Application essay questions

Here is a collection of the most commonly asked essay questions and thier variants:

Academic background

• What did you enjoy studying the most during university? Why?
• What were your favorite activities outside the classroom? Why did you enjoy them?
• What strengths did you develop or display most prominently in your academic work? In your extracurricular activities?
• What were your greatest academic and /or non-academic achievements during university? Why are you particularly proud of them?

Professional background

• What field are you currently working in? Why did you choose this path?
• What issues do you work with?
• Can you name those achievements at work of which you are most proud? Why are you proud of them?
• What would your supervisor say are your greatest professional strengths and qualities? How have you shown them?

Academic goals

• What question(s) do you hope to research and find answers to in your graduate program? Ph.D. applicants: What methods will you employ to research these questions/
• When did you start asking yourself these questions?

Professional goals

• What do you want to do in the few years following the completion of your graduate degree?
• What do you want to do 10-20 years from now?
• When did you realize this is what you wanted to do?
• Do your goals fulfill a need in your field, organization/company, community, country, or in the world? How?
• Why are you particularly qualified to fulfill this need? What unique contributions can you make to your field?

Your graduate program

• How will this graduate program help you to obtain your goals?
• Why is this stage in your career the best time to pursue your graduate degree?
• What are your top choice schools? Why did you choose them?
• Why should the school accept you? What is unique or special about your background, qualifications, and personality?

Personal background

• Looking back over the course of your life, did you experience anything that changed your way of thinking in any significant way? What was the event? What were you like before, and what were you like after? How did you change?
• What are your greatest personal strengths? How have you demonstrated these strengths?
• Have you experienced any obstacles in life or difficulties? How did you overcome them? What lessons and/ or qualities did you develop as a result of the experience(s)?