Prompt has spent thousands of hours researching and talking to college admissions offices on what they look for in amazing applicants. What we found transformed our approach and pedagogy. So what do colleges look for? There are five key traits. Here is the first: initiative.

After countless conversations with college admissions officers, the Prompt team has identified five traits that readers love to see in college essays: drive, intellectual curiosity, initiative, contribution, and diversity of experience. In this article, we’ll focus on initiative and determine whether it’s a viable trait for your essay!

What is initiative?

Students who show initiative love to challenge the status quo. They have a talent for noticing ways that things could be better, but they don’t stop there. They leap into action to make a change — and they get results. 

If you decide to emphasize your initiative in your college essays, you’ll prove to admissions readers that you have the skills to change their campus for the better.

Do I show initiative? 

If the following statements sound like you, consider highlighting initiative in your essay!

• You’re always asking questions — in classes, extracurriculars, or at home — about how things could be different. 
• Whenever you notice something’s wrong, you can’t stop yourself — you need to act. You already know what changes should be made and how they’ll improve your community.
• You’re results-driven. You know that noticing issues isn’t enough — you create and implement solutions that work for everyone. You’re the one who makes stuff happen.
• You know that the classes, clubs, and projects you’re a part of would be different if you hadn’t participated in them.

What does initiative look like in action?

The above examples are just prompts; you’ll need specific anecdotes to back them up in your essays. Here are some concrete examples of my Prompt coaching students showing initiative: 

• You’re unnerved to learn about an issue, so you decide to start a school club to raise awareness. Now, your club holds monthly discussions with the wider community. These discussions have opened your eyes to new perspectives, and several participants tell you the same.
• You read about free sanitary product initiatives in the newspaper, and you realize that they’re not available at your school. You successfully lobby the school administration to place bins in every school bathroom. 
• You were excited to join your high school’s debate club, but you realize that it’s losing members and isn’t winning any tournaments. You take charge of advertising the club, organizing practice sessions, and tutoring new members. As a result, your team makes it to nationals for the first time in years. 

Notice that all of these examples include results. Although your efforts don’t necessarily have to be successful to make a compelling essay, it’s essential that you reflect on your personal growth as a result of your experiences. 

So you’ve decided to write about initiative…

Whether you choose initiative or another one of the 5 traits colleges look for, the STAR format can be helpful as you brainstorm:

• Situation: What issue did you notice in your community, and why were you motivated to act?
• Task: When you decided to act, what were you hoping to accomplish?
• Action(s): What steps did you take to make a change? Did you work alone or in a team? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
• Result: What happened as a result of your actions? How did you make a positive impact on your community? How did you grow as a person through this experience?

(Pro tip: STAR is also a useful way to tell stories during admissions interviews.)

If you’re still feeling stuck, you can also use Prompt’s free self-guided modules to reflect on your experiences and determine if initiative is a good fit for you. Just make an account here and click on the "Brainstorm Essay Ideas" tab to get started.

Good luck, and happy writing!

Check out our series on the five traits colleges look for, a deep dive into each trait and how you can know you possess it!

Contribution to Community

Diversity of Experience

Drive

Initiative

Intellectual Curiosity