Thought Action and Vision

Every good college essay must have a complete narrative. Whether it is an academic or personal essay, you are encouraged to spend your word count wisely telling the Admissions Officer your entire story.

Consider this essay as an example. Can you tell where Thought, Action, and Vision lie in this passage?

“I love dessert. My favourite sweet treat of all time is a good old-fashioned brownie. However, in an attempt to replicate the recipe, I quickly realised that I didn’t have cocoa powder. Thus, I wondered, could I make a batch of brownies with compound chocolate instead?

At first, I was highly unsure. I had never worked with compound chocolate before, but my mother explained that it works like cooking chocolate. I proceeded by sifting the flour, reducing the sugar in the recipe to account for the compound chocolate, and preparing my liquid ingredients separately. I mixed everything, poured the batter on my greased pan, and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes, hoping for the best. When the brownies were finally ready, and I took my first bite, I was delighted to realise I had succeeded.

Making this recipe taught me how to adapt to unpredictable circumstances in the kitchen. With this new information and a positive attitude, I hope to be able to bake a lot more desserts for myself and others in the future.”

Thought: Every essay must start with a situation that sparks a motive. Describe what caused you to think critically about the circumstance before you. Why did you choose to do something about it?

Action: Action refers to all the steps you took to satisfy your goal. Did you get help from anyone or anywhere? Did you face any challenges? How did you work your way around everything? Finally, what was the result?

Vision: Whether you were outstanding or partially successful, your vision must convey what you learnt from this experience overall. Now that it is over, what next? How will this experience motivate you?

Please note that there is no actual formula for a good college essay. Your story can be stylish in narrative and employ a distinct voice that evokes a sense of laughter or seriousness, just as you wish. The point is to answer the prompt in a way that does not leave anything to be desired. The Admissions Officer should clearly understand what drives you and what you are capable of. A good college essay is not about excellent style and complicated words. It is about presenting a complete narrative to the reader so your motivations and actions are clearly communicated. Focus on providing as much information as possible within the word count.

Here is another essay with Thought, Action, and Vision. Note that, despite the size of the essay, you must try to employ all three elements to make a complete narrative.

My school fest for this year was themed "Integration & Inclusion," but as the event head, I recognised the lack of genuine diversity during the fest’s executive meetings. The administration’s focus on the specially-abled for awareness reminded me that the event would be incomplete without actually having students with special needs in the event.

I suggested that we extend an invitation to a local school that worked with such students, but the authorities were hesitant if they could make it happen. To remedy this situation, I initiated discussions with my classmates to rally support, and then I convinced our advisor to help us in this endeavour. When I reached out to a school for the specially-abled and spoke to their representative, his enthusiastic response underscored the importance of true inclusivity for me. Consequently, we succeeded in our attempts, thus actually embodying the essence of our theme.

With Notre Dame’s Center for Student Support and Care, I want to extend these endeavours to reach all sections of society. My goal is to showcase the profound impact of thoughtful discourse when making a genuine difference in the world.

Want to learn how to write a compelling college essay? Read this article to learn the different types of essays needed for college.