American University Honors Program Acceptance Rate

All Applicants

This is a very standard “Why This College?” prompt. Chances are, unless this is your first college application, you have already seen a prompt similar to this one. This straightforward prompt is intended to determine your interest in AU; there are no tricks involved. Your response will be used by the admissions committee to assess how well you’ll fit in at the university and how you’ll take advantage of all of its opportunities. Your essay should demonstrate how your personal objectives and the resources of the university interact to assist them in understanding these issues.

You should at least forge a concrete connection with AU. This can be accomplished by specifically mentioning the university’s resources and opportunities that speak to you. You’re going to need to do some research in order to have a strong, focused response. If you’ve never done this before, don’t worry; we’ve put together a helpful guide to assist you!

To begin, try to find your desired major’s webpage by consulting this list of degree programs. You should also look into faculty members in your department. To do that, you can use this searchable directory to find your department, which will have its own faculty list. Finally, look into the wealth of centers, institutes, and initiatives at AU.

Even though this task is simple, you still need plenty of time to dive into the research process, so make sure you start it well before the deadlines. A scant amount of research followed by immediate writing will only diminish your application. This is due to the admissions officers’ extensive experience reviewing applications. They can tell if your research was rushed based on how generic your response appears, and they are skilled at identifying students who only have a passing interest in their university.

You may also find it useful to search YouTube and social media platforms like Reddit for authentic student experiences that have been written about. If you conduct research down these unorthodox paths, you might learn things about AU that you never knew about but end up loving!

Here’s an illustration of how a fruitful, targeted response might appear:

I come from a mixed-race family; my father is Muslim and my mother is Jew Because of my upbringing, I was exposed to insightful conversations about geopolitical affairs at a fairly young age. International studies fascinate me, and I want to support efforts to ease the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The School of International Service at AU offers in-depth courses that are extremely pertinent to this passion of mine. I will gain insights into the religious roots of the conflict from RELG-475 Religion and Violence and SISU-319 Arab-Israeli Relations in particular that I will not get from simply talking to my parents.

My interest in the work of Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer is particularly strong. His thoughts on conducting evaluations in conflict zones intrigued me after my mother showed me his book Evaluating Interreligious Peacebuilding earlier this year. They clarify some effects of fieldwork. ”.

This response does a few things effectively. First, it provides the admissions committee with background information on the applicant. Second, it establishes her motivations and passions. Third, it discusses several courses, the work of an AU faculty member, and the significance of those resources for the student in detail. You can fit all of these things into the short word limit.

In addition to describing the specific resources you plan to use, you might also want to describe your intangible relationship with AU. Although it is not required, if you can complete this, it would enhance your application. An intangible connection is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a connection that isn’t built on the university’s tangible resources. Alignment between your personal values and the institution’s values is frequently necessary for an intangible connection to exist.

For example, perhaps you are deeply invested in environmental conservation. You’ll be pleased to learn that AU “achieved carbon neutrality as the first urban campus, the first research university, and the largest higher education institution in the United States.” You could add a brief note about how much you value AU’s sustainability initiatives to your response to create an intangible connection about how it achieved this goal two years ahead of schedule.

The following are a few things you should stay away from doing in your essay:

• Name-dropping. Don’t list a long list of pursuits, courses, or professors without elaborating on why they are significant to you. Although you are talking about aspects of the university, you should be the main subject of this essay.
• Empty flattery. Anyone can claim that AU is a reputable university with a fantastic international studies program. Although it’s nice to praise the university, you don’t have a lot of room, and using empty flattery implies that you have nothing more important to say.
• Generic remarks. You won’t significantly improve your response by mentioning AU’s convenient location, a strong program in a particular field, or small class sizes. These are generic things that apply to many schools.

You’ll be off to a great start if you do enough research, come up with thoughtful justifications for choosing AU, and write an honest response.

American University Special Program Essay Prompts

The link will take you to the unique program prompts; just click it.

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AU Honors Program Applicants, Prompt 1

You have a few options for how to approach this prompt because it is fairly open-ended. We advise composing an essay that resembles a cross between a “Why This Major?” and an essay about extracurricular activities. By concentrating on a particular aspect of your intended major, you can demonstrate your enthusiasm for an academic subject while also giving your response more depth and personality.

You should organize your thoughts before you start writing so that your essay has a clear structure. Consider the following inquiries to help you concentrate your thoughts:

1. What are your genuine reasons for being interested in this thing, what most piques your curiosity and interest?

2. What are some specific examples of the things related to this interest that you enjoy?

If you’re really interested in something, you shouldn’t describe it in general terms. Think “I enjoy reading novels that explore existentialist philosophical themes” instead of “I love reading.” ”.

3. How might pursuing this help you achieve your personal and/or professional goals?

Are your future plans influenced by your curiosity about this thing, for instance, is your ultimate life goal to become a marine biologist because you are so fascinated by ocean life?

4. What are your best experiences with this interest both inside and outside of the classroom? Is this interest primarily academic or extracurricular?

5. Why do you find that experience or state of mind appealing, and is there any recurring emotional experience that you have when exploring this thing that piques your curiosity?

6. Have you acquired or strengthened any personality traits or skills as a result of your object of interest? How has this thing affected your personal growth?

When you’re trying to remember some anecdotes to support your interest, questions 4, 5, and 6 will be especially helpful.

Since you only have 300 words, limit your response to one or, if they’re connected, two, things you are genuinely curious about. A strong essay will do a few things. First of all, it will demonstrate that you have complex interests and depth of knowledge. It will also briefly discuss the path your life has taken as a result of your interests. Lastly, it will highlight a crucial aspect of your personality that can help the admissions committee understand who you are as a person.

When writing your response, you should avoid the following common errors:

• Picking the wrong topic. Bad topics include those you’ve already discussed in your application elsewhere, ones you’re not all that invested in, ones you haven’t given much thought to, and others.

• Creating a general argument for why the topic you chose is interesting or cool without mentioning your connection to it personally It’s wonderful to value your own interests, but you must demonstrate to the admissions committee why these interests are so significant to you.

Some examples of strong topics would be:

• A student who is a second-generation Japanese immigrant might be interested in learning more about how language and identity interact. Learning Japanese has made her realize that conversing with her parents in their native tongue is simpler and that they are better able to express their personalities. Additionally, she has been able to connect with her heritage more as she has grown more at ease speaking Japanese. Attending local language exchanges as a result of this led to the creation of a podcast featuring the participant’s stories and reflections on language and identity. At AU, she aspires to study Japanese and work as a translator.

• A runner who experienced tendonitis in his junior year might be interested in learning how our body’s tendons and ligaments support us when we exercise. He chose to enroll in an anatomy course and observe his physical therapist after receiving physical therapy and having his tendon heal. To aid other athletes in recovering from their injuries, he hopes to become a physical therapist or sports medicine physician.

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AU Honors Program Applicants, Prompt 2

This question is a more focused variation of the “Why This College?” question. However, you are questioned as to why American University as a whole rather than the AU Honors Program specifically appeals to you.

The prompt is meant to assess a couple of things. First, it’s intended to determine whether you are aware of what the program entails. You ought to have something comprehensive to say about the Honors Program if you’ve done your research on it. Second, it’s meant to assess how well you’ll fit into the scheme. What role you’ll play in the program and how you’ll use its resources to accomplish your goals are two things the admissions committee is interested in learning about. Additionally, it helps the admissions committee determine which applicants are sincere about the program.

Before you begin writing, make a list of the reasons you decided to apply to the program. You might find it helpful to explicitly jot down the things that drew you to the honors program in the first place. One of these reasons might very well be the subject of your essay. You should also explore the honors program website to make sure you don’t miss any of your reasons.

You must decide whether you want to write about an academic reason, an extracurricular reason, or an intangible reason because the prompt specifically asks for the aspect that most interests you. Let’s go over what makes each of these unique.

Academic reasons are as straightforward as they sound. Things such as the Honors Colloquium courses, the Honors Capstone, and research opportunities are academic aspects of the program that you might want to write about.

Extracurricular reasons include activities and opportunities that are supplementary to academics. Things such as Honors housing, the Student Advisory Council, and the Honors “Have You Ever Wondered?” discussion series are extracurricular aspects of the program.

Intangible reasons are those that involve values, beliefs, and other nonphysical things. The program’s commitment to interdisciplinary thinking and the BIPOC Affinity Group’s dedication to “an empowering and supportive environment” are examples of intangible aspects of the program.

You can write a compelling, straightforward response to this prompt even if your motivations aren’t the most unusual or outrageous. The Honors Colloquia, the chance to interact with Program Associates, or the opportunities in honors housing may be what most interests you. These are all legitimate ways to develop a concrete connection with the program.

Take a student who wants to work in political science research as an example. She might be most interested in the Honors Program’s curriculum. She can discuss the program’s demanding nature, some of the honors-specific courses, and the many opportunities for undergraduate research (like the Honors Capstone and the HNRS-398 Honors Challenge Course) in her response.

You will be able to respond to this prompt effectively if you can explain specifically what drew you to the Honors program and why it did so.

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AU Honors Program Applicants, Prompt 3

This is a typical essay prompt and interview question, and it can be challenging to respond to without giving it a lot of thought. The good news is that there’s really no wrong answer. Your unique worldview, which is shaped and informed by your own life experiences, is who you are.

Selecting a topic that is truly meaningful to you is the key to writing a powerful response to this prompt. Many of the difficult tasks will already be completed if your response is sincere and filled with a great deal of emotion.

Make a list of the people and things that have altered your perspective on the world or how you live your life before you begin writing your response. The following are some instances of things that may have influenced your worldview:

• Personal identity. Your race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, etc. each has a significant impact on how you think and perceive the world.

• Cultural identity. Your political beliefs, socioeconomic status, social class, and even where you are from affect the issues you are most concerned about and the solutions you see to them.

• Personal history. Things in your life may have an average trajectory. You may have had a fortunate life with few challenges to date, or you may have gone through a great deal of adversity or tragedy. Your perspective of life and the world around you will be greatly influenced by how things generally turn out in your life.

• People. The people you admire and/or surround yourself with, such as your family, friends, mentors, local authorities, politicians, athletes, musicians, and actors, among others. – have a significant impact on your attitudes, beliefs, views, and perceptions in general.

• Interests. Your true investments have the power to alter how you view the world. If you’re a musician, for instance, you might discover musicality in the most uninteresting sounds you hear every day.

It is very understandable if you are unsure of which of these factors has had the biggest influence on your worldview because there is a lot to unpack here. To help you figure that out, consider the following questions:

1. Have you recently strengthened or developed any particular worldviews that you regard as so essential that they define you?

2. Whatever caused such a dramatic change in how you see the world is probably a good subject for this essay, if your answer to question 1 is yes, what is the view and what caused you to develop it.

3. If the answer to question 1 is no, have you ever encountered anything that has profoundly altered your perspective on something?

For instance, you may have developed a different perspective on the value of medical research if you lost a close family member to cancer. Perhaps this was a significant enough life event to inspire you to pursue a career in medicine. A happier illustration would be witnessing the joy and gratitude of those who participated in your volunteer work at the soup kitchen. Your appreciation for the little things you get every day may have completely changed after this interaction with people who are less fortunate than you.

4. If the answer to question three is “yes,” describe the occasion or experience and how it affected your worldview.

5. If the response to question three is “no,” consider your formative years. Which person (or persons) most influenced your present beliefs and views, and how did their influence lead you to the current set of beliefs?

If you feel that you don’t have excellent responses to any of the questions above, don’t worry; you can always choose a safer, more conventional response as your response. Remember, there is no wrong answer. A parent or parents, an older sibling, a teacher, coach, or other type of mentor, as well as intellectual figures like philosophers or well-known experts in a field of interest, are some examples of common responses to this type of prompt.

Your reflection on your chosen person or experience is simple to write about if you have a compelling, original response to any of the questions above. Justify who or what the focus of your essay is, and then immediately discuss how that focus has influenced your worldview. You might find it useful to use anecdotes to illustrate this point, but it’s not required.

An effective way to organize your essay is to start with when your worldview was different and then, through the use of anecdotes and narrative, explain how this worldview changed over time as a result of the topic of your essay.

We strongly advise using anecdotes if your topic is one that is more well-known and conventional. This is due to the likelihood that other students will have similar topics, but you can make your response stand out by being as unique as you can.

Make sure that your response, regardless of who or what you choose to discuss in this essay, is sincere. Explain why the topic you chose has had such a significant impact on your life. Additionally, be sure to outline the precise ways in which your subject has influenced your worldview.

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Community-Based Research Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 1

This simple exercise asks you to describe one or two instances that exhibit each of the two qualities listed. Collaboration, empathy, and commitment to making a difference are qualities that are fairly broad, so you have some creative freedom in how you choose to write about them. Having said that, picking the right anecdotes to use in your response is crucial!

We recommend keeping your answer around 200-300 words. You should give yourself enough room to make and support your point without writing so much that it becomes redundant.

You can brainstorm topics in a couple different ways. You could choose the qualities that most resonate with you and consider the instances in which you showed them, or you could jot down memorable experiences and consider the virtues you showed through them.

Once you’ve selected an experience, you should describe what transpired, what your specific responsibility was, and how it exemplified the quality you’ve chosen. Lastly, you should discuss how these experiences have helped you prepare for the CBRS program.

To write a strong response to the prompt, you should do research on the CBRS program. The CBRS website has a lot of information about the program that you can use in your response. You can discuss how the experience(s) you wrote about prepared you for a particular course or research project in the program.

Here’s an example of a good topics:

A student who participated in a team that painted murals to promote the Black Lives Matter movement might talk about their commitment to working together and changing the world in their essay. They were able to describe how it was difficult to plan which team member would finish which section of the mural, but they contributed to the organization of a system using a visual designing tool that simplified the procedure. They could also talk about how they handled conflicts among the mural’s message’s participants.

They are motivated to keep looking for ways to use art for social change as a result of this experience, and they have the teamwork skills necessary to tackle complex problems (in fact, they are eagerly anticipating the course Collaboration is Complex, which is focused on creating collaborative artwork for social change).

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Community-Based Research Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 2

Your capacity to identify and describe community problems, the kinds of issues that interest you or have meaning for you, and your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities are all intended to be evaluated by this prompt. Similar to the typical community service essay prompt, this one asks you to identify a problem and suggest a potential solution rather than discussing previous community service. Again, there is no word count specified for this prompt, so we advise writing between 200 and 300 words.

Think about what bothers you about your hometown. Since CBRS is all about community-based service and research, you are not required to focus on a particular kind of issue. You might be considering a social, economic, infrastructure, or environmental issue, as well as a problem with public health. The challenge your community faces doesn’t have to be one that is significant in size or scope; it only needs to be something that has an impact on your neighborhood and is significant to you.

In addition to personal issues, consider subtle prevailing issues that only impact a particular area or population. Make a list of the issues you believe are most important in light of your personal and community circumstances. After making a list, keep it smaller and smaller until you find the challenge that most resonates with you and with which you can connect to the CBRS program.

You’re not being asked to overcome the challenge or solve the problem outright, but you are tasked with writing about how your participation in CBRS can prepare you to help contribute to efforts to address this issue. To write an effective response, you’re going to have to do ample research on the CBRS website. You should have a good understanding of what the program entails before you even begin writing since you essentially have to write how the program’s resources and opportunities will prepare you to tackle a community issue.

For instance, a student might originate from a less prosperous area where access to nutritious food is limited. This has caused a wide range of community health problems that can be avoided, like high blood pressure and obesity. He might describe how the CBRS program could assist her in designing a thorough investigation to identify the most pressing health issue, interviewing locals to determine what they need, and working with local organizations and governing bodies to implement structural changes to improve access to wholesome foods.

This is a strong response because it outlines a problem the student has observed in his neighborhood, explains why it is such a significant issue, and explains how taking part in the CBRS program will enable him to help find a solution to the problem.

If you address the following three issues, your essay will be strong:

• What – Define the challenge thoroughly but concisely.
• Why – Explain why the issue is significant to both you and the community it affects.
• How – Explain how your involvement in the CBRS program can equip you to support regional efforts to resolve the problem.

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Community-Based Research Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 3

This exercise is designed to test your ability to learn from experiences regardless of whether they initially appeal to you or not, as well as your willingness to take on challenging but potentially uncomfortable tasks.

Think back to times before you started writing when you forced yourself to do something you ordinarily wouldn’t have. Make a list of the experiences you had that were outside your comfort zone and that allowed you to grow and learn from them. Once you have a list of experiences, try to pick one that demonstrates the following three characteristics:

• The experience should actually be something that was outside of your comfort zone, despite the fact that it seems obvious. Sincerity about what made you uncomfortable will make your essay stand out, despite how intimidating it may initially seem.
• Ideally, the experience should have resulted in something significant, whether positive or negative. Anything too insignificant will not have a significant lesson, which is what the second half of the prompt asks you to do.
• You should be able to recall the event clearly enough to write about it in detail. You don’t want to sound disinterested or forgetful in your essay.

The following are a few instances of experiences you could write about:

• You’ve always loved music, but you were too self-conscious to ever perform your songs in front of others. But when your music teacher asked you to participate in the high school talent show the previous year, you made the decision to overcome your stage fright. Even though you were terrified before your performance, as soon as you played the first note on your guitar, your anxiety vanished. You weren’t expecting a standing ovation for your song, which placed second in the competition. Since then, you’ve made more of an effort to make your music more accessible, even posting a lot of it online.

• You chose to participate in a dance-a-thon to raise money for a friend who has cancer even though you believed you lacked coordination or athletic ability. Despite your initial anxiety, you ended up thoroughly enjoying yourself and picking up some new dance steps. You eventually joined the dance team as a result of this, and it helped you become more receptive to new things.

The two experiences mentioned above both had happy endings, but you don’t have to write about only happy experiences. The prompt does not require that your story have the best possible resolution. It merely inquires as to what led you to make your choice and how you intend to apply what you discovered as a result of the experience going forward. One of the two methods listed below may be used to write your essay:

• You ventured outside of your comfort zone, and it paid off. This successful outcome resulted in some personal growth, which inspires you to keep regularly stepping outside of your comfort zone. The lesson you learned requires you to take more chances or face things you are uncomfortable with or fear.

• You ventured outside of your comfort zone, and the result wasn’t good. Despite the unfavorable outcome, you gained valuable insight into yourself or the wider world. You acknowledged that sometimes making uncomfortable decisions doesn’t work out, but that they might still be worthwhile in the long run.

You can determine a specific lesson that your experience taught you, regardless of how it turned out. In your reflection, whether you choose to write about a positive or negative experience, be sure to highlight how you have changed or what you have learned.

Remember that this supplement has no given word limit. Although we advise keeping your response to 200–300 words, you will still have enough room to respond to every aspect of the prompt. Write a succinct but thorough account of the actual event, explain your reasoning, and spell out how the lessons you took away from it can be applied to your future life.

Make sure to respond to all of the prompt’s questions since there are several of them. Since your motivations and what you discovered about yourself are more significant than the choice itself, make sure you give yourself enough room to discuss these two topics.

The admissions committee is interested in your ability to take initiative, how you respond to challenging circumstances and potentially unfavorable outcomes, how you learn from your experiences, and how you consider the choices you have made.

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Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Applicants, Prompt 1

This prompt is essentially asking for a mini personal statement. Before writing, you should familiarize yourself with the program. The FDDS program expects its students to “contribute to the intellectual, social, and political environment of the institution” and “proactively prepare [its students] for academic, leadership, and career excellence.” The application process is particularly encouraged for first-generation, minority, and low-income students.

This question is fundamentally an attempt to determine both who you are as a person and as a student. AU is interested in learning about your interests, character traits, and leadership abilities.

Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars are talented, academically driven students who are passionate about their interests and set the standard for excellence at AU, according to the prompt. In essence, this establishes the precise points that your response should cover:

• Describe your greatest talent or a skill you’re particularly proud of mastering.
• Academic motivations: You should mention your desired major if you have one. If not, talk about what truly interests you academically.
• Having a passion for your interests – This relates to the previous point. Talk about specific academic interests you have that you are passionate about to let your passion come through.
• Describe your academic objectives and how you plan to achieve them at AU. This is a bit of a broad conceptual question, but try to address it.

There are only 200 words available, so you must be concise. To ensure that your response is comprehensive, you should still try to address the majority of the points. Consider the following inquiries to help you organize your thoughts before you start writing:

1. Is there any connection between your strongest and most proud abilities and your academic life?

2. What is your greatest academic interest? This can be a general subject, your desired major, or something else.

3. Think about something specific, such as “novels that explore existential themes” or “group theory vs. public policy,” as opposed to something general like “reading” or “public policy,” when describing your chosen talent and academic interest. elite theory of public policy. ”.

4. Is there a particular experience that had a profound impact on your life and where did your passion for that experience originate?

5. What are your academic and career objectives, and how can AU and the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program assist you in realizing these objectives?

Once you’ve identified your goals, interests, and skills, consider how you can connect them to AU and the FDDS program as well as to one another. Your skills, passions, and objectives may be highly overlapping

Be truthful about who you are and what you hope to gain from college in your response. You will have a great start if you can demonstrate a sincere academic mindset and a passion for your interests.

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Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Applicants, Prompt 2

This essay may appear difficult at first, but it’s really quite simple. The Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program is seeking “ambitious, reflective, and upbeat student leaders with a passion for learning, outstanding self-awareness, demonstrated leadership experience, creative ability, and interest in having a meaningful impact as servant leaders in whatever fields, industries, and organizations they chose to apply their passions, skill sets, and intellectual curiosity. ”.

Frederick Douglass was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and activist who upheld free speech, universal human kinship, and the abolition of slavery. His beliefs prioritized equality and supported the moral and intellectual advancement of oppressed groups, particularly African Americans. According to him, freedom was an inalienable right that was unaffected by any law. Douglass also stressed the value of education and free speech in the fight for liberty.

Your objectives may be very general or very specific, but try to consider how they relate to the viewpoints that Douglass backed. You might be a Hispanic student who disapproves of how immigration is handled in the US, for instance. Perhaps you want to major in international studies so that you can work in politics and implement immigration reforms to help people like your family. The principles of liberty, reform, and universal kinship are shared by these objectives.

Your objectives might not be at all influenced by your race or ethnicity. Perhaps your top priority is to work in government to implement educational reform so that all students in the nation have access to the tools they need to succeed. This objective fits in well with Douglass’s viewpoint on the importance of education and literacy in preserving freedom and advancing society.

You might want to do some research on Frederick Douglass before you start writing. Your future goals may more closely resemble some of his ideals than others. Numerous articles about Douglass that describe his motivations and beliefs can be found online.

In the end, you should outline how your future goals correspond in some way with Frederick Douglass’s ideals of liberty, education, and natural human rights. These overarching convictions form the basis of Douglass’s political philosophy and way of life. You can create a thoughtful and interesting essay if you are clear about your objectives, sincere about what you hope to achieve, and specific about the connections you make to Douglass’s ideals.

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Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Applicants, Prompt 3

This is the traditional Overcoming Difficulties essay, so we advise reading our linked guide for suggestions and examples.

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Global Scholars 3-Year BA Program Applicants, Prompt 1

You’re asked to comment on the biggest issue affecting humanity right now in this prompt. This may seem like a very difficult task, but since it’s an opinion question, you can choose any reasonable challenge you like.

Admissions committees prefer specifics, so we frequently advise against identifying issues that are too general. However, during the brainstorming phase, you can have as many ideas as you like. Global poverty, hunger, illiteracy in developing nations, and violations of human rights are all viable places to start.

It may be helpful to consider your identity and values when deciding which issues are most important to you. Your ethnicity, race, nationality, language, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, hometown, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and even hobbies and interests are all a part of who you are.

Think about these various facets of your background and make a list of global issues that might have an effect on one or more aspects of your identity. For instance, if you are Ukrainian, your family may be directly impacted by the current invasion crisis. When writing about human rights or geopolitical conflicts, your ethnic background may influence you.

Once you start writing, be sure to focus on a specific aspect of your topic. Despite the fact that the prompt asks what you believe to be “the greatest challenge facing humanity today,” you should be ready to discuss specific instances of that challenge.

For example, if you want to write about global hunger, try to also describe specific instances and issues related to that more general problem. Some things you might want to look at in such an essay include widespread hunger in Venezuela as a result of governmental policies, hunger in Haiti as a result of food insecurity and currency inflation, and famine in some of Ethiopia as a result of the Tigray War.

For a few reasons, the aforementioned examples can add a great deal of nuance to your essay. First, citing concrete examples of your chosen challenge goes beyond merely asserting its existence. It creates tangible reasons to be concerned about the issue. Second, providing a few specific examples shows that you are knowledgeable and informed about the subject.

Consider how you might be able to contribute to a solution for this issue once you have chosen a global challenge and come up with a few examples to support your argument. You will be pursuing a degree in International Studies because this program is offered by the School of International Service.

You might already have some ideas about how you wish to help solve your chosen problem, but your essay will be even better if you can connect your goals to the school and degree. Read up on the BA in International Studies and the Global Scholars Program to inspire your writing!

To see yourself as a part of the solution, there is really no wrong way to do it. To see how contributions can differ, take into account the following fictitious students:

• The greatest threat to humanity, according to a student who is passionate about the environment, is climate change, which has wreaked havoc on communities around the globe and particularly their small coastal town, where floods have become worse and worse. They might intend to major in international studies in order to work for the UN and take part in conferences and agreements related to climate change in the future.

• The greatest global challenge, according to a student who aspires to become a doctor, is the lack of access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. They could discuss how the US healthcare system fails many low-income people and how less developed nations lack the resources and infrastructure needed to treat diseases that are easily treatable. They intend to pursue a medical degree and join Doctors Without Borders after graduation to aid those in conflict zones and those experiencing natural disasters receive the care they require.

This question is intended to determine which global issues you believe to be significant and how you plan to use your college training and degree to support ongoing efforts to resolve these issues. As long as you are sincere and write about a problem you are personally invested in, your essay will be effective.

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Global Scholars 3-Year BA Program Applicants, Prompt 2

This prompt asks you to write about a time when you overcame a challenge that demanded an unusual amount of time and effort. What you decide to write about doesn’t have to be a specific experience; in this context, a situation could be much bigger. Any experience—academic, personal, extracurricular, etc.—can be discussed in your response. The key, as with most other prompts, will be in how you connect your selected circumstance to both your personality and the overall Global Scholars program.

Consider your identity and environment first. Are there any defining moments in your life where you may have felt you had to go through a significant transition or change? Consider times in your life where you may have felt you had an uphill battle or unfair disadvantage.

No matter what circumstance you choose, keep in mind that the best solutions come from asking yourself questions. This also applies to situations you may describe that have nothing to do with your identity or environment; instead, consider any life-changing experiences that compelled you to change your course or direction.

For instance, if COVID-19 caused one or both of your parents to lose their jobs, you might have been forced to work in addition to completing your schoolwork. Although you may have thought you could manage the part-time job, perhaps you noticed that your relationships and schoolwork started to suffer and were forced to seriously reevaluate your time management skills.

While you may write about an experience that is relatable to others, it is how you relate it to yourself and your surroundings that will set you apart from the competition. Throughout your response, be sure to emphasize your feelings and sincerity. Lastly, make an effort to connect your chosen experience to the Global Scholars program as a whole.

In the case of the aforementioned example, you can conclude by discussing how you hope to apply what you learned from your experiences to your time participating in the Global Scholars program – specifically, how you hope to use your newly acquired understanding of various financial or personal circumstances to study various cultural and global circumstances.

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Politics, Policy and Law Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 1

You are asked to elaborate on a team-based problem-solving experience in this prompt so that the reader of the admissions essay can see how well you will fit in with the PPL program as a whole. You will collaborate with other PPL students both inside and outside of the classroom because PPL is an intensive program that requires all of its students to be a part of their living learning community. Because of this, the admissions committee wants to make sure that you can support a larger group of like-minded or occasionally, diversely-minded students.

First, recall your high school years and try to recall any significant group projects you participated in. However, keep in mind that this response shouldn’t merely be an extension of what may already be on your application. Try to address any areas in your application that are missing when choosing your topics.

For instance, perhaps you were a member of the Model UN Executive Board and would like to share your experience with organizing a conference that was held at your high school. Although that is unquestionably a valid experience, this response should focus more on the “how”

How did that conference come together, how did you assign tasks to your peers and which tasks did you take on, what difficulties or obstacles did your team face and how did you resolve them collectively, and did you have to resolve any conflicts while working together?

In the end, consider your failures, conflicts, and sincere tactics you used to keep the ship afloat as well as your accomplishments with the experience you chose. The following stage will involve outlining the significant lessons that the experience taught you and how you intend to apply those lessons to your time in the PPL program.

Remembering that the PPL program will require you to live and learn with your peers will help you come up with creative ways to end your response. Make sure your conclusion highlights how your group came together to tackle a challenging issue and ultimately emerged not only as a more successful group, but also as a closer one overall.

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Politics, Policy and Law Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 2

This question asks you to identify a significant problem facing the nation, convince a hypothetical elected official to pay attention to it, and then brainstorm potential solutions. It is less of a by-the-book response and more of an exercise. This exercise’s goals include gauging your level of political engagement as well as giving you a chance to try your first case study, which will eventually open doors to the PPL program as a whole. Although it will necessitate in-depth investigation and consideration, this prompt is simply an expanded version of a typical Political/Global Issues prompt.

First, decide the scale of your chosen issue. Trying to come up with a laundry list of potential problems to concentrate on will result in exhaustion before you can even start writing your response.

Remembering that you should have a distinct viewpoint on your chosen issue could be helpful. The goal is to think critically and creatively about your environment and how your particular perspective can be useful to solving your chosen problem. For instance, you wouldn’t want to write your response about something general like the dangers of climate change if you genuinely had nothing to add to the conversation.

Therefore, it might be more advantageous to start small before growing. Looking again at the issue of climate change, perhaps you come from a state where fracking is not only still legal but also actively practiced; what issues affect your neighborhood, your state, or your region? Perhaps you are aware of families connected to the fracking industry or that your own family is involved, and you believe that current legislation and efforts to outlaw fracking are stalled as a result of opposition from these communities.

Consider how your perspective can help you persuade an elected official to offer various incentives to those who depend on fracking for their livelihoods. You might think that fracking should be illegal. Starting small will help you be more specific and distinctive in your response while still addressing a pressing national issue like climate change.

If you don’t feel that your surroundings have given you a unique perspective on a current event, look into the issues that have most recently come to light in the nation. For instance, the United States is currently experiencing a migrant crisis, and resources to help these migrants are quickly running out. This has come to light in recent weeks.

If you are very involved in community service and volunteering, for instance, how can you use that interest to frame your response? Your suggested remedy could involve mobilizing youth to volunteer and support these immigrant communities while also attempting to negotiate a resolution with the opposing party.

Remember, your response still requires a formal policy proposal. Consequently, perhaps your suggested course of action can offer migrants temporary housing and resources right away while also paving the way for a more durable long-term solution. Although it need not entirely resolve a problem, your suggested course of action should demonstrate your familiarity with the legislative procedure.

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Sakura Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 1

This question, which relates to the intercollegiate Sakura Scholars program more specifically than the standard “Why This College?” question, This question is intended to determine whether you are a good fit for the program and whether it is a good fit for you based on your motivations for applying. You must create a connection with the program and explain how joining it will best serve your goals if you want to write a successful essay.

You can connect in two different ways with a college, program, major, etc. The first kind is the tangible connection. This entails stating clear, specific justifications in concrete terms for applying to the program. You will need to thoroughly research the program and its offerings in order to accomplish this effectively.

If you’ve read this far, you’ve most likely already completed the All Applicants prompt that was discussed at the beginning of this guide. If so, researching the program will be very similar to researching American University in general, as you previously did. We have created a guide to assist you in researching colleges (and programs) for this type of essay, so don’t worry if you haven’t finished it yet.

Go to the program’s website to begin your research. Scroll through the main site and the FAQ page to learn more about the program. In this program you have the choice of starting your undergraduate career at American University or Ritsumeikan University, so be sure to check out Ritsumeikan University’s program site as well! This will help you determine where you want to spend your first semester. Regardless of what you choose, you will spend four semesters at AU and four semesters abroad.

The program awards a degree in Global International Relations, so a good approach to this essay is to describe why the field of international relations is important to you and how the program is uniquely equipped to help you achieve your goals in this field. One direct way to establish a tangible connection between the program and your goals is to find courses or faculty members that really resonate with you. Since the program is between two universities, you should look through the faculty lists of both American and Ritsumeikan.

Consider the following response by a hypothetical student:

“I was born in the United States into an Uyghur-American family.” My upbringing and family’s history sparked a lifelong interest in human rights, especially those that affect the entire world. Recent events, such as the August United Nations report, have reignited my passion for this idea. The struggles of the Uyghur people in Asia are just one instance of widespread human rights abuses. In order to support efforts to ensure that human rights are upheld globally, I want to devote my life to the field of international relations.

I have the ideal opportunity to study international relations in both the United States and Japan thanks to the Sakura Scholars program. I’d have access to both Western and Eastern viewpoints like never before. Professors Jeffrey Bachman of American University and Rieko Kitamura of Ritsumeikan University both do work that interests me a lot. Prof. Bachman studies genocide, political violence, and human rights and Prof. Kitamura has done work on human rights protections. I’ll have the chance to delve deeper into particular regional issues by studying under these professors’ guidance. With the degree I’ll receive from this program, I’ll have new opportunities to alleviate my people’s suffering. ”.

This response is very effective for a number of reasons. It first establishes a personal history that aids the admissions committee in comprehending the applicant’s individual goals. The student’s genuine interest in the Sakura Scholars program is also demonstrated by this essay. Finally, it specifically identifies resources (specifically professors) at both universities that will be helpful to the student’s education and the achievement of their personal goals.

An intangible connection is the second type of connection you can have with the program. This entails checking whether your values and those of the program are compatible. You might, for instance, like how the show alternates between the East and the West while focusing on “voices, experiences, and theory from a truly multicultural, multiregional, global perspective.” ”.

You should steer clear of the following when composing your response:

• Name-dropping. Do not just list your favorite activities, professors, or classes without elaborating on why you are interested in them. This essay should focus more on you than the program.
• Empty flattery. Anyone can write about the reputations of AU and Ritsumeikan. Although flattery is nice, you don’t have many words to work with, and empty flattery implies that you have nothing more important to say.
• Generic aspects of the program. Discussing desirable locations, an effective international relations program, or small class sizes won’t really improve your essay. Write as much as you can about special features of the program or uncommon items.

Before you start writing, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to conduct in-depth research. Be sure to discuss complex personal reasons for applying to the program in your essay. The most important thing is to be honest in your response; it will help you out in the application process and beyond.

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Sakura Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 2

This is the traditional Overcoming Difficulties essay, so we advise reading our linked guide for additional guidance and examples.

Consider the following inquiries when selecting a topic:

• What major obstacles have you overcome? What unforeseen circumstances have proven to be defining moments in your life?
• Once you’ve given those some thought, compile a list of obstacles and another of unforeseen circumstances. Which of the experiences on each list gave you the most valuable or profound insights into yourself or the world?

Reduce your list until it only contains one or two of the most significant experiences. For the challenge/unexpected event you choose, think about these questions:

• What happened?
• What did you believe at the time, and how did you feel?
• How have your emotions regarding the event changed over time?
• Regardless of how the difficulty or unexpected circumstance turned out, what lessons did you take away from the encounter?
• How has the experience equipped you to deal with similar situations in the future and adapt to various intercultural situations?

You might want to use the following format when writing your essay:

• If you decide to write in the narrative format, entice the reader with an anecdote that describes the event in vivid and emotional detail.
• Introduce the subject with anecdotes, then describe your own characteristics (attitudes, beliefs, motivations, etc.). ) prior to the event that you learned from.
• Describe in detail how the experience served as a turning point in your life. The lesson should ideally show how your life has changed, what you’ve learned about yourself, others, and/or the world, and how you’re better able to deal with cross-cultural issues.
• If you are good at telling stories, you might want to change the order in which you describe events. For instance, you might begin with an overview of who you are today and how you can approach situations involving different cultures, then move on to a discussion of who you were prior to the experience, and finally discuss the experience and how it affected you.

For example, consider this response from a hypothetical student:

“My mother is Chinese and my father Mexican. Growing up, having such an unusual biracial combination presented challenges. The Mexican kids didn’t understand how I could be Mexican and look so different from them, and the Chinese kids didn’t really understand certain aspects of my culture, like the Mexican recipes my dad would prepare for my school lunches. I was unable to bring my two racial identities together, so I started to sort of deny them both.

I stopped valuing the differences between my two cultures and began acting like an ordinary American teenager. I was able to maintain a low profile and fit in with the other students at school thanks to this. After a few months, it continued to work, but eventually, something just didn’t feel right. I felt as though I was betraying my ancestors. In order to avoid discrimination, my parents had both emigrated to this multicultural country. It was a beautiful thing that they fell in love because it brought together two very different cultures from different parts of the world.

I started accepting my identity for what it is a few years ago. Since then, I’ve developed a love for cooking Chinese and Mexican food, which I can make anywhere. I speak intermediate Mandarin and have mastered the Spanish language. I am defined by both of my racial identities, and I will no longer allow the difficulty of innocent child ignorance to diminish my capacity for human experience.

I think that as a Sakura Scholar, I will be well-prepared to experience the blending of cultures that the program fosters. Given that I have spent my entire life dealing with identity issues and cross-cultural situations, I am prepared for them. I started a club to educate people about Chinese and Mexican culture. I hope that other biracial kids who feel like outsiders can use my club as a place to realize that being different is okay and that you don%E2%80%99t have to be 100% from any group to be considered a member ”.

This example works well because it explains the difficulty the student faced, how he overcame it, what he discovered about himself in the process, and how it has prepared him for life as a Sakura Scholar in this multicultural program.

Although there is no word limit specified, you should aim to limit your response to between 200 and 300 words. If your essay is less than 200 words, you may not have enough room to be detailed, while one longer than 300 words may become tedious or redundant.

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Public Health Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 1

This prompt is meant to gauge two things. First, it seeks to understand which public health issues you value and why. It also wants to know how you plan to use your life experience and college education to help find a solution to this problem.

We advise you to pick a problem that isn’t too broad because admissions committees are always looking for nuance and specificity. A problem like “COVID-19” is too ambiguous to be the subject of a good essay. Instead, pick a topic that is more specific, like “COVID-19 in underdeveloped communities.” ”.

Think about your identity and values if you’re having trouble choosing a topic. There may be a component of your identity that is directly connected to a public health issue, such as your ethnicity, race, nationality, language, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, hometown, socioeconomic status, illnesses, or physical limitations.

Think about these various facets of your history and make a list of public health issues that might affect a component of your identity. For instance, compared to white Americans, African-Americans are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease or a stroke. In situations like this, people from your race might be more affected by a health problem than people from other races.

Be sure to use specific examples or your chosen issue to help add nuance to your essay. Concrete examples will help you transition into a discussion of how you plan to help contribute to solving the problem and will make your essay more specific.

For instance, if you’re writing about substance misuse and abuse, talk about some specific instances where these problems arise. You might want to write about experiences you’ve had firsthand in this kind of essay, such as the use of opioids by the city’s homeless population, the overprescribing of certain medications nearby, or a widespread local practice of skipping doses of antibiotics.

For two reasons, the aforementioned examples can add nuance to your essay. First off, without supporting evidence, simply asserting that your problem exists and is important is not a strong argument. Giving examples demonstrates to your reader that the issue has real-world implications. Second, including some real-world examples in your essay demonstrates your knowledge and inquisitiveness.

After deciding on a public health issue that you can back up with concrete evidence, consider how your upcoming college education and life experience will enable you to contribute to its resolution. With AU’s Three-Year Public Health Scholars Program, you can complete an accelerated course of study and earn a BA or BS in Public Health (possibly on a pre-med track as well) in just three years.

You might already have plans for your future contributions to solving your chosen issue, but you can potentially elevate your essay if you’re able to connect your goals to the school and degree. Look at AU’s Three-Year Public Health Scholars Program website as well as the Public Health BA website and BS website to inspire your writing!

Don’t stress out too much about whether or not your response is “right” or “wrong” because this essay is about your plans for a career in public health. Here are a few sample student biographies to illustrate how various effective concepts can seem:

• Since middle school, Jane has been interested in psychology and mental health. She has discussed the shocking lack of mental health resources in the US with her uncle, a cognitive behavioral therapist, frequently throughout high school. Because she believes that this discipline holds the key to creating long-lasting change in the mental health field, Jane is pursuing a degree in public health.

• American-Chinese Robert has a history of cardiovascular disease in his family. He has conducted extensive independent research on prevalence rates because he is intrigued by this persistent problem. Robert discovered that a number of social determinants contribute to the disproportionate cardiovascular disease burden experienced by Asian-Americans. In order to lead initiatives that will provide care for his underserved ethnic community, he hopes to earn a degree in public health.

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Public Health Scholars Program Applicants, Prompt 2

This question combines two popular prompt types: the “Why This College?” and the “Why This Major?” questions. It’s a simple question designed to determine your level of interest in the school, the study of public health, and the 3-Year Public Health Scholars Program. The admissions committee is interested in how well you’ll fit into the curriculum and utilize its resources.

You should at the very least create a concrete connection to the program. The most effective way to do this is to firstly discuss your interest in the subject matter, then link it to your motivations for applying to the course.

Think about why you’re passionate about public health. Why do you want to study it, what are some of your career and personal goals, and how will this three-year program help you get there?

Explore the program’s website as well as the cites for the Public Health BA degree and BS degree to help inspire your writing! Try to find unique features of the program that you can use to inform your response.

Consider the following hypothetical response to see how you can connect with the program:

I struggled with my weight and health a lot as a child, and I was shamed for not making “healthy choices” I didn’t understand the main problem until my dad got promoted and we moved to a new neighborhood. All there were in my older, less affluent neighborhood were fast food joints and corner stores. There were several supermarkets with fresh, healthy food in my new neighborhood, all within a mile. Since our move, my weight and health have significantly improved.

I want to major in public health because I want to make it simpler for young, underprivileged children to access the resources they need to lead healthier lives. I’ll be able to assist these communities more quickly with a three-year program. I’m looking forward to taking the course Gender, Poverty, and Health, which will examine the connections between these issues and give me the chance to consider systemic approaches to providing underserved communities with much-needed health resources. Additionally, the Multicultural Health course will enable me to approach my work with an even stronger intersectional lens because many immigrants in low-income communities experience particular health disparities because of their backgrounds. Making the right decisions is not enough to achieve good health when there are structural obstacles in the way. I hope to help remove those barriers in my work. ”.

This example is effective for a couple of reasons. First, it provides insight into the student’s background, goals, and passions to the admissions committee. Second, it provides explicit and thorough responses to each of the questions. After outlining his reasons for choosing a three-year program, the student lists the key competencies he wants to gain from it.

When writing your essay, you should steer clear of the following:

• Empty flattery. It may sound nice to write about how distinctive or esteemed the university or program is, but you shouldn’t simply state that you find a program to be cool without explaining why. This strategy is ambiguous and doesn’t give your essay any additional depth.
• Name-dropping. Don’t just list a bunch of courses, professors, or extracurricular activities you’re interested in without explaining why.
• Being generic. a favorable environment, a potent public health program, a nice core curriculum, etc. apply to many schools and programs. They are too ambiguous and will lessen the impact of your essay.

You can write a strong essay that will stand out to admissions officers as long as you provide a sincere response and have clear objectives that this program will help you achieve.

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AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Applicants, Prompt 1

Note: This scholarship is only available to international students. You may disregard these instructions if you are not an international student.

This question is meant to elicit from you some key insights about yourself, including your capacity for identifying significant civic and social issues nearby, the kinds of issues that interest and concern you, your capacity for critical thought and problem-solving, and your plans for making the most of your college experience after graduation. This essay question resembles the typical community service essay, but it is in the future tense. You’re going to write about how you envision yourself contributing to the solution to a problem in the future rather than how you helped solve a problem in the past.

Think about the issues that truly concern you in your home country before you start writing. Since you’re only currently making a list of potential issues, they can be both big and small. However, in order to have an essay that stands out, you should choose something significant before you start writing. Your issue need not pertain to a particular field as long as you can see how social and political change will play a significant role in its resolution. Think about issues that are social, economic, political, governmental, environmental, connected to war, and public health.

Although the prompt doesn’t require you to write a full textbook on the topic, make sure you at least do enough research to be able to summarize its key points. You must have a thorough understanding of the problem in order to write a description of it and suggest some ways that your education at an American university will help you address it at home. To give your essay a nuanced perspective, you might want to choose a subject that interests you personally.

Since you only have 250 words to address the entire prompt, be concise and straightforward in your description of the problem. Don’t only talk about the basic facts, though. Include a brief explanation of why the issue is important to you, but avoid letting your bias influence how you present the facts. Maintain a healthy balance between objective reporting and personal interest.

Take a hypothetical student from a nation that is actively engaged in civil war as an illustration. He may have noticed that the main cause of the issue is a breakdown in communication between the government and the opposing military faction. He might write a response like this:

“At the beginning of the war in December 2020, my family left its native Tigray Region of Ethiopia.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a political party that formerly controlled Ethiopia for decades, held an election that the current federal government deemed invalid. This argument turned violent, starting a war that is still going on today. Thankfully, my family was able to flee and find safety in Europe, but a great deal of other families did not. This senseless conflict that is destroying my country has caused hundreds of thousands of people to be displaced or killed.

I’m hoping that a good education will give me the knowledge and abilities I need to return home and help put this conflict quickly to an end. There is no hope of negotiation because both sides place blame on one another. I think earning a degree in international studies will improve my comprehension of the factors that lead to war and the conditions needed to put an end to it. I can’t negotiate a peace agreement on my own, but I also can’t stand by and see my house torn to pieces. I want to directly contribute to the peace process in order to help end this conflict. If I can’t take part in the peace talks, at least I can use my education to draw attention to this terrible war on a global scale. According to Kofi Annan, a diplomat from Ghana, “education is the foundation of progress, in every society, in every family.” ’ I know in my heart that he was right. ”.

This is an effective response. First, it gives a fairly thorough overview of a problem in the student’s country. Second, it explains why the problem is so significant and why it is so challenging to resolve. Finally, it covers how earning a degree from AU can enable the student to support efforts to raise awareness of the problem and find a solution.

If you can address these three issues, your essay will be strong:

• What – Define the issue thoroughly but concisely.
• Why – Explain why the issue is significant to you and the people it affects.
• Describe how your AU education will enable you to support efforts to resolve the problem.

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AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Applicants, Prompt 2

This is a prime example of the community service essay. Schools using this question want to know how involved you are with your community and surroundings. Your influence on your community is particularly important to the Emerging Global Leader Scholarship, a program that places an emphasis on “leadership development and global engagement.” For detailed advice and examples, be sure to read CollegeVine’s guide to writing the community service essay!

There won’t be many activities you can write about because you only have 250 words. In fact, we advise sticking to just one or two deeply significant and long-term projects. These are the initiatives that frequently exhibit a sincere dedication to community service. You can mention 2-3 short-term projects in your response if you only have those to write about.

After selecting an activity (or several), consider the following inquiries:

• What happened during the activity?
• What thoughts and feelings did you have as this was happening?
• How have your emotions regarding the activity changed over time?

Think about the organization of your essay in light of your motivations and activities. Consider using a narrative style when writing about a unique experience. An essay that simply lists facts lacks important emotion. Tell about your experience with vivid ry: show, don’t tell. This is an effective strategy for involving your reader in the story.

For instance, you might be able to translate if you speak Spanish and work as a volunteer. Perhaps you have personally experienced the effects that using a person’s native tongue can have. You may have learned the following lessons about yourself as a result of this experience:

• You can switch between two languages more fluidly than you anticipated.
• Even with the pressure of having to speak a second language, you can assume a leadership position.
• You have more patience than you thought you did.
• You didn’t know it before, but you’re excellent at working with the elderly.

As you can see, even one volunteering experience can teach you a lot of valuable lessons. Be sincere in your motivations, open about your impact on the neighborhood, and specific in your activity descriptions when you write your response.

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AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Applicants, Prompt 3

This is the traditional Overcoming Difficulties essay, so we advise reading our linked guide for suggestions and examples.

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AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Applicants, Prompt 4

You are asked to describe how you see yourself interacting with current and potential students, some of whom may be foreign students. Although it may seem difficult to consider how you will welcome and assist visitors to the university you are applying to, the answer is actually more based on your experience than you may realize.

Think about how your application process has felt so far. It may have been intimidating to apply to a school outside of your home country, and it is perfectly acceptable to write about that experience. In fact, it might even help you formulate an answer.

Imagine speaking with a current Emerging Global Leader scholar or an AU diplomat. Doing some role-reversal will assist you in imagining the kind of Emerging Global Leader Scholar you can be to assist new and prospective students like yourself. What questions would you ask or would you have asked in the past?

Additionally, consider what you wish you had known before applying. What tips would you give a younger student who will soon be in your position? How did you discover American University? Did anything or anyone help you along the way? How did you interact with American University before applying?

For instance, if you reside halfway across the globe, you might have found it challenging to attend virtual information sessions at many schools due to the time difference. If American University provided information sessions tailored to your nation or region of the world, how did that increase your sense of connection to the university? Perhaps you want to volunteer for these events to allow more prospective students to learn about the university and perhaps even reach areas that haven’t yet been reached.

Even though your own future may still be uncertain, you should be open and honest because your strategies will be informed by your personal experiences.

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AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Applicants, Prompt 5

There are two main methods for navigating this prompt. Finding a leader you admire can come after making a list of the qualities you believe to be most important in a leader, but it may be wiser to work backwards and reverse-engineer your solution. In other words, pick a leader you admire first and then determine the qualities that make them a great leader.

Since there are no truly incorrect responses to this question, the more specific and original your response can be, the better. It is best to stay away from leaders who would typically be named right away. For instance, since they would frequently be cited as examples, you wouldn’t want to choose someone like US Vice President Joe Biden, other former US Presidents, or other well-known international figures.

Instead, consider whether your nation has any political, social, environmental, etc. leaders. – that would make for a strong response. Keep in mind that this response should demonstrate to the admissions committee your definition of what makes a great leader, not just why your candidate is a strong leader.

Examine the traits of the leader you have chosen that appeal to people after you have made your choice. These questions can help you determine how your chosen leader reflects on your perception of great leadership as a whole and will allow you to craft an answer around your thesis rather than the other way around.

Where to Get Your American University Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your AU essays? After rereading your essays over and over again, it can be difficult to spot where your writing could use some improvement. 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!

Want more college admissions tips?

We’ll send you materials to assist you with the college admissions procedure. [/vc_column][/vc_row].

Stony Brook University Honors Programs

FAQ

How hard is it to get into UOFA honors college?

Admission to The Honors College is highly competitive and selective. Students are accepted based on their high school or community college academic record and accomplishments.

How do you get into American University Honors Program?

1. Students with a 3. After being admitted to AU, students with a GPA of at least 5 are invited to apply for honors.
2. Even though you are technically a sophomore, you will be admitted to the Honors first year cohort at AU and enrolled in the Honors section of Complex Problems (CORE-106).

Is it worth applying to the Honors Program?

Participating in an honors program or attending an honors college has many benefits, including: A built-in network of peers who share your intellectual interests Individualized academic and career counseling. Access to alumni networks and mentors.

Is honors college a big deal?

The advanced courses offered in college honors programs and the smaller class sizes make them ideal for more individualized instruction. Honors programs offer excellent extracurricular activities, research opportunities, and invaluable alumni networks, despite their greater emphasis on academics.