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How to Write Villanova's "Borrowed Your Strength" Essay

A time someone borrowed some of your strength in their time of need ("each of us strengthens all of us").

250 wordsChoose 1 of 5Community2026-27
Villanova University's wording, checked October 26, 2026
“At Villanova, we often say "each of us strengthens all of us." Please detail a time when someone has borrowed some of your strength in their time of need.”

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

  1. 1Keep the other person's dignity in the story.
  2. 2Show what you did, not only what you felt.
  3. 3Say what it taught you about community.

A structure that works

One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.

  1. 1The moment someone needed you.
  2. 2What you did.
  3. 3What it taught you about how people hold each other up.

Where the 250 words go

PartWords
The moment or exampleabout 100
What it shows or changedabout 90
Why it matters, or what you bringabout 60

Mistakes to avoid

  • A hero story.

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.

AreaWhat a reader looks for
Answers the questionThe opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered.
The community, concretelyThe community is defined by a detail only a member would know (a place, a ritual, a person), not a label.
Your part in itWhat the applicant personally did or does in it is on the page, with "I" statements.
What it gave you and what you will bringIt says how the community shaped the applicant and connects that to how they will take part in the college's community.
Villanova's askIt connects the answer to Villanova's community and does every part of what Villanova's question asks.

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Questions

How long is Villanova's "When someone borrowed your strength" essay?

Up to 250 words. Villanova asks for about 250 words and says not to stress about going over or under, as long as it is close.

Is it required?

Choose 1 of 5. Villanova's full set of questions is on the Villanova supplemental essays page.

Can I reuse an essay from another college for this prompt?

You can start from material you have, but rewrite it for Villanova's exact wording: answer every part of this question, and cut what it does not ask for.

Can Statementory write or improve my answer?

We never write or rewrite it: colleges ask you to affirm your essays are your own work. Our checker reviews it against the checklist on this page, quotes your own words, and asks the questions only you can answer.

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