The supplemental college essays AI can’t do (and a simple method for writing them yourself)

The University of Southern California’s new essay prompt asks students: “Describe a time when you disagreed with someone you know about something important to you. Did you change your mind or reach common ground?”

Some students might say: “I don’t really disagree with people.” Actually, you do. You disagreed with your dad last week about taking the car. You disagreed with your lab partner about a result. You probably disagreed with your friends in some random group chat.

But none of these feel “important” enough to write about. So you tuck them away in the “doesn’t count” category, while your cursor blinks mockingly.

Let’s fix that. First, let's look at the similar prompts that intimidate students.

For more college essay writing tips, check out: Why Common App essay examples help you write better.

AI-resistant prompts

USC isn’t alone in posing this prompt. Harvard asks you to describe a time you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue, how you engaged with that person, and what you learned.

Columbia wants you to write about a time you didn’t agree with someone, and what you took away. Dartmouth channels Jane Goodall (?) and asks about a difficult conversation with someone whose perspective differed from yours, and how you found common ground. The list goes on.

While no prompt is entirely AI-proof, these disagreement prompts resist chatbots. If the disagreement never happened, your AI-written essay is going to read like a stock photo. The lighting will be great, and everybody will have smiles of reconciliation pasted on their faces. But something will be weird: like those AI-generated images of people with extra thumbs.

USC’s prompt demands a real person you know. A specific disagreement. And an honest verdict. Did you change your mind? AI loves the neat ending where everyone hugs it out and finds common ground. But admissions readers' Spidey senses tingle at these endings. They can feel how hollow it is. The details that make these essays believable are the details only you hold.

The STARR method

Don’t use AI to write these essays. Just. Don’t. Do. It. It will come off as phony, and admissions readers will know because they’re trained to spot the signs of AI writing. Instead, use the STARR method.

The STARR method is an acronym that stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and Reflection. I added a piece at the end: a connection to the college, but we’ll get to that later.

If you’ve ever prepped for a job interview, the first four letters will look familiar. They work for these essays — and college essays more broadly — because every step forces you toward specificity. Specific to your life is the one thing a chatbot can’t do well.

Let’s walk through the STARR method with a made-up student. I’ll call her Maya. She’s an editor at her school newspaper.

Situation. Where were you? Who was there? And what was the disagreement all about? Give it to me in one or two sentences. “The editor-in-chief wanted to write about a varsity soccer player’s suspension, and I didn’t” is a real disagreement a reader can picture.

Task. What was your job or the stakes? This is the step students sometimes skip, but it makes everything real and helps the AO understand why it matters. Maya was the last person to give the story the go-ahead before it went to press. That made it her problem.

Action. What did you do and say? This is the beating heart of the essay, so give it room to breathe. Did you argue or listen patiently? Did you lose your temper, or did you do something about it?

Maya pulled policies for naming those under investigation from two professional newspapers, drafted both versions of the story, and brought them to the staff meeting. No need for heroics. Small actions often make a bigger splash.

Result. What happened? Be honest here. USC and other schools want to know if you changed your mind. If the answer is “sort of,” that might be better than “completely changed my mind.” The paper ran the story without the name. The editor-in-chief and Maya still disagree.

This is okay since similar situations happen all the time in the professional world. What admissions officers want to see is you engaging in difficult conversations in a mature way and handling things well

Reflection. What did you learn? Both about the issue and yourself? This is where most responses go limp. Push past the easy answer: “I learned to respect others’ opinions.” Meh. Boring! Thousands of others will write that same sentence. 

Maya realized part of her disagreement came from journalistic principles, and another part from her squeamishness about seeing the player in the hallway the next day. This is where introspection and vulnerability come into play, which is often the hardest part of the essay and something 90% of students don’t even include.

Connection to college. Write a sentence or two that connects your experience to future life on campus. If your reflection is strong, this part writes itself. Maya says she wants to have the same argument again at the Daily Trojan. Done.

Keeping it within the word limit

You have to economize to fit everything within a 250-word prompt.

Group Situation and Task together at 50 or so words. Action receives around 80. Results should be short and sweet at 30 words. Reflection and Connection, with Reflection receiving the lion’s share, get the remaining 90.

The back half of your essay is where the story is. USC, Harvard, Columbia: they all want to know what you learned. That isn’t by accident. The story tees you up for serious reflection. Protect that first.

Where AI still helps

AI is still a useful tool. I mean that in all sincerity.

But don’t take my word for it: USC spells it out on its What We Look for page. Admissions officers aren’t Luddites. They might even use AI themselves (gasp!) to brainstorm or get unstuck when their writing meanders.

Using AI this way isn’t different from asking a teacher to read a draft. But USC also states, in no uncertain terms, that if AI drafts your essay or generates your ideas — always have your own ideas — you’re crossing a bright red line.

Here’s what “useful tool” means for the STARR method. Have a chatbot interview you. Let it ask you the six questions, and tell it to push back when the answer is vague. That’s a good use case. ChatGPT is a great study partner who never gets bored.

Then, close the tab and write it.

Because when AI writes your Reflection, you’ve handed it the only thing that was yours. It’ll be as polished as sterling silver. It’ll sound confident. But it won’t come across like a seventeen-year-old who learned something new about herself, which is exactly what an admissions reader expects.

Next steps

Grab a sheet of paper (yes, physical paper) and jot down five disagreements you’ve had in the past two years. Even the small ones. Especially the small ones. Then circle the one where you’re still unsure if you were right.

That’s usually the essay. Run it through the STARR method to verify. And remember, you’ve got more to say than you think.

If you still need help after you’ve written your essay, have an adult review it. This could be anyone from a teacher to a professional essay reviewer.

It might be a good idea to get a read from the latter before you hit submit. Professional college essay reviewers know exactly how your essays will land before an admissions committee.