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College Essays

The ApplyTexas college application contains many essay prompts, and each of the most popular colleges in Texas has different requirements for which essays they expect applicants to answer.

So how do you get advice on writing your best ApplyTexas essays, no matter which school you're applying to? Look no further than this article, which completely unpacks all possible ApplyTexas essay prompts. We'll explain what each prompt is looking for and what admissions officers are hoping to learn about you. In addition, we'll give you our top strategies for ensuring that your essay meets all these expectations and help you come up with your best essay topics.

To help you navigate this long guide, here is an overview of what we'll be talking about:

What Are the ApplyTexas Essays?

Comparing applytexas essay prompts a, b, and c, dissecting applytexas essay topic a, dissecting applytexas essay topic b, dissecting applytexas essay topic c, dissecting applytexas essay topic d.

• Dissecting the UT and Texas A&M Short Answer Prompts
• Briefly: ApplyTexas Essay Topic E (Transfer Students Only)

The ApplyTexas application is basically the Texas version of the Common Application , which many US colleges use. It's a unified college application process that's accepted by all Texas public universities and many private ones. (Note that some schools that accept ApplyTexas also accept the Common App.)

The ApplyTexas website is a good source for figuring out whether your target college accepts the ApplyTexas application. That said, the best way to confirm exactly what your school expects is to go to its admissions website.

Why Do Colleges Want You to Write Essays?

Admissions officers are trying to put together classes full of interesting, vibrant students who have different backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and dreams. One tool colleges use to identify a diverse set of perspectives is the college essay .

These essays are a chance for you to show admissions officers those sides of yourself that aren’t reflected in the rest of your application. This is where you describe where you've come from, what you believe in, what you value, and what has shaped you.

This is also where you make yourself sound mature and insightful—two key qualities that colleges are looking for in applicants . These are important because colleges want to enroll students who will ultimately thrive when faced with the independence of college life .

Admissions staff want to enroll a diverse incoming class of motivated and thoughtful students.

ApplyTexas Essay Requirements

There are four essay prompts on the ApplyTexas application for first-year admission (Topics A, B, C, and D). For Topics A, B, and C, there are slight variations on the prompt for transfer students or those looking to be readmitted. We’ll cover each variation just below the main topic breakdown. There are also several short-answer prompts for UT Austin and Texas A&M , as well as Topic D for art and architecture majors and  Topic E for transfer students only . Although there are no strict word limits, colleges usually suggest keeping the essays somewhere between one and one and a half pages long.

All Texas colleges and universities have different application requirements, including which essay or essays they want. Some schools require essays, some list them as optional, and others use a combination of required and optional essays. Several schools use the essays to determine scholarship awards, honors program eligibility, or admission to specific majors.

Here are some essay submission requirement examples from a range of Texas schools:

• You are required to write an essay on Topic A .
• You also have to answer three short-answer prompts (250–300 words each) .
• If you're applying for a studio art, art education, art history, architecture, or visual art studies major, you'll have to write a short answer specific to your major .
• UT Austin also accepts the Common App.

Texas A&M

• If you're an engineering major, you'll have to respond to  a short-answer prompt .
• Texas A&M also accepts the Common App .

Southern Methodist University

• You must write an essay on Topic A .
• You may (but do not have to) write an essay on Topic B .
• You also have to answer two short-answer prompts .
• SMU also accepts the Common App and Coalition App and has its own online application, so you have the option to pick and choose the application you want to fill out .

Texas Christian University

• You must write an essay on any of the topics (A, B, or C) .
• TCU also accepts the Common App and Coalition App has its own online application, so it's another school for which you can choose the application you want to use.

The essays required as part of each admissions application differ from college to college. Check each institution's website for the most up-to-date instructions.

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Three of the ApplyTexas essay topics try to get to the heart of what makes you the person you are. But since Topics A, B, and C all focus on things that are essential to you as a person, coming up with a totally unique idea for each can be difficult—especially since on a first read-through, these prompts can sound really similar .

Before I dissect all of the ApplyTexas essay prompts, let's see how A, B, and C differ from one another. You can then keep these differences in mind as you try to think of topics to write about.

ApplyTexas Prompts

Here are the most recent prompts for Topics A, B, and C on the ApplyTexas application.

Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.

You've got a ticket in your hand. Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

How to Tell Topics A, B, and C Apart

One helpful way to keep these topics separate in your mind is to create a big-picture category for each one: Topic A is outside, Topic B is inside, and Topic C is the future .

In other words, Topic A is asking about the impact of challenges or opportunities on you and how you handled that impact. Topic B is asking about your inner passions and how these define you. Finally, Topic C wants to know where you're going from here. These very broad categories will help as you brainstorm ideas and life experiences you can use for your essay .

Although many of the stories you think of can be shaped to fit each of these prompts, think about what the experience most reveals about you. If it’s about how your external community shaped you, that'd probably be a good fit for Topic A. If it’s a story about the causes or interests that you're most passionate about, save it for Topic B. If it’s primarily about an event that you think predicts your future, it'll likely work well for Topic C.

(Note: if you are a transfer student writing the essay variation for Topics A, B, or C, keep in mind that these variations still ask you about the outside, inside, or future respectively.)

Your years-long passion for performing in theater productions is an appropriate subject for ApplyTexas Topic B essays.

Now, we'll thoroughly deconstruct everything you need to know about Topic A, the first ApplyTexas essay prompt.

What’s the Prompt Asking, and How Should You Answer It?

This prompt wants to see how a particular external experience as a high school student has shaped you . The prompt uses the phrase "your story," signaling that admissions staff want to know what you believe has had the biggest impact on you.

Step 1: Describe Your Experience

The first part of the prompt is about identifying and describing specific experiences you've had as a high school student. You don't want your essay coming across too vague, so make sure you're focusing on one or two specific experiences, whether they've been positive or negative. The prompt suggests zeroing in on something "unique," or something that has affected you in a way it hasn't impacted anyone else.

You'll want to choose an opportunity or challenge that you can describe vividly and that's really important to you. In other words, it   needs to have had a significant impact on your personal development.

It should also be an experience that has been part of your life for a while . You're describing something that's affected you "throughout your high school career," after all.

Step 2: Explain How This Experience Shaped You

You shouldn't just describe your experience—you also need to discuss how that experience affected you as a person . How did this particular opportunity or difficulty turn you into the person you are today?

It's best if you can think of one or two concrete anecdotes or stories about how your chosen experience(s) helped shape you. For example, don't just say that a public piano recital made you a hard-working person— describe in detail how practicing diligently each day, even when you weren't feeling motivated, got frustrated by particular parts of the piece you were performing, and experienced stage fright showed you that working toward your goals is worthwhile, even when it's hard.

Elaborating on how a specific challenge or obstacle that you faced during your high school career helped shape your current perspective and personality is one option for Topic A essays.

What Are Readers Hoping to Learn About You?

Admission staff are looking for two main things. First, they want to see that you can be mature and thoughtful about your surroundings and events in your life . Are you curious about the world around you? If you've really reflected on your experience, you'll be able to describe the people, places, and events that have impacted you as a high school student in a nuanced, insightful way.

Second, they want to see how you stand out from other applicants . This can be accomplished in one of two ways: (1) you can emphasize how you are somehow different because of your experience and how it impacted you, or (2) you can emphasize how you learned positive qualities from the event that differentiate you from other students. Basically, how did your experience turn you into a special, interesting person?

How Can Your Essay Give Them What They Want?

How can you make sure your essay is really answering the prompt? Here are some key strategies.

#1: Pick a Specific Experience

You'll need to select a particular opportunity or obstacle to zero in on. Opportunities include travel, internships, volunteer or paid jobs, academic events, and awards. Challenges might include competitions, performances, illnesses, injuries, or learning something new. Remember, you'll want to focus on one or two particular events or experiences that have truly contributed to your personal growth .

As you're choosing the experiences you want to write about, think about significant things that happened to you in connection with those events. Remember, you'll need to get beyond just describing how the opportunity or challenge is important to you to show how its impact on you is so significant .

#2: How Did This Experience Shape You?

You then need to consider what about your experience turned you into a person who stands out . Again, this can be about how you overcame the difficulty or how the opportunity fostered positive qualities or traits in you that would make you an appealing member of the college's student body. You want to make sure you have a clear message that links your experience to one, two, or three special traits you have.

Try to think of specific stories and anecdotes related to the event. Then, thoughtfully analyze these to reveal what they show about you. Important adults in your life can help you brainstorm potential ideas.

#3: Think of the Essay Like a Movie

Like a good movie script, a college essay needs characters, some action, and a poignant but ultimately happy ending . When you’re planning out your personal statement, try to think of the story you’re telling in movie terms. Ensure that your essay has the following features:

• Setting: As you're describing your experience, taking time to give a vivid sense of place is key. You can accomplish this by describing the actual physical surroundings, the main "characters" in your community, or a combination of both.
• Stakes: Movies propel the action forward by giving characters high stakes: win or lose, life or death. Even if you are describing your experience in positive terms, there needs to be a sense of conflict or dynamic change. In the anecdote(s) you've selected to write about, what did you stand to gain or lose?
• External conflict resolution: If there's an external conflict of some kind (e.g., with a neighbor, a family member, a friend, or a city council), you need to show some level of resolution.
• Internal conflict resolution: Inner conflict is essentially about how you changed in response to the event or experience. You'll need to clearly lay out what happened within you and how those changes have carried you forward as a person.

Describing your feelings before, during, and after the opportunity or challenge is a crucial element of a Topic A college essay.

#4: Add Details, Description, and Examples

Your essay will really stand out if you add effective examples and descriptions.

For example, imagine Karima decides to describe how learning to navigate public transit as a high school first-year student made her resourceful and helped her explore the city she grew up in. She also discusses how exploring the city ultimately changed her perspective. How should she frame her experience? Here are some options:

I was nervous about taking the El by myself for the first time. At the station, there were lots of commuters and adults who seemed impatient but confident. At first, I was very afraid of getting lost, but over time, I became as confident as those commuters.

I felt a mixture of nerves and excitement walking up the Howard red line turnstile for the first time. What if I got lost on my way to the museum? I was worried that I would just seem like a nuisance to all of the frowning commuters who crowded the platform. If I needed help, would they help me? Was I even brave enough to ask? When the metal doors opened, I pressed my nails into my palms and rushed in after a woman with a red briefcase. Success! At least for the first step. I found a sideways-facing seat and clutched my macrame bag with my notebook and sketching supplies. A map hung above my seat. Pressing my finger to the colorful grid, I found my stop and counted how many I still had to go. I spent the entire train ride staring at that map, straining my ears for everything the conductor said. Now, when I think about the first time I rode the El by myself, I smile. What seemed so scary at the time is just an everyday way to get around now. But I always look around on the platform to see if any nervous kids linger at the edges of the commuter crowds and offer them a smile.

Both versions set up the same story plotwise, but the second makes the train ride (and therefore the author) come alive through the addition of specific, individualizing details , such as the following:

• Visual cues: The reader "sees" what the author sees through descriptions such as "frowning commuters who crowded the platform," "woman with a red briefcase," and "colorful grid."
• Emotional responses: We experience the author’s feelings: she "felt a mixture of nerves and excitement." She wonders if she's brave enough to ask for help. The train ride was "so scary at the time" but feels "everyday" now.
• Differentiation: Even though the commuters are mostly a monolithic group, we get to see some individuals, such as the woman with a red briefcase.

ApplyTexas Topic A Essay Ideas

There's no one best topic for this essay prompt (or any other), but I've included some potential ideas below to help you get started with your own brainstorming:

• Describe a time you organized the people around you to advocate a common local cause.
• Hone in on a particular trip with one or more family members.
• Identify a time when you were no longer in your comfort zone. Describe how you adapted and learned from that experience.
• Discuss being a minority in your school or neighborhood.
• Describe going through a cultural or religious rite of passage as a high school student.
• Elaborate on how you moved from one place to somewhere totally different and handled your culture shock.

ApplyTexas Topic A for Transfer, Transient, or Readmit Students

If you are applying to transfer or to be readmitted, you likely already have some college experience. So in this case, ApplyTexas offers a personal statement option that allows you to write about your life beyond your high school years. This option still asks you to demonstrate what in your experience has turned you into a unique individual. But if, for instance, you left college and now are reapplying, you’ll want to address how some aspect of that experience made an impact on who you are now. Otherwise, follow the advice above for the standard Topic A prompt.

Here’s the current Essay Topic A prompt for transfer applicants:

The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admissions committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and other application information cannot convey.

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Next up, let's go through the same process for ApplyTexas Topic B, taking it apart brick by brick and putting it back together again.

What’s the Prompt Asking?

At first glance, this prompt seems pretty vague. "Tell us about yourself" is not exactly the most detailed set of instructions. But if we dig a little deeper, we can see that there are actually two pretty specific things this question is asking.

#1: What Defines You?

This prompts posits that "most students"—which likely includes you!—have some kind of defining trait . This could be "an identity, an interest, or a talent," so you need to express what that defining trait is for you specifically.

For instance, are you an amazing knitter? Do you spend your free time researching cephalopods? Are you a connoisseur of indie movies or mystery novels? Or maybe you have a religious, cultural, ethnic, or LGBTQIA+ identity that's very important to you. Any of these things could plausibly be the main, framing theme of your essay.

#2: How Does That Defining Trait Fit Into "You" Overall?

Even though you have some kind of defining trait, that's not the entirety of you. Essentially, you need to contextualize your defining trait within your broader personality and identity. This is where the "tell us about yourself" part comes in. What does your defining trait say about you as a person? And how does it fit into your overall personality, values, and dreams?

In a Topic B college essay, you could potentially describe your knowledge of chess and how it exemplifies your talent for thinking several steps ahead.

Admissions staff are hoping to learn two main things:

#1: What You're Passionate About

It's essential that this essay communicates genuine passion for whatever you write about. College is a lot of work, and passion is an important driving force when things get busy. Therefore, readers are looking for students who are really engaged in the world around them and excited about specific causes and activities!

#2: How You View Yourself (and How Successfully You Can Communicate That)

A strong, well-developed sense of self goes a long way toward helping you weather all the changes you're going to experience when you attend college. Even though you'll change and grow a lot as a person during your college years, having a sense of your own core traits and values will help those changes be exciting as opposed to scary .

Colleges are looking for a developed sense of self. Additionally, they are looking for students who can communicate messages about themselves in a clear, confident, and cohesive way .

The challenge with this prompt is giving a complete picture of you as a person while still staying on message about your defining trait. You need to be focused yet comprehensive. Let's explore the best ways to show off your passion and frame your identity.

#1: Define the Core Message

First, you need to select that defining trait . This could be pretty much anything, just as long as you're genuinely invested in this trait and feel that it represents some core aspect of you.

It should also be something you can describe through stories and anecdotes . Just saying, "I'm a redhead, and that defines me" makes for a pretty boring essay! However, a story about how you started a photography project that consists of portraits of redheads like you and what you learned about yourself from this experience is much more interesting.

Be careful to select something that presents you in a broadly positive light . If you choose a trait that doesn't seem very serious, such as your enduring and eternal love of onion rings, you risk seeming at best immature and at worst outright disrespectful.

You also want to pick something realistic —don't claim you're the greatest mathematician who ever lived unless you are, in fact, the greatest mathematician who ever lived (and you probably aren't). Otherwise, you'll seem out of touch.

#2: Fit Your Message into the Larger Picture

Next, consider how you can use this trait to paint a more complete picture of you as a person . It's great that you're passionate about skiing and are a member of a ski team, but what else does this say about you? Are you an adventurous daredevil who loves to take (reasonable) risks? Are you a nature lover with a taste for exploration? Do you love being part of a team?

Select at least two or three positive messages you want to communicate about yourself in your essay about your key trait.

In a Topic B essay, a student could connect their long-time passion for cooking to their penchant for adding their unique touch to every project they take on.

#3: Show, Don't Tell

It's much more interesting to read about things you do that demonstrate your key traits than it is to hear you list them. Don't just say, "Everyone asks me for advice because I'm level-headed and reasonable." Instead, actually describe situations that show people asking you for advice and you offering that level-headed, reasonable advice.

#4: Watch Your Tone

It's important to watch your tone as you write an essay that's (pretty overtly) about how great you are. You want to demonstrate your own special qualities without seeming glib, staid, self-aggrandizing, or narcissistic .

Let’s say Andrew wants to write about figuring out how to grow a garden, despite his yard being in full shade, and how this desire turned into a passion for horticulture. He could launch into a rant about the garden store employees not knowing which plants are right for which light, the previous house owner’s terrible habit of using the yard as a pet bathroom, or the achy knee that prevented him from proper weeding posture.

Alternatively, he could describe doing research on the complex gardens of royal palaces, planning his garden based on plant color and height, using the process of trial and error to see which plants would flourish, and getting so involved with this work that he often lost track of time.

One of these approaches makes him sound whiny and self-centered, whereas  the other makes him sound like someone who can take charge of a difficult situation .

ApplyTexas Topic B Essay Ideas

Again, there's no single best approach here, but I've outlined some potential topics below:

• Are you known for being really good at something or an expert on a particular topic? How does this impact your identity?
• Discuss how you got involved in a certain extracurricular activity and what it means to you. What have you learned from participating in it?
• Describe something you've done lots of research on in your free time. How did you discover that interest? What have you learned as a result?
• What's your most evident personality trait? How has that trait impacted your life? (You can ask friends and relatives for help with this one.)
• Relate the importance of your LGBTQIA+ identity.
• Discuss your religious or cultural background and how this defines you.
• Describe your experience as a member of a specific community.

ApplyTexas Topic B for Transfer, Transient, or Readmit Students

The ApplyTexas variation on Topic B is specifically designed for two different possible application situations. The first is for people who are applying as nondegree-seeking or postbaccalaureate students (aka “transient students”). In this case, they ask you to discuss the courses you want to take and what you hope to accomplish if you are admitted. That means they still want you to focus this essay on what you are passionate about, as mentioned above, but they expect that passion to be based on courses the university offers more directly.  

The second is for students who are reapplying after being suspended for academic reasons. In this situation, they ask you to describe any actions you have taken to improve your academic performance and to give them a reason why you should be readmitted. You’ll still need to focus on your positive traits in this variation, so this can be a tricky task. As in the example above, you’ll need to watch your tone and not come across as whiny. Instead, confront the cause of your academic suspension and what you learned from that experience; then, turn it into a newfound strength. Maybe you learned new study habits you can describe for them. Maybe working full-time while you were suspended improved your work ethic. Whatever you choose, show how a negative situation changed into a positive learning experience for you, and focus on the better person you are now because of it. 

Here’s the current prompt for Essay Topic B for transfer applicants:

If you are applying as a former student and were suspended for academic reasons, describe briefly any actions you have taken to improve your academic abilities and give reason why you should be readmitted. If you are applying as a nondegree-seeking or postbaccalaureate application, briefly describe the specific objectives you wish to accomplish if admitted, including the courses in which you would like to enroll.

Now, we can take apart Topic C to get a good handle on how to tackle this future-facing essay.

You've got a ticket in your hand—where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

If ApplyTexas Topic A and Topic B were all about your past experiences, Topic C wants you to give readers a glimpse of your imagined possibilities .

There are basically two potential approaches to this question. We'll break them down here.

Option 1: Describe Your Long-Term Goals

One approach to this prompt is to use your essay as a chance to describe your long-term goals for your career and life .

For some students, this will be a straightforward endeavor. For example, say you’ve always wanted to be a doctor. You spend your time volunteering at hospitals, helping out at your mom’s practice, and studying biology. You could easily frame your "ticket" as a ticket to medical school. Just pick a few of the most gripping moments from these past experiences and discuss the overall trajectory of your interests, and your essay would likely be a winner!

But what if you’re not sure about your long-term goals yet? Or what if you feel like you really don't know where you're going next week, let alone next year or 10 years from now? Read on for Option 2.

Option 2: Demonstrate Thoughtful Imagination

Although you can certainly interpret this as a straightforward question about your future, you can also use it as a chance to be more imaginative.

Note that this entire question rests on the metaphor of the ticket. The ticket can take you anywhere; you decide. It could be to a real place, such as your grandmother's house or the Scottish Highlands or the Metropolitan Museum. Or it could be somewhere fantastical, such as a time machine to the Paleolithic.

The important point is that you use the destination you select—and what you plan to do there—to prove you're a thoughtful person who is excited about and actively engaged with the world around you .

The destination you choose to write about, whether realistic or fantastical, should be clearly linked to a specific goal or set of goals that you wish to pursue or are currently pursuing.

If you're on a direct path to a specific field of study or career, admissions officers definitely want to know this. Having driven, goal-oriented, and passionate students is a huge plus for any college. If this sounds like you, be sure your essay conveys not just your interest but also your deep love of the subject, as well as any related clubs, activities, or hobbies you’ve done during high school.

If you take the more creative approach to this prompt, however, realize that in this essay (as in all the other ApplyTexas essays),  the how matters much more than the what . Don't worry that you don't have a specific goal in mind yet. No matter where your eventual academic, career, or other pursuits might lie, every activity you've done up to now has taught you something, whether that be developing your work ethic, mastering a skill, learning from a mentor, interacting with peers, dealing with setbacks, understanding your own learning style, or persevering through hardship. Your essay is a chance to show off that knowledge and maturity.

So no matter what destination you choose for your ticket (the what ), you want to communicate that you can think about future (and imagined!) possibilities in a compelling way based on your past experiences (the how ).

Whether you take the ideas of "where you are going" and "what you are doing" in a more literal or more abstract direction, the admissions committee wants to make sure that no matter what you study, you'll be able to get something meaningful out of it . They want to see that you’re not simply floating through life on the surface but are actively absorbing the qualities, skills, and know-how you'll need to succeed in the world.

Here are some ideas for how to show that you have thoughtful and compelling visions of possible futures.

#1: Pick Where You're Going

Is this going to be a more direct interpretation of your goals (my ticket is to the judge's bench) or a more creative one (my ticket is to Narnia)? Whichever one you choose, make sure that you choose a destination that is genuinely compelling to you . The last thing you want is to come off sounding bored or disingenuous.

#2: Don’t Overreach or Underreach

Another key point is to avoid overreaching or underreaching. For instance, it’s fine to say that you’d like to get involved in politics, but it’s a little too self-aggrandizing to say that you’re definitely going to be president of the United States. Be sure that whatever destination you select for your ticket, it doesn’t come off as unnecessary bragging rather than simple aspiration .

At the same time, make sure the destination you've chosen is one that makes sense in the context of a college essay. Maybe what you really want is a ticket to the potato chip factory; however, this essay might not be the best place to elaborate on this imagined possibility.

While you can of course choose a whimsical location, you need to be able to ground it in a real vision of the kind of person you want to become . Don't forget who your audience is! College admissions officers want to find students who are eager to learn . They also want to be exposed to new thoughts and ideas.

#3: Flesh It Out

Once you've picked a destination, it's time to consider the other components of the question: What are you going to do once you reach your destination? What will happen there? Try to think of some key messages that relate back to you, your talents, and your goals .

#4: Ground Your "Journey" in Specific Anecdotes and Examples

The way this question is framed is very abstract, so ground your thoughts about your destination (whether it's more straightforward or more creative) in concrete anecdotes and examples that show you're thoughtful, engaged, passionate, and driven.

This is even more important if you go the creative route and are writing about an unusual location. If you don't keep things somewhat grounded in reality, your essay could come across as frivolous. Make sure you make the most of this chance to share real-life examples of your desirable qualities.

Imagine Eleanor’s essay is about how she wants a ticket to Starfleet Academy (for the uninitiated, this is the fictional school in the Star Trek universe where people train to be Starfleet officers). Which essay below conveys more about her potential as a student?

My ticket is to Starfleet Academy. There, I would train to become part of the Command division so I could command a starship. Once I was captain of my own starship, I would explore the deepest reaches of space to interact with alien life and learn more about the universe.

I've loved Star Trek since my dad started playing copies of old episodes for me in our ancient DVD player. So if I could have a ticket to anywhere, it would be to Starfleet Academy to train in the command division. I know I would make a superb command officer. My ten years of experience in hapkido have taught me discipline and how to think on my feet. Working as a hapkido instructor in my dojo the past two years has honed my leadership and teaching qualities, which are essential for any starship commander. Additionally, I have the curiosity and sense of adventure necessary for a long career in the unknown reaches of space. Right now, I exercise my thirst for exploration through my photography blog. Using my DSLR camera, I track down and photograph obscure and hidden places I find in my town, on family trips, and even on day trips to nearby cities. I carefully catalogue the locations so other people can follow in my footsteps. Documentation, after all, is another important part of exploring space in a starship.

Both versions communicate the same things about the imagined destination, but the second essay does a much better job showing who Eleanor is as a person. All we really learn from the first excerpt is that Eleanor must like Star Trek .

We can also infer from version 1 that she probably likes leadership, exploration, and adventure because she wants to captain a starship, but we don't really know that for sure. Admissions officers shouldn't have to guess who you are from your essay; your essay should lay it out for them explicitly and articulately.

In the second essay, by contrast, Eleanor clearly lays out the qualities that would make her a great command officer and provides examples of how she exemplifies these qualities . She ties the abstract destination to concrete activities from her life, such as hapkido and photography. This provides a much more well-rounded picture of what Eleanor could bring to the student body and the school at large.

Eleanor's essay about her desire to explore the final frontier creatively illustrates her curiosity and leadership potential .

ApplyTexas Topic C Essay Ideas

I've come up with some sample essay ideas for the two different approaches to this prompt.

Possibility 1: Your Concrete Goals

• Describe your goal to pursue a particular academic field or career and discuss how specific classes or extracurricular activities ignited that passion
• Discuss how your plans to pursue politics, project management, or another leadership role were fostered by a first experience of leadership (this could be a straightforward leadership position in a club or job or a more indirect or unplanned leadership experience, such as suddenly having to take charge of a group).
• Discuss how your desire to teach or train in the future was sparked by an experience of teaching someone to do something (e.g., by being a tutor or by helping a sibling deal with a particularly challenging class or learning issue).
• Describe your goal to perform on stage, and discuss how your past experiences of public creativity (e.g., being in a play, staging an art show, performing an orchestra, or being involved in dance,.) led you to this goal

Possibility 2: Creative/Abstract Destination

• What would you do if you could visit the world of a favorite childhood book, movie, or TV series? What qualities does that show about you?
• Is there a relative or friend you would like to visit with your ticket?
• Is there a particular historical period you would like to time travel to?
• Is there a destination you've always wanted to go to that you've read about, heard about, or only conjured up in dreams or in a moment of creativity?

Remember to tie your imaginative destination to concrete details about your special qualities!

Topic C for Transfer, Transient, or Readmit Students

ApplyTexas offers a Topic C alternative in case there is personal information you want them to consider along with your application, such as why you are transferring to a new school. They still want you to focus on the future, but they encourage discussing any hardships, challenges, extenuating circumstances, or opportunities that have affected your abilities and academic credentials (in a positive way). They also want you to discuss how these circumstances can help you contribute to a diverse college community. In this case, this variation is not fundamentally different from the ticket question; it just asks for a more specific focus. So if this variation applies to you, use the advice above for question C option one. 

Here’s the current prompt for Essay Topic C for transfer applicants:

There may be personal information that you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment.

Would you use your ticket to visit Renaissance Italy, a journey you metaphorically hope to take as a history major?

If you're applying to one of several fine arts fields, you might have to write this essay.

Personal interaction with objects, images, and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image, or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?

If you’re applying to study architecture, art, or art history, one of the essays you will likely have to write is this one. This essay topic is trying to ask as broadly as possible about an experience with art that has moved you in some way. This means that your options for answering the question are quite varied. So what are the two different parts of this prompt? Let's take a look.

Part 1: Observation and Reaction

Think of a time you experienced that blown-away feeling when looking at something human made. This is the reaction and situation the first part of the essay wants you to recreate. The prompt is primarily interested in your ability to describe and pinpoint exactly what quality made you stop in your tracks. The huge set of inspiring object options the prompt offers tells us that your taste level won't be judged here.

You can focus on a learning experience, which includes both classes and extracurricular activities, or you can focus on a direct experience in which you encountered an object or space without the mediation of a class or teacher. The only limit to your focus object is that it is something made by someone other than you. Your reaction should be in conversation with the original artist, not a form of navel-gazing.

The key for this part of the essay is that your description needs to segue into a story of change and transformation . What the essay topic is asking you to show isn’t just that you were struck by something you saw or learned about, but that you also absorbed something from this experience that impacted your own art going forward.

Did seeing the Angkor Wat Temple during a trip abroad with your family foster your intellectual passion for Southeast Asian art or religious monuments?

Part 2: Absorption

This brings us to the second part of the essay prompt: this is where you need to move from the past into the present — and then at least gesture meaningfully toward the future.

It’s one thing to look at a piece of art, such as a sculpture or architectural form, and feel moved by its grace, boldness, or vision. But it’s a sign of a mature, creative mind to be able to take to heart what is meaningful to you about this work and then transmute this experience into your own art or your interpretation of others' creative works.

This essay wants to see that developing maturity in you ; therefore, you should explain exactly how your own vision has changed after this meaningful encounter you've described. What qualities, philosophy, or themes do you now try to infuse into what you create or how you analyze art?

More importantly, this essay prompt asserts that being affected by something once isn’t enough. That’s why in this second part of the essay,  you also need to explain what you’ve been doing to keep having similarly moving encounters with other creative works .

You have some choice, too, when it comes to answering, "What have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?" For example, you could describe how you’ve sought out other works by the same artist who moved you the first time. Or you could describe investigating new media or techniques to emulate something you saw. Or you could discuss learning about the period, genre, school, or philosophical theory that the original piece of art comes from to give yourself a more contextualized understanding.

If you’re planning an academic career in the visual arts or architecture, then you’re entering a long conversation started by our cave-painting ancestors and continuing through every human culture and society since.

This essay wants to make sure that you aren’t creating or interpreting art in a vacuum and that you have had enough education and awareness to be inspired by others. By demonstrating how you react to works that move you—not with jealousy or dismissal but with appreciation and recognition of another’s talent and ability—you're proving that you're ready to participate in this ongoing conversation.

At the same time, this essay is asking you to show your own creative readiness.  For example, describe not only the work you have produced but also your ability to introduce new elements into that work—in this case, inspired by the piece you described. This way, you can demonstrate that you aren’t a one-note artist but are mature enough to alter and develop what you make. Or if you want to major in art history or art education, relate how your perspective on a particular piece of art or architecture is shaped by your unique perspective, based on your experiences, education, and cultural identity.

A student might write their Topic D essay on how Michelangelo's Madonna della Pietà   has influenced their own artistic renderings of youth and beauty in grief.

What are some best practices for teasing out the complexities of art in written form? Here are some helpful tips as you brainstorm and write your essay.

#1: Pick One Piece of Art or Learning Experience

Once you’ve chosen between these two contexts, narrow down your selection even further . If you're writing about an educational encounter, don’t forget that it can come from an informal situation as well. For example, you could write about something you learned on your own from a documentary, a museum visit, or an art book.

If you're writing about a direct experience with art, don't necessarily fixate on a classic piece . Alternatively, you could discuss a little-known public sculpture, a particularly striking building or bridge you saw while traveling, or a gallery exhibition.

Whatever you end up writing about, make sure you know some of the identifying details . You don’t need to know the answers to all the following questions, but do your best to research so you can answer at least two or three of them:

• Who is the artist?
• Where is the piece on display?
• What kind of work is it?
• With what materials was it made?
• When was it made?

#2: Figure Out Why You Were Struck by This Particular Work

The make-it-or-break-it moment in this essay will be your ability to explain what affected you in the object you're writing about . Why is it different from other works you’ve seen? Were you in the right place and time to be moved by it, or would it have affected you the same way no matter where or when you saw it? Did it speak to you because it shares some of your ideals, philosophies, or tastes—or because it was so different from them?

Be careful with your explanation because it can easily get so vague as to be meaningless or so obscure and "deep" that you lose your reader. Before you start trying to put it down on paper, try to talk out what you plan to say either with a friend, parent, or teacher. Do they understand what you’re saying, and do they believe you?

#3: Make a Timeline of Your Own Creative Works

When you think about what you've been making or thinking about making during your high school career, what is the trajectory of your ideas? How has your understanding of the materials you want to work with or study changed? What message do you want your works to convey, or what message in others' works most resonate with you? How do you want your works to be seen or engaged with by others? What is the reason you feel compelled to be creative or involved in the arts?

Now that you’ve come up with this timeline, see whether your changes in thought overlap with the art experience you're planning on describing . Is there a way you can combine what was so exciting to you about this work with the way you’ve seen your own ideas about art evolve?

#4: Use a Mix of Concreteness and Comparisons in Your Description

Just as nothing ruins a joke like explaining it, nothing ruins the wordless experience of looking at art as talking it to death does. Still, you need to find a way to use words to give the reader a sense of what the piece that moved you actually looks like —particularly if the reader isn't familiar with the work or the artist that created it.

Here is my suggested trick for writing well about art. First, be specific about the object. Discuss its colors, size, what it appears to be made of, what your eye goes to first (e.g., bright colors versus darker, more muted ones), what it represents (if it’s figurative), where it is in relation to the viewer, whether or not you can see marks of the tools used (e.g., brush strokes or scrapes from sculpting tools).

Second, step away from the concrete, and get creative with language by using techniques such as comparative description. Use your imagination to create emotionally resonant similes. Is there a form of movement (e.g., flying, crawling, or tumbling) that this piece feels like? Does it remind you of something from the natural world (e.g., a falling leaf, a forest canopy being moved by wind, waves, or sand dunes shifting)?

If the work is figurative, imagine what has been happening just before the moment in time it captures. What happened just after this point? Using these kinds of nonliteral descriptors will let your reader understand both the actual physical object and its aesthetic appeal.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Dissecting the UT and Texas A&M Short-Answer Prompts

Both UT Austin and Texas A&M require short answers as part of their first-year applications. For both schools, some prompts are required by all applicants, whereas others are required by those applying to certain majors or departments.

We'll go over the UT Austin prompts, followed by the Texas A&M prompt.

UT Austin Short-Answer Prompts

UT Austin requires three short answers from all first-year applicants and also offers an optional prompt. Each short answer should be approximately 250–300 words , or one paragraph.

Short Answer 1: Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?

Short Answer 2: Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.

Short Answer 3: The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, “To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.” Please share how you believe your experience at UT Austin will prepare you to “Change the World” after you graduate.

Optional Short Answer: Please share background on events or special circumstances that may have impacted your high school academic performance.

What Are These UT Austin Short-Answer Prompts Asking?

Obviously, these short-answer prompts are asking four different things, but they do have some similarities in terms of their overall goals.

These prompts basically want to know what you can offer UT Austin and why you'd be a great fit as a student there . They also want to know why you chose UT Austin and your specific major.

In other words, all these prompts essentially work together as a "Why This College?" essay .

How Can You Give UT Austin What They Want?

Admissions officers will be looking for evidence that you're genuinely interested in the school, the major you've chosen, and the career you want to pursue . Make sure to identify features of the program that appeal to you. In other words, why UT Austin? What makes you a good fit here?

Be as specific as possible in your responses. Since you won't have much room to write a lot, try to focus on a particular anecdote, skill, or goal you have.

Admissions officers also want to see that you have an aptitude for your chosen career path , so if you have any relevant work, research, or volunteer experience, they definitely want to know this! It's OK to take a broad view of what's relevant here.

Finally, they're looking for individuals who have clear goals as well as a general idea of what they want to do with their degree . Are you interested in working with a specific population or specialty? Why? What led you to this conclusion?

Texas A&M Engineering Prompt

All engineering applicants to Texas A&M must submit an esssay responding to the following prompt:

Describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution, and engineering technology). What and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals?

What Is This Texas A&M Engineering Prompt Asking?

The engineering prompt wants to know two essential things:

• What are your future goals for your specific field of interest (i.e., the kind of engineering field you want to go into or are considering going into)?
• What environmental or external factors (e.g., a person, a mentor, a volunteer experience, or a paper or book you read) contributed to your development of these goals?

How Can You Give Texas A&M What They Want?

Be as specific as possible in your response. For the engineering prompt, what admissions officers want to know is simply what your biggest engineering ambition is and how you came to have this goal.

You'll want to be as specific as possible. Admissions officers want to see that you have a clear future in mind for what you want to do with your engineering degree. For example, do you plan to go on to a PhD program? Why? Do you have a particular career in mind?

In addition, make sure to specify the main inspiration for or motivation behind this goal. For instance, did you have a high school teacher who encouraged you to study engineering? Or perhaps you decided on a whim to take a computer science class, which you ended up loving.

Remember that the inspiration for your engineering goals doesn't have to be limited to something school-related. If you get stuck, think broadly about what initially got you interested in the field.

Briefly: ApplyTexas Essay Topic E (Transfer Students)

US transfer students and international transfer students must typically submit an additional essay responding to the following prompt (or must submit an essay on one of the topic variations listed above ).

Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope⁠—and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

What's the Prompt Asking?

This prompt, which is intended for transfer students, essentially wants to know what hardship, challenge, or social issue has affected you on a personal level (or a larger group you're part of) and why you think this particular issue is so important to you .

For example, maybe you identify as LGBTQIA+ and have personally experienced discrimination in your local community because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. Or perhaps you grew up in a wealthy family but have begun to see recently how widespread the issue of homelessness really is and now are making a more conscious effort to find ways to remedy this problem in your own community.

The issue you choose doesn't have to relate to a wider social issue; it could be a learning disability you have, for instance, or the fact that you no longer share the same religious beliefs as your  family.

The most important part of this question is the connection between the issue and yourself . In other words, why is this issue so important to you ? How has it affected your life, your goals, your experiences, etc.?

This essay is a way for admissions officers to get to know you and what matters to you personally on a much deeper level than what some of the other essay topics allow, so don't be afraid to dive into topics that are very emotional, personal, or special to you .

Furthermore, be sure to clearly explain why this particular issue—especially if it's a broader social issue that affects many people—is meaningful to you . Admissions officers want to know about any challenges you've faced and how these have positively contributed to your own growth as a person.

The Bottom Line: Tips for Writing ApplyTexas Essays

The ApplyTexas application contains four essay prompts (Topics A, B, C, and D), with different schools requiring different combinations of mandatory and optional essays . There are also short-answer prompts for UT Austin, as well as a Topic E only for transfer students.

One way to keep these three similar-sounding essay topics (A, B, and C) separate in your mind is to create a big-picture category for each one:

• Topic A is about your outside .
• Topic B is your inside .
• Topic C is about your future .

Now, let's briefly summarize each essay topic:

Essay Topic A

• Overview:  Describe any unique experiences you've had as a high school student and how these have shaped who you are as a person.
• Pick a specific aspect of your experience.
• Describe how it made you special.
• Describe the setting, stakes, and conflict resolution.
• Add details, description, and examples.

Essay Topic B

• Overview:  Describe a defining trait and how it fits into the larger vision of you.
• Define the core message.
• Fit that core message of yourself into the larger picture.
• Show things about yourself; don’t tell.
• Watch your tone to make sure that you show your great qualities without seeming narcissistic, boring, glib, or self-aggrandizing.

Essay Topic C

• Overview:  Describe "where you are going" in either a literal, goal-oriented sense or a more imaginative sense.
• Pick where you’re going, but don’t over- or underreach.
• Flesh out your destination. How does it relate back to you?
• Ground your “journey” in specific anecdotes and examples.

Essay Topic D

• Overview:  Describe being affected by a work of art or an artistic experience to make sure that you are ready to enter a fine arts field.
• Pick one piece of art or one specific experience of learning about art.
• Figure out exactly why this work or event struck you.
• Examine your own work to see how this artwork has affected your creativity or engagement with art or art history.
• Use a mix of concrete descriptions and comparisons when writing about the piece of art.

Short-Answer Prompts

• Overview: Specific to UT Austin applicants
• Describe your relevant experiences and interests up to this point.
• Describe what about the program appeals to you and how you will use your degree (i.e., your future goals).
• Treat the prompts as parts of a "Why This College?" essay.

Essay Topic E (Transfer Students)

• Overview: Specific to US and international transfer applicants
• Pick an issue that means a lot to you and has had a clear effect on how you see yourself.
• Emphasize how this issue or how you've treated this issue has ultimately had a positive impact on your personal growth.

What's Next?

Curious about the other college essay choices out there? If your target college also accepts the Common Application, check out our guide to the Common App essay prompts to see whether they would be a better fit for you.

Interested to see how other people tackled this part of the application? We have a roundup of 100+ accepted essays from tons of colleges .

Stuck on what to write about? Read our suggestions for how to come up with great essay ideas .

Working on the rest of your college applications? We have great advice on how to find the right college for you , how to write about your extracurricular activities , and how to ask teachers for letters of recommendation .

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 it for free now:

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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How to Write a Texas Format Essay

Last Updated: February 26, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook . Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness. She holds a BA in English and Journalism from Georgian Court University and an MBA from Saint Peter’s University. Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. She was named by Teen Vogue as one of the 10 social media poets to know and her poetry mixtape, “Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately” was a finalist in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 170,834 times.

A great structure which can be used to help write an essay is the TEXAS format. This is actually necessary in the New Zealand system of qualifications. [1] X Research source It's also a great way to structure an essay. However, many people don't know how to use it. If you've missed a few lessons at school, this article can help you catch up.

Writing Your Own TEXAS Format Essay

• Mention your individual points. But try not to describe them. Just briefly mentioning them is fine.
• Banter, a brief sentence that is not quite on topic is a must. Don't make your introduction too long. Try to keep to five lines, seven at the most. An essay I wrote about Overcrowded Roads began thus:
• "Traffic Jams have become an issue in New Zealand. This is because of overcrowded roads, and is quite a problem in centers such as Auckland. Several government initiatives have been introduced to solve the problem, such as more roads, better traffic management and more public transport. However, I don't think these are the best solutions." Notice how the first line grabs the readers attention. I then go on to elaborate, revealing the actual issue I'm talking about. Then I mention the government initiatives (banter) and then set out my three main points in order of appearance. I tie off the paragraph by expressing my view. Your introduction needs to be a subliminal contents page. The reader has to know where you going before you go there. A common mistake people make in essay writing is saying, "In this essay I will talk about..." You will almost certainly be marked down for this. Be imaginative in replacing this phrase.

• T - stands for Topic. Here you state what you'll be talking about in the paragraph. It only needs to be one line, just enough to specify what you're talking about.
• E - stands for Explain. Here you will elaborate on your Topic, giving the reader more information about what it is. One line will do here, but two is more beneficial for your mark.
• X - stands for Example. This is where your paragraph comes to the crunch. You will have to use a real example. If you're to a Response to Literature, you'll need a real quote. If you're doing a formal writing essay you'll be able to get away with a looser interpretation of the word 'real'. You necessarily be judged on the content of your quote, but more on how you use it to back up your argument.
• A - stands for Analysis. Here you discuss how your example backs up your argument. Two lines is a good bet here, the more you show how much you understand your example the better. Feel free to start it off with, 'This shows how..." or "Here we see..." You shouldn't get marked down particularly, but you'll get marked up for a more original link.
• S - stands for Summary. This often means repeating your Topic statement with more affirmative grammar. Rearranging the words never hurt either. Put all of this together and you get a TEXAS paragraph. A paragraph trying to prove overcrowding on roads might go:
• "New Zealand roads are seriously overcrowded. Everyone owns a car, and everyone uses them.This has lead to crowded streets and more traffic jams. A government report released in 2006 showed a 20% increase in traffic jams over the last 10 years. This is the direct result of too many cars on the road, and the government is concerned about it. If the government is concerned so should we be. New Zealand roads are far too overcrowded." Notice how my example wasn't accurate; I got a merit for this paragraph despite this. The reason I got merit was because I did not use the more complicated paragraph form TEXAXAS. This is simply where you add in an extra example and analysis. TEXAXAS is not a crucial component of getting an Excellence, but it helps. The real reason I got a merit on this paragraph was because I used a generalization in the second sentence. Try to avoid these, the markers don't like them. I'd have been better off if I'd said " Most people own a car..." instead of everyone.

• "All in all, success is winning. The two words are the same. And anyway, why would you play a sport if you didn't intend to win? Who would rather lose than win? The derogatory term 'loser' is not showered on the successful. Success is winning, so unless you win, you lose." Despite my 'excellence' grade here, I could have done better. If I'd used examples from earlier in the essay to back up the points mentioned here, I'd have done far better. Note how I used questions. Examiners love this, finishing with a question leaves the reader thinking. Although it may not get you extra marks, it will give the examiner a better opinion of your essay. Also note how I tied off, using a slightly rhetorical statement. This brings the impact of the entire essay home in one hit, leaving the reader knowing what my argument was. Writing a TEXAS essay isn't difficult, anyone can do it. Writing one well is the trick.

Community Q&A

• Practice is always good. While revising for an exam, write mock essays under mock exam conditions. The more you succeed at this stage, the more you'll succeed at the actual exam. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• Relax while writing. Don't feel that just because it says Formal Writing at the top of the page that you have to be rigid in your language. Formal only means you shouldn't use acronyms, abbreviations or colloquialisms like 'Mate'. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• This guide is just that, a guide. It is not a teaching resource. Trust your teachers before you trust this guide! Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 2

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing essays, check out our in-depth interview with Alicia Cook .

• ↑ https://nzhistory.govt.nz/te-akomanga/skills/communicating-information-paragraph-writing
• ↑ https://artdaily.com/news/146539/How-to-Write-a-TEXAS-Format-Essay#.Y7y5DHZBxD8
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXakluY3OB4
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6UDOQcMoPM

About This Article

One way to structure your essay is to use the TEXAS format, which stands for Topic, Explain, Example, Analysis, and Summary. For the introduction, write a 5 to 7 line paragraph that tells the reader what you’re going to talk about. The first line should state the problem you’re arguing about, like “Teenage drivers are irresponsible.” Then, spend the rest of the paragraph introducing the main points of your argument. After the introduction, you’ll move on to the body paragraphs, which is where you’ll do your arguing. Each paragraph should be organized around the TEXAS format, so start with your topic for the paragraph, explain your topic, give an example of the issue, analyze the example, and summarize the topic for that paragraph. End your essay with a summary that briefly reiterates your main points. You can also include some examples from earlier in the essay to back up the main points you explored or end with a question to leave the reader thinking about your topic. To learn how to create a rough essay plan, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Apply Texas Essays 2022‒2023

Apply Texas Essays 2023

If you live in Texas or plan on applying to schools there, it’s likely that you’ve heard of the Apply Texas portal . At Texas schools, the Apply Texas essays are an important part of the application process. In fact, the Apply Texas essays are the best way to let your personality, experiences, and interests impress admissions teams. 

In many ways, Apply Texas—including the Apply Texas essays—resembles the Common Application. So, you can likely repurpose plenty of information from the Common Application as you complete the Apply Texas application. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to tackle each of the Apply Texas essays. We’ll discuss:

• General information about the Apply Texas portal 
• How to respond to each of the Apply Texas essay prompts
• Different Texas college requirements
• The importance of the Apply Texas essays
• More useful essay resources from CollegeAdvisor

Now, let’s start our deep dive into the Apply Texas essays. But first, let’s talk about the Apply Texas application more broadly. 

What is Apply Texas?

Apply Texas is a college application portal where students can apply to higher education institutes in Texas. The portal was created in order to allow students to fill out one application for all Texas schools. Students will create an Apply Texas login in order to access their applications. 

However, while many of the best colleges in Texas require an Apply Texas login to complete their application, some don’t. So, make sure to check the application requirements for every school. 

Apply Texas essay vs. the Common Application essay

You may be wondering, what’s the difference between the Apply Texas essay and the Common Application essay? Well, logically, Apply Texas can only be used to apply to schools in the state of Texas. However, some Texas schools may also accept applications through the Common Application or Coalition Application. If that’s the case, then you can decide which portal to use. 

Overall, the Apply Texas essay format is similar to the Common Application essay format. This means that many of the tools you’ve used for your Common Application essay will help you complete your Apply Texas essays. You can also look at Common App essay examples to help you write the Apply Texas essays. 

Understanding the Apply Texas essay requirements

Different schools will have different requirements when it comes to the Apply Texas essay prompts. Some schools may not even require an essay at all. 

For example, Texas State University applicants will complete their applications using the Apply Texas login. While Texas State only lists their essay as “highly recommended,” you should still complete it. You can also check out some Apply Texas essays examples to bolster your application. 

The Apply Texas application also has its own unique Apply Texas essay prompts, which differ from the prompts on the Common App. So, while you might be able to repurpose your Common App essay for one of the Apply Texas essay prompts, you should think carefully about your choice of topic. 

What schools use Apply Texas?

Many two- and four-year universities in Texas use Apply Texas. This includes the majority of public universities as well as some private colleges. 

However, you should always double-check each school’s admissions site to see which application portal you should use. Each school’s requirements will vary. 

You can use Apply Texas to apply to some of the best colleges in Texas , including UT Austin and Texas A&M University. However, Rice University—the top college in Texas, according to U.S. News—does not use Apply Texas. 

Understanding the Apply Texas essay format

If you’re planning to apply to multiple Texas schools, you should create an Apply Texas login. However, all schools’ requirements will be different. This means the Apply Texas essay format could slightly vary.

While you’ll find one Apply Texas essay word limit on the application itself, different schools will recommend different word counts. You may also not complete all of the Apply Texas essays for every school.

So, top Texas universities such as the University of Houston , Texas Tech , and TCU will have slightly different requirements, even though you’ll use the same Apply Texas login to access their applications. Use our College Search Feature below to learn more about each school’s unique features!

What are the Apply Texas essays?

Next, let’s check out the Apply Texas essays. 

There are three Apply Texas essay prompts. You’ll complete different Apply Texas essays depending on which schools you apply to. For example, some schools may require that students respond to the Apply Texas essay A, while others may let you choose your prompt.  

Below, we’ve provided a chart with each of the Apply Texas essay prompts. 

Applicants should also note that Apply Texas word limits will vary by school. In this chart, we’ve provided the word limit suggested by the portal itself. However, you should adapt your word count to each university’s requirements. 

Remember to consider school supplements 

Additionally, note that some universities will require other short essays as well as one of the Apply Texas essay prompts. 

For example, the UT Austin application will differ from the Baylor application even though both will use an Apply Texas login. Likewise, the UT Austin application requirements aren’t exactly the same as the UT Dallas application requirements. So, always be sure to double-check the admissions sites for school specifics. 

Before tackling your Apply Texas essays, try to read some Apply Texas essays examples. This will give you an idea of the different ways to approach the essay. The Apply Texas essay format can vary, so looking at Apply Texas essays examples can help you think outside of the box. 

How long should Apply Texas essays be?

As you tackle the Apply Texas essays, you should keep the word count in mind. According to the Apply Texas application portal, you have 800 words for each of your essays. 

However, when it comes to the word limit, you’ll want to see what each university requires or recommends. Every school’s requirements will be different. 

Let’s check out a couple of schools in Texas and compare their approach to their Apply Texas essay word limit. 

The University of Texas Austin requires its applicants to respond to Apply Texas Essay A if using the Apply Texas application. Their word limit is 500-700. Additionally, students will complete three required short answer essays with word limits of 250-300 words. They can also choose to complete a fourth optional essay (also 250-300 words). 

Alternatively, Texas Tech does not require applicants to complete an essay. However, the essay is “highly recommended.” So, as usual, consider this optional essay a requirement. If using the Apply Texas application, Texas Tech gives students the option to respond to Apply Texas Essay A or B. They have placed a 500-word limit on this essay. Check out some tips from Texas Tech admissions to write your Apply Texas essays. 

Texas Christian University

The TCU admissions office requires applicants to complete one essay. However, which of the Apply Texas essays students write is up to them. The word limit is 300-500 words, so you’ll need to impress TCU admissions with a concise, authentic, and passionate essay. 

As you begin your Apply Texas essays, check out Common App essay examples and Apply Texas essays examples to help you prepare.

Apply Texas Essay A

Tell us your story. what unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today.

The Apply Texas Essay A seems to be the overwhelming favorite among universities using the Apply Texas essays. This prompt asks students to “tell us your story.” Simple enough, right? 

Of course, a prompt this broad can feel overwhelming. However, it’s a great opportunity to show admissions who you are. This is your chance to really make your application stand out by sharing something that you haven’t yet revealed (or expanded upon) in other parts of your Apply Texas application. 

This prompt is quite similar to one of the Common Application prompts. So, if you want some inspiration, you can check out Common App essay examples. 

Which Texas colleges require it?

Surprisingly, many universities in Texas do not require applicants to submit an essay. However, if a school includes an “optional” essay requirement, you should still submit one. The Apply Texas essays are a great way to stand out and enrich your application narrative. 

That being said, some universities in Texas do require applicants to submit Apply Texas Essay A. For instance, Texas A&M requires applicants to respond to Apply Texas Essay A. And, as we mentioned, the UT Austin application also requires Apply Texas Essay A.  

Remember, while going through the Apply Texas application, double-check the essay requirements. They will vary depending on each school. 

How to write Apply Texas Essay A

Like many college essays, Apply Texas Essay A asks you to share experiences that have made you who you are. Whether you have a million ideas or are drawing a complete blank, don’t worry. We’re here to help.

Let’s check out the best way to respond to Apply Texas Essay A.

You could probably tell many stories. Apply Texas Essay A asks you to share just one. This leaves a lot of room for interpretation. 

So, think about significant moments in your life. It could be easier to focus on the last few years, as you’ve probably grown a lot throughout high school. 

Make a list of moments that have changed or shaped you as a person. No moment is too small to include. As long as it shows some growth—and you can write authentically and passionately about it—then it’s a good topic. 

Answer the prompt completely

Now, the prompt mentions an opportunity or challenge. Don’t blatantly point out this in your draft by stating “this was a huge challenge/opportunity.” Most likely, if you’ve chosen a story that shows your personal growth, then it’s probably an opportunity or challenge. And, if you tell your story well, this will come through. 

You will need to clearly show how that moment that you’re sharing has shaped who you are today. For example, let’s say that you want to discuss the day you went to your first protest. From that moment forward you’ve been passionate about activism. That clearly shows how pivotal this moment was in your life. Maybe it’s even shaped what you’d like to study or your future career. 

Remember to research your school, too. Well-written Apply Texas essays will be specific to each individual school. For example, if writing an essay for Southern Methodist University , check out their specific programs and offerings. Even though this isn’t a “why school” essay, you can still link your interests and growth to the school.

Write passionately

This isn’t the time to write vague statements that could apply to any high school student. Your story should be unique to you. Make sure to choose your topic wisely to highlight your passion and authenticity. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Set the scene. Remember that it’s much more impactful to show rather than tell when writing. If we continue with our protest example, you might open your essay by describing the atmosphere using descriptive language that puts the reader right there with you. Then, you can reflect back on how this moment has affected you to date. 

Apply Texas Essays – Topic B

While a few schools require applicants to answer the Apply Texas essay A, some may ask you to choose which essay to respond to. Let’s review the second of the Apply Texas essay prompts:

Some students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. If you are one of these students, then tell us about yourself.

Again, the goal of this prompt, like all of the Apply Texas essays, is to let you show each school what makes you unique. You should also aim to relate it back to your aspirations. For example, how does who you are shape what you want in your future?

Approaching Apply Texas Essay B

Topic B asks you to explore a part of your identity. Is there something you can point out that shows your values, character, and personality?

For example, maybe you’ve been dancing ballet since you started walking. Maybe it’s become a form of meditation or a way for you to express yourself. Perhaps it’s taught you discipline. It doesn’t matter how it’s shaped you (although it should be in a positive way)—you just need to show how it has impacted you. 

If you decide to focus on an “identity” instead of an “interest,” then you’ve got even more options to choose from. You can choose to highlight your background, experiences, family, values, or other key features. 

Overall, your topic should be unique to you. And, again, don’t be afraid to get creative in writing this essay. Your Apply Texas essays shouldn’t read like a resume; they should be engaging while still answering the prompt. 

Apply Texas Essay Prompts – Topic C

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a university that requires students to respond to the last of the Apply Texas essays. However, you may be given the option of which Apply Texas essay prompts you’d like to respond to. So, let’s check out Essay C.

You’ve got a ticket in your hand – Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

You may notice that this essay seems quite different from the other Apply Texas essays—it gives you a lot more freedom. So, you can really dive into the creativity of this topic. However, remember to not get too carried away and forget that, in the end, you’re still writing a college essay. The main goal, like the other Apply Texas essay prompts, is to show who you are as a person and an applicant. 

Crafting a response to Essay C

For Essay C, your process doesn’t have to be wildly different than it was for the other Apply Texas essay prompts. First, decide what you’ll write about. Start by brainstorming options if nothing comes to mind right away. 

Maybe you have a topic in mind immediately. That’s great! If you can write passionately about your ticket destination and activity, then that’s the topic for you.

Once again, get creative. You could go to a magical land, back in time, outer space, or to a remote island. The ticket and the destination don’t matter—it’s what they show about who you are. 

Most importantly, make sure to tie in your career goals or future aspirations. How will this trip impact you and your future? What experience will you have that will shape you?

Exploring Texas college’s essay requirements

When it comes to factors such as the Apply Texas essay word limit or Apply Texas essay prompts, requirements will vary by school. While the general Apply Texas application will be the same, the Apply Texas essay format will be different. Namely, each school will request different Apply Texas essay prompts. 

Let’s look at some of the essay requirements for the best colleges in Texas:

As you can see, while the Apply Texas application is uniform, the essay requirements vary greatly by school. For instance, you’ll see the Apply Texas essays for the Baylor application vs the University of Houston application are not the same. So, always double-check with your university’s admissions sites for all requirements. 

And, don’t forget, when it comes to “optional” essays, treat them as though they are required. While Texas A&M admissions requires an essay, Texas Tech does not. However, strong essays will impress both Texas Tech and Texas A&M admissions. After all, Apply Texas essays are the best way for schools to get to know you better. 

How important are the Apply Texas essays?

When it comes to the admissions process, the Apply Texas essays are extremely important. In general, college essays let applicants share a part of their personality that they haven’t highlighted elsewhere in their application. 

Additionally, most schools use a holistic admissions approach when evaluating students. That means that they review all parts of the application: GPA, essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and more. In fact, with more schools going test-optional, essays are an even more significant piece of your application puzzle. 

All to say: strong Apply Texas essays can make a huge difference. So, give yourself ample time to write them.

5 Tips to Make Your Apply Texas Essays Stand Out

Since the Apply Texas essays are so important in the admissions process, you’ll want to do everything you can to make yours stand out. 

5 tips to write Apply Texas essays that impress 

1. meet the requirements.

This may seem obvious, but you need to make sure that you understand the requirements for each school. Double-check the word counts and requirements for each to make sure that you hit all targets. 

2. Choose a topic carefully

Your topic is the most important part of the process. If you choose a topic that you aren’t authentically passionate about, it will show. Don’t think about what admissions wants to hear. Instead, choose a topic that you can easily write about. Then go back and fine-tune your essay to answer every aspect of the prompt. 

3. Get creative

Your Apply Texas essays should be engaging and unique. Don’t feel like you need to stick to a certain format. Set the scene and capture your audience. This is your opportunity to show who you are as well as your writing chops. So, as long as you answer each prompt fully, get as creative as you’d like!

4. Show personal growth

Your Apply Texas essays should show how you’ve evolved. Ideally, you should connect your personal growth to future aspirations in college and beyond. No matter the prompt, this is your opportunity to shine. These are college essays, so you want to show what you’ll bring to campus with your responses. 

5. Start early!

The last thing you want to do when it comes to your Apply Texas essays is wait until the last minute. Creating impactful essays will take time. You’ll brainstorm, draft, edit, and redraft. You should also leave enough time to have someone else proofread your essay for mechanical errors. Likewise, if they don’t understand the narrative, you’ll want to rework your story and message so that it makes sense to a reader. 

Apply Texas Essays & More Essay Resources from CollegeAdvisor

Writing the Apply Texas essays can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled many essay resources to help you create your best essays. While admissions requirements and essay prompts will change, the overall goal of your college essays stays the same: show admissions who you are and why you belong at that university. 

Before writing essays, you’ll also want to research specifics about the school. We have college pages that outline acceptance rates, enrollment, majors, and more to give you some quick facts on different schools in Texas. To jumpstart your research, check out the Baylor University , Texas A&M University , and University of Texas Austin pages . However, make sure to also do a deep dive into each university’s website to learn more about specific programs and campus life. 

Essay guides and other resources

Follow up by checking out our essay guides. These guides are specific to individual universities. You may even find it helpful to look at past essay guides such as our Baylor , Texas A&M , or UT Austin essay guides. Again, while prompts may change, the end goal of the essays stays the same. 

Additionally, check out the most recent guides such as this 2022-2023 Texas Christian University guide for the most up-to-date tips on making your essays stand out to TCU admissions. Looking at example essays can also help you get inspired. 

CollegeAdvisor has a wealth of resources to help you on your college journey. No matter if you’re trying to create the best Baylor application or impress Texas A&M admissions, our team can help. For expert guidance on the Apply Texas essays and more, schedule a meeting with our team here .

This essay guide was written by Sarah Kaminski. 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.

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Test Prep | Tutoring | College Admissions

• Ryan Murphy
• Jul 10, 2018

Your Guide to Apply Texas Essays

Many universities in Texas use the Apply Texas application, making it easier for students to apply to multiple schools without having to repeatedly submit similar applications. As part of Apply Texas, colleges either require that you submit at least one essay or highly recommend that you send an optional essay that responds to one of the three main prompts.

The Apply Texas essay topics change periodically, but the most recent versions have been the same for the past few application cycles, and this trend seems like it will continue for the next few. (I’ll get to what exactly those topics are a little bit later.) Still, schools have different requirements, so here is a list of the major colleges in Texas and what they require or recommend:

UT-Austin - Topic A required

Texas A&M - Topic A required

Texas Tech - all optional, but recommended that you submit at least one

UT-Dallas - all optional, but recommended that you submit at least one

Texas State - all optional, but highly recommended that you submit at least one

UNT - all optional, but suggested that you submit Topic B (if anything)

What is the General Approach to Writing Apply Texas Essays?

While each of the topics have unique challenges and opportunities, there are still some general guidelines you should follow when writing any of the Apply Texas essays. Here is a list of considerations for all essays:

Length: Aim for 650-750 words (unless your college says something else).

Content: Connect moments in your life into a story that addresses the topic; include a title.

Tone: Have a positive attitude and outlook, even if you describe failures and challenges.

Structure: Include at least 7-8 paragraphs (e.g., Hook, Intro, Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution, Conclusion)

Scope: Write about one event or series of events with depth instead of listing out “your life story.”

Overall, your essays should be a blend of storytelling and traditional essay elements (thesis statements and intro and conclusion paragraphs). Also, since the purpose of the essays is to express yourself on a more personal level, you should feel free to be more informal and authentic with your writing.

How Do You Write the Apply Texas Topic A Essay?

Apply Texas Topic A: What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it has shaped you as a person.

Step 1: Think how you define yourself as a person -- or how you want admissions officers to see you.

There are a lot of ways you can define yourself. Are you a problem solver? Are you a leader? Do you like discovering strengths in people? Are you a coding diehard? Does music run through your veins? The options are endless, but you should try to define yourself precisely and not as thousands of other teenagers will.

Example: You come from a city that blends cutting edge technology with appreciation for the environment. This blend has shaped your worldview, allowing you to see the beauty of integrating tech and nature.

Step 2: Determine which environment was most important for shaping you into this person.

A family, home, neighborhood, or community might be …

A biological or extended family, or a family that is a group of friends or members of a club

A literal home, or a home that is metaphorical, such as a place where you feel like you are yourself

A neighborhood where you live, including the people who live or work near you

A community that's a city, or a community that's a group of people who share similar ideas and experiences (physical or online)

Step 3: Develop a narrative to show how the environment shaped you into this person.

Here is an example outline for a hypothetical essay about how a hometown influenced a prospective business major:

Exposition: I grew up in a town that did X.

Rising Action: As I grew up, I decided to start my own Y, based on city influences.

Climax: As part of the company, I was excited that we were finally able to do Z.

Falling Action: We have extended operations into X.

Resolution: By being inspired by my hometown, I now am working on Y.

Step 4: Write the essay.

If you read your essay and think it's boring, then the admissions officers will think the same thing (but multiply that boredom by 1,000).

How Do You Write the Apply Texas Topic B Essay?

Apply Texas Topic B: Some students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. If you are one of these students, then tell us about yourself.

Step 1: Think of an essential part of yourself that you haven’t described already on your application.

You don’t need to be the stuffy academic on every part of your college application. Topic B is a great time to let loose and reveal the “cool” aspects of who you are.

Step 2: Choose an identity, an interest, or a talent that reveals this essential part of yourself.

An identity, an interest, or a talent might be …

A racial, ethnic, or gender identity

An interest in school-related topics (e.g., medicine, research, business, or programming) or in extracurricular topics (e.g., online videos, figurines and memorabilia, or gourmet cuisine)

A talent for something academic (e.g., leading people, helping others, or discovering things) or for something recreational (e.g., juggling, making clothing, or gardening)

Warning: You should avoid essays about race and ethnicity. Tens of thousands of them are written every application cycle and often do little to make you stand out from your peers.

Surely you have an interest or talent that goes beyond the normal high schooler profile, right? You like singing in the rain? You have an interest in ancient Rome? You collect butterflies?

Example: You are really good at making videos and documenting important events in people’s lives. You have an entire method for shooting and editing videos to make people feel like they belong to a group.

Step 3: Develop a narrative to show how this identity, interest, or talent is an essential part of yourself.

Exposition: My interest in X all began with ...

Rising Action: At first it was hard to do Y ...

Climax: But then I mastered Y, and I was able to ...

Falling Action: I learned how to do Z because of my struggles.

Resolution: Now X is how I … and also ...

This essay should make you think something like, “Wow! I had no idea a pre-med student like yourself also had a talent for breakdancing!”

How Do You Write the Apply Texas Topic C Essay?

Apply Texas Topic C: You've got a ticket in your hand - Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

Step 1: Determine what about your personality you want to add to your application that is not already included.

Topic C is usually meant for fun, especially if you still had some serious things to say in Topic B. At this point, you should definitely be okay with revealing the non-academic parts of your life.

Step 2: Think of what place you could go to that would reveal this side of your personality.

The ticket can go to …

An actual place, such as a country, city, or other physical location (e.g., Paris, China, the moon)

A time period, such as the future (e.g., when we are colonizing other planets) or the past (e.g., medieval times when knights are fighting each other)

An imaginary place, such as inside the body or a place from a novel or television show (e.g., going to your stomach to see how digestion works, going to Hogwarts from Harry Potter )

Warning: While the essay opens the door for creativity, you should NOT go “off the rails” and write a story or an essay that illustrates your abstract musings or philosophical insights. Stick to the essay format, even if you want to take your admissions officers to far off places.

Also, time travel is nice. Don’t be afraid of it.

Example: You go to the set of your favorite tv show from a foreign country, where you speak with the actors and go on adventures in that country.

Step 3: Develop a narrative that addresses where you will go, what you will do, and why all of this is important to you.

Exposition: My sister and I watched X show every since Y time that something happened.

Rising Action: I take my sister and off we go to the set, seeing actor A and actor B, and we do X.

Climax: Along the way, we learn about the country, but we still don’t feel welcome.

Falling Action: Actor A and Actor B teach us their language and we start to feel more at home.

Resolution: We go back to the set, seeing the difference between screen and real life.

So many students write that they go to their home countries to see family. Also, many students choose real locations, which are great, but there are so many missed opportunities for being creative and imaginative.

Final Thoughts

While it is important to show your passion for prospective majors and careers, don’t neglect parts of your personality that typically go unnoticed in college applications.

Remember: You should be the star of these essays. If you start writing too much about grandma or your friend Billy, then you need to revise.

Keep it simple. Keep it fun. There are plenty of other serious parts of your applications.

Do you need help drafting your Apply Texas essays? Consider signing up for one of our college admissions essay services . We can help you brainstorm, outline, rough draft, revise, and/or edit your essays. Get a head start on your applications before senior year becomes too overwhelming!

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• How to write an essay outline | Guidelines & examples

How to Write an Essay Outline | Guidelines & Examples

Published on August 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing. It involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph , giving you a picture of how your argument will unfold.

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Table of contents

Organizing your material, presentation of the outline, examples of essay outlines, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay outlines.

At the stage where you’re writing an essay outline, your ideas are probably still not fully formed. You should know your topic  and have already done some preliminary research to find relevant sources , but now you need to shape your ideas into a structured argument.

Creating categories

Look over any information, quotes and ideas you’ve noted down from your research and consider the central point you want to make in the essay—this will be the basis of your thesis statement . Once you have an idea of your overall argument, you can begin to organize your material in a way that serves that argument.

Try to arrange your material into categories related to different aspects of your argument. If you’re writing about a literary text, you might group your ideas into themes; in a history essay, it might be several key trends or turning points from the period you’re discussing.

Three main themes or subjects is a common structure for essays. Depending on the length of the essay, you could split the themes into three body paragraphs, or three longer sections with several paragraphs covering each theme.

As you create the outline, look critically at your categories and points: Are any of them irrelevant or redundant? Make sure every topic you cover is clearly related to your thesis statement.

Order of information

When you have your material organized into several categories, consider what order they should appear in.

Your essay will always begin and end with an introduction and conclusion , but the organization of the body is up to you.

Consider these questions to order your material:

• Is there an obvious starting point for your argument?
• Is there one subject that provides an easy transition into another?
• Do some points need to be set up by discussing other points first?

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Within each paragraph, you’ll discuss a single idea related to your overall topic or argument, using several points of evidence or analysis to do so.

In your outline, you present these points as a few short numbered sentences or phrases.They can be split into sub-points when more detail is needed.

The template below shows how you might structure an outline for a five-paragraph essay.

• Thesis statement
• First piece of evidence
• Second piece of evidence
• Summary/synthesis
• Importance of topic
• Strong closing statement

You can choose whether to write your outline in full sentences or short phrases. Be consistent in your choice; don’t randomly write some points as full sentences and others as short phrases.

Examples of outlines for different types of essays are presented below: an argumentative, expository, and literary analysis essay.

Argumentative essay outline

This outline is for a short argumentative essay evaluating the internet’s impact on education. It uses short phrases to summarize each point.

Its body is split into three paragraphs, each presenting arguments about a different aspect of the internet’s effects on education.

• Importance of the internet
• Concerns about internet use
• Thesis statement: Internet use a net positive
• Data exploring this effect
• Analysis indicating it is overstated
• Students’ reading levels over time
• Why this data is questionable
• Video media
• Interactive media
• Speed and simplicity of online research
• Questions about reliability (transitioning into next topic)
• Evidence indicating its ubiquity
• Claims that it discourages engagement with academic writing
• Evidence that Wikipedia warns students not to cite it
• Argument that it introduces students to citation
• Summary of key points
• Value of digital education for students
• Need for optimism to embrace advantages of the internet

Expository essay outline

This is the outline for an expository essay describing how the invention of the printing press affected life and politics in Europe.

The paragraphs are still summarized in short phrases here, but individual points are described with full sentences.

• Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages.
• Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press.
• Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
• Discuss the very high levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe.
• Describe how literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites.
• Indicate how this discouraged political and religious change.
• Describe the invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg.
• Show the implications of the new technology for book production.
• Describe the rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
• Link to the Reformation.
• Discuss the trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention.
• Describe Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation.
• Sketch out the large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics.
• Summarize the history described.
• Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period.

Literary analysis essay outline

The literary analysis essay outlined below discusses the role of theater in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park .

The body of the essay is divided into three different themes, each of which is explored through examples from the book.

• Describe the theatricality of Austen’s works
• Outline the role theater plays in Mansfield Park
• Introduce the research question : How does Austen use theater to express the characters’ morality in Mansfield Park ?
• Discuss Austen’s depiction of the performance at the end of the first volume
• Discuss how Sir Bertram reacts to the acting scheme
• Introduce Austen’s use of stage direction–like details during dialogue
• Explore how these are deployed to show the characters’ self-absorption
• Discuss Austen’s description of Maria and Julia’s relationship as polite but affectionless
• Compare Mrs. Norris’s self-conceit as charitable despite her idleness
• Summarize the three themes: The acting scheme, stage directions, and the performance of morals
• Answer the research question
• Indicate areas for further study

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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You will sometimes be asked to hand in an essay outline before you start writing your essay . Your supervisor wants to see that you have a clear idea of your structure so that writing will go smoothly.

Even when you do not have to hand it in, writing an essay outline is an important part of the writing process . It’s a good idea to write one (as informally as you like) to clarify your structure for yourself whenever you are working on an essay.

If you have to hand in your essay outline , you may be given specific guidelines stating whether you have to use full sentences. If you’re not sure, ask your supervisor.

When writing an essay outline for yourself, the choice is yours. Some students find it helpful to write out their ideas in full sentences, while others prefer to summarize them in short phrases.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

Cite this Scribbr article

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How to Respond to the ApplyTexas Essay Prompts

Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

If you are looking to use ApplyTexas to apply to multiple Texas universities, you have come to the right place. The ApplyTexas essay prompts are a crucial part of the application, and we will walk you through them step-by-step in this guide.

ApplyTexas is a common application form used by most Texas public universities and a few private Texas universities. The ApplyTexas website is a good source for determining if the ApplyTexas application is accepted by your dream Texas school. When filling out the application, there are a few ApplyTexas essay prompts applicants need to fill out. 

Here’s our guide for how to ace each ApplyTexas essay prompts on the application.

Related: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool

“Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?” (500-750 words)

This prompt essentially wants to know what events or experiences in high school shaped you into the person you are today. Focus on what you believe to be the biggest impact on your life. Make sure to focus on you . 

Try and choose one to two main life-shaping events that occurred in high school. Be sure that they are specific! Try to zero in on something unique that you were able to participate in or that you overcame. For example, perhaps you sadly lost someone you love due to a disease that inspired you to enter into the medical field. Or perhaps working at an ice cream shop made you realize how much you love customer service. While these are two different life experiences, both show self-awareness and growth. The main goal of writing these supplemental essays is to allow the reader to get to know you and what makes you unique. 

After describing these events, now turn the focus to you! How did you use these opportunities to thrive into the stand-out person you are today? Make sure to clearly link your environment in high school to some prominent traits you now possess.

Questions to consider: 

• How did your particular environment and experiences make you special? 
• What challenges or opportunities have you encountered? 
• How did you overcome these challenges or take these opportunities head on? 

Don’t miss: How many schools should I apply to?

“Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.” (500-750 words)

Define what that unique trait you have is! It can be a piece of your identity, an interest or even a talent. Brainstorm ideas of things that make you so different from everyone else.

Describe this trait or thing that makes you so unique in a story-telling manner. Be creative! Do not just state what makes you unique, but describe it instead. This is the time to make yourself stand apart as a unique individual. Maybe you are an experienced photographer and taking pictures is your passion. Was there a special person who taught you how to take pictures? Do you turn towards a famous photographer for inspiration? Who gave you your first camera? The keys to getting to know the real you are found within your responses. The “why” is what drives the reader to understand the real personable you. 

Be sure to choose a positive trait that makes you look good! Remember this is going to colleges that you want to attend. You want to draw them in, but you also want to make a good impression. So, keep it appropriate and mature, but also creative! 

Once you have determined and written about your special trait, write about how this “piece of you” defines you! You need to contextualize this trait to the rest of your personality and life. How does this one aspect of you make you who you are? 

• What makes you unique from others?
• If you were thrown onto a stage for a talent show what would you perform? 
• How does this unique trait align with your aspirations and identity? 

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“You’ve got a ticket in your hand – Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?” (500-750 words)

This is a fun prompt that gives you plenty of creative freedom in your response. However, remember that this is going to be sent to a college that you want to attend! Therefore, use this essay to show off your career and long-term goals. 

To be extremely creative, realize that this prompt just states a “ticket,” but does not specify what kind of ticket. Most applicants may immediately think of a plane ticket, but this is your response! Therefore, the “ticket” can be a ticket to medical school, a ticket to a fantasy world where everyone wears fedoras or a ticket to your grandfather’s house. The creativity is endless! 

The most important part of this answer is your ability to justify where you are going with this ticket. You want to be able to show that you have goals for your life. Prove that having this metaphorical opportunity to have a magical ticket will allow you to succeed and reach some of your goals. 

No matter how creative a college essay question is, you always want to make sure you are revealing pieces of your personality. Throughout your response, make sure to be describing yourself and your personal goals. 

Questions to consider:  

• Is there a destination you have always wanted to go to? 
• If money was not an issue, where would you go? 
• What are your aspirations for the future and where would you go to make these aspirations a reality? 

Also see: How to choose financial safety, reach, and match schools

“Personal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area?” (500-750 words)

This essay option is specific for certain majors. Therefore, if you are not applying as a major in architecture, art, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies, or art education, then you are not required to answer this question. 

To begin responding to this essay prompt, begin with a moment of observation you have experienced that changed your thinking. This could be an instance during an art class when a piece was first taught to you or a time when you stumbled upon a piece of art in a gallery. Whatever the experience you had, make sure that you select a point in time where the observation of an object, image or space really made you contemplate. 

After you have described this moment, it is important to list specific details of the piece as well as accurately describe your own emotions while viewing the piece. 

Some questions to consider

• What type of emotion did the art make you feel? 
• Why did the art make you feel some type of emotion?
• What changed in your thinking? 

After describing how your view changed, it is then important to connect back to the future. How will you use what you learned from this experience in your life going forward? It is important to reveal that the lessons learned from this moving experience will stick with you throughout your life.

Also see: How to get in-state tuition as an out-of-state student

Which colleges require which ApplyTexas essays? 

Every Texas university has slightly different essay requirements from the ApplyTexas essay prompt list. For full information, you must create an ApplyTexas account and review the specific requirements. Here are a few Texas colleges and their particular requirements on the ApplyTexas application: 

Baylor University

• Essay A, B and C are optional

Southern Methodist University

• Essay B – optional

Texas A&M University, College Station

Texas christian university, university of texas at austin.

• Essay A 

Next steps after responding to the ApplyTexas essay prompts

Now that the hard part is over, and your ApplyTexas essay prompts are flawless – take a deep breath! 

The different Texas universities found under the ApplyTexas application will have slightly different requirements when it comes to which essay prompt responses they select. Each Texas school will require a different combination of the above three essay-prompts or even all three. In fact, some schools will even have additional prompts of their own. 

Texas universities use these prompts for not only admission, but for selecting students to award scholarships to as well. Therefore, it is crucial to put effort into your essay prompt responses! 

If your dream college also accepts the Common Application, check out our guide on how to answer the 2021-2022 Common App essay prompts to see whether they would be a better fit for you.

Don’t miss: Top Texas scholarships

Additional resources

In addition to prompt-specific advice, it’s a good idea to examine your general writing technique when it comes time to draft your college essays. Check out our guides on how to write an essay about yourself , how to write 250 and 500-word essays, and our general guide for rocking college applications . We can also help you decide how many schools to apply to and how to find safety, reach, and match schools .If you’re wondering whether to send test scores to test-optional schools , we’ve got a guide for that as well. And once you start hearing back, we can help you create a college comparison spreadsheet to make your college choice. Finally, check out our free scholarship search tool to help fund your education and keep all of your college options open. Good luck!

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• How to Write the Apply Texas Essay [2022-2023]

About ApplyTexas Platform

Apply texas application process and requirements, prompts and essays, tips for writing essay a prompt with topic ideas, 1. choose a specific aspect of your surroundings, 2. talk about how your surroundings made you special, 3. make it interesting, tips for writing essay b prompt with topic ideas, 1. identify your core message, 2. make your core message a part of a bigger picture, 3. don’t be afraid to describe situations, 4. be mindful of your tone, tips for writing essay c prompt with topic ideas, 1. pick your destination, 2. don’t overdo it, 3. include all other elements.

If you’re a student looking for a great opportunity to pursue a rewarding undergraduate education in the state of Texas, it could be very helpful to know that there are over 150 four-year universities at your disposal. 

The process of applying for these universities includes using the ApplyTexas application platform. Prospective students can use the Apply Texas platform to accomplish the following tasks:

• Apply for admission to any of the 150 public university institutions in the state of Texas, including private colleges and participating communities.
• Apply for graduate, international and undergraduate admission.
• Take a submitted application to another university.
• Submit your ApplyTexas essays online (get college essay help).
• Find all necessary specific and general information regarding universities.

The 2022-2023 application season is about to knock on your door, and you’ll have to do everything in your power to pass the admissions committee. 

The Apply Texas Platform is a direct result of a collaboration between a wide range of private and public universities from around the state, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board . 

This platform ensures that both Texans and non-Texans get an integrated means of applying to various post-secondary educational institutions. Prospective students can take their compelling application and use it to apply to multiple universities around the state. 

Instead of submitting applications for each school, students can use only one application that’s valid in all the 150 public university institutions in the state of Texas. The platform allows students to apply for admission to all private colleges and participating communities as well. 

Students can use this platform to find all necessary information about the platform, the process of application and requirements, and college essay topics according to their preferences, answer prompts, and more. 

It’s a great, actionable and very informative platform that helps students make their way to the school of their choosing. More importantly, students can use their ApplyTexas application to submit it to any other institution on the Apply Texas list of institutions.

The Apply Texas application uses a standardized form that allows students to use one application for several universities at once. Before you start your application process, make sure you verified that the school you want to get into is featured on the platform.

ApplyTexas is accepted in all public universities in the state of Texas. This platform offers a comprehensive range of tools students can use to determine whether a university of their liking is featured in the platform.  

Aside from ApplyTexas, students also use the Common Application colleges . It’s essential to determine which type of application suits your college list the most. ApplyTexas is just like an ordinary college application. There are some requirements, components, and materials you’ll need to consider before getting started. 

Here’s a list of what you’ll need to get started:

• One copy of your high school transcript
• Your standardized test results
• Evidence of any extracurricular activities
• Contact information for your guidance counselor and guardians
• Evidence of your parents’ employment
• A personal statement
• Letter of recommendation

Just like any other application system, Apply Texas application is divided into sections that deal with your interests, background, and personal information. These sections are:

• Biographical information 
• Educational background
• Educational information
• Test scores
• Residency information
• Extracurricular and volunteer activities
• Employment information
• School-specific questions

The system is divided into these sections to help admissions officers learn more about the prospective students, their habits, behavior, interests, aspirations, extracurricular activities, working and volunteering experiences, and more.

Since your application holds your personal information, they can use it to contact you in case they need clarification regarding questions, your information, etc. These sections help the officers get a clear picture of who their prospective students are, by understanding their interests and backgrounds.

When it comes to your biographical and educational information, it includes your demographics, school, and contact details. Admissions officers use this information to determine how you compare to other candidates, what resources your school provided you with, your background, etc.

Aside from these requirements, there are also custom questions to think about. These are included in most Texas universities are the Apply Texas version of supplemental essays. The most common topic of these custom questions is to find out why you’ve chosen a certain school or major or what you think your contribution should be to campus, etc.

Spring applications are mostly asked to write about their background and the environment in which they grew up in their essays. UT at Austin requires applicants to give answers to three 250-word questions that cover their future leadership, academics, and career. 

To make sure you’re properly prepared for your application and Apply Texas essay , see that you include all extra requirements before you submit.

If you’re comparing high school vs colleges , you’ll find out that college essays are almost the same, only a bit more serious. When it comes to Apply Texas essay requirements, these vary. The required prompts vary from school to school, but the most common essay prompt is Essay A. 

For example, UT Austin supplemental essays require Essay A with three smaller custom questions, while Texas A&M requires Essay A and B. All universities require an essay no longer than 1200-1500 words. If we take the fact that admissions officers have a lot of applicants to deal with, it would be wise to keep your word count to less than 1000. 

Now, there are three different ApplyTexas essay prompts for freshman and international freshman applications:

• Essay A: Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?
• Essay B: Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.
• Essay C: You’ve got a ticket in your hand – Where will you go? What will you do? What will happen when you get there?

Let’s take a closer look at each of the three.

This prompt is almost like your personal statement, only different. Students who are using the Coalition App or the Common App usually write Essay A. It includes the most important things that admissions officers should know about you. 

The trick with Essay A is to make it unique and personal to make your essay impactful and memorable. That means that centering your essay around your strongest test performance isn’t going to be enough to make you stand out. 

The narrative you choose to go with should be focused on you and your personality. You’re applying to college, hoping to get a good education that will help you build your career. You can’t expect to reflect on such a major event in your life by writing about scoring great on a math test. 

The story you choose to go with should be deeply connected to you. In most cases, adversity comes in handy. With that in mind, our recommendation would be to write about certain challenges and obstacles you had to overcome, such as a natural disaster, loss of a family member, an illness, etc. 

On the other hand, you can use this prompt to write about your expectations and opportunities. It’s even better if you had a chance to engage in some activities that other students haven’t. It’s essential to pick a topic that separates you from the rest.

Essay B gives you full control over your essay. You have complete freedom to write about anything that comes to your mind. Essay B isn’t about all of the activities you’ve crossed your path with, so you’ll have to stick with the most essential and meaningful one.

Pick the one that really defines you as a person and then elaborate on it. Talk about it, why it matters to you, how it helped you and defined you as a person, what you’ve learned from it, and how it helped develop a specific interest.

It’s even better if the activity is connected to the theme of your application. It helps to highlight your commitment to what you’ve actively pursued and felt so passionate about. The most important part of Essay B is talking about you and your identity. 

This part of your personality refers to anything related to your personality like an unusual hobby that defines your personality, your socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, languages you speak, culture, ethnic background, and so on. 

Pretty much, anything that you think is essential and played a big role in defining who you are as a person, your way of thinking and acting could be the topic of your essay. 

It’s not just enough to talk about your identity — you have to go further beyond it and expand on the concept. Talk about why you think this matters to you and how it helped shape you, your life, and your perspective.

The third prompt is about using your imagination without limits or boundaries. In essence, writing an essay should be fun. You’re not here to defend your dissertation in medicine — you’re here to tell the admissions officers who you are, what you love, how you feel, and where you would like to be in the next few years. Essay C is exactly that — your view of the future.

You can talk about where you would like to go with your life and then expand on that concept by thinking critically about the reasons that compelled you to go that way. If you can relate it back to your application, that would be even better.

By doing so, you have far better chances of standing out in the entire college admissions process. The best thing about the Essay C prompt is that you can choose a fictional place, as there are no rules stating it has to be a real place.

Essay C is essentially how admissions officers ascertain your character and capability. By letting your imagination run wild, you’re showing them how your mind works but, more importantly, what your true values are. 

This question is also an excellent way to show them what characteristics of a community you really hold dear. There is no one size fits all when it comes to writing a college essay that stands out. You’ll just have to think it through and try to connect all the dots into a bigger picture. 

It’s vital that you give answers to the following questions: 

• What made you choose that particular location? 
• How are you connected to that place?
• What role does that place play in your life?

It’s important that you describe some meaningful situations that helped define you as a person. Oh, and don’t forget to edit before you submit as you can’t afford to submit an essay with grammar mistakes, etc.

Let’s elaborate a bit on what you can do with your Essay A prompt. The main goal of this prompt is to allow admissions officers to see how the external environment has shaped you as a high school student. You can start by describing your environment. 

Identify and describe specific events and experiences that shaped your personality while in high school. Only describe the experiences that are really important to you. It’s essential that you focus on how these experiences shaped you through your high school career. 

Just describing the environment isn't enough as you have to show how that environment shaped you into the person you are today. Your audience is hoping to learn two main things about you:

• That you can be thoughtful and mature about your surroundings
• What makes you different from the rest in your environment

Here are some key strategies you can use to make sure you answer the prompt correctly.

Take ideas such as your community, neighborhood, home, or family and work on them in several different directions. Expand on each concept by including the most significant things and events that connected you with the surroundings. 

Reflect upon how this environment helped turn you into who you are today. More importantly, how it helped you stand out. You can talk about how your environment positively fostered certain traits or qualities in you or mention some obstacles you had to overcome. 

It’s vital that you make a connection between your special traits and the environment to send a clear message to your readers. Think of specific events, anecdotes, or stories that could be related to your interaction with your surroundings and explain what they say about you.

Remember when we said that writing an essay should be fun? You can make your essay more interesting by including some action and characters. Just like a good movie, your essay needs a happy ending or, at least, a poignant one. 

Here are some good features to consider for your essay:

• Setting — try to depict the main characters and their connection to the environment or start by describing the actual physical environment.
• Stakes — adding high stakes to the story gives your essay a dynamic range, making things more interesting. So, explain what you gained or lost in your anecdote.
• Conflict resolution — every story has an external and internal conflict that needs resolution. External conflict includes someone like a friend, a family member, a neighbor, etc. Inner conflict is essentially your response to a particular experience or event. Both conflicts need some level of resolution to express how the changes impacted you. 

Here are some good Essay A ideas:

• Describe a situation where you made the initiative to organize people in your surroundings to contribute to a common local cause.
• Reflect upon a close relationship with someone very close to you.
• Talk about a particular place in your environment and why it matters so much to you.
• Describe how it feels being a minority where you come from.
• The things you had to do to handle culture shock from having to move.

Prompt B is all about telling others about yourself. Now, this is pretty vague, but we can dissect it into two specific sections:

• The things that define you — every person has certain traits that define them, whether it’s a talent, an interest, or an identity.
• How these things make who you are — having traits alone isn’t enough, you’ll have to elaborate on how these traits make you who you are, what they say about you as a person.

Essay B tells your readers two things about you:

• How you see yourself — colleges are looking for students who are aware of themselves and can communicate messages about themselves in a cohesive, confident, and clear way. Describe your values and core traits that helped you go through changes and develop a sense of self.
• What your passion is — prompt B speaks about your ability to communicate genuine passion. You’ll face a lot of challenges in college, and you’ll need a driving force to overcome them all. Speaking about what you’re passionate about tells your readers that you can be engaged in the world around you.

It’s important not to lose yourself in describing a complete image of your personality. Keep in mind that you have to stay on the right course in describing your defining trait. 

So, be both comprehensive and focused at the same time. Here are a couple of ways you can frame your identity and put your passion in the best perspective.

To be able to precisely, comprehensively, and accurately describe the essence of who you are, you first need to identify your defining trait. It has to be something that clearly represents who you are or the core aspect of your personality.

This is where we’ll mention anecdotes and stories once again. The best way to identify your core message isn’t by just saying what it is. If you can tell a story about how you’ve come to recognize it, now that’s a completely different thing. Be positive and realistic as this helps make your essay sound serious and mature.

So, you’ve identified your core message. The next phase should be using it to create a complete image of your personality. Think about what your core trait says about you. 

• Are you adventurous? 
• Are you passionate? 
• Do you like exposing yourself to risk? 
• Do you have a taste for exploration? 
• Are you a team player ? 

Go with two or three traits and start painting your final masterpiece about who you are in your essence.

Just telling about some event or experience that demonstrates your key trait isn’t nearly as effective as showing or describing how certain situations led you to develop and recognize those traits.

You’re here to talk about the special qualities that make you unique and valuable to your college and community. Therefore, avoid seeming narcissistic, self-aggrandizing, staid, and glib.

You don’t want to sound self-centered and whiney. Instead, describe yourself as a person people can rely on, as someone who can take charge of a touchy or difficult situation.

Here are some good Essay B ideas to contemplate on:

• If you’re an expert on some topic or really good at something, try to explain how that impacts your identity.
• Describe what a certain extracurricular activity you got involved in means to you and what you’ve learned from it.
• If there’s anything you did thorough research on, speak about how you’ve come to discover that interest and the things you’ve learned from it.
• If you have a personality trait, explain how it impacted you, your life and the people around you.
• Describe how your cultural or religious background defined you.

Essay C is essentially about you giving your imagined possibilities to your readers. Since there’s a pretty vast array of possibilities to reflect on here, we recommend taking one of the following two approaches:

• Take your long-term goals and expand on them — describe what long-term goals you’d like to accomplish in your life and career to show what your interests are.
• Make your narrative imaginative — the C topic doesn’t put any limits on you. It gives you complete freedom to talk about anything, anywhere. It’s important to determine the place and the things you’ll do there. This helps express yourself as a thoughtful person, capable of thinking ahead of things and situations.

Essay C helps admissions officers understand a specific path you’re set on. This prompt allows you to demonstrate your maturity and knowledge. More importantly, it tells about your capability to include all possibilities and portray a futuristic picture of your life and career in a compelling way. It is crucial to find out all the essay requirements the university you are going to enter has. That's why we prepared different blogs such as Virginia Tech GPA requirements , Carnegie Mellon essay prompts , Johns Hopkins essay that worked , etc, to help our users prepare for this writing task.

Here are some tips to help you express compelling and thoughtful visions of your future.

Since this is practically your direct interpretation of what you should be doing in the future, you have to pick a destination that has a special meaning for you. It has to be genuinely compelling to you.

Students usually get lost in describing their vision because there is so much they would want to say but are limited by the word count. Therefore, stick with a simple aspiration rather than brag about your vision. 

Remember that you’re writing a college essay . It has to be real, convincing and serious yet imaginative. Talk about what kind of person you’d like to become.

Picking a destination is just one side of the coin. Don’t forget to include and consider other elements of your story. Take the key ideas that relate back to your goals, talents, and personality. 

Your admissions officers shouldn’t have to think about your point or who you are — your paper is there to explain that to them.

Here are some good Essay C ideas you can use to accomplish that:

• Describe how a particular extracurricular activity or class led you to pursue a particular academic career.
• Put yourself in a leadership role and describe what that experience taught you and how you’ve learned to take charge and solve problems.
• Start a discussion on how you had the chance to teach someone to do something and how that inspired you to teach in the future.
• If you want to make it more abstract and fictional, describe a place from your favorite movie or book you’d like to visit and what that says about you.
• Name a historical period you’d like to visit.

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A lot of selective colleges with a lot of applicants require supplemental essays. In many cases, these essays are just as important as the personal statement of the applicant. The University of Texas at Austin is one of those US colleges that requires a supplemental essay. Each year, new applicants ...

How to Write the UT Austin Supplemental Essays + Examples

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 10/23/23

Writing the UT Austin essays requires introspection, creativity, and time! To learn how to ace this application component, read on!

If you’re planning on applying to the University of Texas and are making your way down your application checklist, you may hit a roadblock when it comes to the supplemental essays . 

These essays often prove to be the most demanding aspect of college applications, as they call for transforming your thoughts into captivating words and leaving a lasting impression on the admissions committee. But fear not! This guide has got you covered! In it, we’ll break down each of the UT Austin essays. 

UT Austin Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

Before we delve into how to write the UT Austin supplemental essays , let’s go over the prompts. You’ll be required to answer one essay prompt and a few short answers. 

The required essay prompt should be around 500-700 words , typically two the three paragraphs. However, your responses to the short answer prompts should be no more than 40 lines or 250-300 words . 

Required Essay Prompt #1

“Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?”

Short Answer Prompt #2

“ Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?”

Short Answer Prompt #3

“ Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.”

Short Answer Prompt #4

“ The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is ‘To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.’ Please share how you believe your experience at UT Austin will prepare you to ‘Change the World’ after you graduate.”

Optional Short Answer Prompt #5

Students may also answer the following short answer if it applies to them:

“Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.”

How to Write Each Essay Prompt for UT Austin

Now, we’ll delve into how to answer each of UT Austin’s prompts to ensure your responses are original, insightful, and interesting! We’ll go through specific UT Austin essay requirements and also provide successful essay examples to begin your creative process. 

How to Write UT Austin Required Essay #1 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of UT Austin’s required essay prompt : This prompt, by asking you to “tell your story,” calls for some personal reflection on your life so far. UT Austin wants to get to know you as a well-rounded person beyond your application materials. They want to know the things that have shaped and formed you in your life. 

The various opportunities and challenges you’ve experienced say a lot about who you are. By asking you to tell these anecdotes, the admissions committee wants to see you display humility, self-awareness, gratitude, and a desire to learn and grow. Think deeply about significant moments in your life and how they have made you different. 

To write a strong essay for UT Austin, consider following these tips:

Tip #1: Dig into Your High School Memories

Time for a little throwback session! Sit down with a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever else floats your boat, and start digging up all those unique experiences you had during high school. For most of you, you’re likely in your senior year, so this shouldn’t be too hard!

Remember those times when life threw something special at you or maybe even knocked you off your feet? Jot all of these memories down so you can go through them and pick the most meaningful ones to talk about. 

Tip #2: Find the Common Thread

Now that you've got a bunch of high school memories in front of you, see if there's a common theme or a big idea that ties them together. It could be a passion, a challenge you faced head-on, or a turning point that changed the game for you.

Tip #3: Be Descriptive!

Get creative with your writing! Paint a picture with your words. Make your essay engaging and fun to read. You want those admissions officers to be hooked from the start to the finish. 

Tip #4: Get Real and Vulnerable

No need to put on a show here to worry about what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Be yourself! 

Share your stories and feelings with authenticity. The admissions committee wants to see the genuine you, not some perfectly polished version. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, share your feelings and emotions, and demonstrate your growth.

Tip #5: Talk About Unique Opportunities

Share those opportunities that set you apart from the crowd. Maybe it was an internship, a special extracurricular , a passion project , or a chance to travel. 

Show them how these experiences opened up new doors and helped you grow.

Tip #6: Face the Challenges, No Holding Back

Life's not always rainbows and sunshine. The admissions committee wants to hear about your struggles and your ability to overcome them. So, discuss those tough moments that you thought you’d never get through, how you pushed on, and what you learned along the way.

Show the committee how all these experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly—shaped the awesome person you are today. 

Tip #7: End On a High Note

End your essay with a forward-looking approach. You’ve spent most of your essay reminiscing about high school and the lessons you learned from it. Now think about what’s next! 

Offer the admissions committee some insight into your academic and career aspirations. Talk about how you plan on fulfilling these goals at UT Austin and what you plan on contributing to this school!

How to Write UT Austin Short Answer #2 + Analysis and Tips

Short answer #1 analysis : The first short answer is relatively straightforward. There’s a reason you chose your intended major, and now’s your time to demonstrate your passion and explain why your selected program interests you! 

UT Austin is dedicated to making a real difference in the world, so it’s essential you take your essay beyond the realms of your immediate college career. Think about what you’ll do with your education and how you’ll impact those around you!

Keep these tips in mind to ensure you nail this short answer:

• Showcase your passion and genuine interest : Avoid essay topics that you think the committee wants to hear. Instead, ensure your sincere passion for the major you've selected is evident throughout your essay. Explain why it excites you and what specific aspects of the subject matter resonate with you.
• Connect to your background : Reflect on any relevant events, challenges, or opportunities that influenced your decision. Share one or two brief anecdotes or stories that demonstrate how your experiences have shaped your aspirations and academic path. This will make your essay personal and engaging. 
• Highlight your skills and alignment with UT Austin : Explain how your skills, strengths, and natural abilities align with the chosen major. Describe specific talents or aptitudes that you possess and how they complement the demands of your academic program and profession.
• Emphasise UT Austin's program and opportunities : Demonstrate your knowledge and interest in UT Austin's program. Research its offerings, faculty members, research opportunities, and distinctive features related to your chosen major. Explain how these aspects appeal to you and align with your goals.
• Discuss your future aspirations : Share your long-term aspirations and how pursuing this major will enable you to make a positive impact in your chosen field and beyond. Discuss how you envision using the knowledge and skills gained from this program to contribute to society or address real-world challenges. 

How to Write UT Austin Short Answer #3 + Analysis and Tips 

Short answer #2 analysis : With this prompt, UT Austin wants to see drive and commitment to make a difference in the university community as well as proof that you’ve made a difference in other spaces as well. 

This question should demonstrate self-awareness, passion, and motivation. UT Austin wants to know how your past experiences have brought you to where you are, and they also want to know more about your future aspirations. 

By demonstrating your potential to have a positive impact both in and out of the classroom, you can present yourself as a well-rounded candidate that will make great contributions to the UT community!

Implement these tips into your second short answer response:

• Highlight your key qualities and experiences : Provide an overview of the experiences, perspectives, talents, and leadership activities that define you as an individual but avoid listing them without adding context and depth. Explain how they contribute to your overall character and worldview.
• Emphasize leadership skills and potential : Discuss your involvement in leadership activities. Illustrate how you have taken initiative, influenced others, or demonstrated a commitment to creating positive change. All of these traits are highly valued by UT Austin!
• Talk about your future : Demonstrate how your specific attributes and experiences will allow you to make a positive impact both in and out of the classroom at UT Austin. Explain how your perspectives and background have shaped your understanding of different issues and will enrich class discussions.
• Connect back to UT Austin : Show that you have done your research on UT Austin's values, culture, and community. Explain how your experiences, perspectives, and talents align with the university's mission and how you plan to contribute to the campus environment. 
• Be genuine and specific : Throughout your essay, be authentic and avoid any vagueness. Share specific anecdotes and examples to illustrate your points, and be descriptive! Show, don't tell, and immerse your readers into your experiences so they connect to them better.

How to Write UT Austin Short Answer #4 + Analysis and Tips

Short answer #3 analysis : This short answer is one of the more challenging UT Austin essays. It requires students to look ahead past their college career and think critically about how they plan on bettering the world. 

While the previous questions are focused on your passions in a more general sense, this prompt asks you to think about your aspirations at UT Austin specifically. How does your desire to attend UT Austin connect to your dreams and goals? 

Here are some tips on how to approach this question:

Tip #1: Be Realistic

The admissions committee isn’t looking for any sappy or exaggerated goals. They aren’t expecting you to cure cancer or find life on Mars. 

Think about what realistic impact you want to have on the world. Whether it be changing the lives of your patients as a healthcare worker, helping address social issues, or simply being a strong advocate for the environment, any effort to better the lives of others counts!

Tip #2: Be Specific

Don’t make vague statements about your passion to change the world, healthcare, poverty, or any other broad topic. Be specific and clearly state your long-term aspirations and the specific ways you envision changing the world after graduation. 

Think about who exactly you want to help, what issue you aim to address, and the tools you’ll use to do so. 

Tip #3: Connect UT Austin's Offerings to Your Goals

Showcase your understanding of UT Austin's unique offerings and how they align with your ambitions. Discuss specific academic programs, research opportunities, clubs, or organizations that UT Austin offers and explain how they will support your personal and professional growth towards your goal of changing the world.

Tip #4: Discuss Your Commitment to Impact

Emphasize your dedication and commitment to creating a positive impact. Demonstrate that you are not just interested in pursuing your career for personal gain, but that you genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of others and improving society.

Tip #5: Be Ambitious

Be ambitious in your goals, but also be realistic about the steps you'll take to achieve them. Demonstrate that you have a clear plan for how your experience at UT Austin will serve as a stepping stone to creating a lasting impact on a broader scale. Demonstrate you have direction and know what it’ll take to reach your goals.

Tip #6: Wrap Up with Confidence and Gratitude

Conclude your essay with a strong and confident statement that reinforces your commitment to changing the world and your gratitude for the opportunity to do so at UT Austin. Leave a lasting impression on the reader that highlights your passion and determination.

How to Write UT Austin Optional Essay #6

Answering the optional essay is simple; stick to the facts and be honest. There is no need to be overly descriptive or create a compelling narrative out of your circumstances. 

This essay should only help the admissions committee learn more about the extent of your circumstances, how they prevented you from achieving your best, and how you attempted to overcome them. As such, you’ll want this essay to be relatively short. It should not exceed one to two paragraphs. 

Examples of UT Austin Supplemental Essays That Worked

It can be really helpful to look at examples of successful essays for inspiration. Below, you’ll find essay examples from accepted UT Austin applicants! We’ll look at each example closely to examine what worked about it. 

Sample Essay #1

Your UT Austin essays need to be concise, captivating, and creative to effectively answer this prompt:

Take a look at this example essay:

“‘Gone but never forgotten’---the solemn inscription on the plaque dedicated to my best friend, displayed prominently in our high school. A phrase intended to offer comfort, but one that will always ring hollow for me. The reality remains stark; gone is still gone. No matter how many times I replay his infectious smile or reminisce about our sunlit summers spent surfing until sundown, he remains forever confined to the realm of memories.

Losing my best friend to cancer was a heart-wrenching blow that shattered my world. We had shared dreams, laughter, and endless plans for our future. His untimely departure left an emptiness in my heart and a void in my life that seemed impossible to fill. Grief consumed me, and the once vibrant light of my high school years dimmed significantly. Coping with the loss of such a young, budding life was a challenge unlike any other, and it tested my emotional strength to its limits.

But, In the face of this overwhelming and seemingly unending pain, I found solace in the support of my family and friends. Their unwavering presence and understanding helped me navigate through the darkest times. I realized that I was not alone in my grief and that reaching out for support was not a sign of weakness but an act of bravery. This experience taught me the power of empathy and the significance of connection, shaping my understanding of the value of relationships in life.

While the loss of my best friend left a permanent scar, it also sparked an awakening within me. I became acutely aware of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of cherishing every moment. As I struggled to regain my sense of purpose, I sought solace in volunteer work at a local cancer support center. Being able to offer comfort and empathy to patients and their families on their own journeys was a cathartic experience that helped me heal and provided me with a newfound sense of direction.

Amidst the challenges, high school also offered unique opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery. I found inspiration in the arts, particularly through music and painting. These creative outlets became my refuge, allowing me to express emotions that words could not convey. Art became a powerful medium through which I could heal and explore my own emotions, and it ignited a passion that continues to fuel my aspirations.

As I delved deeper into my artistic pursuits, I discovered my ability to inspire others through storytelling. I started sharing my experiences through writing and public speaking, aiming to bring hope and awareness to those facing similar struggles. This newfound purpose motivated me to excel academically and to embrace every opportunity for growth that high school offered.

With newfound resilience, I became an active member of various clubs and organizations that focused on cancer awareness and support. I initiated fundraisers and awareness campaigns, determined to make a difference in the lives of those affected by this dreadful disease. In doing so, I found strength in unity, as we came together as a community to support a common cause.

Through the highs and lows of high school, I have evolved into a compassionate, determined, and empathetic individual. The loss of my best friend has taught me that life is fragile and unpredictable, urging me to make the most of every opportunity and to embrace challenges with unwavering resolve.

As I prepare to embark on the next chapter of my journey at UT Austin, I am filled with a sense of purpose and determination. I aspire to study medicine, combining my love for the arts with my passion for healthcare to bring comfort and healing to those in need. The experiences of my high school years have shaped me into a resilient individual who values empathy, compassion, and the power of connection. I am confident that my journey through grief and self-discovery will not only enable me to excel academically but will also empower me to change lives and make a lasting impact both in and out of the classroom. So, while my best friend may be gone forever, his legacy will live on; through me, the sunsets I now surf through alone, the patients I will heal, and the grieving families I will support when all they have left to hold are intangible memories.”  

Why It Works

This essay stands out because of its deeply personal exploration of the writer's journey from grief to resilience, fueled by a passion for cancer awareness and healing. 

The unique fusion of art, medicine, and storytelling highlights the writer's distinct personality, aspirations, and well-roundedness. Their commitment to community engagement, coupled with a clear academic focus on medicine, also aligns well with the university's values. 

Short Answer #1 Example

Below, you’ll find an example essay answering the following prompt: 

“Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?”

Here’s another example essay to draw inspiration from:

“In 'The Alchemist,' Paulo Coelho writes, 'And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.' This profound sentiment resonates deeply with my decision to pursue an English major at UT Austin. For me, the study of English is a transformative journey of self-discovery and a pursuit of understanding the interconnectedness of humanity through the written word.

Like Santiago, the protagonist in 'The Alchemist,' I believe that our desires and dreams can shape our destinies. In the enchanting world of literature, I find myself constantly drawn to the power of storytelling, where words become vessels for ideas, emotions, and shared experiences. 

Choosing UT Austin as the home for my academic pursuits was an easy decision. The English program's reputation for fostering intellectual curiosity and nurturing creativity aligns perfectly with my academic goals. The diverse range of courses, from classic literature to contemporary poetry, promises to provide a comprehensive understanding of literary traditions, nurturing my ability to critically analyze and interpret texts.

Beyond the curriculum, I am excited about the vibrant literary community at UT Austin. Engaging with like-minded peers in literary clubs, workshops, and events will undoubtedly enrich my perspective and encourage meaningful discussions on the intricacies of literature. Moreover, I envision utilizing my passion for writing to contribute to UT Austin's literary publications and participate in creative writing workshops. Embracing opportunities to share my voice, whether through poetry or prose, is essential to my growth as a writer and communicator.

Ultimately, my decision to pursue an English major at UT Austin is driven by a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, a desire to understand the complexities of human existence, and a conviction that words possess the power to change lives.”

Why Essay #1 Worked

This essay begins with an interesting quote that intrigues the reader from the very first line. Then they artfully connect this quote to their personal and academic aspirations, which reflects a thoughtful consideration of the applicant's choice of major and resonates with the transformative power of education.

The alignment of their academic interests with UT Austin's English program also showcases a well-researched understanding of the university's offerings. 

Short Answer #2 Example 

You’ll need to do some serious brainstorming and reflecting to write an essay that answers this prompt well: 

“Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.”

You can use the following UT Austin essay to guide you in your brainstorming process:

“My journey leading up to UT has been shaped by a tapestry of experiences: my responsibilities at home, my passion for basketball, and my commitment to community service. Balancing two part-time jobs throughout high school to ease the financial burdens at home has instilled in me a strong work ethic and a determination to excel both academically and personally.

As a devoted basketball enthusiast, the court has become my sanctuary, teaching me invaluable lessons in teamwork, perseverance, and leadership. The discipline and dedication required in sports have translated into my academic pursuits, where I strive for excellence with the same fervor I bring to the game.

My commitment to community service is deeply rooted in my family's legacy of veterans, who have instilled in me the importance of giving back. Volunteering at local animal shelters, soup kitchens, and hospitals and organizing charity events has allowed me to witness the transformative power of service firsthand. As such, I am driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others, both in and out of the classroom.

At UT, these experiences and perspectives will serve as my compass for engagement and leadership. As a student-athlete, I intend to contribute my skills to the campus basketball team, fostering a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship. On the academic front, my diverse background will enrich classroom discussions, bringing unique perspectives to the table.

Outside the classroom, I aspire to collaborate with service-oriented organizations, amplifying their impact on the community. Moreover, my leadership experience, gained from organizing charity events and coordinating community initiatives, will be instrumental in rallying fellow students to join forces for common causes. I am eager to embrace the enriching opportunities that UT has to offer, using my talents to foster a nurturing environment where empathy, determination, and teamwork thrive.”

Why Essay #2 Worked

The essay effectively highlights how all of this student’s experiences have shaped their character, instilling qualities like a strong work ethic, determination, teamwork, and leadership. 

Their commitment to community service reflects a genuine desire to give back, and their intention to bring this commitment to UT's campus showcases their dedication to making a positive difference in the university community. 

Short Answer #3 Example

For UT Austin’s third short answer essay, it’s important to include meaningful details. However, remember to be concise when answering the following prompt: 

“The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, ‘To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society.’ Please share how you believe your experience at UT Austin will prepare you to ‘Change the World’ after you graduate.”

Below is a sample essay to help you craft your own detailed and concise response: 

“Aspiring to become a nurse, I am driven by a profound sense of compassion and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on people's lives. The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin resonates deeply with my aspirations, and I believe my experience at UT Austin will empower me to change the world through the profession of nursing.

UT Austin's esteemed nursing program will provide me with a comprehensive and cutting-edge education, equipping me with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver high-quality care to diverse populations. The renowned faculty and state-of-the-art facilities will cultivate my clinical expertise, enabling me to make a tangible difference in patients' lives.

Through hands-on experiences and clinical rotations, UT Austin will offer me invaluable opportunities to work with real patients and understand their unique needs and challenges. These experiences will shape me into a compassionate and empathetic caregiver, dedicated to advocating for the well-being of each individual.

Additionally, UT Austin's commitment to community engagement and service aligns perfectly with my vision of making a difference in society. Participating in health outreach programs and volunteering at local clinics will provide me with a broader perspective on healthcare disparities and strengthen my commitment to serving underserved communities. The diverse and inclusive environment at UT Austin will enhance my cultural competence and foster my ability to provide patient-centered care to individuals from different backgrounds.

My experience at UT Austin as a nursing student will be transformative, preparing me to be a compassionate and skilled healthcare professional. Rooted in the university's core purpose of transforming lives for the benefit of society, I am confident that I will graduate as a competent nurse ready to embrace the challenges of the healthcare field and positively impact the lives of those I serve.”

Why Essay #3 Works

The student grounds their aspiration to become a nurse in a genuine compassion for others and a desire to create a positive impact, which resonates well with the university's core purpose. 

The essay also effectively outlines how UT Austin's nursing program is a perfect fit for the applicant, highlighting the comprehensive education, renowned faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities that will prepare them to deliver high-quality care. 

These points present a strong case for how UT Austin’s program will empower this student and how she will contribute to the university’s community. 

Optional Essay Example

Remember, you only need to respond to this prompt if it applies to you: 

For your reference, here’s a sample essay explaining the circumstances that prevented a student from achieving the GPA they intended to:

“During my high school years, I encountered a unique set of circumstances that significantly impacted my academic performance. After my single mother was unexpectedly fired from her job and faced challenges finding another, our family's financial stability became uncertain. In order to support my mother and contribute to household expenses, I took on multiple part-time jobs, which demanded a substantial portion of my time and energy. As I juggled work commitments alongside my academic responsibilities, I found it increasingly challenging to maintain the GPA I had envisioned, a 3.8. While my determination to succeed academically remained steadfast, the added responsibilities and time constraints hindered my ability to dedicate as much time to my studies as I desired.

Despite these challenges, I persevered, ensuring that I gave my best effort in every aspect of my life. Balancing work and studies taught me invaluable time management and prioritization skills, but it also meant sacrificing some extracurricular opportunities that could have enriched my high school experience further. While my academic performance may not have reflected the 3.8 GPA I initially aimed for, I am proud of the resilience I demonstrated in the face of adversity. The experiences I gained from shouldering responsibilities beyond academics have shaped me into a diligent and empathetic individual. I believe these life lessons will undoubtedly serve me well as I embrace new challenges and opportunities in the future.”

Why This Optional Essay Works

This answer sticks to the facts and clearly articulates the circumstances the student faced, how they tried to improve their situation, and what they learned from it. The student keeps a positive tone throughout and does not place blame or try to evoke pity from the admissions committee!

Get More Sample Essays Here!

Looking at sample essays can work wonders for your own inspiration and motivation. If you want to check out more college application essays written by admitted students, take a look at our college essay database down below! 

FAQs: UT Austin Essays

Below, you’ll find the answers to any remaining questions about the UT Austin essays!

1. How Many Essays Does UT Austin Require?

UT Austin requires all of its applicants to answer one long essay and three short essays. There is an additional optional essay for students that faced circumstances that negatively affected their high school experience. 

2. Does UT Look At the Common App Essay?

Yes, the Common App essay will be considered in the admissions committee’s evaluations. 

3. Does UT Look At Coalition Essays?

No, UT Austin only uses the Common Application or the Apply Texas application . 

4. How Long Does UT Austin Supplemental Essay Need to Be? 

The UT Austin required essay should be between 500-700 words. However, the short answer essays only need to be 250-300 words. 

5. How Important Are Essays for the University of Texas at Austin? 

According to UT Austin’s most recent common data set , the application essays are taken into consideration. This means that you’ll have make sure your essays are stellar so that your application stands out! 

Final Thoughts

Overall, your UT Austin essays are not just about showcasing your achievements, but also about how your unique journey has shaped you into the person you are today. Embrace the challenges you've faced and the lessons you've learned along the way. 

Be confident in your abilities and potential. Show them how you can make a positive impact both inside and outside the classroom at UT Austin. UT Austin is looking for a diverse array of individuals, so let your personality and potential shine brightly in your essays!

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Making an Outline

• Purpose of Guide
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• The Research Problem/Question
• Academic Writing Style
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• The C.A.R.S. Model
• Background Information
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
• Evaluating Sources
• Reading Research Effectively
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• What Is Scholarly vs. Popular?
• Is it Peer-Reviewed?
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Writing Concisely
• Avoiding Plagiarism [linked guide]
• Annotated Bibliography
• Grading Someone Else's Paper

An outline is a formal system used to develop a framework for thinking about what should be the organization and eventual contents of your paper. An outline helps you predict the overall structure and flow of a paper.

Why and How to Create a Useful Outline . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.

Importance of...

Writing papers in college requires you to come up with sophisticated, complex, and sometimes very creative ways of structuring your ideas . Taking the time to draft an outline can help you determine if your ideas connect to each other, what order of ideas works best, where gaps in your thinking may exist, or whether you have sufficient evidence to support each of your points. It is also an effective way to think about the time you will need to complete each part of your paper before you begin writing.

A good outline is important because :

• You will be much less likely to get writer's block . An outline will show where you're going and how to get there. Use the outline to set goals for completing each section of your paper.
• It will help you stay organized and focused throughout the writing process and help ensure proper coherence [flow of ideas] in your final paper. However, the outline should be viewed as a guide, not a straitjacket. As you review the literature or gather data, the organization of your paper may change; adjust your outline accordingly.
• A clear, detailed outline ensures that you always have something to help re-calibrate your writing should you feel yourself drifting into subject areas unrelated to the research problem. Use your outline to set boundaries around what you will investigate.
• The outline can be key to staying motivated . You can put together an outline when you're excited about the project and everything is clicking; making an outline is never as overwhelming as sitting down and beginning to write a twenty page paper without any sense of where it is going.
• An outline helps you organize multiple ideas about a topic . Most research problems can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives; an outline can help you sort out which modes of analysis are most appropriate to ensure the most robust findings are discovered.
• An outline not only helps you organize your thoughts, but it can also serve as a schedule for when certain aspects of your writing should be accomplished . Review the assignment and highlight the due dates of specific tasks and integrate these into your outline. If your professor has not created specific deadlines, create your own deadlines by thinking about your own writing style and the need to manage your time around other course assignments.

How to Structure and Organize Your Paper . Odegaard Writing & Research Center. University of Washington; Why and How to Create a Useful Outline . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Lietzau, Kathleen. Creating Outlines . Writing Center, University of Richmond.

Structure and Writing Style

I.   General Approaches

There are two general approaches you can take when writing an outline for your paper:

The topic outline consists of short phrases. This approach is useful when you are dealing with a number of different issues that could be arranged in a variety of different ways in your paper. Due to short phrases having more content than using simple sentences, they create better content from which to build your paper.

The sentence outline is done in full sentences. This approach is useful when your paper focuses on complex issues in detail. The sentence outline is also useful because sentences themselves have many of the details in them needed to build a paper and it allows you to include those details in the sentences instead of having to create an outline of short phrases that goes on page after page.

II.   Steps to Making the Outline

A strong outline details each topic and subtopic in your paper, organizing these points so that they build your argument toward an evidence-based conclusion. Writing an outline will also help you focus on the task at hand and avoid unnecessary tangents, logical fallacies, and underdeveloped paragraphs.

• Identify the research problem . The research problem is the focal point from which the rest of the outline flows. Try to sum up the point of your paper in one sentence or phrase. It also can be key to deciding what the title of your paper should be.
• Identify the main categories . What main points will you analyze? The introduction describes all of your main points; the rest of  your paper can be spent developing those points.
• Create the first category . What is the first point you want to cover? If the paper centers around a complicated term, a definition can be a good place to start. For a paper that concerns the application and testing of a particular theory, giving the general background on the theory can be a good place to begin.
• Create subcategories . After you have followed these steps, create points under it that provide support for the main point. The number of categories that you use depends on the amount of information that you are trying to cover. There is no right or wrong number to use.

Once you have developed the basic outline of the paper, organize the contents to match the standard format of a research paper as described in this guide.

III.   Things to Consider When Writing an Outline

• There is no rule dictating which approach is best . Choose either a topic outline or a sentence outline based on which one you believe will work best for you. However, once you begin developing an outline, it's helpful to stick to only one approach.
• Both topic and sentence outlines use Roman and Arabic numerals along with capital and small letters of the alphabet arranged in a consistent and rigid sequence. A rigid format should be used especially if you are required to hand in your outline.
• Although the format of an outline is rigid, it shouldn't make you inflexible about how to write your paper. Often when you start investigating a research problem [i.e., reviewing the research literature], especially if you are unfamiliar with the topic, you should anticipate the likelihood your analysis could go in different directions. If your paper changes focus, or you need to add new sections, then feel free to reorganize the outline.
• If appropriate, organize the main points of your outline in chronological order . In papers where you need to trace the history or chronology of events or issues, it is important to arrange your outline in the same manner, knowing that it's easier to re-arrange things now than when you've almost finished your paper.
• For a standard research paper of 15-20 pages, your outline should be no more than few pages in length . It may be helpful as you are developing your outline to also write down a tentative list of references.

Four Main Components for Effective Outlines . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; How to Make an Outline . Psychology Writing Center. University of Washington; Organization: Informal Outlines . The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Organization: Standard Outline Form . The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Outlining . Department of English Writing Guide. George Mason University; Plotnic, Jerry. Organizing an Essay . University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Reverse Outline . The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Reverse Outlines: A Writer's Technique for Examining Organization . The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Using Outlines . Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University; Writing: Considering Structure and Organization . Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College.

Writing Tip

A Disorganized Outline Means a Disorganized Paper!

If, in writing your paper, it begins to diverge from your outline, this is very likely a sign that you've lost your focus. How do you know whether to change the paper to fit the outline, or, that you need to reconsider the outline so that it fits the paper? A good way to check your progress is to use what you have written to recreate the outline. This is an effective strategy for assessing the organization of your paper. If the resulting outline says what you want it to say and it is in an order that is easy to follow, then the organization of your paper has been successful. If you discover that it's difficult to create an outline from what you have written, then you likely need to revise your paper.

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• Last Updated: Sep 8, 2023 12:19 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.txstate.edu/socialscienceresearch

Writing Expository Essays

Writing essays.

This resource explores instructional practices for incorporating expository essay writing into English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies instruction.

This resource uses original content from the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies: Focus on Writing (TALA Writing) professional development. Any handout numbers in this resource refer to the original TALA Writing handouts.

Download and print the handout packet for this resource by clicking the button below.

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In an expository essay, a type of informational text, the writer clarifies or explains something by using facts, details, and examples in a clear and concise way.

To write an effective expository essay, students need a basic understanding of the general structure of essays. By studying a variety of essays (mentor texts), students can learn various characteristics of essays, including the following:

• Every type of essay has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• The focus should always be on the development of ideas related to the topic, rather than a predetermined number of paragraphs (e.g., the five-paragraph essay).
• The topic, purpose for writing, and audience drive an essay's structure.

Locate Handout 19: General Guidelines for Drafting Essays from the handout packet. 

Read the handout.

One of the nonnegotiable elements of any essay is that it must progress logically and smoothly from sentence to sentence. Each part must "build" on what comes before it.  For this to happen, meaningful transitions are essential. Take a moment to reread the information about meaningful transitions on page 3 of the handout.

When you are ready, click play on the video below.

Expository Essay Elements

To learn any type of essay writing, students need explicit instruction with teacher modeling. In addition to introducing students to the general structure of essays, it is important to teach the unique characteristics of specific essays.

Locate Handout 20: Expository Essay Elements and Handout 21: Expository Essay Elements Mini-Chart from the handout packet. 


Read the handouts. The mini-chart can be posted in the room and/or placed in students' writing folders or notebooks.

Now, think about the content you currently teach or will teach during this grading period. Determine two or three expository essay topics that your students could clarify or explain by using facts, details, and examples. Record the topics in your teaching journal.

Next, locate Handout 12: Solidarity and Support and Handout 23: Model Lesson: Analyzing Expository Essays Tool from the handout packet. 


Read the expository essay "Solidarity and Support."

Then, watch the video below of a teacher thinking aloud as she models how to identify the different elements in the essay. Use Handout 23 as you follow along.

Now, take a few minutes to finish reading the model lesson on the handout.

Next, locate Handout 22: Analyzing Expository Essays Tool from the handout packet. 


Handout 22 is a classroom master that you can use to model and analyze other mentor expository texts related to your content area.

When teaching the elements, introduce only one or two at a time and use explicit modeling and mentor texts that align with your content. Mentor texts are exemplary models which students can analyze, learn from, and emulate in their own writing. When possible, use mentor texts that students have previously read. The familiar content allows students to more fully concentrate on how the essay is written.

Writing an Introductory Paragraph

When teaching students to write expository text, it is important to practice writing yourself and to draw upon your own experiences.

Locate Handout 27: Writing an Introductory Paragraph for an Expository Essay and Handout 20: Expository Essay Elements from the handout packet. Note that the prompt on Handout 27 has been edited for clarity and differs slightly from the prompt read in the video.

Next, write an introductory paragraph for this expository essay. Take a few minutes to prewrite and plan what you will write. Review the common types of introductions described on Handout 20. Be sure to include a "hook" to grab the reader's attention and the thesis, or controlling idea, of the essay.

When you are finished writing your introductory paragraph, think about the following questions below and record your thoughts in your teaching journal.

• Why is it important to practice writing the same types of texts that you assign your students to write?
• How did you feel before, during, and after writing this part of an expository essay?

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How to Write the Texas A&M University Essays 2021-2022

Texas A&M University is a large public research institution and one of the biggest attractions in the city of College Station. As the flagship university of the Texas A&M University system, the school is one of the business, agriculture, and engineering giants of the South.

With a total undergraduate population of over 50,000, Texas A&M’s size has created the famous Aggie Network, otherwise known as the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M. This organization of over 640,000 Texas A&M alumni opens up a host of post-grad job opportunities through an extensive network of alumni known for sporting the golden Aggie Ring.

Long-held traditions further strengthen Aggie Pride. In accordance with their saying: “If it happens twice, it’s tradition!” come customs like the Midnight Yell, a gathering held the midnight before each home game, and the 12th Man, in which all spectators are expected to stand throughout football games.

Its 5 8% acceptance rate makes the university selective, though Texas students whose GPAs are at the top 10% of their high school class receive automatic admission. The rest of the student body must show that they have what it takes to be an Aggie through writing fantastic supplemental essays. Want to know your chances at Texas A&M? Calculate them for free right now !

Want to learn what Texas A&M will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering Texas A&M needs to know.

Texas A&M Supplemental Essay Prompts

All applicants , tell us your story. what unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today (unspecified word count, so we recommend responding within 1.5 pages or between 500-750 words), applicants to the college of engineering:, describe your academic and career goals in the broad field of engineering (including computer science, industrial distribution, and engineering technology). what and/or who has influenced you either inside or outside the classroom that contributed to these goals (no word count was specified, so we recommend aiming for ~500 words).

Notice how you are encouraged to speak about an opportunity or a challenge. Many students believe that they must talk about a tragedy in order to grab the attention of admissions officers, but this isn’t true. An essay can easily be thoughtful, insightful, and an engaging read without utilizing this specific emotional appeal.

Still, stories about difficult circumstances are often memorable. They are most effective when focused primarily on the student’s journey of working through the challenge instead of the challenge itself. Check out Collegevine’s article if you would like more tips on writing about challenges .

You’re trying to stand out, so beware of overused tropes like the following:

• Mental illness: It takes enormous strength to heal from and learn to manage a mental illness. Still, they may be tricky to write about. Read our article for more information on covering mental illness and disabilities within your application .
• Getting a bad grade in a class but then working hard to raise it.
• Sports stories such as winning/losing the “big game” or getting injured.
• Death of a pet or family member.
• Mission trip which made you realize how lucky and privileged you are.

Side note : Sometimes students face challenges that are outside of their control and which have negatively impacted their academic and/or extracurricular performance. If this has been your experience, and you don’t plan to explain them within this essay response, you may ask one of your recommenders to do so through their letter of recommendation.

Now, there’s no such thing as a “bad” or “good” essay topic; students have gotten into top schools with essays about Costco, pizza deliveries, and sparkling water. It often matters less so what you write about than how you write about it! 

These common essay topics are only doable when well-written, specific, and featuring a fresh take. The story of how fixing your Calculus grade taught you the value of hard work is not nearly as interesting as that of a student who is diagnosed with dyscalculia—a disability which creates a difficulty in understanding and working with math and numbers—and then opens up a dyscalculia awareness club with plans to become a special education teacher. The latter story would demonstrate the student’s ability to turn preconceived weaknesses into strengths, and admissions officers will quickly see that though he may initially struggle with long division, this student is nonetheless a creative problem-solver.

Please be aware that although it is possible to make a “common” topic interesting, it is easier to write about a situation that is unique to begin with. Also, don’t feel pressured to write about a challenge, especially if the situation has happened so recently that you haven’t fully finished processing or growing from it.

With all of this in mind, let’s get into brainstorming! Many people begin their ideation process through writing long lists or even talking into their phones in an untethered stream-of-consciousness. Do whatever it takes to get your creative juices flowing! 

As you reflect, you may consider these questions:

• Which values and skills do you hold closest to your heart? Honesty? Hard work? Clear communication? Diversity? Environmental stewardship? Activism? Where did these priorities come from?
• What are you most grateful for? What are you most proud of? What risks have you taken which have paid off?
• What do you like to do? When and how did you get into it?
• How would your family and friends say you have changed for the better over the years, and why?
• Look back at your list of extracurricular activities. Which ones were challenging and/or special opportunities? When have you tried something new?

Practice self-compassion while considering topics, and know that none are too big or too small. You can write about anything from taking a summer math class (even though you’re more of an English person) to being a camp counselor to giving your first speech in front of a crowd.

Overall, the admissions officers are looking for growth. They want to see the circumstances you turned into opportunities for improvement. You may even reflect upon a situation that initially seemed like an unpleasant challenge but later revealed itself as a hidden opportunity. For example, you may have reluctantly let your friend drag you to a business club meeting before discovering a passion for economics and rising as a club leader.

Ideally, your story will be unique and offer a fresh perspective. Be specific about the challenge or opportunity you were presented with, and think about how it changed you for the better. 

Remember, they are literally asking for you to “tell [them] your story,” so consider using a narrative format, especially if storytelling is a talent of yours. 

Here’s a general outline: 

• If you choose to go with a traditional storytelling format, we recommend beginning with a vivid anecdote featuring rich imagery to draw the reader in or an unexpected premise which makes one have to read on in order to fully understand. 
• From there, you may dive into who you were at the time, how you felt and how you acted, before moving towards your turning point—the challenge or opportunity—from which you decided to grow. 
• Explain how, exactly, the turning point influenced you. Ask yourself: How did it make you feel? Excited and ready for more, or initially anxious? How did it impact you? Perhaps you learned something new about yourself, or maybe now you’re kinder, more confident, or a harder worker. 
• To mix it up a bit, you could even play with sequencing, perhaps starting with a moment of success before reflecting on all of the growth you had to complete to get to that point.

Finally, you are human, so you don’t have to portray yourself as perfect in the end. You are using this essay to talk about what may be one of your greatest strengths or sources of pride, but make sure to stay balanced with a humble tone.

This prompt is your opportunity to show Texas A&M you are a good fit for both the university and its programs. You are asked to cover a lot of ground here, so it is important to be specific throughout your essay. Use precise wording and double-check that each word, phrase, and detail has a place in your piece.

Let’s start by breaking down the academic and career goal components of this prompt. If you don’t have a clear plan for your future, don’t worry; most high schoolers don’t! Also, you aren’t tied down to whichever path you decide to write about, so feel free to get specific.

If it helps, think of the research you will perform for this prompt as an exercise in thinking about your future. Follow your natural curiosity while reading about the academics within the College of Engineering and the careers graduated Aggies often pursue. Hone in on the programs and opportunities which appeal to you most, many of which are featured on Texas A&M’s website .

Academic goals aren’t limited to getting good grades in school. These accomplishments may take many forms, including the following:

• Research opportunities! These are readily available to undergraduates, especially through the competitive Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Texas A&M offers potential research goals through independent research-based courses, employment, summer programs, special honors and awards, and more. Check out current research programs and see which professors and projects you resonate with most. 
• Graduating with a specific major(s)/minor(s)
• Continuing to a graduate school or program
• Receiving specific academic honors or scholarships 
• Entering the Honors Program, which will create special opportunities that are in line with your academic and personal priorities.

A solid engineering degree such as the one you will receive at Texas A&M will likely open up to a fascinating and challenging career within any of a multitude of given specialties. The engineering umbrella is broad, but you have to pick one to focus on for this prompt when describing your career interests. What’s your dream engineering job, or your target field? What type of engineering most interests you and why?

When discussing your aspirations both within your career and academic world, directly connect them to opportunities offered by Texas A&M to demonstrate that you’re a strong fit. Don’t just say that you would like to perform research; say that as a prospective aerospace engineering major and computer science minor, you hope to join Professor Jacques Richard in his aero-propulsion studies under the Aero-U program. Due to circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, some opportunities may be delayed, canceled, or altered, so be aware of this and look deeply into each option.

Now that we’ve covered which goals you would like to pursue, let’s get into explaining why these goals matter to you. Instead of focusing on relatively superficial aspects of your aspirations, like prestige and pay, think about what makes it interesting, worthwhile, or personally fulfilling. This may be linked to your description of the “whats or whos” which have influenced you to pursue these goals. 

Finding a “who” to write about is relatively straightforward, as many of us can point to the people in our lives who have pushed us in the right direction. Think back on your family members, friends, mentors, and teachers who believed in your ability to succeed academically or in the general world of engineering. This could be anyone, but most importantly, this person somehow pushed you to work harder or simply led by example.

For example, having a mechanic as a father may have sparked your fascination with deconstructing and reconstructing mechanical systems for maximum efficiency, leading you to a path in manufacturing and mechanical engineering. 

The “What,” our second potential motivator, is much more open-ended. Yours may be an event, background, special interest, closely-held value, childhood fascination turned adult aspiration, or even an innate personality trait. 

For example, your childhood fascinations with puzzles and remote-controlled robots, followed by your later software position with your high school’s Robotics Team, may all be indicative of your inclination towards problem-solving, which influenced your decision to major in Computer Science.

As you’re tying all the aforementioned aspects of your response together, make sure to maintain cohesive links between all of them. Your academic and career goals should be aligned with your professed personal qualities as well as the influences you claim the people and things in your life have had on you. Through writing clearly and concisely, you’ll paint a compelling portrait of your character as someone with direction, drive, and a future as a fantastic asset to Texas A&M’s vibrant community. 

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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