“What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?”
What your child is genuinely good at, and the evidence they built it rather than were handed it.
Three things worth noticing before you say anything — and one rule: notice them out loud as questions, not corrections.
I usually tell my students NOT to write about a sport or about playing an instrument, because it is very hard to make it sound different from every other athlete or musician. Most students write about the hours they put in and how they learned perseverance, hard work and grit. I have been reading students' essays for over 25 years and I cannot count how many have that same theme. Now imagine how many the UC readers have seen.
If you are still determined to write about your sport or your instrument — and I understand, it can feel like a hole in your application if they never learn it — then you have to write it creatively. That is the whole game on this one.
You do not need an award. The question asks how you developed and demonstrated the talent over time, so the proof is the trajectory, not the trophy.
And whatever they write: SHOW the reader, do not TELL the reader.
The example essays are the part families ask for most, and the part we keep inside the course. Every question gets at least one real student response, with Danielle’s notes on why it landed.
See the course