How to Write the “Community Engagement” Essay

Team Ussist
Ussist - Blog
Published in
3 min readOct 14, 2021
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

Many universities and colleges prioritize creating a diverse student body where students can learn from each other outside of lecture rooms. Therefore, use this prompt to propose how you value being part of a community and what you can offer to the student body.

Step-by-step guide for a successful “Community engagement” essay

Step 1. List your communities

Here are examples of the communities you can be part of:

1. Place: people who live, work, or study nearby
e.g.) family, school

2. Action: people who act together to change the world
e.g.) volunteer group

3. Profession: people who share expertise and knowledge
e.g.) academic clubs

4. Interest: people who share their passion for something
e.g.) extracurricular activities

5. Circumstance: people who share the same characteristics of a demographic or share a common external event

You can choose to write about one community you are in, or many communities you’ve interacted with. If it’s hard for you to fill up the word count with only one event, we recommend using multiple events that can show the various qualities you encompass as an individual.

Note: Some schools explicitly mention that you should discuss the “world” you were part of. Check the prompt again to gauge what colleges want from you

Step 2. Describe how you influenced your community

1. Think of the moments when you had a huge impact on the people around you. If you have any, it will be much easier to write this essay.

2. If you can’t think of those moments, it’s fine. Think of any moment when you influenced someone. It can be one person, or multiple people who were not even aware of the influence you had on them. Showing that you are a person who can offer something to others is the key here, and that aspect of you can be described with your daily interaction with others or something that at first glance seems trivial.

Note:
1. Community engagement is not limited to volunteering. It is a rather much broader concept
2. Community engagement is not only about leadership positions.

Some students equate community engagement to leadership experiences, but there are many ways to influence the community that extends beyond simply leading them.

To make it easier for readers to understand, organize what happened in chronological order. Include (1) what you’ve done, (2) how it influenced others, and (3) what you’ve learned from the experience.

Step 3. Define your qualities that can be found in the story

Who are you? A perfect side-kick? A compassionate helper? Find your own characteristic that best depicts yourself from the story.

Recommended Exercise:

Read what you organized in the prior task. Which word would you use to describe yourself in the community?

List every word you can think of. Then, select one to three from them.

You have to center your essay around those words. Make sure you can come up with those words even if you read the essay as a complete stranger.

Here are some adjectives that are commonly used for this essay:

Adjectives: Caring, Creative, Genuine, Honest, Hard-working, Independent, Logical. Mature, Organized, Motivated, Reliable, Sensible, Scholarly, Supportive, Trustworthy, Thoughtful, Patient, Driven, Diligent, Assertive, Adaptable

Step 4. Connect your characteristic to the school

Here, a little bit of research might help. Each school has its own culture, and sometimes they are looking for certain qualities in students. Connect your own characteristics to the qualities colleges are looking for

If you can give an example of the things you can do with your peers on campus or in any kind of community within the school, your essay can be much more compelling.

We know this isn’t the end.

Let’s get started on other application tasks with a step-by-step mobile guide.

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Team Ussist
Ussist - Blog

Creator of Ussist, mobile college guide to help students with the college application process. Check out our IG account (@ussist_official). We also post memes.