Learning from Conflict
Photo by Jackman Chiu on Unsplash
by Albert L.
In many cultures, we honor the wisdom of our elders. We do so not necessarily because they are inherently smarter, but because their formative years have left indelible memories that shape their thinking. The challenges they’ve conquered gave them tools to better equip themselves for future obstacles. Their setbacks and failures provided new insights about how to approach both similar and new problems.
As budding Essay Narwhals, you don’t have the luxury of decades to draw upon. But don’t undersell yourself. What happens in our youth often has lasting impacts into the kind of adults we’re going to be and the values we hold dear. Because you’re still like unformed sponges, the experiences that you do have, echo throughout every subsequent experience, slowly molding you into more capable, stronger, smarter people.
In superhero terms, we can think of this classic “challenges and setbacks” essay prompt as an origin story.
So, why would you choose this prompt? If you had a life changing event in your life which sparked a dramatic change into who you are, this prompt might be a great option.
If you do decide on writing about this prompt, you want to make sure you highlight change. To do so, here are some things to keep in mind:
Establish who you were before your journey. By showing that initial version of you, we can track the progress you’ve made at the end of your story. This will also show a starker contrast and make your transformation seem more dramatic.
Students sometimes miss out on this seemingly minor detail. If for example you wanted to talk about how confident you are now, show how you were crippled with anxiety before. (Just keep in mind, that students also sometimes focus on the challenge exclusively instead of how they overcame it; you don’t want to do that either.)
Make sure that your challenges are meaningful. The narrative thrust of your story has less impact if your obstacles are too easy to overcome or don’t seem significant. Sometimes students leave out really important details that really undercut the magnitude of their challenges.
If for example you were physically bullied, don’t just simply say that some classmates were mean to you. If the challenges themselves are too easy, you perhaps might want to choose a different story.
Show the moment of change. Your story at some point should take a turn to show how you adapted. Even if you still failed, there should be growth in how the present you could not be satisfied with how the older version of you would have handled a problem.
Reflecting on these moments allows us to see what your true values are and not just fixate on the what, but the why. Then from this shift, your new actions have renewed purpose.
As an Essay Narwhal, navigating the open oceans can be treacherous, from facing declining sea ice, mass migrations, finding food, and surviving hunters. But each instance is an opportunity to show how you can endure and learn.
