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I'm starting to think about my college essays, and I'm a huge LEGO fan. Would it come across as too childish if I wrote my personal statement about my passion for building with LEGOs, or would it be a unique topic to showcase my creative side? Any tips on how to make this idea work?

Writing about your passion for building with LEGOs could indeed be a unique and engaging topic for your personal statement, as long as you frame it in a way that highlights your creativity, personal growth, and intellectual curiosity.

To make this idea work, focus on the following:

1. Emphasize the skills and lessons you've learned from building with LEGOs. This could include problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration with others, perseverance, or even leadership if you've organized or participated in LEGO-related events and activities.

2. Reflect on how your experience with LEGOs has shaped your perspective and interests. You could discuss how building with LEGOs fostered an appreciation for architecture, engineering, design, or even storytelling. Show a clear connection between your passion for LEGOs and your academic or career aspirations.

3. Avoid focusing solely on childhood experiences with LEGOs. While it can be helpful to include some context about how your interest developed, it's essential to demonstrate growth and showcase your current, more mature perspective and experiences.

4. Use compelling and descriptive anecdotes to demonstrate your passion for LEGOs. Share specific moments, challenges, or achievements that illustrate your dedication to this hobby. These stories can make your essay memorable and help admissions officers understand the impact LEGOs have had on your life and personal development.

5. Make sure your essay connects back to you as a person. While it's important to discuss your passion for LEGOs, remember that your personal statement's primary purpose is to showcase who you are. Reflect on what your experiences with LEGOs reveal about your character, values, and potential contributions to a college community.

In conclusion, writing about your passion for building with LEGOs could serve as a unique and intriguing essay topic when approached thoughtfully. Ensure that you emphasize the skills, lessons, and experiences shaping your personal growth, and connect your LEGO passion to your broader aspirations and personal values for a well-rounded and memorable essay.

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106 LEGO Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

LEGO has been a beloved toy for generations, inspiring creativity and imagination in children and adults alike. With its endless possibilities for building and creating, LEGO sets can also be a great tool for learning and exploration. If you're looking for some inspiration for your next essay, here are 106 LEGO essay topic ideas and examples to get you started:

The history of LEGO: From its humble beginnings in Denmark to becoming a global toy empire.

The impact of LEGO on childhood development: How playing with LEGO sets can improve cognitive skills and spatial reasoning.

LEGO and STEM education: Using LEGO to teach science, technology, engineering, and math concepts.

The psychology of LEGO play: Why people of all ages are drawn to building and creating with LEGO.

LEGO and gender stereotypes: How LEGO sets have evolved to be more inclusive and diverse.

The LEGO Movie franchise: Analyzing the themes and messages in the popular animated films.

LEGO as art: Exploring the work of artists who use LEGO bricks as their medium.

The LEGO fan community: Examining the culture of LEGO enthusiasts and collectors.

LEGO and architecture: How LEGO sets can inspire future architects and designers.

The economics of LEGO: Investigating the business model and marketing strategies of the LEGO Group.

The environmental impact of LEGO: How the company is working towards sustainability and reducing plastic waste.

LEGO in pop culture: From LEGO-themed video games to collaborations with other brands, how LEGO has permeated mainstream media.

The therapeutic benefits of LEGO: How building with LEGO can reduce stress and anxiety.

LEGO robotics: Using LEGO Mindstorms to teach programming and engineering concepts.

The future of LEGO: Predicting trends and innovations in the world of LEGO sets.

The LEGO Ideas platform: How fans can submit their own designs for new LEGO sets.

LEGO and storytelling: Creating narratives and characters with LEGO minifigures.

LEGO in education: How teachers are incorporating LEGO into their lesson plans.

The LEGO Group's corporate social responsibility initiatives: How the company gives back to the community.

LEGO and innovation: How the company continues to push boundaries and reinvent its products.

The cultural significance of LEGO: How LEGO sets reflect the values and beliefs of society.

LEGO and nostalgia: Why adults continue to be drawn to LEGO sets from their childhood.

The LEGO Design Studio: Exploring the process of creating new LEGO sets.

The LEGO Foundation: How the organization promotes learning through play.

LEGO and storytelling: Using LEGO to retell classic tales and myths.

LEGO and mindfulness: How building with LEGO can be a form of meditation.

The LEGO Education program: How LEGO sets are used in schools to enhance learning.

LEGO and social skills: How playing with LEGO can improve communication and teamwork.

LEGO and creativity: How building with LEGO can inspire new ideas and inventions.

The LEGO Master Builder Academy: Training programs for aspiring LEGO builders.

LEGO and stop-motion animation: Creating movies with LEGO sets and minifigures.

LEGO and cultural diversity: How LEGO sets represent different cultures and traditions.

LEGO and engineering: Using LEGO to teach basic engineering principles.

The LEGO Certified Professional program: How LEGO enthusiasts can turn their hobby into a career.

LEGO and storytelling: Using LEGO to explore themes of friendship, adventure, and heroism.

LEGO and spatial reasoning: How building with LEGO can improve spatial awareness and problem-solving skills.

LEGO robotics competitions: Showcasing the talents of young engineers and programmers.

LEGO and architecture: Creating scale models of famous buildings and landmarks with LEGO.

The LEGO Ideas Book: A collection of creative building ideas and projects.

LEGO and social media: How fans share their creations and connect with other LEGO enthusiasts online.

LEGO and teamwork: Building collaborative projects with friends and family.

LEGO and physics: Exploring concepts of force, motion, and energy through LEGO building.

LEGO and storytelling: Using LEGO to create original stories and characters.

The LEGO House: A museum and experience center dedicated to all things LEGO.

LEGO and problem-solving: How building with LEGO can teach critical thinking skills.

LEGO and literacy: Using LEGO sets to enhance reading and writing skills.

LEGO and architecture: Building structures with LEGO to learn about design and construction.

The LEGO Ideas platform: Crowdsourcing new ideas for LEGO sets from fans around the world.

LEGO and fine motor skills: How building with LEGO can improve hand-eye coordination.

LEGO and time management: Setting goals and deadlines for building projects.

LEGO and history: Recreating historical events and figures with LEGO.

LEGO and engineering: Designing and building functional machines with LEGO Technic sets.

LEGO and storytelling: Using LEGO to create comic strips and graphic novels.

LEGO and environmental science: Building models of ecosystems and wildlife habitats with LEGO.

LEGO and mindfulness: Using building with LEGO as a form of relaxation and stress relief.

LEGO and architecture: Exploring different styles of architecture through LEGO building.

LEGO and physics: Demonstrating principles of physics through LEGO models and experiments.

LEGO and problem-solving: Using LEGO sets to teach problem-solving strategies and techniques.

LEGO and creativity: How building with LEGO can inspire original ideas and inventions.

LEGO and social skills: Building communication and teamwork skills through collaborative LEGO projects.

LEGO and pop culture: Exploring the influence of movies, TV shows, and video games on LEGO sets.

LEGO and robotics: Building and programming robots with LEGO Mindstorms sets.

LEGO and history: Recreating famous historical events and figures with LEGO.

LEGO and architecture: Designing and building scale models of famous buildings with LEGO.

LEGO and engineering: Using LEGO Technic sets to learn about mechanical engineering concepts.

LEGO and creativity: Building with LEGO to inspire new ideas and inventions.

LEGO and teamwork: Collaborating with others to build larger, more complex LEGO projects.

LEGO and social skills: Improving communication and cooperation through LEGO building.

LEGO and problem-solving: Using LEGO sets to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

LEGO and literacy: Enhancing reading and writing skills through LEGO building.

LEGO and environmental science: Building models of ecosystems and sustainability concepts with LEGO.

Whether you're writing an academic paper, a blog post, or just looking for some creative inspiration, these LEGO essay topic ideas and examples are sure to spark your imagination and fuel your love for building and creating with LEGO. Happy writing!

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Home — Application Essay — Engineering Schools — My Journey from Legos to Engineering

My Journey from Legos to Engineering

• University: Carnegie Mellon University

About this sample

Words: 668 |

Updated: Nov 30, 2023

Words: 668 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

The world would have us believe that there is nothing inherently significant about Legos. The simple fact that millions of people grew up with Legos as a part of their childhood does not devalue or minimize my own experience. Rather, I think my young mind’s approach to my arguably conventional hobby made for a richer, more unique experience. I like to say that Legos enlightened me. I began my adventure with a manual for a popular castle set. The first time I tried this common approach towards ‘creativity,’ my thoughts were confined and my expressionism was stymied. How was society to define the perimeters of my imagination?

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In rebellion, I made minute alterations. As my modifications progressively increased in complexity, my tangential creations required other ‘outside-of-set’ pieces. My mind sharpened as I imagined solutions to foreseeable problems, dodging schematic flaws while engineering a perfect blend between design and function. I like to say that Lego enlightened me because they taught me problem solving that carried over into the classroom. If I could problem solve with my Legos, then why not here? The sciences and maths became my playground. I began with the ‘manual approach’ to new concepts, strict textbook work without much creativity. The more I learned, the more I grasped larger problems for which the world needed solutions.

As I began to merge my two loves -- science and problem solving -- I realized that engineering is my calling. With past experience at recall, I know that piecing global problems together, block by block, will yield a solution eventually. Even an optimist like me knows that doing so will require an arsenal of reliable ‘outside-of-set’ pieces. With the resources available at Carnegie Mellon, I hope to contribute to the progressive, knowledge-seeking environment of the university. The opportunity to gain a unique view of the world makes Carnegie Mellon’s global education invaluable. Seeing the world beyond the science of engineering, will provide new perspectives while allowing me to pursue varied interests that connect with my major. As the curriculum allows for flexibility, I can expose myself to a world beyond the scope of what I know.

Only Carnegie Mellon offers the unique opportunity of minoring in Global Engineering, while majoring in Chemical Engineering. The Global Engineering program gives students the ability to affect the world on an international level, using their talents in engineering. By giving students the ability to directly influence the world before graduating, innovation is facilitated. Without much understanding of what the world really had to offer, I joined MUN and YAG as a freshman. Astounded by the level of depth and understanding exhibited by the other participants, I grew to love both programs. Eventually becoming president of both clubs, I found that my motivation shifted -- rather than developing my own world perspective, I began to envision helping others to experience what I had in the programs. I expanded on my own passion for global affairs through my school newspaper, eventually becoming the world and US news editor. Finally, in founding Leadership Experience Opportunities I hoped to help students impact their local communities through service, volunteering, and leadership. These activities have changed my outlook towards problem solving in perspective of the world. My passion for global affairs and politics have come together with my love for science to become more tools to utilize for innovation. I hope to bring these passions to Carnegie Mellon in support of the diversity and experience required of innovation and engineering.

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To sum up the essay, as I look into the bucket of Lego that is my future, I see endless potential. Ingenuity and vision allow engineers to see solutions to problems that no one else can answer. At the heart of Carnegie Mellon lies a bona fide passion and pursuit of these traits. I want to go to Carnegie Mellon because unlike any other university, it tirelessly seeks answers for problems that no one else will challenge. Carnegie Mellon embodies the soul of engineering, a spirit unafraid to build from imagination.

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Using LEGO as a teaching aid for academic writing at university

This post will introduce my approach to using LEGO to teach academic writing. I conduct a lot of personal appointments with foundation and undergraduate students. For some students, ordering their ideas and structuring them is a real challenge. This problem tends to stem from:

• not knowing where to start,
• a sense of being overwhelmed,
• the volume of information they consult,
• the volume of information they feel *needs* including in their assignment.

Further, it is not just a case of ordering ideas, but structuring them that can be problematic. I feel that a lot of the poorly structured essays that I see are failing at the paragraph level. This is a real issue for a lot of students, especially those with less writing experience, those who have taken a break from education, or those who have no experience of essay-style examination. The latter is particularly an issue for international students from countries with different approaches to higher education assessment, often focusing on examinations above coursework essays.

This post will detail how I’ve used LEGO to discuss some of these issues with students, and use it to help them outline their approach to academic writing. This starts with a student I saw a couple of weeks ago. I was struggling to communicate the structural elements of an essay to them. The student had lots of ideas, but simply did not know where to start and all the approaches in study skill books were simply not working for them. Instead of just rephrasing, I tried a different approach, running downstairs to grab my tub of LEGO. I think LEGO bricks are an excellent way to visualise some elements of academic writing and decided this was the perfect time to give it a go. I think this metaphor for academic writing structure can really help students struggling to structure their ideas – or more appropriately, to help students who are overwhelmed with their own ideas and sorting them out.

Let me know what you think by commenting below, or getting in touch via @LeeFallin . You can also find out which LEGO sets I’ve used to build my teaching and research kit .

Using LEGO as a metaphor for academic writing

When planning your essay, it can be really daunting. You end up with ideas all over the place:

You need to order these ideas into groups. The act of doing this enables you to identify the major aspects of your essay. As expected, some ideas will be discarded at this phrase too (see the pile to the right side). It is still worth keeping a record of these as they may be useful at a later stage (who would EVER throw a LEGO brick in a bin!?!?!):

Once you have grouped all of your ideas like this, they form the basis of your overall argument. Each brick group is an aspect of this, forming one of the micro-arguments that lead your reader to the conclusion in your overall argument. These micro-arguments (brick groups) may by represented in an individual paragraph, or across a group of paragraphs. This process is not easy. At this idea stage, some of your groups will end up too large and you will need to break them up across two or more paragraphs. When this is the case, it is hard to distinguish which paragraph an idea belongs in. In reality, you are more likely to come across this problem later in writing when you have an oversized paragraph that you need to break up:

When all the elements of your points, arguments or ideas are grouped into their individual paragraphs, they need further structuring:

A solid paragraph should have a good structure. I recommend TEAL as a good starting point:

• T opic – A brief introduction to what the paragraph is about. What is your point?
• E vidence – Academic evidence, reflections, your own research/data
• A nalysis – The ‘so what’? Persuade the reader that your conclusion is the correct one
• L ink – Link this paragraph to the next – or to your overall argument.

(Indeed – this stage may be the *best* starting point for some students, but the route described so far is excellent for those who struggle to structure all their ideas in the planning phase)

TEAL is a good way to structure all those ideas into a coherent paragraph:

LEGO bricks are an excellent metaphor for how you need to link all these elements together. The bumps and they way they interlock with bricks above makes this point clear. Everything with a paragraph must coherently link together and make sense:

Once you have your individual paragraphs, they need to be assembled in the right order. This is often done as you go along, but as you being to edit, you may realise they need re-ordering. It isn’t just the structure that may change, and as you edit, some smaller points may need removing as you further refine your ideas (and try to get under your word count):

All of these elements together can help you rule your own writing:

Taking this into practice

To put this into practice, I often recommend students grab a stack of post-it notes or use a mindmap to get all of their ideas on the table. The principles above serve as a great framework from which to interpret all these ideas. Working from the ideation phase, grouping/sorting and refining the order and breaking it into paragraphs. If all else fails, literally using the LEGO bricks works well too. Small post-it notes can be used to adhere ideas to the bricks in a way that doesn’t require cleaning them afterwards. This works perfectly with Duplo too.

The model above is designed to help students identify their main points, group their ideas under these main points, and then divide those points into interlinked paragraphs. As the bricks represent, these all need ‘clicking together’ to form a stable essay (or stable LEGO model!). This may seem a little obvious for advanced writers, but it is certainly worth trying with those new to academic essay writing. As above, please let me know what you think! I should also note a quick thank you to my colleague Sue Watling . She indicated this approach was interesting when I mentioned it in conversation, so I figured it was worth expanding on my blog.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, and the Minifigure are trademarks and copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2021 The LEGO Group.

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59 LEGO Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best lego topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 simple & easy lego essay titles, 👍 good essay topics on lego.

• Lego Case Study: The Lego Group Competitive Advantage & Strategy In the course of this era and the period that followed afterwards, the Lego Group underwent serious fluctuations, due to a number of reasons which included; rapid change in the business environment witnessed at the […]
• The Lego Company’s High Ethical Standards It is no secret that there is a golden rule in business: take care of your customers, and the rest will follow; the success of American business people testifies to the fairness of this rule.
• Lego Company’s Business Strategy and Information Resources In this paper, a business model for Lego will be developed regarding the business strategies and the information resources the company could use to stay competitive and successful in front of the existing technological and […]
• LEGO Competitive Strength Analysis In order to do that, companies need to understand their competitive environment well and be aware of the factors contributing to their competitive position.
• Lego Company’s Performance Management Being one of the leaders in the selected sphere, the Lego Group could use some changes to its organizational management regarding the values and corporate ethics for decision-making, as well as the current value chain […]
• Adults’ Interest in Lego and Six Brand Touchpoints In order for the website to make product recommendations based on the interests of the buyer, the user may be prompted to complete a survey at the start of the shopping process.
• The Lego Company’s Inventions and Reinvention Hasbro and Barbie, the Lego company has the capacity to widen its range of products and diversify. The Lego company realized the importance of its community, and effectively used it in order to improve its […]
• The Lego Company’s Story of Innovate or Die In 1970, the family business decided to hand off the management to the grandson of the founder who was able to bring to the company several innovations with a more sophisticated building system to attract […]
• The Lego Group: Company Analysis To solve this problem, it is necessary to invest time and money in the training and development of the employees. One of the possible solutions to the problem of decreased performance level is the periodical […]
• Lego Group Reassessment of Business Solutions After analyzing the first developments, the Lego Group management should make adjustments to them, including the participants of the processes and their areas of responsibility.
• The Lego Group and Its Sacred Cows The ability to adapt to the changing environment, customer demands, and market forces is vital to the success of a business.
• The LEGO Group: Forces for Change At the beginning of the XXI century, the company experienced rapid growth caused not least due to the new line of products based on popular movies and books such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. […]
• Lego Group’s Data Processing System (SAP) In the three-tier architecture, the database plays a crucial role in storing a firm’s data, including the supply chain, daily operations of a company, different products of a firm, and all workers’ information in the […]
• Global Strategy in LEGO Group Under these objectives, the firm studies the external and internal parameters that may aid or pose challenges to the attainment of the vision. The shorter the response time in the changes in the market, the […]
• Lego’s Competitive Environment With all the negative factors threatening LEGO, the company still has a chance to regain its position in the global market.
• The LEGO Group Strategy to Influence Performance However, the demand and market for wooden toys surpassed those of other products and this forced this company to specialise in this line of production.
• Lego Serious Play Methodology It is related to constructivist theory by Papert, which holds that problems are mere constructions in peoples’ minds and thus the solutions to the problems lie within peoples’ minds, that is, people can construct the […]
• Innovation at the Lego Group
• Building Ribosomes from Computational LEGO
• Lego As A Plastic Injection Machine For Toy Production
• A History of Creating Plastic Building Blocks, the Lego Group
• An Analysis of the Operations Strategy and Management Decisions in Lego Group Between 2004 and 2009
• Lego Bricks And Legoland Strategic Decision Machine Marketing
• Jobs and Gender: A Lego Approach to the Australian Labour Market
• The Creator Of The Lego Brick Business
• The Child Game Of Plastic Building Blocks Lego
• How Lego Overcome Its Production Issue Through Supply Chain Management
• Evaluation Of The Lego Building Exercise
• What Were Lego’s Main Expectations and Learnings from the Relationship with Flextronics
• Background of the LEGO Business Model Innovation
• A Comparative Analysis of the Reports of Two Danish Companies, LEGO and Carlsberg
• What Are Lego’s Most Valuable Resources And Capabilities At The Turn Of The Century
• Certification Standards at LEGO Company
• Internal and Exterior Marketing Environment of LEGO
• Why Do You Think Lego’s Outsourcing Failed
• Robots: Lego Mindstorms and Attributes Mobile Robots
• A Focus on the Character Lego in the Play Othello
• How Lego Made A Comeback From Bankruptcy
• Creating a Robotic Garbage Truck with Lego Mindstorm
• Creating a Robot to Tie a Knot with Lego Mindstorm
• Lego And Its Unique History And Brand Concept
• How Lego Almost Failed
• Sustainability of the Lego Company in the Age of Virtual Platforms
• An Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Demand for Lego Products
• The Business Model of the Lego Company
• An Analysis of the Different Idea in Their Bionicle Line By Lego
• Creating A Braille Reading Robot With Lego Mindstorm
• LEGO and the Market for Children’s Building Blocks
• What Has Led The Lego Group to The Edge of Bankruptcy
• The Benefits Following Lego’s Reorganization of the Supply Chain
• A Description of the End of the Celebration of the 50 Years of the LEGO Brick
• Creative Destruction with Fixed Factor-Augmenting Technical Change: Lego World
• Creating A Prototype Security Gate With Lego Mindstorm
• Lego And Its Effect On The Company ‘s Identification
• Key Challenges in Maintaining a Relationship Between Lego and Flextronics
• An Analysis of the Business Strengths and Weaknesses of Lego
• Collaborating with Customer Communities: Lessons from the Lego Group
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Legos Make an Appearance in Application Essays

• Post author By Top Tier Admissions
• Post date June 30, 2013
• No Comments on Legos Make an Appearance in Application Essays

We have read a LOT of essays over the years…thousands….and almost every year Legos make an appearance in one way or another.  Often, future engineers and physics fans found their calling while playing with Lego.

This young woman is now studying at Yale:

The black and white cow was safely tucked back into his stall and my toddler appropriate jigsaw puzzle was complete. As I outgrew the 25-piecers and worked my way up to 1000-piece monster puzzles, I continued to enjoy putting things together into a coherent whole. Creating an underwater scene, I started off with corner pieces, initially forming a sea of blue waiting to join the vibrant reefs, muted seaweed and tropical fish. After grouping together all of the grays, greens, and oranges, the sharks, seaweed and fish began to make an appearance. Unity emerged from chaos as I focused on the picture on the box and found the slider pieces, ignoring color shades for the moment. After my puzzle obsession, I channeled my energy towards the Lynxmotion and Lego Mindstorms kits—using these, I could build and program my own robot. My first was a black and golden miniature dog. When it actually began to move across our living room carpet, I was hooked.  I went on to create many more as I grew up—from humanoid robots that walked around, to red and black spiders that crawled under tables.

And this young man is studying at Williams:

It all started with LEGO. Primary color paint and simple shapes defined these small blocks, but their true appeal was their potential for greatness through patience and experimentation.  Complexity, to me, existed as an accumulation of the basics: 1×2, 2×4 or 2×8, yellow, red, or blue.  Though they may have been better suited for my early years, I still look back on my LEGO experimentation with an admiration of their intrinsic philosophy.  They showed me the beauty of creativity and simple form, and acquainted me with some of the most basic principles of design.  LEGOs were how I first experienced the fun of building and creation.  Purpose would follow soon after. 

Were you a Lego junkie?  Are you still secretly building Legos when no one is looking?

This story on NPR radio Weekend Edition caught our attention this morning: (hyperlink with: http://www.npr.org/templates/email/emailAFriend.php?storyId=196911704

What do you think??  Are Lego’s targeted to girls sexist?

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3 of the best college essays

by Jennifer Johnson, January 06, 2020

Rock collecting, volunteer work, origami — college essays on each of these topics caught the attention of Willamette admission officers this year.  

Contrary to popular belief, the essay does not need to cover the most exciting or traumatic thing that happened in your life. Jack Percival, assistant director of admission, said what students say in the essay is far more important than the topic itself. 

“It’s better to produce a well-written essay that’s true to you than feel the need to say, go on a big adventure to write something interesting,” he said. “And while a lot of students feel they should write about some hardship they’ve experienced or obstacle they’ve overcome, it’s not always the right choice if it’s not authentic.” 

Here are three essays — in no particular order — that impressed the admission office.  

Essay No. 1

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The man is about to propose. It's going to be perfect.

He's figured it all out: the music, the lighting, the shiny golden ring, even the restaurant, Palais de l'Amour. He must make her say yes because he has everything planned perfectly. Suddenly, he has a sharp vision of their wedding day — she'll wear the dress sold in Clasco's Emporium down the street, beside Barney's Pet Shoppe. They will marry in Chesterfield's Town Hall, built in 1891, and the photographer will take pictures that will never be developed. But that's OK — that's what happens when you're a Lego.

I know what you're thinking: Legos are simple blocks you played with as a child. Maybe you built a dysfunctional car or a staircase into the air; these are strange topics for a 17 year-old-girl's college application. But this perspective shows only a partial view of Legos. Nothing reveals this more than the intricate Lego Creator TM city block in my attic. Each citizen of this 2-foot long town has a complex backstory — a family, a house, a personality. But the best part? With Legos, you are given creative license to change these things.

I discovered Legos at a late age by most accounts. I wasn't a young child when I began to construct the first portion of Chesterfield. I was twelve. But I consider this a lucky break for me- just when my friends were contemplating careers, getting serious about school work, and growing up, I found something that reawakened the child within me. As my friends lost their creativity, mine grew.

Every new book of instructions presented challenges that could not be solved by asking the teacher or copying off the internet. When the rule book was wrong, I had to improvise. When the design was faulty, I decided to change it. Sometimes I utilized my experience to reconstruct a defective window, door or even an entire floor plan.

Sometimes I added flourishes to buildings of my own accord or furniture where there was none. While in class, I learned to color inside the lines (or, rather, build inside the lines); at home, I was free to construct or change whatever my mind desired.

Take the man in the restaurant, about to propose. Strip away his shiny ring. Bring him outside the building, on his knees, arms outstretched. Now he is a beggar, holding out a plastic cup in hopes someone will donate to the cause. Or move him up several stories, above the restaurant, into the apartment. Here he creates masterpieces of artwork, which are sold all over town. One even hangs in the mayor's office. Through what some would call play, I learned innovation, creativity and just a little bit of rule breaking — because when I changed the job or position of the characters, I went against the rulebook that demanded they stay put.

There are other rulebooks in life that have challenged me to innovate in ways I never imagined. For two summers, I taught kids of all ages how to swim, according to a 200+ page manual. “What do I do with it?” I remember asking. “You read it,” my manager told me. “And then you memorize it.” She then informed me a new manual would be issued every year. I learned very quickly that the rulebook was incomplete, failing to cover challenging scenarios. When a child in my class was an adept swimmer, but a poor listener, the book demanded I pass him. I realized that following the manual was not only wrong, but could actually put a child in danger.

As I gained confidence in my teaching style and myself, I realized that no matter how many manuals life hands me, they cannot tell me everything. Sometimes, life requires you to build outside the box. What started with Legos blossomed into a different way to look at the world through a window tinted with creativity.

Why it worked:

The student is vulnerable (not everyone would admit they play with Legos as a teenager) and that honesty is appealing. The connection from the Lego manual to the swimming manual is brilliantly done, and we see that she thinks with complexity and creativity. 

The “hook” at the beginning of the essay — when you are surprised that these are Legos we're talking about — is a great device and perfectly executed. 

Essay No. 2

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Title: Buckle up Buttercup

I knew I was on my way to becoming a man when I found the self-confidence to bust out the utility belt. My belt is the only accessory I am guaranteed to wear on any given day. It is the perfect thing for the modern, busy American, yet I see so many of my fellow citizens not wearing these immensely practical articles. My friends call it a “fanny-pack” or a “satchel,” but those words do not do it justice.

Literally speaking, it is a leather belt with two pouches on either side that snap shut and can hold about three small things each. On the back there are two loops for carabiners that I hook my water bottle up to on one side, and keys and guitar picks on the other. Everyone should get one for their 18th birthday, it's the most useful thing to own, more practical than a driver's license, or socks. It keeps me prepared for everything the day can throw at me, which means it is usually occupied by earbuds, a small notebook, pencils and sharpeners, and a selection of solid perfumes that I can strategically apply when my deodorant fails me. Construction workers are not the only people entitled to the luxury of having everything they need just half an arm's length away.

Vegan hotdog stand workers deserve that ability, too. That is what I've done the past three years at the Oregon Country Fair. Every July, about 45,000 people from all walks of life converge outside of Eugene, Oregon to sell homemade crafts, frolic in assorted fields, and be at peace with the world. It was there that I met my utility belt. I had eyed them all over the fair for the last few years, and this was the year. I was going for it. I bought it with a fair amount of hesitancy, but I buckled it up anyway, and I have never been the same.

The belt gives me faith that I will be equipped to handle whatever may happen. I have something that separates me, that is not only different but reassures me in my adventures. Of course I am ready; I'm wearing a utility belt. It lets me wake up every morning prepared to say to the world, “I'm ready, are you?” That is a more valuable thing than I thought it would be, and there was a time when I would have written that notion off as a security blanket, or a meaningless token to attract attention.

However, this piece of leather with two pouches on each side that snap shut allows me the courage to admit my needs and desires to myself, and I want to wear my utility belt every day of my life. I expect this next chapter in my life to be a challenging one, full of the unexpected, but I do not think it is anything my utility belt and I can't handle.

Great details are slipped in that give clues to this young man's life in the Pacific Northwest — mention of carabiners, guitar picks, country fair, etc.

This is a great example of humor, which can be the most difficult response to evoke in an essay. 

It’s clever and funny, but also touching at the end. He does a great job of tying up his clear answer to the prompt. The topic was also entirely unique. 

Essay No. 3

Social Cap-ital (noun) — The network of social connections that exist between people and their shared values, which enable and encourage mutually advantageous social cooperation.

I grew up in Meeker, Colorado, a Rocky Mountain town of 2,500 people. Both of my parents' families were community cornerstones, holding high social capital. My dad's family ran the local grocery store and my mom’s family had a reputable cattle operation. My siblings, too, graduated from Meeker High School, meaning everyone expected me to become a three sport varsity athlete, get involved in church and charity work, and maintain a perfect GPA, as they did. Had the setting been different, none of it would have mattered, but from an early age it felt like I was expected to write the next chapter in a multi-generational legacy.

As media stereotypes would suggest, high school was the catalyst for fame in my small town. But the summer before my freshman year; my parents decided to move 1,200 miles northwest to Scio, Oregon. We packed our belongings, bringing everything with us except the reputation and tradition of the family name. As we left the city limits, I felt almost naked.

Starting a new life with a clean slate proved difficult. On the first day of school, it surprised me when my classmates didn't save a spot for me in front of the classroom and my teachers asked if I felt comfortable reading aloud. At home in Meeker, everyone knew I had always worked hard to be an exceptional student. On that day began the hardest test I'd ever faced — never before had I experienced the lows of loneliness and homesickness.

Like a sailor thrown overboard in choppy water, I plunged into high school with two clear choices. Trying to fit in by being someone I wasn't felt worse than drowning, and to be myself (an athlete, scholar, fun loving weirdo) was tough — but when I worked up the courage, it was like learning to save myself from the rough seas. I chose to swim.

Even today, midway through my senior year, it continues to be challenging to act authentically and craft the legacy that I desire. I've learned that my reputation at school can’t be formed with words — rather, it's defined by my actions. Whether those actions include being the most rambunctious fan at the football games, leading the school as the student body president, or studying to ace the semester finals, they all contribute to the formation of a reputation I'm proud of.

There's a photo of me from the day my family moved from Colorado. I'm sitting on the tailgate of our pickup truck, a floppy-haired kid smiling hard to conceal the uneasiness I felt. Next to that picture sits a proof for my senior portraits. I've grown 6 inches, filled out, but the most shocking difference is how comfortable I look sporting my favorite purple shirt, the smoothness of my brow, the void of tension and the gratitude fueled grin painted across my face.

My journey to the Northwest has served as the bridge from childhood, over the waters of adolescence, into adulthood. It has been more profound than any event in my lifetime. Here I find myself again, on the brink of another big move from high school to college. Last time I had no say in the matter, but the benefit of being thrown from my comfort zone was nothing but positive and formative. This time I'm not only excited, but ready I know who I am, I know what I want, and I can't wait to make it happen.

A nice vulnerability in this young man's story. He's not afraid to say he was homesick.

Many details are slipped in to enhance our understanding of who he is — a student body president, strong student, football fan — without being braggadocios . The way he sums up the prompt at the end is incredibly well done; he answers the question by telling this very personal story. And his use of imagery, especially the two photos on his desk at the end, made his story stand out. 

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Using LEGO to teach academic writing skills

Dr Purves explains how ‘playing’ with LEGO® gave his students new perspectives, confidence and skills in tackling their MA dissertations.

3 December 2019

Dr Ross Purves is Associate Professor for Music Education at the IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society.

He planned and delivered a ‘LEGO® Serious Play®’ (LSP) inspired practical workshop on academic skills development to students on the MA Music Education programme.

This case study explores how he ran the workshop in detail.

For those who have less time, or just want a quick read, please read the 200 word summary.

The case study in a nutshell – 200 word summary

The workshop was designed for Master’s students who were already writing their dissertations.

A critical time in their academic careers, this is often the time students lose confidence in their writing or get overwhelmed.

Ross set them a series of challenges where they had to create LEGO® models (sometimes as groups and sometimes as individuals) to express and communicate:

• A piece of academic writing they were given - Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ .
• Some data: Primary school principals and the purposes of education in Australia .
• An expression of their own ‘academic superpower’ – what were they good at, academically.
• A depiction of how they felt about their current academic work (i.e. their dissertation).

Then students paired up each others’ superpowers and challenges with their dissertation challenges, to consider what could help them progress with their work.

The students found it a fun and refreshing way to look at academic expression differently. It helped them to understand how to interpret and communicate academic information in a new way and link it to human experiences outside the academic world.

The challenges also helped them review their progress with their dissertations, see the big picture and identify solutions to help them overcome problems they had with their writing.

“ It was challenging working in a group with language barriers but it was lovely when these inhibitions began to lower at the end!” (participating student)

“ I find it a bit difficult to use LEGO® to represent the ideas in my mind. But the process of ‘thinking’ is quite interesting. It really pushes us to be open minded” (participating student)

The full case study

Ross explains in detail how he ran the workshop.

What the workshop aimed to achieve

“The session was not designed to teach students to develop ‘nuts and bolts’ aspects of academic writing, like referencing, sentence construction etc, but to develop more broadly students’ skills as academic writers, such as:

• finding their academic ‘voices’
• completing tasks which helped them to explore a wider range of responses to academic material
• understanding the need to contextualise literal and statistical research findings in the world of human experience
• providing new ways of perceiving, explaining and linking concepts in their ongoing dissertation work.

Student feedback from the workshop suggested that the various activities often triggered reflection about their own work. Jump to the student feedback section of this page .

It is quite common for students to start to lose confidence in their writing at later stages in producing their MA dissertation, and feel as though they can no longer ‘see the big picture’. The activities were intended to remind them that they might be able to regain this sense of perspective by exploring their work from different angles and in different ways.

“ I was fortunate to observe this innovative taught session for MA students with its cutting-edge pedagogy: The hands-on, practical approach that students were encouraged to take was highly enjoyable for everyone involved. It also ensured that students engaged in deep reflection on published theories relevant to their subject discipline. The activities also pushed the teaching and learning beyond traditional approaches to Higher Education lecturing wherein learners are passive, and on into the realm of active learning, critical reflection and student ownership of the knowledge generated.” David Baker, Associate Professor, Academic Head of Learning and Teaching , Department of Culture, Communication and Media, IOE. 

An open source team working philosophy

I planned and delivered a two-hour LEGO® Serious Play®-inspired practical workshop, entitled ‘Playful Learning, Serious LEGO® and Academic Writing’ during the annual MA Music Education programme study day.

The practical activities were derived from related activities undertaken at other UK universities and were based on a large quantity of mixed, miscellaneous LEGO® that I was able to borrow from family members.

I planned four kinds of activities:

• group challenges
• longer, synoptic group activities.

Originally a proprietary methodology owned by The LEGO® Group, LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) became open source in 2010.

It is a team working philosophy built around the concepts of challenge, building, storytelling and reflection.

While associated with, and widely used for, the development of executive and strategic thinking to facilitate change, LEGO® Serious Play® is increasingly being used in higher education to explore complex issues and questions and engage learners and academic staff in more hands-on approaches to learning and development… Its techniques are being widely used and adapted in diverse contexts; its effects and outcomes are also being considered through a range of lenses, including the critically reflective and the research-based.

James and Nerantzi, 2018: A potpourri of innovative applications of LEGO® in learning, teaching and development

Although not a certified LSP facilitator, as an enthusiastic ‘adult fan of LEGO®’ and someone who has benefited from some basic LSP training, I was keen to try out this approach with students.

Whilst it is important to note that not all aspects of the workshop described are strictly consistent with orthodox LSP philosophy, all were inspired by its basic principles.

A piece of action research

The session was planned as a piece of action research, the fruits of which would include this article. Therefore, full ethical clearance was gained from the IOE's Research Ethics Committee in advance.

I made it very clear that it was not compulsory to give consent to participate in the research aspect. However, all those present did provide their consent, suggesting that these postgraduate students – all at critical moments in their own dissertation fieldwork – recognised the importance of gathering and sharing research evidence on educational innovation.

What is action research?

Action research is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions. (Institute for the Study of Inquiry in Education)

The importance of room set-up and props

The room was set up around two, large island tables. Each island hosted two groups of four students.

Tables were covered with tablecloths, sourced cheaply from charity shops. This was a fantastically useful tip from Jensen et al (2018) which significantly reduces the noise levels created as a room full of people shuffle LEGO® around.

The friction from the cloth also lessens the amount of bricks which get inadvertently knocked off.

Large cardboard trays (Lidl’s 48-can baked beans trays) were used to hold the LEGO® randomly allocated to each group. Looked after carefully and reinforced with tape, these trays will fold flat, ready for the next session.

My impression from planning and delivering this workshop is that the diversity of LEGO® is probably more important than sheer quantity (although this clearly depends on the size of group).

Particularly useful are pieces which support rich metaphors, e.g. trees, flowers, animals, doors, windows and components from LEGO® ‘city’ kits. Including DUPLO® animals and other parts can also lead to interesting size contrasts with standard LEGO® components. Of course, a good stock of standard ‘building-block’ bricks is the bedrock of most models and some components from LEGO® Technic sets can also be useful for more elaborate structures.

It was clear from this workshop that students appreciated a wide range of brick colours and attributed metaphorical significance to these colours within their models.

A discussion arose during the session regarding the ‘monocultural’ nature of the available minifigures. Since the LEGO® was second hand, much was too old to feature recent ethnically and ability diverse figure designs. This is certainly something I will consider carefully in future workshops.

Introductions and ground rules: setting the scene

I provided a ‘take away’ handout with references to LSP theory and to the various sources which had inspired the various activities to save time.

Given that many participants were serving or intending teachers, I also stressed the metacognitive aspects of the session, asking reflective questions about why the room had been set up as it was and how I had sequenced the activities.

I next went through a slide of ‘ground rules’ for the session, drawing both on general LSP theory and practical tips from others in the field.

I made it clear that prior experience with LEGO® was not an advantage, since the session was not focused on engineering, design or architectural prowess. Moreover, it was perfectly OK to ‘break’ normal conventions of LEGO® building (e.g. mixing colours, building at odd angles, combining standard and DUPLO® blocks etc) if desired.

I gave the students ‘permission’ to feel like children, to play and have fun, explaining that there would be no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ models. Our personal instincts, experiences and interpretations were what counted.

However, in line with LSP theory, the following rules applied:

• When discussing people’s models, students were instructed to focus on the maker’s own interpretation and not ‘interpret’ for them.
• The models were to function as vehicles for discussion, a means of talking about issues; the session was about LEGO® building, not counselling.
• Students would not be under pressure to share their models with the class if they didn’t want to.

Also, as the LEGO® didn’t belong to me – it wasn’t to leave the room!

Additionally, signposting was provided to the  IOE's Academic Writing Centre and Library team .

Warm up activities

The warm up activities were not focused on academic writing skills per se but were instead intended to be simple and fun ways to engage both with LEGO® modelling and basic LSP concepts.

Warm-up one: make a snail

I asked students to model a ‘snail’ in three minutes. They could make their snail however they wished and were not to worry about anyone else’s model.

This is an excellent warm-up task from Chrissi Nerantzi at Manchester Metropolitan University . It encourages rapid creative thinking since snails are inherently ‘curvy’ creatures but LEGO® is inherently ‘blocky’.

Imagination is required to build the former from the latter and students can come to see LEGO® blocks in new ways.

At the end, we shared many of the snail designs and discussed them as a class.

Warm-up two: tallest and sturdiest tower challenge

Inspired by Peabody and Turesky’s (2018) contribution to the IJMAR Special Issue on LSP in Higher Education , the goal of this task was for each group to collaborate in silence to produce the tallest and the sturdiest tower in three minutes. 

This warm-up had multiple intentions, including incubating teamwork skills and thinking about the structural (as opposed to aesthetic) qualities of the various bricks available.

Group challenges

These group challenges were intended to help students explore academic material and how they could interpret, express and contextualise them.

Group challenge one: interpret the reading…

This task, adapted from the original by Dan Swanton at the University of Edinburgh , marked the first real focus on academic literacy skills within the session.

I provided each group with a simple, half-page text definition of Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ , taken from an education encyclopaedia.

The students read through the short text, highlighting or annotating as they wished before discussing ideas for how this text might be interpreted using LEGO®.

Talking was obviously permitted this time, although I encouraged them to focus on building, not discussion.

Several of the resulting models adopted a basic tower design, perhaps reflecting the pyramidal structure typically used to illustrate Maslow’s theory.

Students described the model above as ‘a staircase representing Maslow’s hierarchy. At the bottom, physiological needs, with foliage and animals representing food. At the top – self actualisation (with eyes and lights suggesting vision and illumination). The tree of enlightenment!’ 

Others took a more metaphorical approach. The model above depicted Maslow’s theory as Noah’s Ark, with safety and learning possible from the security of inside the boat. Flowers and flags were used to suggest flourishing. 

In both these models, as throughout the session, animals were used for symbolic purposes.

Here, physical dangers were represented by a tiger and a crocodile. The tower depiction on the left featured a black seal. A play on words, this was intended to suggest a need for the ‘seal of approval’ of others.

Group challenge two: interpret the data…

Taking forward the idea of interpretation, the next activity was a version of a task proposed by Laura Ennis of Edinburgh Napier University .

I gave each group a simplified and adapted table of results from a journal article: Primary school principals and the purposes of education in Australia . This reported a sample of head teachers’ responses to the question ‘what are the top four purposes of education?’.

Again, students read and annotated this extract before discussing and modelling its interpretation in LEGO®.

It was interesting that two thirds of the groups opted for a combined graphical and symbolic representation of the data. 

For instance, above, an incomplete model is shown in which four ‘platforms’ have been constructed, each at a height corresponding to the top four aims of education in the survey. The astronaut on the top platform reflects the number one aim on the survey: ‘promoting students’ love of learning and developing responsible citizens for democracy and common good’. 

Above, a more traditional ‘bar graph’ has been constructed, using a scale-accurate representation based on LEGO® studs.

As the facilitator, it was clear to me that the two interpretation activities represented a ‘stepping up’ in terms of challenge. 

Whilst the warm-ups had been regarded by students as light-hearted, creative fun, the need to convey meaning and summarise information now led to longer periods of more focused building. 

In line with LSP philosophy, the students were clearly very concerned to develop meaningful metaphors for these sources. 

On the other hand, it is important to note potential tensions with other aspects of LSP, including an emphasis on open-ended, ‘low entry, high ceiling’ activities (James, 2015: Innovating in the creative arts with LEGO ) that are not predicated on such ‘fixed’ stimuli.

Longer solo and group activities focussing on their writing and academic skills

With students now becoming more aware of the potential of LSP, we moved on to a series of linked, longer tasks which focused on their own writing and academic skills.

This set of activities owes much to others’ existing tasks intended to:

• elicit participants’ personal strengths (as referenced in Mouratoglou, N. (2018), LEGO®, Learning, and Facilitation: A Reflective Approach )
• represent academic progress (as referenced in a blog post by Naomi Winstone: Reflections on using Lego Serious Play as a tool in writing development: Overcoming writer’s block using Lego blocks )
• make powerful links between models, and the ideas they represent ( as referenced in Peabody and Turesky (2018), Building LEGO® Models To Teach Three Dimensional, Mechanical Concepts In Optometry )
• generate metaphorical ‘gifts’ for one another (as referenced in LEGO® Serious Play®: a Research Student Perspective , Writing Pad East Midlands)

Exploring their learning superpower

Using a small base board, I asked each student to construct a model which represented their ‘learning superpower’. Importantly, they were not to disclose this superpower to their colleagues.

Above, one student has modelled their ability to identify and sort relevant information for their studies as their superpower. 

In a third model (not shown), prominent red 'flames' were intended to convey that this student’s superpower was 'passion'.

This activity increased the sense of challenge still further, not least because participants now found themselves relying on their own thinking and building skills.

The level of background noise reduced noticeably, with a few participants appearing lost in thought, temporarily ‘stumped’ by the task. As one later reflected on their feedback form, it was ‘difficult to think about my superpower’.

A model depicting the challenges of their dissertation

I then asked the students to put this model to one side, take a second small base board and construct an individual model which depicted their current state of progress or challenge on an important academic task, such as their MA dissertation.

Examples of models included:

1. An overly-complex machine which represented ‘having too many ideas and having to filter into a functioning, working dissertation’.

2. The student depicted herself as having a circular saw blade spinning above her head as means of showing the pressure she felt from family to do well.

3. This student described her model as “the lion and the Grinch [the green block with eyes] represent challenges. I am at the bottom of the ladder, collapsed on the floor. The top of the ladder is my dissertation”.

Matching superpowers and challenges

Groups then took turns to guess each other’s superpowers from the models.

Whilst this guessing task was modelled on a very similar activity described in the IJMAR special edition by Mouratoglou (2018) , it is fair to note a potential contradiction here with the basic LSP principle of ownership of a model’s metaphor lying solely with the builder. Yet despite this tension, on this occasion, the task generated useful debate.

Once correctly revealed, I asked the students to think about which group members’ superpowers might help them with their challenge.

Subsequently, the various models were linked in ways to reflect how the superpowers might help.

This linking activity was arguably the most successful of the whole session in stimulating discussion and thinking.

In the example shown, the superpower of being able to undertake daring (metaphorical) motorbike jumps out of difficult situations (left) has been combined with a model where the student wished to suggest the challenge of perceived disorder and a lack of direction (right). The latter student subsequently noted: “I was in the pit of despair, overwhelmed with work. X’s model provided the necessary skills and support to get out”.

Given the way that students engaged so effectively, I would be sure to devote more time to making meaningful connections between models in future workshops.

One group found establishing suitable connections particularly difficult, noting that some ‘superpowers’ brought inherent, kryptonite-like weaknesses, whereas some ‘challenges’ offered powerful learning and development opportunities. It would have been good to have had flexibility to explore such thought-provoking conundrums in more depth.

Develop their ‘journey’ through the MA programme

The final, synoptic activity was adapted from one described by Professor Alison James , a key proponent of LSP in UK Higher Education.

Students arranged all the pairs of models created by those on the table to represent a single ‘journey’ through the MA programme thus far. To do this, I asked them to consider making small changes to their own models.

I also asked them to think further about linking models and to add additional model elements illustrating their MA journey.

Most significantly, I asked each group to add a section which reflected how it would feel to finish the MA successfully.

Several students noted that the activities had provided valuable opportunities to reflect on their own academic work in new ways.

Given the objectives of the session, this was of course gratifying to hear. Feedback included:

• "I like the … “progress of the dissertation” activities.  Makes me think reflectively about my study"
• "[I was struck by] how much personal reflection I was able to do whilst building"
• "Applying this creativity/ingenuity into my work"
• "Organising and think about my work good/bad abilities"
• "The LEGO® can connect with the ideas, the thoughts and build relationships with what I’m doing"

Further feedback is collated below.

Gathering feedback from the session

In order to obtain written feedback from participants, I drew on a series of simple evaluation questions proposed by certified LSP facilitator Rémy Gaudy on the seriousplay.training web discussion forum (20 September 2016). 

These were as follows:

• What went well?
• What didn’t go well?
• What could be done differently?
• What struck you most during the workshop?
• What were you most interested in?
• Other suggestions.

Students completed these sheets in the last five minutes of the session. 

I also encouraged them to briefly jot down intentions, thoughts and feelings about their models on supplied sticky notes. These were then stuck to the associated models as an aide-mémoire for the associated metaphors and interpretations.

Feedback from the workshop suggested that the biggest impacts on students’ learning appeared to be in the areas of:

• the use of metaphor and representation;
• stimulating collaboration and discussion;
• reflection on their own academic work; and
• creativity and enjoyment.

1. Metaphor and representation

It was encouraging to hear students use the word ‘metaphor’ as they discussed the various building activities in groups. I was also struck by how often students talked very frankly about their models and the associated meanings. Many models also demonstrated wit and humour.

Some individuals who appeared initially more reticent to participate became enthusiastic and creative contributors by the end, coming up with some really fantastic models in the process.

Feedback comments in this area included:

• "The creative process of building the thoughts into an object"
• "Use symbols and models to represent ideas and concepts. LEGO®’s use in education and academic learning! Cool!"
• "I find it a bit difficult to use LEGO® to represent the ideas in my mind. But the process of ‘thinking’ is quite interesting. It really pushes us to be open minded"
• "How the thinking turned into different symbols. Some people use symbols (e.g. colour), others used real objects"
• "Linking the ideas together"
• "Playing with LEGO® and using models to link to real life"
• "interpreting data/ideas differently"

2. A stimulus for collaboration and discussion

There was no doubt, both from comments made during the session and the feedback, that students valued the opportunities that LSP presented for collaboration and discussion.

They were typically fascinated by each other’s models and the associated meanings and wanted more time to explore these. Comments included:

• "The sign which LEGO® represents [is] sometimes abstract. Intensive communication is required"
• "When sharing individuals’ LEGO® I could hear something interesting"
• "It was fascinating hearing what other groups came up with"
• "We should [have more] opportunities to express our own idea to each other"

3. Reflection upon students’ own work

Further comments suggested that some students would have welcomed even more opportunities to link the activities with their own studies:

• "We could use LEGO® to express our study journey. We could let classmates guess others’ opinions"
• "May be could be used to talk about our ideas from the course"

4. Creativity and enjoyment

Feedback confirmed that opportunities to be creative were a highlight for many students.

During the morning before the workshop, several students mentioned that they were ‘looking forward to the LEGO®’.

Subsequently, it was gratifying to see the general willingness to take part. Comments on the feedback sheet reflected these points:

• "It is quite impressive to teach, very interesting, stimulate our imagination"
• "Playful and enjoyable, creativity within academia"
• "How quickly we could adapt to the different scenarios"
• "How strengths and weaknesses are used to help each other. Building on each other"
• "Having to think creatively to meet the brief and the challenge of using whatever was available"
• "It was a great experience, both relaxing and creative"
• "All tasks really fun and engaging. Definition of ‘serious fun'"

Developing the workshop in the future

I am hopeful of opportunities to undertake further LSP-based sessions within our MA programme.

Based on this initial experience, I plan to consider the following:

• Focusing on a reduced number of activities per session to enable greater opportunities for discussion, reflection and sharing.
• A greater role for activities which encourage students to discuss their own academic journeys, progress and challenges.
• Planning more time for whole group discussion and sharing at the end of each task.
• Obtaining a wider selection of culturally diverse LEGO®. 
• Reflecting the focus of our MA programme, developing activities which embrace meaningful musical learning alongside academic development.

Ross’s top five observations for implementing this in your department

• Sessions like this can be quite physically demanding for the facilitator . It took around 40 minutes to set up the room. Facilitators need to be very active, moving around to encourage and support students. Like any learning activity, students can get ‘stuck’ or lack self-confidence and practical help might be required when students cannot find the particular LEGO® components they seek.
• The timing of activities is key . As noted, students appreciate sufficient time to reflect upon the activities and share their models. Many feedback comments suggested this initial session did not always provide this. The specific subset of activities should always reflect student profiles and needs. However, at least one warm-up task is recommended. The use of an on-screen countdown timer helped to keep the workshop on track during the initial activities. However, as students experienced greater challenge in the solo and group tasks this timer seemed to agitate them. There was a feeling of me driving things forward when some tasks might have benefited from gaining their own sense of momentum. Thus, in future, I will plan for flexible, open-ended tasks and make dynamic decisions about how much time is needed.
• Consider ground rules to reflect student profiles . As mentioned elsewhere, models in this session often incorporated humour and creative thinking. At one point, I was surprised by the ‘adult content’ included in one group’s representation of Maslow’s ‘physical needs’… Whilst this witty contribution was appreciated by the postgraduate students present, I can envisage potential situations where offence might be taken. Ground rules might need to be framed so as to reduce the risk of humorous interpretations going too far.
• Organising the workshop space is important . Ideal group sizes of four - six participants are recommended by Jensen et al ( LEGO® Serious Play® In Multidisciplinary Student Teams ): “With too many participants in each group the storytelling step will take up a disproportional amount of your class time – and listening to too many stories will challenge participants’ patience, potentially leading them to disengage from the process”. I followed this advice in my workshop and felt these sizes worked well.
• Students get very attached to their models . This is perhaps not surprising, given the emotional and metaphorical significance that some invest in them. However, it can make breaking up the models - either during the workshop to free up pieces for further creations or at the end in order to clear up - a little awkward. Whilst I encouraged students to repurpose the bricks from the warm-ups, I aimed to avoid a need to break up individual models. I also encouraged students to take photographs on their phones to provide personal records. At the end of the session, models were left in situ, only to be discreetly broken up after the last student had left.

Helpful introductory resources

I recommended the following resources on my workshop ‘take away’ sheet. They could usefully be shared in advance of sessions with students and staff to give information and reassurance about LSP-inspired activities.

• A video on ‘LEGO® Serious Play® for higher education’ (YouTube) produced by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at Manchester Metropolitan University.
• Special Issue of the International Journal of Management and Applied Research (Vol 5(4); 2018) on ‘Discovering Innovative Applications of LEGO®® in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ .
• The Open Source LEGO® Serious Play® Manual (2010).
• Information on LEGO® Serious Play® from the official LEGO® website .

Further useful sources include:

• James, A. & Nerantzi, C. (2019) LEGO® for University Learning: Inspiring Academic Practice in Higher Education .
• Brown, N. & Collins, J. (2018) Using LEGO® To Understand Emotion Work In Doctoral Education . International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 5 (4): 193-209.

Two recent blog entries from Writing Pad East Midlands:

• Playful Learning Conference 2019: down the rabbit hole .
• #Mindbuilder Lego© Serious Play© Competition for Research Students .

Thanks and acknowledgements

I am indebted to Helen Purves, who provided the majority of the LEGO® used for the session, and for the assistance provided by Arthur and Mel Purves.

I am grateful to Dr Evangelos Himonides for his help cutting up large, LEGO®-compatible base boards and with photography.

Thanks also to Dr David Baker for photography and for the opportunity to deliver the session as part of the MA May Study day.

Finally, sincere thanks to Julia Reeve of De Montfort University for reviewing an earlier draft of this article."

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this page.

Further information

Academic writing toolkit

Academic communication support and resources

Academic integrity: staff guide to UCL’s online course for students

It encouraged people to collaborate and to speak out” (participating student)

“ I enjoyed the opportunities to be playful, creative and work together with my classmates” (participating student)

“ The team building was extremely successful in that we really worked together to create the same vision. We improvised and developed” (participating student)

Sign up to the monthly UCL education e-newsletter  to get the latest teaching news, events & resources.  

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     When asked what they want for a gift, most teens would say a CD, or maybe an iPod, but I want Legos. I received my first set for my fifth birthday, a tiny pizzeria with an umbrella and a delivery truck. Since then my collection has expanded immensely and I have built skyscrapers, constructed spaceships and designed submarines. There is a small area in my house designated as The Lego Room. Beyond its door, I fantasize and govern my own small world of castles, frenetic metropolises, and thousands of Lego people. With Legos, the possibilities are infinite. Each time I enter The Lego Room, a new story is created. Once, a friend asked to tour this room. Amazed by my Star Wars models, he reached for a ship and accidentally toppled a restaurant, smashing it to pieces! This disaster became an opportunity to rebuild and I fashioned a sophisticated two-story food court with a McDonald’s, pizzeria, and drive-thru. It was better than the original! Lego sets range from Star Wars to medieval castles to whatever you can imagine. Whenever I open a new box, a sense of awe overpowers me. I spread out the pieces and observe each tiny brick. An hour later, I am amazed that these individual pieces have interlocked to become a masterpiece. Ideas for new constructions fill my head and I jot them down in a sketchbook. Legos represent a creative consistency in my life, much as an artist has his canvas and a musician, his violin. It isn’t easy keeping a thousand small people in line, especially when they can trade heads to conceal their identity! Legos have taught me to be an architect, engineer, governor, security guru, landscaper, coach, manager, customer service agent, buyer and economist. Legos have provided building blocks of my future, developing my math skills and ability to follow intricate directions. As I build new worlds, brick by brick, I imagine my own possibilities and opportunities. Through the “lives” of my Lego friends, I have been able to act out elaborate experiences. They have served as a link between my childhood and manhood. My friends call me childlike and there is truth to that, but perhaps we should all find a way to keep in touch with our childhood. Legos is mine.

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What do Legos have to do with engineering?

In a word: everything…

When kids open up a new Lego  kit, they go right for the instruction book. Moving quickly through the wordless instructions they can turn a large pile of random-looking plastic shapes into a sleek space cruiser or a scene from a popular movie. After the tattered instructions have vanished and the original box has been whisked away, kids get creative—a medieval castle becomes a stone-age helicopter, a Jedi fighter prowls his beat in a police car, the elements of a martial arts dojo are intermingled with a pirate ship…  

In both intended and unintended contexts and uses, Lego lets kids exercise creativity and learn some fundamentals of engineering—almost in spite of themselves. “Math and physics concepts are built into every Lego project,” says Tiffany Tseng, a graduate researcher in the MIT Media Lab Lifelong Kindergarten group. “Kids can build whatever’s in their imagination and, at the same time, develop spatial reasoning and learn about structural integrity, design, and a practical sense of geometry.”  

Like many future engineers, Tseng spent countless hours as a child creating whole communities with Legos, along with stories about the people and animals that populated her little towns. “Legos are a good introduction to communicating ideas with physical objects,” she says. “Putting things together and taking them apart got me interested in how things work, and by the time I was an undergraduate, I knew I wanted to be an engineer.”  

That goal led to her current work in Lifelong Kindergarten, which partners with Lego to develop innovative tools for kids of all ages. In the elementary grades, kids use the group’s WeDo’s drag-and-drop software to integrate light sensors and tilt sensors to create a Lego monkey that moves its arms or an alligator that opens and closes its mouth. By the time they’re in middle school, they’re ready to use Lego Mindstorm’s microcomputer brick and software to build their own robot, and the more complex Technic kit teaches high schoolers the fundamentals of gears and torque as they build tow trucks, cranes, and jet planes that really fly.  

Tseng and her group are currently at work on the next generation of Scratch, in which kids create interactive stories and games using a drag-and-drop programming language based on the stacking patterns of actual Lego bricks. Kids share their projects on the Scratch website and learn from each other about their process in creating animations, games, and personal map generators.  

“Every Lego project is a pathway into engineering,” says Tseng. “You aren’t necessarily thinking about the pedagogical concepts, but you’re applying them while you play.”  

Incoming MIT students often stop by the Media Lab to share their childhood memories of playing with Scratch and Mindstorms. “They visit the lab and tell us how Lego inspired them to study engineering,” says Tseng. “They’re excited about applying the same principles they used in their Lego models to designs they plan to create as adult engineers.”

Thanks to Blythe Namukara, 11, from Bourne, Mass., for this question.

Posted: March 6, 2012

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177 College Essay Examples for 11 Schools + Expert Analysis

College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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5 Tips for Writing a College Essay

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The Common App to apply to PLU is officially open for the Class of 2025—so it’s time to start thinking about your college essay. Your essay is your moment to show colleges what makes you unique. Ready to get started? Here are five tips to help you write a standout college essay that truly reflects who you are. Let’s dive in!

Be Yourself

Colleges want to know you , not just your grades. Share your story in a way that’s authentic and true to who you are. Whether it’s a unique hobby or a personal challenge, let your personality shine through.

Show, Don’t Tell

Instead of saying “I’m a hard worker,” share a story that shows how you’ve worked hard. Use specific examples and details to paint a picture of your experiences. Even if you’re writing about a tough experience, focus on how you’ve grown or what you’ve learned. End on a high note—show how you’ve turned challenges into opportunities.

Don’t write what you think admissions officers want to hear. Write what matters to you. Authenticity is way more impressive than trying to fit a mold. Don’t feel like one prompt is better than another. Choose the writing prompt that you connect with. FYI, some essay topics are overdone (like sports victories or mission trips). If you choose one of these, make sure you bring a fresh perspective or unique angle.

Revise, Revise, Revise

Your first draft isn’t your final draft. After writing, step away from your essay for a bit, then come back with fresh eyes. Edit for clarity, grammar, and impact. Get feedback from someone you trust. Also, typos happen, but too many can distract from your message. Proofread carefully, but don’t obsess over perfection. Your voice and story are what matter most.

Be Proud of Your Work

Once you’ve put in the effort, be proud of what you’ve created. Your essay is a reflection of you—own it with confidence!

With these tips, you’ll be ready to craft an essay that truly represents who you are. Good luck, and remember, you’ve got this!

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1. Keep it real. It’s normal to want to make a good impression on the school of your choice, but it’s also important to show who you really are. So just be yourself! Compelling stories might not be perfectly linear or have a happy ending, and that’s OK. It’s best to be authentic instead of telling schools what you think they want to hear.

2. Be reflective . Think about how you’ve changed during high school. How have you grown and improved? What makes you feel ready for college, and how do you hope to contribute to the campus community and society at large?

3. Look to the future. Consider your reasons for attending college. What do you hope to gain from your education? What about college excites you the most, and what would you like to do after you graduate? Answering these questions will not only give colleges insight into the kind of student you’ll be, but it will also give you the personal insight you’ll need to choose the school that’s right for you.

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Is the Lego Common App Essay too common?

Going into senior year, I want to major is CS and I was thinking of objects that I can use as a metaphor to show personal growth (If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them). I have this tower that I have built throughout the years out of legos from many different lego sets, and I wanted to use that to show I'm defined by my different experiences and connections (each lego set used in building the tower is sort of like an experience/connection). Although Legos won't be the main subject of discussion in my essay, I am thinking of using it as a means of comparison. Is it too common for Legos to be used in a metaphorical sense as a CS major?

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Guest Essay

How Harris Has Completely Upended the Presidential Race, in 14 Maps

Daniel Zvereff

By Doug Sosnik Graphics by Quoctrung Bui

Mr. Sosnik was a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2000 and has advised more than 50 governors and U.S. senators.

With Kamala Harris now at the top of the ticket, the enthusiasm and confidence within the Democratic Party feel stronger than at any point I’ve seen since Barack Obama ran for president in 2008. And it’s not just vibes: The paths to victory in the Electoral College have been completely reshaped for the Democrats – and for Donald Trump – since my last analysis of the electoral map on July 12, nine days before Joe Biden exited the race.

Not only have Democrats come home to support their party’s nominee, they are now also more energized about the election than Republicans. Ms. Harris has quickly picked up support from nonwhite and younger voters.

We are now back to the same electoral map that we had before Mr. Biden’s summertime polling collapse: Once again, the winner in November will come down to the seven battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The seven swing states that will most likely decide the 2024 presidential election.

Current polling shows the transformed race: While Mr. Biden trailed Mr. Trump in all seven battleground states last month, Ms. Harris is now leading Mr. Trump by four points in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the latest New York Times/Siena College polls . Other polls show Ms. Harris in a statistical dead heat in Georgia and Arizona .

Those polls also reveal one of Mr. Trump’s biggest obstacles to winning the election: A majority of the country has never supported him, either as president or as a candidate for office. In the Times/Siena surveys, Mr. Trump had polled at only 46 percent in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And with the race no longer between two unpopular nominees, support for third-party candidates has dropped, making it much more difficult for Mr. Trump to win.

And yet: Republicans have a structural advantage in the Electoral College system of voting, giving Mr. Trump at least one advantage against a surging Ms. Harris.

The G.O.P. lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections, yet won the White House in three of those elections. In 2016, Mr. Trump eked out Electoral College wins in swing states like Wisconsin even as Hillary Clinton crushed him in the most populous states like California. The Republican edge has only grown stronger with the reallocation of electoral votes based on the most recent census.

Given that structural advantage, Georgia, and its 16 Electoral College votes, is increasingly becoming a pivotal state that Mr. Trump can’t lose. If Ms. Harris is able to carry Georgia – and Mr. Trump seems to be trying to help her by inexplicably attacking the popular incumbent Republican governor and his wife – then she would have 242 electoral votes, only 28 short of the 270 needed to win.

Mr. Trump may not understand the political consequences of losing Georgia, but his advisers appear to: His campaign and biggest aligned super PAC spent four times as much in advertising in the state in the two weeks since Ms. Harris became the Democratic Party nominee as they did in the rest of 2024 combined. And in this coming week, of the $37 million in ad buys that the Trump campaign has placed nationally, almost $24 million are in Georgia.

Pennsylvania looks increasingly to be the other key battleground state, and both parties know it. According to AdImpact , over $211 million in paid media has so far been purchased in Pennsylvania from March 6 until Election Day, which is more than double the amount in any other state.

Given its size and support for Democratic candidates in the past, if Ms. Harris loses Pennsylvania, that could be just as damaging to her candidacy as a loss in Georgia would be to Mr. Trump’s chances.

This is why Georgia and Pennsylvania are the two most important states to watch to see if one candidate is able to establish a decisive path to 270 electoral votes.

Ms. Harris starts out with 226 likely electoral votes compared to 219 for Mr. Trump, with 93 votes up for grabs. However, unlike Mr. Biden last month, she has multiple paths to 270 electoral votes.

The first path for Ms. Harris is to carry Pennsylvania , which Mr. Biden won by more than 80,000 votes in 2020 and has voted for the Democratic candidate in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. Assuming that Ms. Harris wins Pennsylvania, she will have 245 electoral votes and six paths to 270.

Scenario 1 Then all Ms. Harris needs are Michigan and Wisconsin (assuming that she carries the Second Congressional District in Nebraska) …

Scenario 2 … or Wisconsin and Georgia …

Scenario 3 … or Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada …

Scenario 4 … or Michigan and Arizona …

Scenario 5 … or Michigan and Georgia …

Scenario 6 … or Georgia and Arizona.

The second path for Ms. Harris does not require her winning Pennsylvania. Instead she needs to win Wisconsin , Michigan , Georgia and …

Scenario 1 … Arizona …

Scenario 2 … or Nevada .

Based on past elections, Mr. Trump starts out with 219 Electoral College votes, compared to 226 for Ms. Harris, with 93 votes up for grabs.

It’s difficult to see how Mr. Trump could win the election if he cannot carry North Carolina , which generally favors Republican presidential candidates. That would give Mr. Trump 235 electoral votes and multiple paths to 270.

The first path involves carrying Georgia , a state he lost by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020. Before then, Republicans won Georgia in every election since 1992. If Mr. Trump carried North Carolina and Georgia, he would have a base of 251 electoral votes.

Scenario 1 Then all Mr. Trump needs is Pennsylvania …

Scenario 2 … or Michigan and Nevada …

Scenario 3 … or Michigan and Arizona …

Scenario 4 … or Arizona and Wisconsin …

The second and more difficult path for Mr. Trump would be if he carried North Carolina but lost Georgia. He would then have only 235 electoral votes and would need to win three of the six remaining battleground states.

Scenario 1 Like Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin …

Scenario 2 … or Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania .

A Look Ahead to November

Ms. Harris clearly has the momentum going into the Democratic National Convention, but she has not really been tested yet. At some point she will need to demonstrate that she can perform under pressure in order to win over undecided voters and less enthusiastic moderates and independents.

As unruly as this election year has been, there are still certain rules of politics that apply to the presidential race. History has repeatedly shown that the winning candidates are usually the ones best able to define who they are, whom they are running against and what the election is about.

Mr. Trump had made the election a referendum of his presidency compared to Mr. Biden’s – that he was a strong leader and Mr. Biden was weak.

In the past three weeks, Ms. Harris has set the terms of the campaign as a choice between change versus going backward – a positive view of the future compared to a dystopian view of the present with a desire to go back to the past.

But even though Ms. Harris’s favorability has gone up significantly since she announced her candidacy, the increase in support is soft. That is the reason that the Democratic convention is such an important opportunity for her to close the deal with key swing voters.

Mr. Trump, on the other hand, is fully defined in the minds of most voters, and has elected to double down on catering to his MAGA base despite alienating the key swing voter blocs that will determine the outcome of the election. During the last hour of his convention speech, and every day since then, Mr. Trump has offered words and actions that remind Americans why they voted him out of office in 2020.

Mr. Trump has increasingly looked like a washed-up rock star who can play only his greatest hits for his dwindling group of fans. If he loses in November, he will have been a one-hit wonder who led the Republican Party to four presidential and midterm election-cycle losses in a row.

More on the 2024 presidential election

What the Polls Say About Harris That the Trump Team Doesn’t Like

If a major change on the Democratic ticket fires up progressives, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a slightly higher number of progressive likely voters.

By Kristen Soltis Anderson

Don’t Listen to the Right. The Kamalanomenon Is Real.

There was Obama-level excitement at Harris’s Atlanta rally.

By Michelle Goldberg

Biden’s Path to Re-election Has All But Vanished

A Democratic strategist explains just how difficult the Electoral College math is getting for President Biden.

By Doug Sosnik

Doug Sosnik was a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1994 to 2000 and has advised over 50 governors and U.S. senators.

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