Villanova University's wording, checked October 26, 2026“As Pope Leo XIV (Villanova Class of 1977) has said, “no one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part.” What have you done to play your part in advancing equity and justice in your community?”
Villanova asks for about 250 words and says not to stress about going over or under, as long as it is close.
How to approach it
- 1One specific action you took, even a small one.
- 2Why you took it.
- 3What it taught you about your part.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The injustice you noticed in your community.
- 2What you did about it.
- 3What it taught you about playing your part.
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
- Opinions about justice with no action.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Villanova 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. |
| The community, concretely | The community is defined by a detail only a member would know (a place, a ritual, a person), not a label. |
| Your part in it | What the applicant personally did or does in it is on the page, with "I" statements. |
| What it gave you and what you will bring | It says how the community shaped the applicant and connects that to how they will take part in the college's community. |
| Villanova's ask | Gives what the applicant has actually done to advance equity and justice in their community. |
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Questions
More on Villanova and this kind of question
- Yale: Essay: a community · 400 words
- Princeton: Service and civic engagement · 250 words
- Penn: Exploring community at Penn · 50-200 words
- Duke: Communities · 250 words
- Caltech: Collaboration: STEM as shared learning · 200 words
- Rice: The residential college system · 500 words