ArtCenter College of Design | ArtCenter
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ArtCenter College of Design | ArtCenter’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts
Select-A-Prompt Short Response
The Short Answer Essay will be submitted in the online application. You can copy and paste your response or upload it as a separate document. Your response is required to submit your essay.
You will upload Essay 1 and Essay 2 as separate documents in the online application or through the applicant portal after you submit your application. Please list “Essay 1” or “Essay 2” at the top of the document.
Option 1
Short Answer Essay: Describe the path that has led to your choice of major and describe your educational goals. (100 words max recommended)
Option 2
Who do you believe to be the three major artists and designers who are shaping the discipline you are interested in pursuing or who have influenced you? (400 words max recommended).
Option 3
Taking a risk comes more easily to some than to others, but for most it will be an important part of becoming an artist or designer. Explain a risk you’ve taken in your life that has paid off—exploring something new, confronting a fear or problem, or taking a stand on an issue. (400 words max recommended)
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.
Option 1
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.
Option 2
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?
Option 3
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Option 4
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?
Option 5
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Option 6
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?
Option 7
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.
