Amherst College's wording, checked October 26, 2026"We are working together to build a community that makes room for both true disagreement and true connection, one that practices the kind of recognition and robust negotiation that the everyday life of democracy requires, and one that explicitly prepares our students to work for the greater good in their professional and personal endeavors." — Presidential Priorities: Serving the Greater Good. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.“Tell us about a time that you engaged with a viewpoint different from your own. How did you enter that engagement, and what did you learn about yourself from it?”
How to approach it
- 1Spend time on how you entered: assumptions, nerves, intentions.
- 2End on what you learned about yourself, which is the question.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The viewpoint and the setting.
- 2How you entered the engagement.
- 3What happened.
- 4What you learned about yourself.
Where the 350 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| The moment or example | about 140 |
| What it shows or changed | about 120 |
| Why it matters, or what you bring | about 90 |
Mistakes to avoid
- Learning only about the other person.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Amherst answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 350 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| A real difference | The issue and the other person or group are specific, and the difference between their views is stated fairly. |
| How you engaged | It shows the process (listening, questions asked, what the applicant said and did), not a debate won; the applicant need not be the hero. |
| What you learned | It says honestly what changed in the applicant's thinking or way of engaging, even if neither view changed, and how they engage with others now. |
| Amherst's ask | Covers how the applicant entered the engagement and what they learned about themselves. |
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Questions
More on Amherst and this kind of question
- Harvard: A time you strongly disagreed · 150 words
- Yale: Essay: an opposing view · 400 words
- Columbia: A time you did not agree with someone · 150 words
- Duke: Difference of opinion · 250 words
- Johns Hopkins: Engaging across differences · 350 words
- Barnard: A woman who brings people together · 200-250 words