Dartmouth College's wording, checked October 26, 2026“The social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees have been the focus of Dame Jane Goodall's research for decades. Her understanding of animal behavior prompted the English primatologist to see a lesson for human communities as well: "Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right." Channel Dame Goodall: Tell us about a moment when you engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with an opinion or perspective that was different from your own. How did you find common ground?”
How to approach it
- 1Show the listening before the talking.
- 2Name the common ground precisely.
- 3The prompt ends with a direct question: how did you find common ground? A reader should be able to point to your answer.
- 4Choose a conversation where something was at stake for you.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The moment: who, where, and what you disagreed about.
- 2What you heard when you listened, including what you had wrong or had not considered.
- 3The common ground, stated exactly, and how you reached it.
- 4What changed afterward, in you or between you.
Where the 250 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| The moment or example | about 100 |
| What it shows or changed | about 90 |
| Why it matters, or what you bring | about 60 |
Mistakes to avoid
- A debate you won.
- Common ground that amounts to agreeing to disagree.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Dartmouth 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 250 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. |
| Dartmouth's ask | It does every part of what Dartmouth's question asks, in the college's own terms. |
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Questions
More on Dartmouth 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