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How to Write the Brigham Young University Essays 2023-2024

 BYU has six supplemental essays, which are required for all applicants. This is likely one of the most extensive supplemental essay packages you’re going to have, so make sure you leave yourself ample time to brainstorm for, write, and revise your essays.

While only you know exactly how to draw on your own experiences to build a connection between yourself and BYU, in this post we’re going to break down each prompt for you and provide a general approach that will lead to a strong response. Then, all that’s left for you to do is apply that approach to your own background, personality, and goals for college!

Note that, because BYU is not a Common App school, you’ll have to log on to their school-specific application platform in order to see word/character limits for these prompts. Be sure to do that  before  you start writing, or otherwise you may accidentally write a response that’s way too long or short, and end up having a whole bunch of extra work to do when you thought you were done.

BYU Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: Describe a topic, idea, or experience that you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. What have you done to learn more or engage further in the topic, idea or experience? What resources do you use to learn more?

Prompt 2: Have you become aware of significant needs in your family, school, and/or community? Please explain how you have worked toward meeting those needs.

Prompt 3: Briefly describe a time that your efforts have fallen short, a goal was not accomplished, or an aspiration was not achieved.  What steps did you take to recover from this defeat? What resources did you use? How and why are you different today?

Prompt 4: We strive to create a rich and varied educational environment through admitting students with a wide range of:

Skills and talents

Life experiences, perspectives, tell us your story. what will you contribute to our university community be specific..

Prompt 5: A BYU education will be spiritually strengthening. BYU students have a unique opportunity to seek learning by study and by faith. Describe the reasons you want to learn in an environment like this.

Prompt 6: Thoughtfully consider the extracurricular activities you have been involved in and select two to write about. Enter your first activity below and the second activity on the following page.

Select an activity you would like to write about:

Please provide a short description of the specific activity: (300 characters)

How long have you participated in this activity?

Why did you choose to participate in this activity? How have you benefited from your participation?

Describe a topic, idea, or experience that you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. What have you done to learn more or engage further in the topic, idea or experience? What resources do you use to learn more?

This prompt is designed to gauge your love of learning and genuine interest in scholarship. One of BYU’s Aims is Intellectually Enlarging, meaning the school is looking for people who have a desire to learn and who seek out answers to questions beyond what is required or mandated by school or work. It is an opportunity for admissions officers to learn something about you that isn’t conveyed or fully developed on other parts of your application. 

Potential examples of topics might include:

• A scientific concept that blows your mind
• A type of media you enjoy consuming
• A unique hobby or skill you taught yourself
• A favorite sport you can play for hours 

Your topic can be literally anything—as long as you can write about it with an academic tone. Just avoid overly casual topics or language as these will not illuminate your personality in the most flattering light. For example, an applicant that writes about bingeing Netflix shows has a much weaker essay than one that couches their Netflix addiction as a side effect of their love of screenwriting. 

When determining your topic, make sure to delve deep and choose something that is specific enough to differentiate your essay from others’. For example, instead of writing about a generic academic subject, choose a concept or theory that resonates with you the most. Here is an excerpt of a response that achieves this:

“I can easily remember when I stopped hearing music and truly began listening to it. Mrs. Petersen, our music teacher, was playing a recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for my fourth grade class. I closed my eyes and there I was—in springtime, with birds overhead, and soon enough, winter, braced against a biting wind of sound. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and from that moment forth, I dedicated myself to understanding how it worked. 

Studying music theory as I do is like unraveling a rich tapestry woven of pitch, melody, rhythm, and timbre…” 

From here, the student can go in multiple directions with their response. They can explore how their studies of music theory helped them develop as a musician or composer. Or, they can talk about how learning music theory has enabled them to think more analytically about other art forms, like literature.

The next portion of the prompt asks how you have advanced your understanding of the topic on your own and what resources have helped you do so. Avoid mentioning school-mandated resources like classes or required readings; rather, mention ways that you have explored the topic outside of any structured obligation. Have you checked out library books on the subject? Do you dive into Reddit subthreads or fashion YouTube playlists to learn more? Is there an organization or community you founded or joined to help you gain knowledge? Here, it is important to keep up reader engagement by showing, rather than telling, how you sought out additional resources. 

Another key element of your response is a future-facing component. One of BYU’s Aims stresses Lifelong Learning and Service; you should try to incorporate this sentiment in the last couple lines of your response. This will give admissions officers an idea of how you plan to continue exploring this topic in the future, or sharing your love of it with others. Going off of the previous example, a fitting conclusion might go like this: 

“ Studying music theory has allowed me to think differently and listen to the world as I never had before. I intend to study music composition at BYU, and I look forward to learning even more about the inner workings of the world’s musical traditions.”

However you choose to relay your topic, make sure to maintain a narrative-like quality and include specific, descriptive details. The point is to make your essay so unique that no one else could write it. The more well-thought-out and engaging your essay is, the more likely it is to resonate with admissions officers.

Have you become aware of significant needs in your family, school, and/or community? Please explain how you have worked toward meeting those needs.

This prompt asks you to recount your participation in community service. One of BYU’s Aims is Lifelong Service, so it might help to read their website’s breakdown of what it means to their school before you start writing. 

To brainstorm for this essay, think about times where you’ve addressed needs for others. This could be anything from babysitting your younger siblings while your parents work full-time to making blankets for dogs at your local animal shelter. Try to make your topic something that isn’t necessarily apparent from the rest of your application. If you choose an organization already listed out in your extracurriculars, make sure to focus on a specific instance rather than generalizing your role. Here are two examples of potential responses to this prompt: 

Weak: “As a Girl Scout, I have participated in multiple community service projects in my community. I have baked cookies for the elderly, written letters to soldiers overseas, and helped make blankets for my local animal shelter. I organized and executed these activities because community service is important to me.”

Strong: “At lunch, some kids played soccer. Others texted or played iPhone games. I made blankets. For my Girl Scout Gold Award, I decided to target a community near and dear to my heart: the animal shelter. As a weekly volunteer, I saw how many of the dogs had nothing in their concrete kennels and I vowed to change that. I created a school-wide fundraiser to raise money for supplies and spent my Saturday mornings shopping in our downtown textile district. During our lunch period, a few volunteers and I would make no-sew blankets and toys out of various fabrics.”

The first response states the author’s contributions in a straightforward manner that does not convey exactly what efforts they put into improving their community. The overall general descriptions do little to set them apart from other applicants. Meanwhile, the second essay takes readers through specific actions that the author took towards their goal. It is more vivid and immersive in nature, which allows admissions officers to get a better idea of the student’s personality. The first response tells admissions officers that the student is dedicated, while the second shows them through specific details. 

Briefly describe a time that your efforts have fallen short, a goal was not accomplished, or an aspiration was not achieved. What steps did you take to recover from this defeat? What resources did you use? How and why are you different today?

Here, admissions officers want to see how you deal with adversity. When choosing a topic, try not to pick something overdone like a poor grade or losing a sports game. Instead, write about something that is unique to you. 

The first thing you need to do is establish the context of the defeat. Talk about the instance and the way it made you feel. Use an active voice and vivid details to give it an anecdote-like quality. 

For example, someone who was training for a half marathon might not have achieved their personal record time despite training daily for 4 months. 

Another student might not have been accepted into a pre-medical program that would have helped them gain field experience and choose a career path. 

Next, think about how you moved past the failure, and what specific steps you took to ameliorate the situation. Show admissions officers how you felt by taking them through your thought process; this added vulnerability will make your essay more personable. 

Writing about frustration, anger, or sadness is valid, but make sure you do so in a way that isn’t overly victimizing or putting down others. It is important to keep your tone professional while conveying these feelings in order to make your essay resonate the most strongly.

After writing your reaction, walk readers through the steps you took to recover from the failure. The prompt asks you multiple questions: how you recovered, resources you used, and how and why you are different. You should touch on all of these but it is okay if within the limited response you don’t elaborate on all of these. Keep these questions in the back of your mind while writing the prompt, but don’t answer them sequentially; rather, phrase your answer like a narrative for the most ideal flow and compelling response. Keep your response forward-facing and focus on what you did to fix the situation instead of dwelling on the failure; this will show your character to admissions officers.

The applicant who was training for a marathon might talk about how they reframed their mentality to revolve around how they felt while running rather than breaking their personal records. They can describe mixing up their training regimen and changing their diet to make running a more pleasurable experience, rather than a competitive one.

An essay about being rejected from a pre-medical program might have made the author question their desire to be a doctor. However, by compiling their own resources and seeking out volunteer experience, they learned that they are willing to put in the work to pursue the field, which has underscored their desire to become a medical professional.

By describing the steps you took to work around the failure in a narrative-like manner, you can create a compelling essay that demonstrates your character to admissions officers. 

We strive to create a rich and varied educational environment through admitting students with a wide range of:

BYU wants to know what sets you apart from other students. This is an opportunity for you to mention something that is not mentioned elsewhere on your application. Think about your various identities and the unique ways they intersect. This topic might seem overly broad, but just think of it as there being no wrong answer. As long as your essay remains academic in tone, you can craft a masterful narrative about anything.

Avoid mentioning clichés or being redundant on your application. For example if you have already discussed your career interest in another essay, make this essay about something completely different. Also, avoid being too general with your topic. For example, instead of mentioning the culture you are a part of in a holistic manner, name a couple specific traditions that you enjoy participating in and elaborate on those.

If you need inspiration or a starting off point, read over the school’s Aims and look at the website with example essays. Doing so may jog your memory or provide you with a better idea of what kind of candidate the school is looking for. A good check to see whether you have selected a good topic is to take a step back and think if anyone else could have written your essay. If the answer is no, you’re in good shape! If the answer is yes, make your topic even more personal and specific.

A BYU education will be spiritually strengthening. BYU students have a unique opportunity to seek learning by study and by faith. Describe the reasons you want to learn in an environment like this.

BYU may have been started by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but you don’t need to be a believer to attend. If you are a member of the church, or even of another religion, this is a great time to affirm what you believe, what your religious tradition means to you, and why you believe this is the best setting in which to learn. If you are not religious, this is a time to reflect what appeals to you about BYU’s values, and the school’s overall learning environment. Here are some questions to help you brainstorm, whether you are a believer or not.

• What does faith or devotion mean to you? What does it look like in everyday life, and how might it contribute to a positive learning environment?
• How might shared values and beliefs make a community stronger? How can you explore your own values and beliefs in the BYU community?
• Even within one community, there can be diversity of beliefs and practices. How do you envision both learning from the BYU community, and contributing to the diversity of belief on campus?

Once you have some ideas for your essay, it’s time to start writing. Remember to check the application for specific word and character limits, as these limits will be crucial in planning your essay. Though you may have many pages’ worth of thoughts on this prompt, college essays require you to state your thoughts as efficiently as possible–you need to be brief, but also thoughtful. Depending on how you want to structure your essay, you can do that in a lot of different ways. 

One very effective way to structure a college essay is by using a single event or story to illustrate your values and character. This is a dynamic way to help admissions officers get to know you without resorting to a laundry list of qualities and information. If you are using an anecdote, or a few anecdotes, to tell BYU about yourself, make sure you are choosing stories that focus on you and demonstrate the qualities you want to share. While you may find other stories from your life more exciting, the point of this particular narrative is that it showcases your personality and what’s important to you.

If you don’t want to use a story to answer this prompt, you may want to describe your potential engagement with BYU by envisioning a future for yourself on campus. This is another great way to show the BYU admissions team who you are, as you are almost doing their job for them, and painting a picture of the ways you hope to contribute to their community. Like the previous approach, this essay structure will be most effective with specific examples. Rather than just saying that your faith inspires you to serve others, talk about how you hope to volunteer with the Adopt a Grandparent group through Brigham Young’s Y-Serve program. 

This is a great time to dig a bit deeper into BYU and flex your knowledge of the university. The whole reason why the BYU admissions committee is reviewing your application is to imagine you on campus–what you’d do, and why they should want you there–and a response that utilizes this approach effectively will directly answer those two questions. Just remember to always connect the things you hope to do on campus to the spiritual focus of this question.

Thoughtfully consider the extracurricular activities you have been involved in and select two to write about. Enter your first activity below and the second activity on the following page.

Please provide a short description of the specific activity: , why did you choose to participate in this activity how have you benefited from your participation .

These next prompts go together and allow you to elaborate on your current extracurricular activities. This is an opportunity for you to expand upon your application and give some of your activities more than a simple description. While your short description and how long you’ve participated in this activity should be relatively straightforward, answering why you chose to participate in it and how you have benefited should take on a more narrative-like quality.

Here is an example of a potential response.:

“Donate Life is a club dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation and transplants. I have participated in this club for four years, first as an active member and then as a board member, and eventually, President. However, my connection to organ donation goes farther back than high school. When I was thirteen, my cousin was able to receive a heart transplant from someone who had recently passed in a car accident. Seeing her recovery inspired me to make this opportunity available for more people. In this club, I hold weekly lunch seminars during which students can learn more about how they can contribute to the movement. We participate in marathons and other nonprofit events to get the word out and to encourage people to sign up to donate their organs. This past summer, we were able to get over 5,000 signatures pledging to sign up for organ donation in the event of the person’s passing. My Donate Life family and my real family experiences have shown me the importance of being an active community member who pushes for positive change and encourages others to do the same.”

Whatever you choose to write about, make sure that your voice shines through and that you list your specific contributions by mentioning the work you did in a tangible manner. 

Where to Get Your Brigham Young University Essays Edited

Writing essays takes a lot of time and focus, and after seeing the same essay time and time again, it can be hard to tell what to change. Going through the editing process with another pair of eyes can help identify areas where your essay could be stronger, as well as areas that you’re already doing well. CollegeVine has created a free Peer Review Essay Tool , where you can get feedback on your essay, and give feedback to other students just like you!

CollegeVine also offers essay review by our team of experienced advisors, who have helped hundreds of students submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you and get the feedback you need to make your application a success!

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Brigham Young University | BYU’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Common app personal essay.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

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 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?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

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?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

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?

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.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

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BYU has three application deadlines each year for transfer applicants:

• Apply by June 1 to be admitted in fall semester.
• Apply by August 1 to be admitted in winter semester.
• Apply by December 15 to be admitted in spring and summer terms.

You qualify as a transfer applicant as soon as you have enrolled in any university classes after graduating from high school. If you want to avoid submitting your high school transcript, you will need to have at least 24 graded credits completed. But you can apply as a transfer applicant before reaching 24 credits.

BYU does not penalize applicants for applying more than once, so it doesn’t hurt to apply at every opportunity.

Start Your Application

Write Your Essays

Application essays are an essential, pivotal part of your application to BYU. Your essays should demonstrate how you embrace the Aims of a BYU Education . Rather than just a list of accomplishments, your essays should show how your experiences have made you the person you are today. Before submitting your essays, feel free to have them reviewed by the BYU Research & Writing Center.

Application Essay Tips Research & Writing Center

Recommendation

A transfer application to BYU requires one recommendation from a person of your choosing (not a relative). Be sure to choose someone who is familiar with you and your recent work such as a professor or supervisor. Contact them in advance and to ask if they are willing to recommend you. It’s a good idea to share information with them like a resume or “brag sheet” that will help them know what to write.

Recommendation Tips

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BYU Studies Essay and Poetry Contest Deadline

Each year, BYU Studies hosts the annual Richard H. Cracroft Personal Essay Contest and the Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest. The BYU Studies writing contests are open to all serious writers except employees of BYU Studies, their immediate families, and members of the Editorial Board.

Authors who receive an award are not eligible to compete in that category for the next two years but may enter the other category.

Prizes will be awarded as follows for both the poetry and essay contests in the following amounts: First Place: $1,500 Second Place: $1,000 Third Place: $500

All submissions to the BYU Studies annual poetry and essay contests must be received by midnight on January 31.

Application Deadlines

All deadlines are 11:59 pm (mountain time). although our offices will close at 6:00 pm, the application will still be available online through 11:59 pm (mountain time)..

*Freshman applicants who meet the priority deadline will still be considered with all other applicants who apply by the final deadline and will not receive a decision any earlier. However, those that meet the priority deadline will receive extra consideration in the decision making process. In other words, meeting the priority deadline will factor in to our holistic review. Because every aspect of your application is considered in the holistic review, it is not possible to say how much the additional consideration will matter for a particular applicant.

BYU does not admit applicants who will be younger than 17 years of age by the first day of class of their first enrollment because of the intellectual, social, and emotional maturity required of university students.

*In order to be considered for eligible scholarships, transfer applicants must complete and submit the Admissions application as well as the BYU scholarship application by this deadline.

**Transfer applicants who apply by the December 15, 2023 (Fall 2024) deadline will receive their admission decision by this date.

*In order to be considered for eligible scholarships, former students must complete and submit the Admissions application as well as the BYU scholarship application by this deadline.

**Former students who apply by the earlier deadline will receive their admission decision by this date.

The Paradigm Shifters

Winter 2022 Issue

For BYU Homecoming each year, descendants of George H. Brimhall sponsor an essay contest honoring a BYU founder. The 2021 honored founder was longtime BYU Program Bureau director Janie Thompson. Below is the winning essay, by design major Shannon G. Spencer (’23).

I fingered the sheet that lay facedown atop my third-grade desk. My hands were shaking.

“Ready? Begin.”

Papers flipped, and the room filled with the scratching of yellow pencils; we had one minute to fill a page of multiplication tables. I stared at my first problem: 8 times 4. It took me six precious seconds to remember the answer.

I barely managed to get halfway through the page before hearing the dreaded “Pencils down!”

As we passed our papers to the front, I couldn’t help but notice my classmates’ worksheets—all completely filled. I dropped my pencil and sunk back in my chair, defeated. Once again, I had proven to my teacher and to the world that I couldn’t do math. I wanted to cry.

When Janie Thompson (BA ’43) first returned to teach at BYU, she wanted to cry too. A singer for soldiers overseas during the war and a radio and television performer, she had an exciting musical career ahead of her. In the early 1950s Thompson received a thrilling invitation to rejoin the Ike Carpenter Band, which she had performed with before serving a mission in Wales.

Her ecstasy was cut short, however, by a phone call from BYU president Ernest L. Wilkinson (BA ’21). He explained that BYU desperately needed her talents and requested she return to take charge of the university’s budding performing-arts program.

After wrestling with her conscience, Thompson’s torn heart gave in to what she felt was right: she went back to BYU, tears streaming down her face the entire trip to Provo.

At the end of third grade, my family moved from Singapore to Thailand. Now in a brand-new country starting a brand-new grade, I also had a brand-new teacher: Ms. Bellone. In the eyes of our fourth-grade class, she was an angel. Intelligent and kind, Ms. Bellone commanded respect by giving it.

One day after math class, she came to my desk and said something I never thought I’d hear: “You are really good at math!”

My pencil stopped mid-equation. My jaw dropped. “I am?”

“Yes!” Ms. Bellone said. My reaction seemed to surprise her. “You’re working hard and grasping all these concepts. Well done! Keep going!”

I don’t remember how long I sat there after she left. A dazed smile crept onto my face as I picked up my pencil again. I was good at math. Was that possible? I felt years of self-doubt and discouragement fall away. My mind began to fill with new possibilities. How could I doubt myself with Ms. Bellone’s empowering conviction behind me?

“I didn’t become a mathematician, but it was never about the math.” — Shannon Spencer

That same ability to instill confidence in others radiated from the heart of Janie Thompson. Over the course of nearly 30 years at BYU, she dedicated her life to the students she taught. Whether it was the relationships she built with her “adopted” daughters from BYU’s Lamanite Generation (one of six touring performing groups Thompson founded, now known as Living Legends ) or the food she brought to financially struggling students, she treated her students like the children she never had. She covered her office walls with their photographs and prayed for each one by name. Her encouragement and vision motivated students to reach higher in every aspect of their lives.

People like Ms. Bellone and Janie Thompson are remembered for the moments in which they inspire others to believe in themselves. Up until fourth grade, I carried around negative paradigms like a notebook of failed math problems. When Ms. Bellone expressed her faith in me and my potential, it was like she handed me an eraser and a fresh pencil and invited me to rewrite my story.

I didn’t become a mathematician, but it was never about the math. Now as I look to the future, a yellow pencil still in hand, I think of the moment Ms. Bellone changed my perspective, and I want to make those kinds of moments for others. I know I’ve only got so much time, so I had better start today.

I’m so excited I’m almost shaking.

Ready? Begin.

More From This Issue

The bright side.

Amid widespread gloom, BYU experts share reasons they remain hopeful for better things to come.

All of God’s children—including you—need to hear these precious truths from Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Disinfomania

In the battle over facts and fakes, insights and hot takes, how can you become a savvier consumer of information?

BYU alumni, faculty, and students are helping Wilford Woodruff’s records of the Restoration become available to all.

Learning for the “Least of These”

BYU professors and students change the lives of incarcerated people by teaching history at Utah's state prisons.

More Articles

The Y Report

Charity Never Waiteth

Jesse and Amanda Knight lived lives of service and made significant financial contributions to BYU.

Cosmic Failure

Some people come to college to learn to succeed. The 2019 essay winner learned something infinitely more valuable.

Shannon Spencer writes about Janie Thompson and helping others believe in themselves.

Humanities Center

Think clearly. Act well. Appreciate life.

The Humanities Center held its 10th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, October 21st at 3:00 PM in the Dean’s Conference Room. This year’s event featured 7 undergraduate students from the College of Humanities and their research.

Madilyn Abbe: “Safe in the Eye of the Storm”: A 20th Century Adaptation of Safe Slave Spaces in Colson Whitehead’s The Intuitionist

Holden d’Evegnée: “Legend Still Holds Secret the Key:” Animism and Dialogic Witnessing in Véronique Tadio’s Queen Pokou and Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

Jackson Hawkins: Monads and Bodies: The World As Leibniz Sees It

Perhaps the most unique way of understanding the fundamental building-blocks of reality is found in the metaphysical system of the German rationalist philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, according to whom the universe is made up of atoms which not only make up material objects, but have souls, perceptions, and destinies of their own. My research centers on the historical development of Leibniz’ understanding of the atom, and the intriguing way in which he described its relation to human beings and other living organisms. Moreover, I argue that a disconnect exists between Leibniz’ earlier approach to the question and his more famous line of reasoning in his later essay, the Monadology , creating a difficult interpretive dilemma for admirers of his philosophy. All told, not only does Leibniz’ philosophical system amount to an incredible piece of intellectual history, but it traces a novel way of understanding nearly every aspect of the human world.

Rachel McDonald: Goalkeeping or Gatekeeping? A Lexical Analysis of Sexism in Italy’s Female National Football League

Sean Cameron: Phonological Effects in Mandarin Chinese Names

A collection of native Mandarin names was gathered from graduating students from Chinese universities with primarily Mandarin-speaking backgrounds. These names were fed through the pinyin_jyutping_sentence module in Python to create frequency lists for sequences for tones, onset place of articulation, manner of articulation, vowel quality change, and syllable coda presence. The data suggests that all of these play an important role in Mandarin onomastics. Mandarin L2 speakers can use principles put forth in this paper to create normal and native-sounding names for themselves. 

He, Hailun. (1989). “The Art of Naming in China and Translating Western Names Into Chinese,” Literary Onomastics Studies: Vol. 16, Article 12. 

Liedel, E. (2014). Studying Chinese? Read this before you choose your name. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/dec/10/chinese-students-how-to-make-a-name

Quinn Blackley & Braden Slater: The Secondary School Writing Center University Partnership

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What is an opinion that you have? Why should a reader agree with your opinion? What is a course of action people should take? Why? Questions like these can lead to a persuasive essay. A  persuasive  essay  is a type of opinion writing that not only gives your opinion and support but also tries to convince the reader to agree with you (WritingCity, n.d.). In this chapter, you will write a persuasive essay that uses research to support your ideas. 

WritingCity. (n.d.).  Differences between opinion, persuasive, and argument writing . www.writestepswriting.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from http://wjhlibrary.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/1/9/13197742/writing_chart.pdf

This content is provided to you freely by BYU Open Learning Network.

Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/up_writing_fall/argumentative_essays .

How to help your child get into BYU: The application essays can make or break their acceptance

By college essay builder | posted - oct. 1, 2022 at 8:00 a.m., (college essay builder).

Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Does your child have what it takes to get into BYU?

The stakes of getting accepted to BYU are getting higher and higher. It is estimated that over 12,000 students will apply to BYU — Provo this fall. And using last year's acceptance rates , more than 4,000 won't make the cut.

With such a large pool of applicants, the BYU Admissions Committee is often tasked with choosing between highly-qualified applicants who all meet the minimum requirements. And since BYU is not currently requiring standardized test scores, it is even more difficult for applicants to stand out.

With all of these factors, parents want to know:

"Is there anything I can do to improve my child's chances for acceptance to BYU?" The answer to this question is an absolute "yes!"

How the BYU application essays can make or break your child's acceptance

By the time your child begins their BYU application, nearly all of the application criteria (transcripts, activities, awards, etc.) is fixed and can't be influenced or changed — with one notable exception: the essays.

The BYU application essays have become one of the most critical ways your child will be evaluated by the admissions committee. This is because the essays are the best way for the committee to get to know your child on a personal level to determine how well they have demonstrated their preparation and alignment with the Mission and Aims of BYU .

In fact, the BYU essays are the only real controllable factor your child has at this point that can either help or hurt their chances of getting accepted.

The wrong way to write BYU application essays

Just sitting down to "knock out" the essays without understanding what BYU is looking for is a huge mistake. Successful BYU essays require deep introspection, multiple drafts and a good deal of pre-work. Students who don't allow time for these crucial activities end up writing sub-par BYU essays that suffer from one or more of the following issues:

Too generic

It isn't natural for most high-school seniors to be vulnerable and genuine. This often results in superficial essays that don't give enough information about your child for BYU admissions to complete a proper evaluation.

This year, BYU has shortened most of the essays by 500 characters. The lower the character count, the more difficult it is for students to effectively address everything the prompt is asking for. Consequently, students can easily spend too much of their essay telling a story but not allowing enough space for important connections and reflections.

No effective feedback

Most students work on their BYU essays right up to the deadline and don't have the proper time to get feedback and make revisions. If parents do read the essays, they often don't know how to provide the most helpful feedback. This cycle often results in substantial errors in essay structure, content and grammar.

The right way to write BYU application essays: The 3 most important questions

Susie Boyce, founder of College Essay Builder , has been helping students write BYU application essays since 2007. Over the years, she has discovered three fundamental questions that all successful BYU essays must effectively answer. These three questions are:

Do my child's essays show that they value the aims of a BYU education?

Each BYU essay should correlate directly to one or more of the Aims of a BYU Education . It is critical that the stories and examples your child uses in their essays make the connection clear and personal. A close look at the BYU admissions website emphasizes that BYU uses the aims to evaluate all areas of the application — especially the essays.

Do my child's essays help them stand out from thousands of other applicants?

This fall, BYU will receive more than 70,000 essays. Given the sheer volume, how will you ensure your child's essays stand out and are memorable for all the right reasons?

The key to this question is helping your child identify events, people and stories from their life that highlight their genuine and unique experiences. This requires vulnerability; the essays should tell compelling stories showing your child's journey, growth and transformation. These personal stories can become the heart of each essay, connecting the reader to your child in an unforgettable way.

Do my child's essays demonstrate their character, values, testimony and potential as a BYU student?

BYU has provided some direct expectations about what they want to see in your child's essay on their admissions website :

"...make sure you read the prompt and answer what's being asked. If there's something about you we should know, make sure to include it in your essay responses!"

Why does BYU want your child to share so much? Because the essays are the best chance admissions counselors have to understand and evaluate your child's character, values, testimony and potential as a BYU student.

To effectively do this, your child must address each prompt completely and deeply. Take time to identify stories and examples that showcase how they have grown and developed in these four areas and write conclusions that make a powerful connection to what BYU is looking for.

The bottom line

You can do something to improve your child's chances for acceptance to BYU. Helping your child write their best BYU application essays is the most important way you can accomplish this goal.

But you don't have to do this alone. College Essay Builder has created a comprehensive application essay course for BYU that leads your child step-by-step through the process of writing all the BYU application essays. With the help of videos, downloads, templates and examples, your child will be writing their best BYU essays faster and more effectively than any other method.

In this course your child will learn:

• How to personalize the BYU Aims and meaningfully connect them to each essay.
• How to identify and tell compelling personal stories that demonstrate their potential as a successful BYU student.
• How to approach each essay prompt to address BYU's specific expectations.
• How to start each essay to "hook" the reader.
• How to conclude each essay to make a powerful connection.
• How to write clear and concise paragraphs that answer each prompt completely and deeply.
• How to edit and revise their essays utilizing proprietary feedback guides.

The stakes are too high to not do everything you can to help your child get accepted.

And the most controllable thing you can do right now to increase your child's chances of acceptance to BYU is to help them write their best BYU essays by enrolling them in the full essay course for BYU today.

And for a limited time, use the coupon code KSL50 to get $50 off the full course price.

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