shelves stocked and the customers coming. The grocery store holds a special place in my heart: it is the catalyst for my success. My parents serve as my role-models, teaching me a new lesson with every can placed on the shelf. One lesson that resurfaces is the importance of pursuing a formal education, something that my parents never had the chance of.

When the opportunity to attend the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) presented itself, I took it and ran, as did my parents by leaving Vietnam and by buying the store. Although I am not managing hundreds of products, I am managing hundreds of assignments at MSMS – from Mu Alpha Theta tutoring to lab reports to student government to British literature.

Had I not immigrated, my hands would be calloused from the tight grip of the knife scaling fish rather than from the tight grip on my pencil. My hands would be calloused from scrubbing my clothes covered in fish scales rather than from long hours spent typing a research paper.

Although the opportunities that my parents and I pursued are different, our journey is essentially the same: we walk a road paved with uncertainty and doubt with the prospect of success fortified by our hearts and our hands.

Identity – this can mean racial identity, sexual orientation, gender, or simply one’s place within a specific community (even communities as unique as, say, players of World of Warcraft). With the topic of racial identity, it’s important to remember the audience (college admissions counselors often lean progressive politically), so this might not be the best place to make sweeping claims about today’s state of race relations. However, reflecting on how your culture has shaped your experiences can make for a compelling essay. Alternatively, focusing on a dominant personality trait can also make for a compelling theme. For example, if you’re extremely outgoing, you could explain how your adventurousness has allowed you to learn from a diverse group of friends and the random situations you find yourself in. One important thing to note: the topic of identity can easily lack originality if you cover a common experience such as feeling divided between cultures, or coming out. If such experiences are integral to who you are, you should still write about them, but be sure to show us your unique introspection and reflection.

One student detailed how growing up as an American in Germany led to feelings of displacement. Moving to America in high school only exacerbated her feelings of rootlessness. Her transcultural experiences, however, allowed her to relate to other “New Americans,” particularly refugees. Helping a young refugee girl settle into the US eventually helped the writer find home in America as well:

Growing up, I always wanted to eat, play, visit, watch, and be it all: sloppy joes and spaetzle, Beanie Babies and Steiff, Cape Cod and the Baltic Sea, football and fussball, American and German.

My American parents relocated our young family to Berlin when I was three years old. My exposure to America was limited to holidays spent stateside and awfully dubbed Disney Channel broadcasts. As the few memories I had of living in the US faded, my affinity for Germany grew. I began to identify as “Germerican,” an ideal marriage of the two cultures. As a child, I viewed my biculturalism as a blessing. I possessed a native fluency in “Denglisch” and my family’s Halloween parties were legendary at a time when the holiday was just starting to gain popularity outside of the American Sector.

Insidiously, the magic I once felt in loving two homes was replaced by a deeprooted sense of rootlessness. I stopped feeling American when, while discussing World War II with my grandmother, I said “the US won.” She corrected me, insisting I use “we” when referring to the US’s actions. Before then, I hadn’t realized how directly people associated themselves with their countries. I stopped feeling German during the World Cup when my friends labeled me a “bandwagon fan” for rooting for Germany. Until that moment, my cheers had felt sincere. I wasn’t part of the “we” who won World Wars or World Cups. Caught in a twilight of foreign and familiar, I felt emotionally and psychologically disconnected from the two cultures most familiar to me.

After moving from Berlin to New York state at age fifteen, my feelings of cultural homelessness thrived in my new environment. Looking and sounding American furthered my feelings of dislocation. Border patrol agents, teachers, classmates, neighbors, and relatives all “welcomed me home” to a land they could not understand was foreign to me. Americans confused me as I relied on Urban Dictionary to understand my peers, the Pledge of Allegiance seemed nationalistic, and the only thing familiar about Fahrenheit was the German after whom it was named. Too German for America and too American for Germany, I felt alienated from both. I wanted desperately to be a member of one, if not both, cultures.

During my first weeks in Buffalo, I spent my free time googling “Berlin Family Seeks Teen” and “New Americans in Buffalo.” The latter search proved most fruitful: I discovered New Hope, a nonprofit that empowers resettled refugees, or “New Americans,” to thrive. I started volunteering with New Hope’s children’s programs, playing with and tutoring young refugees.

It was there that I met Leila, a twelve-year-old Iraqi girl who lived next to Hopeprint. In between games and snacks, Leila would ask me questions about American life, touching on everything from Halloween to President Obama. Gradually, my confidence in my American identity grew as I recognized my ability to answer most of her questions. American culture was no longer completely foreign to me. I found myself especially qualified to work with young refugees; my experience growing up in a country other than that of my parents’ was similar enough to that of the refugee children New Hope served that I could empathize with them and offer advice. Together, we worked through conflicting allegiances, homesickness, and stretched belonging.

Forging a special, personal bond with young refugees proved a cathartic outlet for my insecurities as it taught me to value my past. My transculturalism allowed me to help young refugees integrate into American life, and, in doing so, I was able to adjust myself. Now, I have an appreciation of myself that I never felt before. “Home” isn’t the digits in a passport or ZIP code but a sense of contentedness. By helping a young refugee find comfort, happiness, and home in America, I was finally able to find those same things for myself.

The above essay was written by Lydia Schooler, a graduate of Yale University and one of our CollegeVine advisors. If you enjoyed this essay and are looking for expert college essay and admissions advice, consider booking a session with Lydia .

Interests – Interest are basically synonymous to activities, but slightly broader (you could say that interests encompass activities); participation in an interest is often less organized than in an activity. For instance, you might consider cross country an activity, but cooking an interest. Writing about an interest is a way to highlight passions that may not come across in the rest of your application. If you’re a wrestler for example, writing about your interest in stand-up comedy would be a refreshing addition to your application. You should also feel free to use this topic to show what an important activity on your application really means to you. Keep in mind, however, that many schools will ask you to describe one of your activities in their supplemental essays (usually about 250 words), so choose strategically—you don’t want to write twice on the same thing.

Read a successful essay answering this prompt.

This prompt lends itself to consideration of what facets of your personality allow you to overcome adversity. While it’s okay to choose a relatively mundane “failure” such as not winning an award at a Model UN conference, another (perhaps more powerful) tactic is to write about a foundational failure and assess its impact on your development thereafter.

There are times in life when your foundation is uprooted. There are times when you experience failure and you want to give up since you don’t see a solution. This essay is about your response when you are destabilized and your actions when you don’t see an immediate answer.

For example, if you lost a friend due to an argument, you can analyze the positions from both sides, evaluate your decisions, and identify why you were wrong. The key is explaining your thought process and growth following the event to highlight how your thinking has changed. Did you ever admit your fault and seek to fix the problem? Have you treated others differently since then? How has the setback changed the way you view arguments and fights now? Framing the prompt in this way allows you to tackle heavier questions about ethics and demonstrate your self-awareness.

If you haven’t experienced a “big” failure, another angle to take would be to discuss smaller, repeated failures that are either linked or similar thematically. For example, if you used to stutter or get nervous in large social groups, you could discuss the steps you took to find a solution. Even if you don’t have a massive foundational challenge to write about, a recurring challenge can translate to a powerful essay topic, especially if the steps you took to overcome this repeated failure help expose your character.

One student described his ignorance of his brother’s challenges — the writer assumed that because his brother Sam was sociable, Sam was adjusting fine to their family’s move. After an angry outburst from Sam and a long late-night conversation, the writer realizes his need to develop greater sensitivity and empathy. He now strives to recognize and understand others’ struggles, even if they’re not immediately apparent.

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

When my parents learned about The Green Academy, we hoped it would be an opportunity for me to find not only an academically challenging environment, but also – perhaps more importantly – a community. This meant transferring the family from Drumfield to Kingston. And while there was concern about Max, we all believed that given his sociable nature, moving would be far less impactful on him than staying put might be on me.

As it turned out, Green Academy was everything I’d hoped for. I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time – and a massive argument – to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it.

Through my own journey of searching for academic peers, in addition to coming out as gay when I was 12, I had developed deep empathy for those who had trouble fitting in. It was a pain I knew well and could easily relate to. Yet after Max’s outburst, my first response was to protest that our parents – not I – had chosen to move us here. In my heart, though, I knew that regardless of who had made the decision, we ended up in Kingston for my benefit. I was ashamed that, while I saw myself as genuinely compassionate, I had been oblivious to the heartache of the person closest to me. I could no longer ignore it – and I didn’t want to.

We stayed up half the night talking, and the conversation took an unexpected turn. Max opened up and shared that it wasn’t just about the move. He told me how challenging school had always been for him, due to his dyslexia, and that the ever-present comparison to me had only deepened his pain.

We had been in parallel battles the whole time and, yet, I only saw that Max was in distress once he experienced problems with which I directly identified. I’d long thought Max had it so easy – all because he had friends. The truth was, he didn’t need to experience my personal brand of sorrow in order for me to relate – he had felt plenty of his own.

My failure to recognize Max’s suffering brought home for me the profound universality and diversity of personal struggle; everyone has insecurities, everyone has woes, and everyone – most certainly – has pain. I am acutely grateful for the conversations he and I shared around all of this, because I believe our relationship has been fundamentally strengthened by a deeper understanding of one another. Further, this experience has reinforced the value of constantly striving for deeper sensitivity to the hidden struggles of those around me. I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story.

This prompt is difficult to answer because most high schoolers haven’t participated in the types of iconoclastic protests against societal ills that lend themselves to an awe-inspiring response. A more tenable alternative here could be to discuss a time that you went against social norms, whether it was by becoming friends with someone who seemed like an outcast or by proudly showing off a geeky passion.

And if you ever participated in a situation in tandem with adults and found some success (i.e., by blogging, starting a tutoring organization, or participating in political campaigns), you could discuss your experiences as a young person without a college degree in professional circles. However, avoid sounding morally superior (as if you’re the only person who went against this convention, or that you’re better than your peers for doing so).

Another way to answer this prompt is to discuss a time when you noticed a need for change. For example, if you wondered why medical records are often handwritten, or why a doctor’s visit can be long and awkward, maybe you challenged the norm in healthcare by brainstorming an electronic-recording smartphone app or a telemedicine system. In a similar way, if you led a fundraiser and recognized that advertising on social media would be more effective than the traditional use of printed flyers, you could write about a topic along those lines as well. Focus on what action or experience caused you to recognize the need for change and follow with your actions and resulting outcome.

As a whole, this prompt lends itself to reflective writing, and more specifically, talking the reader through your thought processes. In many cases, the exploration of your thought processes and decision-making is more important than the actual outcome or concept in question. In short, this essay is very much about “thinking,” rumination, and inquisition. A good brainstorming exercise for this prompt would be to write your problem on a sheet of paper and then develop various solutions to the problem, including a brief reason for justification. The more thorough you are in justifying and explaining your solutions in the essay, the more compelling your response will be.

While this prompt may seem to be asking a simple question, your answer has the potential to provide deep insights about who you are to the admissions committee. Explaining what you are grateful for can show them your culture, your community, your philosophical outlook on the world, and what makes you tick.

The first step to writing this essay is to think about the “something” and “someone” of your story. It is imperative to talk about a unique moment in your life, as the prompt asks for gratitude that came about in a surprising way. You will want to write about a story that you are certain no one else would have. To brainstorm, ask yourself: “if I told a stranger that I was grateful for what happened to me without any context, would they be surprised?”

Note that the most common answers to this prompt involve a family member, teacher, or sports coach giving the narrator an arduous task ─ which, by the end of the story, the narrator becomes grateful for because of the lessons they learned through their hard work. Try to avoid writing an essay along these lines unless you feel that your take on it will be truly original.

Begin your essay by telling a creative story about the “something” that your “someone” did that made you thankful. Paint a picture with words here ─ establish who you were in the context of your story and make the character development of your “someone” thorough. Show the admissions committee that you have a clear understanding of yourself and the details of your world.

Keep in mind, however, that the essay is ultimately about you and your growth. While you should set the scene clearly, don’t spend too much time talking about the “something” and “someone.”

Your story should then transition into a part about your unexpected epiphany, e.g. “Six months after Leonard gave me that pogo stick, I started to be grateful for the silly thing…” Explain the why of your gratitude as thoroughly as you can before you begin to talk about how your gratitude affected or motivated you. Have a Socratic seminar with yourself in your head ─ ask yourself, “why am I grateful for the pogo stick?” and continue asking why until you arrive at a philosophical conclusion. Perhaps your reason could be that you eventually got used to the odd looks that people gave you as you were pogoing and gained more self-confidence.

Finally, think about how learning to be grateful for something you would not expect to bring you joy and thankfulness has had a positive impact on your life. Gaining more self-confidence, for example, could motivate you to do an infinite number of things that you were not able to attempt in the past. Try to make a conclusion by connecting this part to your story from the beginning of the essay. You want to ultimately show that had [reference to a snippet of your introduction, ideally an absurd part] never have happened, you would not be who you are today.

Remember to express these lessons implicitly through the experiences in your essay, and not explicitly. Show us your growth through the changes in your life rather than simply stating that you gained confidence. For instance, maybe the pogo stick gift led you to start a pogo dance team at your school, and the team went on to perform at large venues to raise money for charity. But before your pogo days, you had crippling stage fright and hated even giving speeches in your English class. These are the kinds of details that make your essay more engaging.

This prompt is expansive in that you can choose any accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked personal growth or new understanding.

One option is to discuss a formal accomplishment or event (whether it is a religious ritual or social rite of passage) that reflects personal growth. If you go this route, make sure to discuss why the ritual was meaningful and how specific aspects of said ritual contributed to your personal growth. An example of this could be the meaning of becoming an Eagle Scout to you, the accomplishment of being elected to Senior Leadership, or completing a Confirmation. In the case of religious topics, however, be sure to not get carried away with details, and focus on the nature of your personal growth and new understanding — know your audience.

Alternatively, a more relaxed way to address this prompt is using an informal event or realization, which would allow you to show more personality and creativity. An example of this could be learning how to bake with your mother, thus sparking a newfound connection with her, allowing you to learn about her past. Having a long discussion about life or philosophy with your father could also suffice, thus sparking more thoughts about your identity. You could write about a realization that caused you to join a new organization or quit an activity you did not think you would enjoy, as doing so would force you to grow out of your comfort zone to try new things.

The key to answering this prompt is clearly defining what it is that sparked your growth, and then describing in detail the nature of this growth and how it related to your perception of yourself and others. This part of the essay is crucial, as you must dedicate sufficient time to not undersell the description of how you grew instead of simply explaining the experience and then saying, “I grew.” This description of how you grew must be specific, in-depth, and it does not have to be simple. Your growth can also be left open-ended if you are still learning from your experiences today.

One student wrote about how her single mother’s health crisis prompted her to quickly assume greater responsibility as a fourteen-year-old. This essay describes the new tasks she undertook, as well as how the writer now more greatly cherishes her time with her mother.

Tears streamed down my face and my mind was paralyzed with fear. Sirens blared, but the silent panic in my own head was deafening. I was muted by shock. A few hours earlier, I had anticipated a vacation in Washington, D.C., but unexpectedly, I was rushing to the hospital behind an ambulance carrying my mother. As a fourteen-year-old from a single mother household, without a driver’s license, and seven hours from home, I was distraught over the prospect of losing the only parent I had. My fear turned into action as I made some of the bravest decisions of my life.

Three blood transfusions later, my mother’s condition was stable, but we were still states away from home, so I coordinated with my mother’s doctors in North Carolina to schedule the emergency operation that would save her life. Throughout her surgery, I anxiously awaited any word from her surgeon, but each time I asked, I was told that there had been another complication or delay. Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities.

My mother had been a source of strength for me, and now I would be strong for her through her long recovery ahead. As I started high school, everyone thought the crisis was over, but it had really just started to impact my life. My mother was often fatigued, so I assumed more responsibility, juggling family duties, school, athletics, and work. I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover. I didn’t know I was capable of such maturity and resourcefulness until it was called upon. Each day was a stage in my gradual transformation from dependence to relative independence.

Throughout my mother’s health crisis, I matured by learning to put others’ needs before my own. As I worried about my mother’s health, I took nothing for granted, cherished what I had, and used my daily activities as motivation to move forward. I now take ownership over small decisions such as scheduling daily appointments and managing my time but also over major decisions involving my future, including the college admissions process. Although I have become more independent, my mother and I are inseparably close, and the realization that I almost lost her affects me daily. Each morning, I wake up ten minutes early simply to eat breakfast with my mother and spend time with her before our busy days begin. I am aware of how quickly life can change. My mother remains a guiding force in my life, but the feeling of empowerment I discovered within myself is the ultimate form of my independence. Though I thought the summer before my freshman year would be a transition from middle school to high school, it was a transformation from childhood to adulthood.

This prompt allows you to expand and deepen a seemingly small or simple idea, topic, or concept. One example could be “stars,” in that you could describe stargazing as a child, counting them, recognizing constellations, and then transforming that initial captivation into a deeper appreciation of the cosmos as a whole, spurring a love of astronomy and physics.

Another example could be “language,” discussing how it has evolved and changed over the course of history, how it allows you to look deeper into different cultures, and how learning different languages stretches the mind. A tip for expanding on these topics and achieving specificity is to select particular details of the topic that you find intriguing and explain why.

For example, if you’re passionate about cooking or baking, you could use specific details by explaining, in depth, the intricate attention and artistry necessary to make a dish or dessert. You can delve into why certain spices or garnishes are superior in different situations, how flavors blend well together and can be mixed creatively, or even the chemistry differences between steaming, searing, and grilling.

Regardless of your topic, this prompt provides a great opportunity to display writing prowess through elegant, specific descriptions that leverage sensory details. Describing the beauty of the night sky, the rhythms and sounds of different languages, or the scent of a crème brûlée shows passion and captivation in a very direct, evocative way.

The key to writing this essay is answering the question of why something captivates you instead of simply ending with “I love surfing.” A tip would be to play off your senses (for applicable topics), think about what you see, feel, smell, hear, and taste.

In the case of surfing, the salty water, weightlessness of bobbing over the waves, and fresh air could cater to senses. Alternatively, for less physical topics, you can use a train of thought and descriptions to show how deeply and vividly your mind dwells on the topic.

Well-executed trains of thought or similar tactics are successful ways to convey passion for a certain topic. To answer what or who you turn to when you want to learn more, you can be authentic and honest—if it’s Wikipedia, a teacher, friend, YouTube Channel, etc., you simply have to show how you interact with the medium.

When brainstorming this particular essay, a tip would be to use a web diagram, placing the topic in the middle and thinking about branching characteristics, themes, or concepts related to the topic that are directly engaging and captivating to you. In doing so, you’ll be able to gauge the depth of the topic and whether it will suffice for this prompt.

In the following example, a student shares their journey as they learn to appreciate a piece of their culture’s cuisine.

As a wide-eyed, naive seven-year-old, I watched my grandmother’s rough, wrinkled hands pull and knead mercilessly at white dough until the countertop was dusted in flour. She steamed small buns in bamboo baskets, and a light sweetness lingered in the air. Although the mantou looked delicious, their papery, flat taste was always an unpleasant surprise. My grandmother scolded me for failing to finish even one, and when I complained about the lack of flavor she would simply say that I would find it as I grew older. How did my adult relatives seem to enjoy this Taiwanese culinary delight while I found it so plain?

During my journey to discover the essence of mantou, I began to see myself the same way I saw the steamed bun. I believed that my writing would never evolve beyond a hobby and that my quiet nature crippled my ambitions. Ultimately, I thought I had little to offer the world. In middle school, it was easy for me to hide behind the large personalities of my friends, blending into the background and keeping my thoughts company. Although writing had become my emotional outlet, no matter how well I wrote essays, poetry, or fiction, I could not stand out in a sea of talented students. When I finally gained the confidence to submit my poetry to literary journals but was promptly rejected, I stepped back from my work to begin reading from Whitman to Dickinson, Li-Young Lee to Ocean Vuong. It was then that I realized I had been holding back a crucial ingredient–my distinct voice.

Over time, my taste buds began to mature, as did I. Mantou can be flavored with pork and eggplant, sweetened in condensed milk, and moistened or dried by the steam’s temperature. After I ate the mantou with each of these factors in mind, I noticed its environment enhanced a delicately woven strand of sweetness beneath the taste of side dishes: the sugar I had often watched my grandmother sift into the flour. The taste was nearly untraceable, but once I grasped it I could truly begin to cherish mantou. In the same way the taste had been lost to me for years, my writer’s voice had struggled to shine through because of my self-doubt and fear of vulnerability.

As I acquired a taste for mantou, I also began to strengthen my voice through my surrounding environment. With the support of my parents, peer poets, and the guidance of Amy Tan and the Brontё sisters, I worked tirelessly to uncover my voice: a subtle strand of sweetness. Once I stopped trying to fit into a publishing material mold and infused my uninhibited passion for my Taiwanese heritage into my writing, my poem was published in a literary journal. I wrote about the blatant racism Asians endured during coronavirus, and the editor of Skipping Stones Magazine was touched by both my poem and my heartfelt letter. I opened up about being ridiculed for bringing Asian food to school at Youth Leadership Forum, providing support to younger Asian-American students who reached out with the relief of finding someone they could relate to. I embraced writing as a way to convey my struggle with cultural identity. I joined the school’s creative writing club and read my pieces in front of an audience, honing my voice into one that flourishes out loud as well.

Now, I write and speak unapologetically, falling in love with a voice that I never knew I had. It inspires passion within my communities and imparts tenacity to Asian-American youth, rooting itself deeply into everything I write. Today, my grandmother would say that I have finally unearthed the taste of mantou as I savor every bite with a newfound appreciation. I can imagine her hands shaping the dough that has become my voice, and I am eager to share it with the world.

Your GPA and SAT don’t tell the full admissions story

We’ll let you know what your chances are at your dream schools!

This prompt allows you to express what you want to express if it doesn’t align directly with the other prompts. While this prompt is very open-ended, it doesn’t mean you can adapt any essay you’ve written and think it will suffice. Always refer back to the Strategy section of this article and make sure the topic and essay of your choice addresses the Core Four questions necessary for a good Common App essay.

This prompt, more than the others, poses a high risk but also a high-potential reward. Writing your own question allows you to demonstrate individuality and confidence. Here, you can craft an innovative essay that tackles a difficult topic (for example, whether to raise or lower taxes) or presents information with a unique format (such as a conversation with an historical figure).

We encourage you to try something unconventional for this prompt, like comparing your personality to a Picasso painting, using an extended philosophical metaphor to describe your four years of high school, or writing in a poetic style to display your love of poetry. If you are extremely passionate about a topic or an expert in a certain area, for example Renaissance technology or journalism during World War II, you can use this prompt to show your authority on a subject by discussing it at a high level.

Be careful to frame the essay in a way that is accessible to the average reader while still incorporating quality evidence and content that would qualify you as an expert. As always, exercise caution in writing about controversial social or political topics, and always make sure to consider your audience and what they’re looking for in a student.

Sometimes an unconventional essay can capture Admissions Officers’ attention and move them in a profound way; other times, the concept can fly completely over their heads. Be sure to execute the essay clearly and justify your decision by seeking high-quality feedback from reliable sources. As always, the essay should demonstrate something meaningful about you, whether it is your personality, thought process, or values.

Here’s what the experts have to say about this prompt…

This prompt, like the others, is really asking you to tell the story of who you are. Your essay should be personal and should talk about something significant that has shaped your identity.

Here are a few broad themes that can work well: academic interest; culture, values, and diversity; extracurricular interests; and your impact on the community. You should highlight one of these themes using creative, vividly descriptive narrative. Make sure to not fall into the common pitfall of talking about something else -- an extracurricular activity, for example -- more than yourself.

A student I advised had a great idea to respond to this prompt -- an essay about how they do their best thinking while sitting on a tree branch near their home. Not only was it unique and personal, but it allowed the student to show what they think about, dream about, and value. That's the main goal for any applicant responding to prompt 7.

Alex Oddo Advisor on CollegeVine

All of the Common App prompts are broad in scope, but this one really takes the cake! I typically advise using the first six prompts as guardrails for your brainstorm, but in doing so, you may come up with a topic that doesn’t cleanly fit with any of the first six prompts. That’s where this prompt can come in handy.

Or, you might have an idea that’s really out there (like writing about your love of sonnets as a series of sonnets). Essentially, this prompt is a good fit for essays that are anywhere from slightly unconventional to extremely atypical.

If this all feels a bit confusing - don’t worry! How you write your story is much more important than what prompt you end up choosing. At the end of the day, these are just guides to help you cultivate a topic and are not meant to stress you out.

Priya Desai Advisor on CollegeVine

Students who want to complete the CommonApp’s seventh prompt need to have already gone through the other prompts and determined that their story cannot fit with those. Thus, generally speaking, I advise my students to not use the final prompt unless it is absolutely necessary.

If an admission officer believes that your essay could have been used with one of the other prompts, this may lead them to have a perception about you as a student that might not be accurate.

Nevertheless, as my colleagues have pointed out, what matters is the essay the most and not necessarily the prompt. That being said, the test of whether or not you as a student can follow directions is part of the prompt selection and how well you answer it. If you choose the final prompt and yet your answer could work with another available prompt, this will not put you in your best light.

In conclusion, only use this prompt when absolutely necessary, and remember that the purpose of the personal statement is to give the admissions officers a glimpse into who you are as a person, so you want to use this space to showcase beautiful you.

Veronica Prout Advisor on CollegeVine

Where to get your common app essay edited.

At selective schools, your essays account for around 25% of your admissions decision. That’s more than grades (20%) and test scores (15%), and almost as much as extracurriculars (30%). Why is this? Most students applying to top schools will have stellar academics and extracurriculars. Your essays are your chance to stand out and humanize your application. That’s why it’s vital that your essays are engaging, and present you as someone who would enrich the campus community.

Before submitting your application, you should have someone else review your essays. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Essay Samples on Government

The subject of government is often approached by college students majoring in Law and Political Sciences. At the same time, when you check various government essay examples, you will instantly notice that journalists, psychologists, historians, and even healthcare majors often have to deal with governmental processes and related studies. The complex part of such essays is a necessity of prior exploration and analysis of the information that you have. Remember that the federal laws differ between the states, which is an important point to consider. As you work on your sources, always take notes and write down important names and the laws to provide your readers with at least one piece of evidence per claim. It will help you to keep your writing focused and precise. Successful government essays must operate with the facts and sum things up again in the conclusion part regardless of your essay type. The only difference is posed by the governmental case study writing. The structure requires an introduction part where you explain the problem or an issue researched, three to five body paragraphs that provide analysis, and the conclusion part that should be like an executive summary where you list and explain your findings.

Importance of Entrepreneurship: Economic Growth and Societal Transformation

Importance of entrepreneurship transcends its role as a mere business activity; it stands as a driving force behind innovation, economic growth, and societal transformation. Entrepreneurship fosters the creation of new products, services, and industries, while also generating employment opportunities and catalyzing economic development. This essay...

Economic Growth
Entrepreneurship

Escalating Water Crisis: Scarcity, Sustainability, and Global Collaboration

The global water crisis is an urgent and complex issue that threatens the well-being of humanity and the health of our planet. This essay delves into the multifaceted dimensions of the water crisis, investigating its causes, the wide-ranging impacts it generates, and the imperative of...

Rohingya Crisis: A Call for International Action

The Rohingya crisis is a deeply distressing and ongoing humanitarian catastrophe that demands global attention and immediate action. This essay delves into the complexities of the Rohingya crisis, examining its historical context, the harrowing consequences faced by the Rohingya people, the role of international actors,...

Unmasking the Opioid Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Paths to Recovery

The opioid crisis is a harrowing and multifaceted public health emergency that has left a profound impact on communities worldwide. This essay delves into the intricate layers of the opioid crisis, exploring its origins, the devastating consequences it has wrought, and the potential pathways towards...

Navigating the Housing Crisis: Challenges and Implications

The housing crisis is a pressing issue that reverberates across the globe, impacting individuals, families, and communities. This essay delves into the complexities surrounding the housing crisis, investigating its root causes, the far-reaching consequences, and the potential strategies to alleviate the challenges and ensure access...

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

100% unique papers
3 hrs deadline option

Government Surveillance in George Orwell's "1984": The Illusion of Security

George Orwell's novel "1984" serves as a haunting portrayal of a dystopian society dominated by government surveillance and control. The government's use of surveillance technologies to monitor and manipulate citizens is presented as a mechanism for maintaining power and suppressing dissent. In this essay, we...

Government Surveillance

The 2008 Financial Crisis: the Causes and Unraveling the Effects

The financial crisis of 2008 remains etched in history as a watershed moment that shook the global economy to its core. Its causes were intricate, and its effects, profound. This essay embarks on a journey to dissect the intricate web of causation behind the financial...

Financial Crisis

Unraveling the Ukraine Crisis: Geopolitical Tensions and Regional Dynamics

The Ukraine crisis of recent years has captivated the world's attention, bringing to the forefront complex geopolitical issues, regional dynamics, and the quest for stability. This essay delves into the multifaceted layers of the Ukraine crisis, exploring its historical context, the role of major global...

Addressing the Rape Crisis: Advocacy, Awareness, and Empowerment

The issue of sexual violence and rape is a grave societal concern that demands urgent attention. This essay delves into the complexities surrounding the rape crisis, exploring its root causes, the impact on survivors and society, and the crucial role of advocacy, awareness, and empowerment...

Unveiling the Dynamics of Economic Crises

Economic crises are recurrent phenomena that have the power to disrupt entire economies, destabilize financial systems, and affect the lives of millions. This essay delves into the multifaceted aspects of economic crises, exploring the root causes, their far-reaching impacts, and the strategies that governments, institutions,...

Effective Dispute Resolution and Crisis Management

In the realm of complex human interactions, conflicts and crises are inevitable. Dispute resolution and crisis management play crucial roles in maintaining stability, fostering collaboration, and preventing situations from spiraling out of control. This essay delves into the strategies and principles that underpin effective dispute...

The Cuban Missile Crisis: Lessons in Diplomacy and Deterrence

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 stands as one of the most intense and dangerous episodes of the Cold War era. This essay delves into the multifaceted aspects of the crisis, exploring the causes, the decisions made by key players, and the lessons that have...

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Impact and Lessons of the 2008 Financial Crisis

The 2008 financial crisis stands as one of the most significant and disruptive events in modern economic history. Its reverberations were felt globally, causing widespread economic turmoil and prompting critical evaluations of financial systems. This essay delves into the causes and consequences of the crisis,...

What is Patriotism: Exploring the Essence of Love for One's Country

Patriotism, a sentiment deeply ingrained in the human spirit, is often described as the love, loyalty, and devotion one feels towards their homeland. It is an emotion that transcends geographical boundaries, uniting individuals under the banner of shared identity and pride. Patriotism has been the...

Citizenship

The Cold War: A Comprehensive Examination (DBQ)

The Cold War, a geopolitical and ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, left an indelible mark on the 20th century. This essay employs a Document-Based Question (DBQ) approach to delve into the multifaceted aspects of the Cold War, analyzing its origins,...

International Politics

Ronald Reagan and the Cold War: A Transformational Era

Amidst the intense geopolitical rivalry of the 20th century, ronald reagan cold war emerged as a central figure whose strategic policies and leadership greatly influenced the course of the Cold War. As the 40th President of the United States, Reagan played a pivotal role in...

Ronald Reagan

NATO, the Cold War, and Civil Rights: Struggles and Achievements

NATO, the Cold War, and civil rights are three interconnected threads that defined the latter half of the 20th century. This essay delves into the complex interplay between these forces, exploring how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) influenced the global landscape during the Cold...

Civil Rights

NATO in the Cold War: Unity, Security, and Strategic Alliance

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emerged as a central pillar of stability and cooperation during the tumultuous era of the Cold War. As a military and political alliance formed in the aftermath of World War II, NATO played a crucial role in shaping the...

Why the Tuskegee Study was Unethical: A Dark Chapter in Medical History

"Why the Tuskegee Study Was Unethical" is a question that delves into one of the most infamous and morally reprehensible experiments in medical history. The Tuskegee Study, officially known as the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male," was a research project conducted...

Tuskegee Airmen

Why Prisoners Should Be Allowed to Vote: a Debate

The question of whether prisoners should be allowed to vote is a contentious issue that touches upon principles of democracy, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. The denial of voting rights to prisoners raises ethical and legal concerns about disenfranchisement and the potential impact on both the...

Why Is the Second Amendment Important: Examining the Right to Bear Arms

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, often a topic of intense debate, holds a pivotal place in American history and culture. Enshrined within the Bill of Rights, this amendment protects the right of citizens to bear arms. This essay delves into the reasons...

Gun Control
Second Amendment

Why Do We Celebrate Veterans Day: Honoring Those Who Serve

Why do we celebrate Veterans Day? Veterans Day, observed on November 11th each year, is a significant holiday in the United States that honors the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces. This day holds deep meaning and serves as a...

Why Assault Weapons Should Be Banned

Assault weapons have become a topic of intense debate in recent years due to their potential for mass destruction and the devastating impact they can have on communities. This essay delves into the pressing issue of why assault weapons should be banned, considering their lethal...

Who Was the Best US President: Assessing the Legacy of the American Presidents

The question of who was the best US president is a subject of spirited debate and reflection. The history of the United States is marked by a lineage of leaders who have left lasting impacts on the nation and the world. This essay examines the...

President of The United States

What Are Our Modern Day Patriots

Who are our modern day patriots? This question invites us to recognize the individuals whose actions, values, and commitments contribute to the betterment of society. While historical figures like the Founding Fathers continue to be celebrated, it is essential to acknowledge that modern patriots also...

Was the Reign of Terror Justified: An Examination

The Reign of Terror, a tumultuous period during the French Revolution, has been a subject of historical debate for centuries. Marked by widespread political violence, executions, and radical measures, this era prompts the question of whether the Reign of Terror can be deemed justified. This...

American History
Reign of Terror

Was Andrew Jackson a Good President for the US

Was Andrew Jackson a good president? Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, is a controversial figure in American history. His presidency, marked by significant achievements and divisive policies, prompts the question of whether he can be considered a good president. This essay...

Andrew Jackson

Understanding Why Do We Need a Government

The question of why we need a government has been at the heart of political and philosophical debates for centuries. The concept of governance and organized authority plays a crucial role in maintaining order, protecting rights, and promoting the common good within a society. This...

Role of Government

The Role of Media in Democracy: Navigating Information and Accountability

The role of media in democracy is pivotal, serving as a cornerstone of informed citizenship and accountable governance. In democratic societies, media plays a multifaceted role — informing the public, scrutinizing those in power, and fostering open discourse. This essay will delve into the intricate...

Should the Minimum Wage be Raised: Analysis of Arguments

The question of whether the minimum wage should be raised is a topic that ignites passionate discussions about economic fairness, workers' well-being, and business viability. Advocates argue that a higher minimum wage can reduce poverty, improve living standards, and address income inequality. Opponents, on the...

Minimum Wage

Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Vote: An Examination of the Debate

The question of whether prisoners should be allowed to vote has sparked significant debate and controversy in many countries around the world. The issue raises complex ethical, legal, and practical considerations that need to be carefully evaluated. In this essay, we will explore both sides...

Should Police Officers Wear Body Cameras

The question of whether police officers should wear body cameras is a topic that resonates with discussions about accountability, transparency, and the relationship between law enforcement and the community. Advocates argue that body cameras can enhance trust, provide an unbiased record of incidents, and improve...

Body Camera
Police Officer

Police Brutality in the Black Community: Addressing Injustice

The issue of police brutality, particularly within the context of the black community, has ignited passionate debates and prompted urgent calls for reform. The alarming frequency of violent encounters between law enforcement and black individuals has raised concerns about systemic racism, excessive use of force,...

Police Brutality
Racial Profiling

Is the Constitution a Living Document: A Document with Enduring Relevance

The Constitution of a nation serves as its foundational legal framework, shaping the governance and rights of its citizens. One ongoing debate revolves around whether the Constitution should be interpreted as a static document with fixed meanings or as a living document that evolves with...

Constitution

Abigail Adams' Letter to John Adams: A Glimpse into History

Abigail Adams' letter to her husband John Adams is a remarkable piece of historical correspondence that provides valuable insights into the thoughts and perspectives of women during the early years of the United States. Written in 1776, amidst the revolutionary fervor and discussions about the...

Abigail Adams
John Quincy Adams

Why Student Loans Should be Forgiven: A Path to Economic Relief and Opportunity

The burden of student loans has become a pressing issue for countless individuals pursuing higher education. As tuition costs rise and the job market becomes increasingly competitive, many graduates find themselves weighed down by student debt. In this essay, we will explore the reasons why...

Student Loan Debt
Student Loans

Upholding Integrity: Exploring the Importance of Accountability in the Army

Accountability in the army is a cornerstone of discipline, efficiency, and trust within military organizations. Whether on the battlefield or in administrative duties, the concept of accountability is deeply embedded in the ethos of the armed forces. This essay delves into the importance of accountability...

Army Values

Qualities of a Good Police Officer as the Backbone of Community Safety

A good police officer plays a vital role in maintaining law and order, ensuring the safety of the community, and upholding the principles of justice. This essay explores the essential qualities of a good police officer, shedding light on the characteristics that contribute to their...

My Pledge to Our Veterans: Honoring Sacrifice and Service

Our veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation, defending our freedoms, and upholding the values we hold dear. As a citizen, I am deeply grateful for their sacrifices and unwavering commitment. This essay serves as a reflection of my pledge to our veterans,...

Examining the Pros and Cons of Gun Control

The debate surrounding gun control has been a longstanding and contentious issue, with proponents and opponents presenting valid arguments from their respective standpoints. This essay delves into the multifaceted discussion by exploring the pros and cons of gun control policies, shedding light on the complexities...

Gun Violence

Kamala Harris Challenges Florida's Education Changes: A Battle Over History and Truth

Vice President Kamala Harris recently traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to speak out against the state's controversial changes to its African American history curriculum. In a speech at the Ritz Theatre and Museum, Harris criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state Board of Education for...

Kamala Harris

Biden and Longoria: A Heartwarming Friendship in Celebrating Latino Contributions

In June 2023, actress and activist Eva Longoria visited the White House for a meeting with President Joe Biden. Photos from the visit showed Biden warmly embracing Longoria, sparking amused reactions on social media. The image of the 46th President enveloping the petite Desperate Housewives...

Behind Biden's "God Save the Queen" Comment: Innocent Slip or Inappropriate Remark

President Joe Biden recently left some in the audience confused when he concluded a speech on gun control in Connecticut with the phrase "God Save the Queen." The comment came just months after Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022 at the age of...

How President Biden's Joke on State Secrets Sparked Controversy and Criticism

A recent joke made by President Joe Biden about selling state secrets has sparked controversy and accusations from critics. During an event with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Biden quipped "I started off without you, and I sold a lot of state secrets and a...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Controversial Views on Race

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hails from one of the most illustrious political lineages in the annals of American history, yet his personal legacy remains a tapestry of intricacies. As the nephew of the former President, John F. Kennedy, and the son of the ex-Attorney General...

John F. Kennedy
Politicians

What Is the Deep State: Shadowy Influencers or Conspiracy Theory

What is the Deep State? The notion of the "abyssal authority" alludes to a conjectured assemblage of influential and unelected government dignitaries who clandestinely operate to manipulate politics and policy, often to serve their personal interests. Though interpretations may diverge, the abyssal authority is generally...

Conspiracy Theory

Unbreakable Spirit: Challenges and Achievements of Malala Yousafzai

This is a 5-paragraph essay about Malala, where we will briefly explore her extraordinary courage, inspiring advocacy for education, and the global impact of her unwavering determination. Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12th, 1997 in Mingora, which happens to be the largest city in...

Famous Person

He Named Me Malala': Inspiring Hope, Courage, and Education

Malala is a campaigner for girls' education from Pakistan. On the 9th of October Malala was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen because she spoke up for the rights of girls to be educated. Malala survived being shot in the head and is continuing...

Film Analysis
Movie Review

How to Reduce Inflation: the Role of Monetary Policy and Measures

Inflation, the persistent rise in the general price level, poses challenges for individuals, businesses, and economies as a whole. Controlling and reducing inflation is a crucial objective for policymakers seeking to maintain stable economic conditions. There are several ways how to reduce inflation and this...

Monetary Policy

Unraveling Theories of Inflation in Economics and Its Problem Nature

Inflation is the continual rise in prices, this is also known as a monetary problem. There are different monetary policies in order to keep inflation below a certain level one of these consist of inflation targeting which allows banks to keep a good stability on...

Economic Problem

Malala Yousafzai's Speech: Analysis of Its Global Impact on Society

“I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls.” Malala Yousafzai, a woman who was shot in the face by a gunman at just 15 years old. Despite facing immense adversity, including a targeted attack by...

The Problem of Police Brutality and Racism in Britain

Introduction Police racism in Britain dates back notably to April 1981 in the Brixton riots where black men were reportedly being maltreated by police (BBC News,2020). Police racism in Britain is understood to be manifested by police discretion that is inevitable in policing- where police...

Integrity and Service Before Self: the Air Force's Core Values

Integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do are the three pillars of an Air Force airman. Many people embody these values before they know anything about an organization such as the United States Air Force. The civilians who live by the...

United States Army

Analysis of President Barack Obama as a Leader

Successful leaders possess distinct traits and qualities that set them apart. One such leader is Barack Obama, who exemplifies several key leadership characteristics. Inspirational communication, unwavering conviction, and a willingness to take risks are among the qualities that have contributed to Obama's success. Furthermore, Obama's...

Barack Obama

Examining Totalitarianism: Control and Governance Exposed

Theo Finigan starts by establishing an innocent relationship alongside readers in his persuasive argument. He wants to show a writing style that is meant to show credibility toward his readers as well as establish his credentials as an author. He focuses on totalitarianism, which can...

Totalitarianism

Totalitarian Regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union

Introduction This paper talks about the similarities and differences in the totalitarian elements of rule between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Totalitarianism is defined as a form of government in which all societal resources are monopolized by the state to control all aspects of...

Adolf Hitler
Joseph Stalin

Comparing Autocracy, Totalitarianism, and Democracy: Strengths and Weaknesses

Introduction There have been many forms of government, some more popular than others, that have been tried and tested globally throughout history. Winston Churchill, a former British prime minister once said, “… democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms...

Dictatorship

Exploring Perspectives in the Memoir, 'My Father's Daughter'

Introduction In Shelia Fitzpatrick’s memoir ‘My Fathers Daughter’, the subtleties of the Fitzpatrick family dynamics are quite unusual, and throughout the memoir, they strive to be a “normal” family. We learn about these dynamics through the eyes of Fitzpatrick as she takes the reader through...

Public Debt and its Sustainability: Literature Analysis

Introduction The global financial crisis of 2008 triggered a shockwave of sudden awareness amongst all who were able to jump the metaphorical sinking ship in time. Others weren’t as lucky; Lehman Brothers sunk with a bang of almost $US 800billion and shocked the world quite...

Gross Domestic Product
Literature Analysis

Historiographical Discourse Around Marxism and Marx's Ideas

Introduction This essay will discuss a gobbet written by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto in 1848. It is a very short gobbet, but the subject matter is incredibly loaded and the historiographical discourse that surrounds the notion presented by Marx here is very wide....

Historiography

Transitioning to a Cashless Economy: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Ahead

The world is now moving on from Paper Currency based economy to Cashless economy. By embracing Alternate Delivery Channels and other Cashless modes of payment which include old ones like NEFT,RTGS etc. to newer one’s like POS, e-wallets, debit and credit cards, UPI, BHIM etc....

Europe: Navigating Identity through Politics, Culture, and Economy

We can understand the term Europe from many different perspectives. There are four main definitions of Europe: Geographic, Political, Cultural and Socio-Economic. In my opinion, all of these definitions partially relate to each other. Despite that, the political definition is the most useful because it...

European Union

Exploring the Relationship Between Sociological and Social Theory

Marxists stated that ‘’it is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary, their social being determines their consciousness.’’ Marxist view of human consciousness is transforming false consciousness to true consciousness which people become aware of their human needs only...

Critical Theory
Sociological Theory

Economic Problems and Nationalism: Exploring the Relationship

Introduction when we speak about nationalism the first thought that comes to our mind is that it is a plan which includes some undesirable policies against other nations. From this aspect of the phenomenon, there is no any doubt that to use of aggressive policies...

Nationalism

The Controversial Potential of Social Media Before Elections

With the rise of social media in recent years, it has slowly become a tool to utilise in democratic elections throughout the world. In this essay I will arguing that politicians participating in these elections are not utilising it to its full potential. I will...

Effects of Social Media

The Sharing Economy - a New Paradigm in Consumerism

With the rise in technology, people are able to communicate and conduct business through the use of the Internet and social networks. This has led to a sharing economy, where consumers can connect and exchange goods and services. Starting a company in a shared economy...

Consumer Behavior
Effects of Industrialization

Joe Biden's Life and Political Activities: a Comprehensive Analysis

Who Is Joe Biden? Joe Biden immediately worked as an attorney preceding going to authoritative issues. He transformed into the fifth-most energetic U.S. senator in history as well as Delaware's longest-serving delegate. His 2008 authority mission never gotten a move on, but Equitable applicant Barack...

Influential Person

Urban Infrastructure and Its Relation to Modern Living

Urban infrastructure is the networks of systems in a city that aid the running of the city and the people in it. It is a very broad term that refers to the framework that provides operation and organisation which in turn makes economic development possible...

Infrastructure
New Urbanism

Introduction to Urban Infrastructure: Transport Sector Development

Urban infrastructure defines the framework of a city and its inhabitants and is an important factor in the outcome of a city’s economic growth. To keep up with GDP growth, it is estimated that $17 trillion is required for the Asia-Pacific region to meet this...

Transportation

Politicians as the Decision Makers Must Share the Blame

Throughout world war 1, 1914, there were several campaigns fought by the ANZAC’s. The most well-known was the Gallipoli campaign of 1914 fought by the British allies against the Turkish forces. The campaign caused several heavy casualties. Most individuals now days would say that these...

World History

Racial Inequality: the Changing Role of American Federal Government

Throughout history, our country has faced one problem - Racial inequality. From the very beginning, our country has been built on immigration, but we as a nation tend to forget that. With time has been proven that white male supremacy is one of the oldest...

African American
American Government
Federal Government

The Political Theory of John Locke: a Critical Analysis

This essay aims to discuss John Locke's political theory within the Two Treatises of Government, particularly in regards to the State of Nature due to its imperative role within the foundations of the Social Contract between the legislative and the sovereign (the citizens). The Social...

Political theories

Two Main Differences Between Conservatives and Socialism

There are numerous contrasts among Conservatives and Socialism, one of them being their perspectives on human instinct. In a socialist's view, individuals are social creatures who flourish best when they are associated with one another. People are not driven exclusively by self-centred interests however can...

Conservatism

Teen Activists: Great Examples of Youth Bravery

There are innumerable teen activists in the world. Some are famous. Others - unknown. Notwithstanding, they all work to make the world a better place. Three activists are extremely prominent. These three are Malala Yousafzai on education, Alex Lin on e-waste, and Iqbal Masih on child...

Influence and Role of Transportation Infrastructure on Urban Scale

The spatial type of urban areas is obviously impacted by a scope of social, political, institutional and administrative conditions in different settings, and these should be comprehended in considering city structure. Low-thickness urban communities organized around the engine vehicle are frequently hard to access for...

Public Transport

Federal Government Responsibility for Issues in HealthCare

The health care system in America today is at best a failing system. One both ends of the spectrum we have people who are unable to pay for incilen, prescriptions, and the pharmaceutical companies who abuse the free market and can charge any price they...

Healthcare Crisis

Factors Leading to Frequent Military Interventions in Pakistan

The evolution of the civil-military relations in Pakistan was affected by many factors that were unique to the developing world. The political and administration infrastructures of Pakistan have to be built from the scratch is one these factors. Like Indian Army, Pakistan army originated from...

Armed Forces

Comparison of Activism in the 60-70's and Nowadays

The activist during the 60’s and 70’s had different ways of doing things from now on. During the 60’s there was an upsurge in civil rights and promoting freedom and equality. The way that activist do things now are different, they use Twitter or Instagram...

Explanation of the Inconclusiveness of the 1979 Elections in Ghana

The 1925 election made way for subsequent elections to take place in the Gold Coast now known as Ghana. Before, voting was restricted to just a few people mostly chiefs, property owners and others. The beginning of the first proper elections in the then Gold...

Political Party

The Sharing Economy in Australia and the Associated Tax Obstacles

The 'sharing economy' is a term that describes individuals utilizing web applications to lease their property, assets, time and skills. Sharing economy stages enable users to monetise the estimation of surplus limit in the utilization of advantages or work, for instance, vehicles or transportation administrations....

Vulnerability of Stock Markets During Elections Times

Stock Markets around Elections Surging on waves of excitement and sliding under burdens of panic, Stock Markets are precarious indicators of the economies of nations but accurate reflections of people’s sentiments. They’re shaken by any unexpected event that may or may not affect company fundamentals....

Stock Market

Politicians and Comedians: It's Time to Change the Voice

Sociopolitical jokes circulated on social media are frequently irreverent and sometimes reflect ignorance. But those that center on issues that are emotive, unpleasant or confusing are often wildly popular. That is because the humor provides comic relief that temporarily defuses the tense feeling evoked by...

A Comparative Analysis: Gunpowder and Nuclear Weapons in Military History

Since the establishment of civilizations, man has been interested in inventing simple tools to defend himself, but with the development of lifestyles and the rise of nations. The interest has become greater in developing military methods and developing weapons. In this article I will discuss...

Nuclear Weapon

Analysis of the Controversy Surrounding Military Spending

Should the government decrease military spending, or should it increase military spending? This is a question that many Americans wrestle with, and politically speaking, is a point of great contention since to many, military might evoke a sense of security. However, when considering this question...

Formation of Political Theories Using Ideas of Great Philosophers

Politics aid in shaping decisions that affect all aspects of our lives. To begin with, political theory is the study of concepts that have shaped our politics and the enduring questions that individuals are concerned about within society. Some of the issues usually addressed in...

A Story of Pearl Mary Gibbs: Fighting for Equality and Justice

Pearl Mary Gibbs, an Aboriginal Activist, Born in Botany Bay, in 1901, did many things in her lifetime defending indigenous Australians, Gibbs especially focussed her efforts on ATSI women’s rights, particularly regarding their slavery in domestic service and their sexual exploitation, this was inspired by...

The Indian Economy: the Main Changes in the Last 55 Years

On 14 August 1947, Nehru had declared: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the great triumph and...

Joe Biden's Impact on US Politics: Past, Present, and Future

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. Is a politician, lawyer and Author in American, who is the current president of America and is also regarded as the 46th president of American. He was married to Neilia Hunter who died in 1972 and then got married again to...

Joe Biden's Presidency: Possible New Era in American Politics

Joe Biden, who was responsible for introducing the Gun-Free School Zones Act in 1990, is an accomplished man with a sizeable net worth. Joe Biden had enjoyed enormous praise from the African-American community after serving as former President Barack Obama’s second in command for eight...

The Measures Needed to Ensure Peaceful Elections in Ghana

It is virtually desirable that countries are typically seconding that election is the first rate way of transferring political power. Election is therefore the system by way of which public leaders are chosen with the aid of the heaps with the intention of them fostering...

An In-Depth Analysis of Military Industrial Complex

It has been observed with the passage of time that the military industry has been progressing in terms of their technology as well as their capabilities of production. According to the study it has been observed that in postmodern era, military production plays an important...

Exploring the Importance and Benefits of the Infrastructure Industry

Infrastructure industry managed to set itself as a separate asset class within alternative investments that continuously attracts hefty financial allocations mainly due to its characteristic traits. In the case of this particular sector, however, the investment is a major two-way street, as it also ensures...

Economic Development

Indian Judiciary System: Public Law and Policies for Development

India is one of the richest country in culture, diversity, heritage, religion, language and known for great history, ruled under many kings and empires. Even it followed many rules and regulation under many emperors. As after India got independence the constitution work started with its...

Judicial System

The Loss of Sense of Control: the State of American Government

In the U.S. Constitution, Article Ten says “And yet, Trump decided to have a shutdown over his stupid border wall. In recent times, the U.S government has failed to pass laws and create changes without over half the country hating on it. And on top...

The Rise and Leadership of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine

In the early hours of 26 February, during the most significant assault by Russian troops on the capital of Kyiv, the United States government and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged Zelenskyy to evacuate to a safer location, and both offered assistance for such an...

Contemporary History

Utopia as Possible Political Theory for a Perfect Society

In the contemporary era, everyday life is surrounded by utopian images and texts. The term ‘Utopia’ is coined by Thomas More in 1516 in which it is initially the name of his ideal imagined society. The term is combined by the Greek words: outopia and...

Failed Politicians in Mexico: the Lack of Class Consciousness

In Mexico politics has been defined as the art of governing or as the art of the possible. The content of the policy is a relationship between classes and social groups, both economic and immediate and long-term interests. In Mexico there have been several politicians...

Political Culture

The Importantce of Social Media Influence for Modern Politicians

Early analysis on the results of television election coverage showed that exposure to political broadcasts provided voters with vital information regarding campaign problems and policy proposals. The rise of the internet and social media saw a decline in the audience for television, as now media...

Social Media

Analysis of Russian Unethical Interference in the US 2016 Elections

Conduct is the aspect of self-determination, a legal term that incorporates the right of the people to make decisions for themselves, both the political affiliations (at a methodical stage) and their forthcoming destiny (at a more granular stage of policy). It is evidently this more...

Cyber Crimes

The Issue of Financial Indistinctness of the US Federal Government

Budget, allocation of resources, and overspending are all viable issues that are plaguing the United State federal government. Amidst congressional debates and the government shutting down at an alarming rate, the government should be more transparent in showing its constituents how it spends their hard-earned...

Best topics on Government

1. Importance of Entrepreneurship: Economic Growth and Societal Transformation

2. Escalating Water Crisis: Scarcity, Sustainability, and Global Collaboration

3. Rohingya Crisis: A Call for International Action

4. Unmasking the Opioid Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Paths to Recovery

5. Navigating the Housing Crisis: Challenges and Implications

6. Government Surveillance in George Orwell’s “1984”: The Illusion of Security

7. The 2008 Financial Crisis: the Causes and Unraveling the Effects

8. Unraveling the Ukraine Crisis: Geopolitical Tensions and Regional Dynamics

9. Addressing the Rape Crisis: Advocacy, Awareness, and Empowerment

10. Unveiling the Dynamics of Economic Crises

11. Effective Dispute Resolution and Crisis Management

12. The Cuban Missile Crisis: Lessons in Diplomacy and Deterrence

13. The Impact and Lessons of the 2008 Financial Crisis

14. What is Patriotism: Exploring the Essence of Love for One’s Country

15. The Cold War: A Comprehensive Examination (DBQ)

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

How did you hear about us? Radio TV Social Media Search Engine Outdoor STU Email Other Email Direct Mail College Advisor Other

Select Term Summer(May) 2019 Fall(August) 2019 Spring(February) 2020

Office of the President
Limitless Strategic Plan
Office of Philanthropy
Marketing and Communications
Faculty & Staff
Administrative Affairs
Map & Directions
Event Galleries
STU Spirit Shop
Campus Directory
Programs Catalog
Academic Calendar
Course Catalogs
Dual Enrollment
Honors College Track
Biscayne College
College of Business
College of Law
College of Health Sciences & Technology
Scholarships
International Students
Orientation & Registration
Business Office
Financial Aid
STU Online Programs
Advising & Registration
Student Financial Services
Current Students
Student Success Center
Student Affairs
Career Services
Support STU
Athletics Programs
NAIA Eligibility Center
Recruiting Questionnaire
Recruit Checklist
Sports News
My Bobcat Portal
Self-Service
Search our site

Residence Life
Health Center
Registrar’s Office
Bobcat Royalty
Student Government Association

Student Government Application

Campus Activities Board
Student Senate Online Application
Clubs & Organizations

Home / Student Affairs / Student Life / Student Government Application

Elections of the Student Government Association

Thank you for your interest in serving your fellow Bobcats in the Student Government Association (SGA). As an Officer, you will be challenged to deal with student issues; legislate for, and delegate on behalf of your student constituency. As a member of SGA, you will provide for the welfare and betterment of the enrolled undergraduate students at St. Thomas University. The Student Government Association will provide you with an opportunity for growth and development within the organization. You will have a leadership position allowing your voice to be heard, speaking out for student rights, and standing up for your classmates. The annual Offices for election are available as follows:

Vice-President of Clubs & Organizations

Secretary of Communications

Finance Coordinator

Public Relations Coordinator

Expectations

All officers must be currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student. All officers are expected to serve office hours. Officers must serve 15 hours per week to receive an allocated scholarship. The roles of the Student Government Association Officers hold a level of dedication and expectation of excellence. As respected SGA Officers, you will be expected to hold the peace and protect the welfare of all Bobcats at St. Thomas University. Failure to meet the following obligations and upholding the following forms can result in reconsideration and possible removal from the Student Government Association.

President and Vice President position candidates must have a minimum of sixty credits completed at St. Thomas University by the start of the campaign process;
Secretary of Communication position candidates must have a minimum of thirty credits completed at St. Thomas University by the start of the campaign process;
Speaker of Senate position candidates must have a minimum of thirty credits completed as a Senator at St. Thomas University by the start of the campaign process.
Candidates must have and maintain a minimum academic GPA of a 3.0 per semester, not to fall below a cumulative 3.0 overall;
Participate in all Student Government Association Assemblies, special presence requests, functions hosted by other on-campus departments and activities;
Execute duties as listed in the job description;
Maintain exemplary judicial/social responsibility by adhering to the Student Code of Conduct of St. Thomas University;
Serve and uphold all policies and procedures of St. Thomas University;
Serve and protect the Student Government Association Constitution; and
Maintain full-time student status throughout your term of Office (Fall & Spring).

General Job Descriptions

Each Executive Board Member of Student Government Association must : be available for New Student Orientation, return one week before the beginning of Fall Semester and Spring Semester, attend all SGA Executive board meetings, adhere to the current Constitution of the SGA, follow expectations and job descriptions as related to each position, serve on a designated committee, and perform other duties as assigned.

President : The President will represent the student body at all official school functions. The President shall call, plan, and lead one meeting per month with all the SGA officers. The President is to serve as the chief executive of SGA, responsible for the execution of all legislation passed. If the President disapproves of action, then he/she has the power to veto the legislation, which can be overridden with a two-thirds Senate vote. The President must also submit a memorandum of his/her activities on behalf of SGA to the Speaker of the Senate for distribution during the weekly senate meetings. The President alongside the officers of SGA shall meet to plan events throughout the year, such as Common Hour Kick Off. The President shall oversee over all executive board members and ensure each is fulfilling their specified responsibilities. The President is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with the President of St. Thomas University, the Provost and Associate Provost, Vice-Presidents, Deans, Departments, Resident

Vice-President : The Vice-President provides representation power for all organized bodies, known as clubs and organizations. He/she shall plan and host SGA & SOC meetings with all current clubs and organizations on campus. The Vice is responsible for creating and maintaining a relationship with each club or organization’s advisor. He/she shall oversea the daily operations of the e-board of each club and ensure each are meeting requirements such as attending periodic meetings and events. The Vice-President is responsible for recording the community service hours of each club or organization on campus and tracking the advancement to fulfilling their required 50 community service hours. The Vice-President shall distribute and collect Student Organization Packets (SOP) and Advisor Packets at the beginning of each semester.

Secretary of Communications : The Secretary of Communications is responsible for designing and editing SGA advertisements such as flyers, requiring the use and proficiency in programs such as Microsoft Publisher and Photoshop. The Secretary of Communications shall receive and review club meetings or events flyers, send them to print, and request global emails from SGA Advisor. He/she is to maintain social media accounts, keeping each website up to date. The Secretary of Communications shall create their personalized version of the SGA Chronicles, including items such as articles from students, advertisements from local companies, and flyers for upcoming university events. The Secretary of Communications is responsible for recording the minutes for all SGA meetings and providing any information, reports, and agendas, to each SGA e-board member. A record of all minutes and meetings must be kept and placed under a SGA minutes log. The Secretary of Communications shall be responsible for tabulating and recording the office hours of all SGA members regardless of branch and advise the SGA President and Advisor of any member not complying.

Finances Coordinator: The Finances Coordinator shall serve as Chairperson of the SGA Budget Committee. Manage and allocate all financial assets pertaining but not limited to campaign expenditures, event coordination, and club budgets. Submit all receipts to the Director of Student Life. Create an annual SGA budget and submit all reports regarding changes in monetary and fiscal policies to the SGA President. Present proposed fiscal policies to the Director of Student Life for approval.

Public Relations Coordinator: The Public Relations Coordinator shall serve as the liaison between Student Government and Campus Activities Board (C.A.B.). Advocate and promote the five key principles of ethical leadership: that being, honesty, justice, respect, community, and integrity amongst the STU community. Advocate and promote the importance of Faith Formation on campus in conjunction with the Director of Campus Ministry.

Selection Process

The elections process is extremely selective. You will be required to complete this application, as well as:

Submit 1 letter of recommendation from a full-time staff or faculty member (may not be a Student Affairs staff member) from any department (see attached form);
Submit 1 letter of recommendation from a professor or full time staff member (may not be a Student Affairs staff member) from any department (see attached form);
Provide a professional headshot picture of the candidate;
What are your qualifications to be a candidate for the St. Thomas University Student Government?
If you become a Student Government Officer, what are your plans and objectives for the upcoming year?
Why should you run for Office?
An interview with the current Student Government Association Officers, and Associate Director of Student Life;
Must Present a Platform and Presentation on that Platform.

Campaign Process

All Candidate flyers, marketing materials, and social media posts must be approved by the Secretary of Communications before posting.
Respect for other candidates, as well as their flyers and marketing materials, is expected of all candidates; destruction of other candidates’ materials will result in immediate removal from the campaign process.
You must get permission from departments to post on their bulletin boards, posting on walls and doors is prohibited.
St. Thomas University will not provide campaign paraphernalia or reimbursement to candidates.
Candidates are responsible for taking down all campaign paraphernalia within

twenty-four (24) hours after the final election date.

The candidates will present themselves and their plans to the St. Thomas University student body.

Voting Process

Candidates may campaign and bring their issues to voters but they are not allowed to be within fifty feet of the voting tables. The current SGA Officers will accordingly delimit such boundaries. Failure to abide by these regulations will lead to immediate disqualification.
An exception to this procedure will only be allowed when the candidate goes to vote or must enter and exit a building to class.
Candidates will be selected based on majority of votes.

Announcement Process

Candidates will be notified on via e-mail.

Training Process

The training process is mandatory and will occur after the elections are completed. Training documents will be distributed to the newly elected officer describing all positions and expectations. The outgoing officers will conduct training sessions during the month of April at times that benefit both the outgoing and incoming officers; failure to attend the training sessions could cause your dismissal.
Besides formal training, incoming officers are expected to maintain an active role in all Student Government activities, meetings, and events. Shadowing outgoing officers will serve as essential practical training for incoming members to take office with a plethora of knowledge about their duties.
Incoming officers will meet with the Student Government Association; this will allow all incoming officers the opportunity to acquire knowledge of the other positions as well as ask pertinent questions. The Student Government Association is a team and the team must develop the ability to work together effectively.

The Associate Director of Student Life will notify incoming officers when they are expected to return to campus to plan as well as participate in orientation activities.

Step 1: Complete the following online application:

Click here to complete the Student Government Application form

Step 2: Print the following letter of recommendation pdf, have it completed and email it to : [email protected]

Click here to open letter-of-recommendation.pdf

St. Thomas University’s EASE Grant Performance Measures on Access Rate, Affordability Rate, Graduation Rate, Retention Rate and Postgraduate Employment Rate are specifically listed on the ICUF Dashboard at this link: icuf.org/dashboard .

STU Message

Student Council Speech

Student council speech generator.

So you feel that you have what it takes to be part of your student council in your school. You got the guts, responsibility, wit, and charm to grab the position you are vying for from other students who are as qualified as you. Even if you are sure of yourself, you need to convince every student in your school that will be an effective officer if you are elected. And one way to convince your fellow students to vote for you is through your speech .

What is Student Council Speech? A student council speech is a presentation given by a student who is running for a position on the student council, which is a group that represents the interests and ideas of the student body at a school. In this speech, the candidate shares their ideas, goals, and plans to improve the school and address student concerns. They aim to persuade their classmates to vote for them by highlighting their leadership qualities, past achievements, and specific proposals for making positive changes within the school community. This speech is an important opportunity for candidates to connect with their peers and show why they are the best choice for the position.

Download Sample Student Council Speech Bundle

When writing a student council speech, you must be able to persuade your schoolmates to trust in your abilities and your platforms. (If you need more tips on writing persuasive speeches , see this one). Remember, you are not running just for popularity votes or to earn yourself a good credential in your achievements. You are running for a certain position (whether you’ll be a president, treasurer, secretary, etc.) to serve the student body, to represent them when they want their needs to be attended to and to make better changes in your school. So first you need to make your speech sound persuasive, but not aggressive. Start writing your speech weeks ahead before you deliver your speech.

Student Council Speech Format

Introduction.

Greet the Audience: Start with a friendly greeting to capture the audience’s attention. Introduce Yourself: Briefly introduce yourself, including your name, grade, and any relevant personal background that relates to the position you’re running for.

Statement of Intent

Declare Your Candidacy: Clearly state the position you are running for on the Student Council. Motivation: Share why you decided to run for the student council, focusing on what motivates you and why the role is important to you.

Qualifications

Experience and Skills: Highlight your relevant experiences, skills, and achievements that make you a suitable candidate. This could include previous leadership roles, involvement in school activities, or specific talents that contribute to your ability to serve effectively.

Vision and Goals

Key Issues: Identify key issues or areas for improvement within the school that you plan to address. Proposed Initiatives: Outline your main goals or initiatives that you aim to implement if elected. Be specific about what changes or improvements you want to make and how you plan to achieve them.

Plan of Action

Strategies: Briefly describe the strategies or steps you will take to achieve your goals. This shows that you have thought about how to turn your ideas into action. Collaboration: Emphasize the importance of working together with fellow council members, students, and school staff to accomplish shared objectives.

Reiterate Key Points: Summarize the main reasons why you are the best candidate for the position, focusing on your vision, qualifications, and what sets you apart from other candidates. Call to Action: Encourage your classmates to vote for you, emphasizing the importance of their vote in making a positive change within the school. Thank You: Conclude by thanking the audience for their time and consideration.

Example of Student Council Speech

“Good morning, students and teachers of Springfield High! My name is Jamie Lee, a sophomore, and I’m excited to run for the position of Secretary on our Student Council. Why am I standing here today? Because I believe in change, in improvement, and most importantly, in us—as a student body—to make Springfield High not just a school, but a community where every voice is heard and valued. My experience as class representative last year taught me the importance of organization, communication, and dedication—qualities essential for the role of Secretary. My main goal is to enhance our school’s spirit and involvement through better-organized events, clearer communication between the student council and the student body, and by creating more opportunities for everyone to contribute their ideas and talents. I plan to introduce a monthly feedback session where you can share your thoughts and suggestions directly with the council. But that’s not all. I want to work on making our school events, including dances, fundraisers, and spirit weeks, more memorable and inclusive. How? By working closely with clubs and sports teams to ensure our activities reflect the diverse interests and talents within our school. I’m asking for your vote not just for me, but for the vision of a school where every student feels connected, involved, and proud to be a Springfield Hawk. Let’s make this year one of unity, fun, and achievement. Together, we can make a difference. Thank you for considering me as your next Student Council Secretary. Let’s soar high, Hawks!” This example of a student council speech uses a structured approach to convey the candidate’s motivations, qualifications, goals, and plans in a clear and engaging manner, effectively persuading classmates to lend their support.

What is the Best Student Council Speech Example?

Title: Creating Unity, Inspiring Change Good morning, fellow students, teachers, and staff, I stand before you today not as a candidate, but as a passionate advocate for positive change in our school. My name is [Your Name], and I am committed to fostering a sense of unity and bringing about real, impactful change. Imagine a school where every student’s voice is heard, where diversity is celebrated, and where kindness and respect are the foundation of our interactions. This vision drives my candidacy. 1. Unity Through Diversity: I believe in celebrating our differences. Let’s embrace our diverse backgrounds, interests, and talents to create a rich tapestry that makes our school vibrant and unique. 2. Student-Led Initiatives: I propose student-led initiatives that reflect our passions. From cultural awareness events to environmental projects, let’s turn our ideas into actions that benefit our entire community. 3. Mental Health Support: Mental health is a priority. I will work to expand counseling services, create safe spaces for open discussions, and promote stress-relief activities, ensuring every student’s well-being. 4. Interactive Learning: Let’s enhance our learning experience through interactive methods. I will advocate for technology integration, peer-to-peer tutoring, and hands-on projects that make education engaging and enjoyable. 5. Community Engagement: Our school is not just a building; it’s a part of our community. I will initiate partnerships with local organizations, organizing volunteer opportunities and outreach programs to give back and make a difference. In closing, I am not just asking for your votes; I am asking for your trust. Together, let’s build a school where every student feels valued, heard, and supported. Join me in creating a future where unity inspires change. Thank you.

Examples of Speeches for Student Council Representative?

Empowering student voices.

“Hello, everyone, I’m [Your Name], and I’m here to talk about empowering student voices. Our school is not just a place of learning; it’s a community, and in a community, everyone’s voice should be heard. As your student council representative, my mission is to bridge the gap between the student body and the administration. I will establish regular open forums where students can voice their concerns, ideas, and suggestions. These forums will be a platform for change, where we can work together to make our school an even better place. I’ll also implement an online suggestion box for those who may not be comfortable speaking up in person. Every idea counts, and every voice matters. Let’s make our school a place where students play an active role in shaping their own education. I promise to be your dedicated advocate, listening, acting, and ensuring that every student’s voice is heard. Vote for change. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Bridging the Gap

“Dear friends and fellow students, I’m [Your Name], and I’m running to bridge the gap between students and the administration. It’s time to foster a closer relationship that benefits us all. I propose regular meetings with teachers, administrators, and students to discuss school policies and improvements. Our education should be a collaborative effort, with students having a say in decisions that affect us directly. In addition, I’ll work to create an inclusive school culture. Let’s celebrate our diversity through cultural events, and ensure that every student feels welcome and valued. I believe in transparency and open communication. Together, we can make our school experience better for everyone. Vote for a bridge to a brighter future. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Building a Greener School

“Hello, fellow students, Our environment is a priority, and I’m committed to making our school more eco-friendly. As your representative, I’ll initiate ‘Green School’ initiatives. We’ll start with recycling programs and energy-saving projects. I’ll work to establish a school garden, promoting sustainable practices. Let’s reduce waste and show that we care about the future. Your voice matters. Tell me your eco-friendly ideas, and together, we can create a greener, healthier school. Vote for a greener future. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Student Council Speech Samples to Edit & Download

Student Council Speech for Secretary
Student Council Speech for 4th Grade
Student Council Speech for Elementary
Student Council Speech for 5th Grade
Student Council Speech for Class Representative
Student Council Speech for House Captain
Student Council Speech for 3rd Grade
Student Council Speech for Treasurer
Student Council Speech for Vice President
Student Council Speech for Election

Student Council Speech Examples & Templates

Free PDF Download

Funny Student Council Speech

High school student council speech.

Edit & Download

Short Student Council Speech

Short Student Council Secretary Speech

seaford.k12.ny.us

Sample Student Council Speech Guidelines and Schedule

Speech Example for Student Council

myperfectwords.com

Student Council President Speech

Junior Class President Speech

Student Council Campaign and Speech

stignatiussacschool.org

High School Student Council Speech

How to Write Student Council Speech

This is the most nerve-wracking part of your speech. So this part must be a good, no, great one. If for examples. you’re running for student council president don’t start just by merely introducing your name and telling them you are running for student council. You need to start your speech with a bang! Something that can catch the attention of your audience. Students are usually inattentive during these kinds of speeches so you need them to focus towards you. There are lots of creative ways to make a flashy opening. You can sing, rap, dance, act, do some comedy sketches, or anything that relates to the theme of your speech. However if you do not feel like performing live, you can still do some creative opening. You can use videos, power point presentation, music, or ask your friends to introduce you. You may also see introduction speech .

You can also open your speech by asking a question, whether if it is rhetorical or humorous. Here are some examples:

“So here is this person standing infront of you, asking you to for her. Why should you? You ask.” “If there’s anything you can do something for the school to make it loads better, what will it be?”

You can also add quotes from famous people that correlates with your speech. Make sure you cite your quotes properly. Here are some examples of quotes from well known people that you can cite:

“Leadership is not about the next election. It’s about the next generation.” Simon Sinek “I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire, and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.” Denise Morrison “You need an attitude of service. You’re not just serving yourself. You’re helping others to grow up and grow with them.” David Green

After your awesome introduction, you then proceed to state all about yourself. Describe yourself, the position you are running for and the reason why you are running. Tell your name and your grade in your school. This is important if you go to a school with a big population. Don’t ever skip this part of speech as this will be what the audience should remember when it’s time to vote for you. You may also see thank you speech .

No need to elaborate in this part of speech. A brief 1-2 sentences are enough. Example:

“Hello. My name is John Cheese and I will be running for President! My vision is change for the betterment of our school. I fight for equality for all the students in this institution.”

Next is the part where you will sell yourself by mentioning your qualifications. This is one way to persuade your fellow students that you are responsible enough to be part of the student council. Mention any accomplishments that are related to the position your are running for.

If you’re running for president, don’t list your accomplishments in stamp collecting. The accomplishments that you should cite are your leadership skills, whether you are the team captain of your football team or you’re the major in your drum and lyre corp. You can also mention your honors and awards. You may also see speech templates .

“I am currently the team captain of our baseball team and I have also been a member of the Boy Scouts. Currently, I am the president of our drama club. I have also been an honor roll student for the past five years. I have been exposed to a lot of leadership training skills and I believe I am most qualified to be an efficient president in the student council.”

Writing the main point of your speech

Now that you have organize your introduction, it’s time to get to your ideas and how you should present them in front of the student body. This is the part where you will enumerate your platforms on how to improve the system in your school. Make sure that when you have laid out your platforms to the students you made some research. Ask the students, teachers, personnel on what areas that you should be improved.

Listen to what the students are concerned about. What are the changes that the students may want to see? What areas in your school you want to change to keep it running efficiently? You can also research ways on how to deal with school problems. Read books and ask some experts to help you. And find out how you, a member of the student council can address these problems. Once you already knew this, you will know what will be your platforms. A nice opening statement is to state out the causes that are important to you and what are your plans to make it better. You may also see special occasion speech .

“Bullying and discrimination has been more prevalent in this institution for the past year. As a student, I am disappointed that some of my fellow schoolmates has been the forerunners of this ugly way of treating people. And because of this, I would work out to invite speakers to talk about sensitivity in school, open more clubs for students to join, and start a tutorial program to aid students who are having a hard time in their classes.”

Keep in mind that you need to present your ideas briefly but persuasive enough to move your audience. If you need an inspiration, refer to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. His speech was short but full of key points that got his message across to his audience. You may also see self introduction speech .

End it with a memorable conclusion

1. Once you’ve stated your ideas effectively, it’s time for your conclusion. When you get there, go back to mention your plans as a president or a treasurer and relate it to your main points that you’ve mentioned a while ago. You may also see speech examples for students .

“With my experience in leadership training and in my service to my team members, I know I can be a great leader to each of you. I promise to do my best to stop discrimination and bullying and to increase the interest of the students to be more open to each other’s diversities.”

2. Don’t forget to highlight your qualifications one last time. They key to this is to sincerely state that it is your passion to serve your students. You may also see tribute speech .

“I am a passionate advocate against discrimination. And to change that attitude starts here in our school. I want everyone to be accepting of everyone’s differences. I vision an institution with good relations between students and faculty members. I care about each of you and your right to be treated fairly…”

3. Of course, don’t forget to ask the audience to vote for you. Here is the part where you will beg your students to vote for you. Their vote is important for you to win the election. Ask with genuine humility for the students to vote for you. You may also see informative speech .

“I ask nothing but your votes. I would be deeply honored if you’ll vote for me on the election day.”

Now that you completed your speech, see to it if it’s good enough for you to use. Ask a friend, a family member, or a teacher to read your speech. Ask them what areas you need to improve. Ask for a constructive criticism, even if it hurts.

It’s important for you to learn to improve your speech and to be open-minded towards critical suggestions. Remember you are running for the student council. Make yourself a best example of a responsible student that your fellow students can look up to. Additionally, debates may come up in before the election day, so make yourself familiarize with debate speeches .

What is a good speech for student council?

A good speech for a student council should be engaging, relatable, and persuasive. It should include:

Introduction: Begin with a strong hook or personal anecdote to grab the audience’s attention.
Your Vision: Clearly outline your goals and vision for the student council. Explain how you intend to make positive changes.
Relevance: Address the specific needs and concerns of your fellow students. Show that you understand their issues and are committed to addressing them.
Qualifications: Highlight your relevant skills, experience, and qualities that make you a suitable candidate.
Ideas and Initiatives: Present concrete ideas and initiatives you plan to implement if elected. Be specific and practical in your proposals.
Inspiration: Motivate your audience with an inspiring message that encourages unity and active participation.
Closing: End with a strong call to action and a memorable closing statement.

Why do I want to run for student council?

Leadership: Desire to take on a leadership role and make a positive impact on your school community.
Advocacy: A commitment to representing and addressing the concerns and needs of fellow students.
Service: A genuine interest in serving others and contributing to the betterment of your school.
Initiative: Eagerness to implement positive changes, initiatives, and projects that benefit the student body.
Voice: A belief in the importance of having a voice in the decision-making processes at your school.
Personal Growth: Opportunity for personal growth, development of leadership skills, and networking.
Passion: Passion for specific causes, clubs, or activities at your school and a desire to support them.
Community Building: A goal to create a sense of community, unity, and school spirit among students.
Inspiration: Being inspired by previous student council members or leaders who made a positive impact.
Love for Your School: A deep affection for your school and a desire to contribute to its success and well-being.

What are the Good student council speech ideas?

Mental Health Awareness: Discuss initiatives to promote mental health and well-being, such as counseling services, stress-reduction activities, or peer support programs.
Diversity and Inclusion: Address the importance of diversity and inclusion, proposing events, clubs, or awareness campaigns to celebrate differences and foster unity.
Student Engagement: Highlight the need for more student involvement in decision-making, suggesting forums, surveys, or open discussions for students to voice their concerns.
Environmental Sustainability: Propose eco-friendly practices, like recycling programs, tree planting, or energy conservation efforts, to make your school more sustainable.
Bullying Prevention: Talk about strategies to combat bullying and promote kindness and respect within the school community.
Academic Support: Suggest peer tutoring programs, study groups, or additional resources to help students excel academically.
Extracurricular Activities: Promote the creation of new clubs, sports, or arts programs to cater to a wider range of interests.
Community Outreach: Encourage volunteer opportunities, partnerships with local organizations, and community service projects.
School Safety: Address safety concerns and suggest measures to ensure a safe and welcoming school environment.
Technology Integration: Propose the use of technology for educational enhancement, including virtual resources and tools for remote learning.
Student Wellness: Advocate for initiatives like healthy eating options, exercise facilities, or mindfulness practices to support student well-being.
Peer Mentorship: Discuss the benefits of mentorship programs, where older students can guide and support younger ones.

What are the Topics Included for Student Council Speech?

Student council speeches can cover a wide range of topics, depending on the issues that matter most to your school and peers. Here are some common topics and themes to consider:

Leadership and Service: Discuss your commitment to serving and leading your fellow students.
Unity and Inclusivity: Emphasize the importance of fostering an inclusive and welcoming school community.
Student Voice: Highlight the need for students to have a say in school decisions and policies.
Academic Excellence: Talk about ways to improve academic support, resources, and educational opportunities.
Mental Health and Well-being: Address the importance of mental health support and stress reduction.
Diversity and Cultural Awareness: Celebrate diversity and promote cultural awareness and understanding.
Environmental Initiatives: Propose eco-friendly projects and sustainability efforts for the school.
Bullying Prevention: Discuss strategies to combat bullying and create a safer, kinder school environment.
Community Outreach: Advocate for volunteer opportunities and partnerships with local organizations.
Technology Integration: Propose using technology for educational enhancement and virtual resources.
School Safety: Address safety concerns and suggest measures to ensure a safe school environment.
Peer Mentorship: Talk about the benefits of mentorship programs to support academic and personal growth.
Student Well-being: Discuss initiatives like healthy eating options, exercise facilities, or mindfulness practices.

What are the Quotes to put in a student council speech?

Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“In diversity, there is beauty and strength.” – Maya Angelou
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“Leadership is not a position or a title; it is action and example.” – Cory Booker
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are.” – John C. Maxwell

How to start a student council speech?

Begin a student council speech with a compelling and attention-grabbing opening, like a quote, personal anecdote, or thought-provoking question, to engage and captivate your audience from the start.

What is the main idea of student council?

The main idea of a student council is to represent and serve the interests of the student body, fostering leadership, organizing events, and improving the school community.

How do I run a good student council?

To run a good student council, prioritize communication, listen to peers, set clear goals, organize effective events, and collaborate with the school administration to address students’ needs and concerns.

Text prompt

Instructive
Professional

Write a Student Council Speech on improving school lunches.

Create a Student Council Speech about enhancing school spirit.

Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay

Find the right college for you.

Writing an essay for college admission gives you a chance to use your authentic voice and show your personality. It's an excellent opportunity to personalize your application beyond your academic credentials, and a well-written essay can have a positive influence come decision time.

Want to know how to draft an essay for your college application ? Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing.

Tips for Essay Writing

A typical college application essay, also known as a personal statement, is 400-600 words. Although that may seem short, writing about yourself can be challenging. It's not something you want to rush or put off at the last moment. Think of it as a critical piece of the application process. Follow these tips to write an impactful essay that can work in your favor.

1. Start Early.

Few people write well under pressure. Try to complete your first draft a few weeks before you have to turn it in. Many advisers recommend starting as early as the summer before your senior year in high school. That way, you have ample time to think about the prompt and craft the best personal statement possible.

You don't have to work on your essay every day, but you'll want to give yourself time to revise and edit. You may discover that you want to change your topic or think of a better way to frame it. Either way, the sooner you start, the better.

2. Understand the Prompt and Instructions.

Before you begin the writing process, take time to understand what the college wants from you. The worst thing you can do is skim through the instructions and submit a piece that doesn't even fit the bare minimum requirements or address the essay topic. Look at the prompt, consider the required word count, and note any unique details each school wants.

3. Create a Strong Opener.

Students seeking help for their application essays often have trouble getting things started. It's a challenging writing process. Finding the right words to start can be the hardest part.

Spending more time working on your opener is always a good idea. The opening sentence sets the stage for the rest of your piece. The introductory paragraph is what piques the interest of the reader, and it can immediately set your essay apart from the others.

4. Stay on Topic.

One of the most important things to remember is to keep to the essay topic. If you're applying to 10 or more colleges, it's easy to veer off course with so many application essays.

A common mistake many students make is trying to fit previously written essays into the mold of another college's requirements. This seems like a time-saving way to avoid writing new pieces entirely, but it often backfires. The result is usually a final piece that's generic, unfocused, or confusing. Always write a new essay for every application, no matter how long it takes.

5. Think About Your Response.

Don't try to guess what the admissions officials want to read. Your essay will be easier to write─and more exciting to read─if you’re genuinely enthusiastic about your subject. Here’s an example: If all your friends are writing application essays about covid-19, it may be a good idea to avoid that topic, unless during the pandemic you had a vivid, life-changing experience you're burning to share. Whatever topic you choose, avoid canned responses. Be creative.

6. Focus on You.

Essay prompts typically give you plenty of latitude, but panel members expect you to focus on a subject that is personal (although not overly intimate) and particular to you. Admissions counselors say the best essays help them learn something about the candidate that they would never know from reading the rest of the application.

7. Stay True to Your Voice.

Use your usual vocabulary. Avoid fancy language you wouldn't use in real life. Imagine yourself reading this essay aloud to a classroom full of people who have never met you. Keep a confident tone. Be wary of words and phrases that undercut that tone.

8. Be Specific and Factual.

Capitalize on real-life experiences. Your essay may give you the time and space to explain why a particular achievement meant so much to you. But resist the urge to exaggerate and embellish. Admissions counselors read thousands of essays each year. They can easily spot a fake.

9. Edit and Proofread.

When you finish the final draft, run it through the spell checker on your computer. Then don’t read your essay for a few days. You'll be more apt to spot typos and awkward grammar when you reread it. After that, ask a teacher, parent, or college student (preferably an English or communications major) to give it a quick read. While you're at it, double-check your word count.

Writing essays for college admission can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. A well-crafted essay could be the deciding factor─in your favor. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll have no problem creating memorable pieces for every application.

What is the format of a college application essay?

Generally, essays for college admission follow a simple format that includes an opening paragraph, a lengthier body section, and a closing paragraph. You don't need to include a title, which will only take up extra space. Keep in mind that the exact format can vary from one college application to the next. Read the instructions and prompt for more guidance.

Most online applications will include a text box for your essay. If you're attaching it as a document, however, be sure to use a standard, 12-point font and use 1.5-spaced or double-spaced lines, unless the application specifies different font and spacing.

How do you start an essay?

The goal here is to use an attention grabber. Think of it as a way to reel the reader in and interest an admissions officer in what you have to say. There's no trick on how to start a college application essay. The best way you can approach this task is to flex your creative muscles and think outside the box.

You can start with openers such as relevant quotes, exciting anecdotes, or questions. Either way, the first sentence should be unique and intrigue the reader.

What should an essay include?

Every application essay you write should include details about yourself and past experiences. It's another opportunity to make yourself look like a fantastic applicant. Leverage your experiences. Tell a riveting story that fulfills the prompt.

What shouldn’t be included in an essay?

When writing a college application essay, it's usually best to avoid overly personal details and controversial topics. Although these topics might make for an intriguing essay, they can be tricky to express well. If you’re unsure if a topic is appropriate for your essay, check with your school counselor. An essay for college admission shouldn't include a list of achievements or academic accolades either. Your essay isn’t meant to be a rehashing of information the admissions panel can find elsewhere in your application.

How can you make your essay personal and interesting?

The best way to make your essay interesting is to write about something genuinely important to you. That could be an experience that changed your life or a valuable lesson that had an enormous impact on you. Whatever the case, speak from the heart, and be honest.

Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?

Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you’ve handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you’re considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.

AP United States Government and Politics

Review the free-response questions from the 2024 ap exam., updates for 2023-24.

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, AP U.S. Government and Politics will have an updated course framework and instructional materials.

Exam Overview

Exam questions assess the course concepts and skills outlined in the course framework. For more information, download the AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description (CED).

Encourage your students to visit the AP U.S. Government and Politics student page for exam information.

Tue, May 6, 2025

12 PM Local

AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam

Exam format.

The AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam has consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day.

Section I: Multiple Choice

55 Questions | 1 Hour 20 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

Individual questions (no stimulus): ~30
Quantitative Analysis : Analysis and application of quantitative-based source material
Qualitative Analysis : Analysis and application of text-based (primary and secondary) sources
Visual Analysis : Analysis and application of qualitative visual information

Section II: Free Response

4 Questions | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

Concept Application : Respond to a political scenario, describe and explain the effects of a political institution, behavior, or process
Quantitative Analysis : Analyze quantitative data, identify a trend or pattern, or draw a conclusion from a visual representation and explain how it relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior
SCOTUS Comparison : Compare a nonrequired Supreme Court case with a required Supreme Court case, explaining how information from the required case is relevant to the nonrequired one
Argument Essay : Develop an argument in the form of an essay, using evidence from required foundational documents and course concepts

Exam Questions and Scoring Information

Ap u.s. government and politics: exam questions and scoring information.

View free-response questions and scoring information from this year's exam and past exams.

Score Reporting

Ap score reports for educators.

Access your score reports.

5 Best Common Application Essay Examples to Inspire Your Writing

What is the Common Application Essay?
Why the Common Application Essay Matters
Tips for Writing a Compelling Common Application Essay

1. Be Authentic

2. show, don't tell, 3. stay focused, 4. edit and revise, 5. start early.

5 Common Application Essay Examples

Example 1: Overcoming Adversity

Example 2: a unique talent or skill, example 3: a meaningful extracurricular activity, example 4: personal growth from an unusual experience, example 5: a reflective personal story.

Final Thoughts

5 Best Common App Essay Examples to Inspire Your Own

Applying for college is a daunting task, but your Common App essay can be a game-changer. Discover the best examples and tips for crafting a memorable personal statement that captures who you are beyond the academic metrics. Let's get inspired!

Top 5 College Application Essay Examples to Inspire Your Writing

Crafting a memorable college application essay can be challenging. Uncover top examples that highlight authenticity, engagement, and reflection. Let these essays guide and inspire you!

Understanding 15 Most Commonly Used Tones When Writing an Essay

Discover the various tones you can use when writing an essay. Learn how to effectively convey your message and connect with your audience through the appropriate use of tone. Explore examples and tips for academic, formal, informal, and persuasive writing tones.

IMAGES

Student Government Application by Professor Aloha
8 Samples of College Application Essay Format (and Writing Tips)
Some Application Essay Writing Tips
📚 Essay Sample on Student Government
Expert Guide to Write a College Application Essay
High School Application Essay

VIDEO

Worst College Essay Topics
application for school leaving certificate in English
Best Govt job after 12th ever
🔥 URGENT: Government Internship with Certificate + ₹10,000 ⚠️ Few Days Left
An Actual Princeton University Supplemental Essay & Techniques You Can Borrow!
How to fill in a government Application for Employment form. CORRECTLY

COMMENTS

Student Council Application: [Essay Example], 407 words
The student council application process is crucial for selecting the most qualified and dedicated candidates to represent the student . It allows students to showcase their leadership skills, creativity, and commitment to serving their peers.The application typically includes questions about the candidate's academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and reasons for wanting to join the ...
Why I Want to Run for Student Council: Essay
As your friend, I will also be asking you for your ideas. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Together we must be strong and cooperate to achieve our goals. As your friend, I believe in you. I believe in this school. I believe in our ability to work together for something great.
Why I Want To Run For Student Council (Essay Sample)
The students who are highly motivated to lead and take ownership of a role usually make it a point to run for student council at some point in their academic lives. In the sample essay below, the author outlines the many reasons why she wants to run and be a good student council member. She focuses on her strengths and capabilities, as well as ...
Student Government in High School and College
It's common for student governments, particularly at the college level, to be modeled after the U.S. government. These student governments are made up of three branches: Executive, legislative and judicial. These branches work together to ensure balance of power within the student government. Executive.
The Impact of Student Government on Your College Application
For example, maybe you led one of the student government committees or a special project that council members completed. This could be the basis of a great essay topic. Leadership takes many forms, and student government offers tons of opportunities to take on this role. Teamwork; Even the Class President can't do it all themselves.
How to Join Your High School's Student Council
Student government also gives you a great leadership experience to discuss on your college application. Colleges like to see leadership experience and involvement on your resume. It shows that you can get involved in your school and improve things, which makes colleges think that hopefully you would do the same at their school.
Student Council and Student Government 101
At other schools, it may be called Student Council, Student Government, or something else entirely. These organizations vary in their size and impact. The main point is that high school students elect their peers to represent the student population in decision-making. These elected representatives serve a variety of positions, including Class ...
Heading to College? Why You Should Join Student Government
Student Government Association - College students involved in SGAs usually have more responsibilities than high school student councils and more independence. In either case, the basic idea behind student government is the same: Student government is a group of students charged with managing a wide range of events, activities, programs ...
Sga Application Essay Sample
Satisfactory Essays. 480 Words. 2 Pages. Open Document. Why are you applying to serve on SGA? For me, the Student Government Association is not just a student organization. I believe that it is a place for enthusiastic students to share their thoughts and give input on the major aspects of USD. While our school is already amazing, there are ...
Student Government Application Essay
Student Government Application Essay. I would like to run for a Student Government Officer position for many reasons. One reason is to help others. Although helping others maybe the first thing that someone may put on this application, it's important and I try to help others as much as I can, from helping someone with their homework to ...
PDF Candidate Essays for Student Council Officer Jennifer Godfrey ...
It is vital to have good communications between the students and board of education officers because it allows the students to say what they feel in an orderly and polite manner. There is an obvious divide between the faculty and students. This position is the bridge in between that divide.
Personal Statement: Application For Student Government
Personal Statement: Application For Student Government. Satisfactory Essays. 322 Words. 2 Pages. Open Document. On Tuesday, September 9, 2017, at 9 P.M. in the Alumni room I attended a meeting for Student Government Association. During this meeting, I was sworn-in to have a seat on the Student Government board as a senator.
Community Essay Examples
1. Research the college. When reviewing our college community essay examples, you will notice that students highlight specific clubs, programs, or groups on campus to which they will contribute. If you are specific, you demonstrate real interest in the school which adds strength to your college applications. 2.
10 Winning Scholarship Essay Examples From Real Students
The Bill Browning Scholarship Essay by Gabby DeMott. Award Amount: $10,000. Essay prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Why it was successful: Gabby DeMott shared her experiences with personal growth and overcoming fears in Germany.
For any of you that are in student government, what have you ...
r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more.
How to write a college application essay: 7 tips + step-by-step how-to
Step 0: choose a structure. By "structure," we mean what you'll use to organize your essay's content in a way that helps your reader understand clearly and easily. We'll talk through two structural options below: "montage" and "narrative.". Some quick definitions:
How to Write the Common Application Essays 2024-2025 (With Examples)
Show, don't tell. Be specific. Choose active voice, not passive voice. Avoid clichés. Write in a tone that aligns with your goals for the essay. For example, if you are a heavy STEM applicant hoping to use your Common App essay to humanize your application, you will be undermined by writing in a brusque, harsh tone.
Government Essay Examples for College Students
The subject of government is often approached by college students majoring in Law and Political Sciences. At the same time, when you check various government essay examples, you will instantly notice that journalists, psychologists, historians, and even healthcare majors often have to deal with governmental processes and related studies.
Student Government Application
Step 1: Complete the following online application: Click here to complete the Student Government Application form. Step 2: Print the following letter of recommendation pdf, have it completed and email it to : [email protected]. Click here to open letter-of-recommendation.pdf.
Student Council Speech
Let's soar high, Hawks!". This example of a student council speech uses a structured approach to convey the candidate's motivations, qualifications, goals, and plans in a clear and engaging manner, effectively persuading classmates to lend their support. Free Download in Word Free Download in PDF.
Extracurricular Activity Examples
Extracurricular Activity Examples. Member (9th/10th) Treasurer (11th/12th) National Honors Society, Ridgefield High School Chapter. We are amongst the highest academically achieving students at our school, who collectively and consistently participate in community service projects. Student, Class TA.
Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay
Follow these tips to write an impactful essay that can work in your favor. 1. Start Early. Few people write well under pressure. Try to complete your first draft a few weeks before you have to turn it in. Many advisers recommend starting as early as the summer before your senior year in high school.
AP United States Government and Politics Exam
Section I: Multiple Choice. 55 Questions | 1 Hour 20 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score. Individual questions (no stimulus): ~30. Set-based questions. Quantitative Analysis: Analysis and application of quantitative-based source material. Qualitative Analysis: Analysis and application of text-based (primary and secondary) sources.
5 Best Common Application Essay Examples to Inspire Your Writing
The common application essay is a key component of the Common Application, a standardized college application used by many universities. This essay allows students to share their unique stories, experiences, and perspectives. The goal is to give admissions officers a deeper understanding of the applicant's personality and potential.