For universities and colleges that want to assess applicants':
ability to connect seemingly disparate academic concepts into a cohesive whole
capacity for creative thought
general thought/problem-solving processes
mastery of language as a mode of communication
Master academic content
Think critically and solve complex problems
Work collaboratively
Communicate effectively
Learn how to learn
Develop academic mindsets
Rationale for Use
Connecting four randomly-generated concepts from different academic disciplines, being inherently multi-faceted, is a complex problem that applicants will have to think critically to solve. Reading your applicants' submissions will allow your admissions officers to see how they do it!
The Connections Essay can also be used to gauge one's mastery of academic content. Applicants who understand the concepts deeply will likely not only see more possibilities for connection, but they will likely also be able to come up with more creative, cohesive, or profound connections.
Given that it is an unusual task, the applicant's ability to communicate effectively will be especially visible since it is unlikely that the applicant will have a default explanation they can simply regurgitate, and you will not have a pre-existing familiarity with the connection they are trying to explain.
Since the task specifically asks applicants to work with academic concepts, it nudges applicants to take an academic approach, Your admissions officers can then gauge applicants' development of academic mindsets.
Design
Possible Prompts
Pick one concept from each category and connect them in any way in a written format.
English: Hamlet, Anna Karenina, The Tale of Genji
History: Vietnam War, Cultural Revolution, Dutch Golden Age
Science: conservation of mass, 2nd law of thermodynamics, perturbation theory
Math: y-intercept, 2nd derivatives, angle bisector theorem
The concepts that applicants are able to choose can be customized to your university's particular interests. For example, the concepts in the English and History categories may be tailored to your country or cover a more global curriculum. Your university may also choose to include more advanced terms in the academic category that is most relevant to the program the applicant is applying for, if you wish to emphasize the academic mastery component of the task.
Additional note: a set of three terms from each of the four core subjects should be randomly generated for each applicant when they choose to start the essay to prevent cheating. The applicant can then choose which term from each category they would like to connect in their essay.
Possible Directions for Students
A creative piece speculating how Hamlet would have reacted to the Vietnam War, accompanied by an essay that employs the concept of conservation of mass to argue why this may be possible and is therefore a worthwhile thought experiment to engage in and uses 2nd derivatives to create a model for thinking about how much life would have changed between Hamlet's time and the time of the Vietnam War.
A tightly academic essay that explains a non-obvious, fundamental commonality between the chosen concepts/works/events or situates them into a broader context where they can be productively discussed together.
Timeline
Evaluation Guide
Demonstration of Knowledge and Understanding
- Does the student draw on surface-level similarities that would be accessible to someone unfamiliar with the concepts/works/events?
- Does the student demonstrate familiarity with the pertinent facts of each concept/work/event they choose to use?
- Does the student demonstrate a profound understanding of the concept/work/events by connecting them in a particularly integrated or profound way?
Creativity
- How original are the connections that the student draws? Or is their method of communication particularly creative?
Approach
- Do the students' connections emphasize the concept/work/event's academic significance or meaning, or do they take a more innovative/creative approach, or is it a mix of both?
- Are you looking for applicants with a certain style of thinking?
Communication
- How easy is it to follow the student's line of thought?
FAQs
If the essay is conducted asynchronously how will we know that the submission is the authentic work of the applicant?
Given that the group of concepts the applicant can choose to connect will change with every applicant, there is not really a way to study for or "game" the task. No individual would then be significantly "better prepared" than any other. Therefore, we do not believe that there will be a large incentive to hire someone to write the essay on the applicant's behalf. Applicants can also be made to acknowledge a Code of Honor before beginning and submitting the essay as an additional measure.
How will applicants be prevented from searching things up?
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