Positive Trends in College Essays

The recent article, "My Semester with Snowflakes", written by a 52-year-old freshman at Yale, was inspiring for so many reasons, not the least of which is simply the poignant story of the author, James Hatch, a veteran. Beyond that, however, is the story-within-the-story of the narrative: namely, that when people of diverse (and sometimes opposite) opinions, intellectual frameworks, experiences, and backgrounds come together to have shared conversations, we are all the richer for it.

His story echoed some very positive trends I saw in my student's essays this year: namely, the desire to "cross the aisle" and learn about others who are unlike us- the need, even, to really listen to those we disagree with- even as uncomfortable as it can be- in an effort to find common ground. 

Some of the positive themes I saw in this year's essays:

*A non-religious student who's interested in studying religion to understand people's beliefs better

*A student who emphasized egalitarianism as a core value

*A student who wanted to have a roundtable discussion on a "hot topic" where a diverse set of opinions would be represented

*A student who felt it was important to forgive rather than hate

I'm encouraged as we enter a new year and a new decade. The thoughtfulness of the young adults I worked with this year fills me with hope. Here's a link to the article that James Hatch wrote. I hope you're encouraged, as well.

https://gen.medium.com/my-semester-with-the-snowflakes-888285f0e662