The Most Creative and Passionate Common App Essay for 2022

The Common App essay is an opportunity to really show the admissions committee who you are.  When I start the essay writing process with students, I often get blank looks and head scratches. Often times, students just don’t know how to voice their intra-personal self through their experiences. This year, I really enjoyed working with one of my most passionate students to develop a 650-word essay that really reflected that passion and determination to pursue the art form that she truly loves.  I was inspired by her story and have her permission to share her essay with others in the hope that it will inspire them to find their voice, listen to their hearts and follow their dreams. 

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At 14, I was a girl attending my cousin’s wedding and watching one of the most brilliant, hard-working and creative women I know getting married with the intention of quitting her career to start a family. That’s when I started questioning, if that’s all life has to offer? Was I expected to work hard at school and build a career to just drop it all to meet societal expectations? Maybe she was happy. Maybe that’s what she wanted at the end of the day. For me a sense of panic set in, imagining that one day I could be standing up there. I was definitely overthinking for a 14-year-old. Yet this was the moment I realized that if I wanted a career as a woman, I had to constantly make conscious choices that empowered me to follow my passion in life. 

At 15, I was the girl who fell in love with street art. I was so fascinated by the dynamics of the medium that I took any chance I could to create. From painting a mural in our school lunch hall to painting one inside our residential compound, I let my creative soul run wild with each piece. People couldn’t comprehend why I did what I did, but nevertheless I kept painting. For someone who was still finding direction in life, street art paved the way. To me, street art is the most powerful form of self-expression and the loudest voice of protest against the status quo. Standing in front of a blank wall and transforming it into a message gave me a sense of belonging in a world that often perceived me as “being difficult”. That year I realised that being born a girl in an Indian family and wanting to express myself so openly was a challenge and if handled properly, my art would set me free.  

At 16, I was the girl who understood not everyone would agree with my career choice because it wasn’t conventional. All my cousins pursued engineering. Irrespective of me being a single child the expectation for me to follow suit was an underlying tension in my family. I took any and every opportunity to talk about my desire to pursue art and how I was working hard to achieve my passion. Car rides, dinner table conversations, discussions before bed all became opportunities to discuss why and what I was doing to pursue my dreams. Although, I rarely felt like I was making progress, looking back I believe my relentless persistence was the only virtue that convinced them. They realized that art was a huge part of who I was and in order to be my authentic self I had to pursue it. 

I am 17 now. From my ongoing conversation with my parents to facing the scrunched-up expression people make when I say I’m going to pursue art as my career, I face it all with the conviction of my passion. Simply put, it hasn’t been easy. Throughout the last three years, I have found two things to be my truth. One, passionately pursuing what you love pays off. Two, that building faith in oneself goes a long way. Both are mutually reinforcing. I know for a fact that these years are just the beginning and many more challenges await as I enter college and pursue a craft that I want to turn into a career – a life. There is so much more to come, and I feel so ready to face the obstacles I will encounter. When I waiver, I know I can always look back to my 14-year-old self. Those panicked moments and over thought flashes of a predetermined life are a constant reminder of the life I would face if I never took that leap of faith. 

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