Essay guide · 2026–27 cycle
The disagreement essay
Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Dartmouth all ask a version of this now. The question is not who was right. It is whether you can hold a disagreement without flattening the other person, and whether anything in you moved as a result.
No card. Paste a draft and Admitify reads it line by line against the question it has to answer. It never writes for you.
What the question is really asking
Whether you can hold a disagreement without flattening the other person. The school is checking for intellectual humility and the ability to keep talking, not for who won.
Choosing a disagreement where you were obviously right and the other person obviously wrong. Or ending with "we agreed to disagree," which says nothing happened.
A real disagreement with a real person, stated fairly from their side. What you did in the conversation (not what you felt). What shifted afterwards, in you, even if your view held. Specific lines of dialogue help.
How to write it, in order
Pick a disagreement where the other person had a point. If they were obviously wrong, there is nothing to show.
State their position fairly, in a sentence they would agree with. This is the hardest part and the part readers check first.
Describe what you did in the conversation. Questions you asked, where you conceded, where you held. Actions, not feelings.
Say what shifted afterwards. Your view can stay the same; the essay still needs to show that something in how you hold it changed.
Do not end with “we agreed to disagree.” It means nothing happened.
Before you submit
- The other person's view is stated so fairly they would sign it.
- There is at least one line of actual dialogue.
- You did something in the conversation besides explain your view.
- The ending names a specific change, however small.
- The disagreement is about an idea, not a chore or a schedule.
Every school that asks it
12 schools, 12 prompts. Click a school for all of its supplements, word counts and a prompt-by-prompt guide. Schools marked with a cycle year show last year's wording; the 2026–27 version was not yet published when verified.
- Harvard Universityup to 150 words
“Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?”
- Columbia Universityup to 150 words
“At Columbia, students representing a wide range of perspectives are invited to live and learn together. In such a community, questions and debates naturally arise. Please describe a time when you did not agree with someone and discuss how you engaged with them and what you took away from the interaction.”
- Yale Universityup to 400 words
“Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?”
- Dartmouth Collegeup to 250 words
“Dame Jane Goodall stated: "Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right." Tell us about a moment when you engaged in a difficult conversation or encountered someone with a different perspective. How did you find common ground?”
- Duke Universityup to 250 words
“Meaningful dialogue often involves respectful disagreement. Provide an example of a difference of opinion you've had with someone you care about. What did you learn from it?”
- Johns Hopkins University200-350 words
“At Johns Hopkins, community is built through dialogue, collaboration, and a willingness to engage across differences. Whether on campus or in the broader world, community depends on bridge builders who can listen to differing perspectives, challenge their own assumptions, or work together toward shared goals. Drawing on your own experiences, what have you learned about engaging across differences and how has it shaped the way you think about building bridges, enhancing community, and working with others?”
- University of Southern Californiaup to 250 words
“The USC Student Commitment charges Trojans to 'value honest, open communication and robust debate,' and to 'champion ideological diversity and embrace freedom of expression.' Describe a time when you disagreed with someone you know about something important to you. Did you change your mind or reach common ground?”
- Claremont McKenna Collegeup to 250 words
“A critical part of fulfilling our mission is living out the commitments of CMC's Open Academy: Freedom of Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Dialogue. We want to learn more about your commitment to listening and learning from others with different viewpoints, perspectives, and life experiences from your own. Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others?”
- Emory Universityup to 150 words
“Respond to one of the following: 1. Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community that you have been part of where your personal participation helped to change or shape the community for the better. 2. Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness. 3. Emory University's unique mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission of service to humanity. 4. In a scholarly community, differing ideas often collide before they converge. How do you personally navigate disagreement in a way that promotes progress and deepens meaningful dialogue?”
- Georgetown Universityup to 250 words
“In all our lives, we interact with people who hold different viewpoints than our own. Describe such an event you experienced. What did you learn from the experience?”
- University of Oregonup to 500 words
“What's something you believed in that you changed your mind about and what made you change it? Be thoughtful and provide concrete examples to support your response.”
- George Washington Universityup to 500 words · 2025-26
“The George Washington University encourages students to think critically and to challenge the status quo. Thus, civil discourse is a key characteristic of our community. Describe a time when you engaged others in meaningful dialogue around an issue that was important to you. Did this exchange create change, new perspectives, or deeper relationships?”
Common questions
- Should I write about politics or religion?
- You can, but the essay has to be about the conversation, not the issue. If more than a few sentences argue the position, it has become an opinion piece.
- What if I changed my mind completely?
- That works, as long as you show the steps. A conversion with no process reads as a convenient ending.
- Can the disagreement be with a parent or teacher?
- Yes. The power difference can make it stronger, because listening was harder. Be careful not to turn it into a complaint about them.
Prompts verified September 2026 against each school's published application. Browse all schools A–Z. Spotted a change? Tell us.