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4 years ago
Admissions Advice

How can I talk about both my work and volunteer experience in the Common App essay?

I want to write an essay about both my work and volunteer experience, and how they overlap. Any suggestions on how I should do so?

commonapp
essays
1
5
@maplecreamcookies
expert
4 years ago

This question is a little vague - could you let us know more details, like what prompt you were thinking, and what your experience is exactly? Could you also ask a more specific question? (i.e. Will my experiences properly demonstrate my leadership abilities?) Otherwise, no one can really offer you helpful advice.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Viraj4 years ago

For example, could I write about what traits I learned from working a job and then compare and contrast those to the ones I learned from my volunteer experience as a Student Teacher? Or would that sound too much like I was listing things?

@maplecreamcookies
expert
4 years ago

What's the prompt you want to answer?

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Viraj4 years ago

I guess showing personal growth? Prompt 5?

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1 answer

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4 years ago

Hi there! So prompt 5 is asking for a specific accomplishment, event, or realization (that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others). If you write about your work and volunteer experience generally, your essay probably won't answer the prompt, and won't be that engaging. Is there a specific experience in your job or volunteer work that led to such a realization? Think about the personal qualities you want to convey, and whether a specific story can get those across.

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