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Dickinson: The qualities question

50 words or less; optional

What are the qualities that make you proud to be you?
What it’s really asking

Dickinson wants you to name what you value about yourself, ideally shown rather than declared. Optional, 50 words or less. This is the identity question of the set, and the easiest one to ruin by listing adjectives.

Why they ask it

At 50 words, a list of virtues reads as empty. Dickinson is reading for self-knowledge and authenticity. The students who do well show a quality in action or claim a small, specific, slightly unusual source of pride.

Three ways in
The quality in a moment

Catch one trait inside a real scene instead of naming it. Let the reader infer 'empathetic' or 'persistent' from what you actually do.

The quirk you like

A small odd habit you have made peace with and now genuinely enjoy. Owning a quirk reads as more honest than claiming a virtue.

The consistent thing

Something you do reliably that quietly reveals what you value. Patterns of behavior are more convincing than adjectives.

✕  Weak opening

“I am proud to be hardworking, kind, curious, and a good leader.”

✓  Strong opening

“I am the friend who texts back at 2 a.m., and I have decided to be proud of that instead of tired.”

✦ Annotated example · Quietly stubborn. Written by EssayLens to teach, not a real applicant’s essay. Tap a highlighted line →
I'm proud that I'm slow to be impressed and slow to give up. 1I ask the second question, 2the one after everyone has nodded and moved on. 3I keep a running list of things I once swore I understood 4and clearly didn't. 5Mostly, I'm proud that I can be wrong out loud and still come back curious the next morning.6
  1. 1Leads with paired qualities that are specific and slightly unflattering-sounding, avoiding the usual brag list.
  2. 2Begins to translate an abstract trait into a concrete habit.
  3. 3Shows curiosity and self-awareness through a concrete behavior rather than a labeled trait.
  4. 4Vivid, original detail (the list) makes the humility believable instead of performed.
  5. 5The blunt admission keeps the tone honest and unpolished, which the school rewards.
  6. 6Lands on self-awareness without bragging, in a warm closing line that ties curiosity and humility together.
Stuck? Start here
  • What do people thank you for that you barely notice doing?
  • What trait of yours did you once see as a flaw and now value?
  • What small thing are you quietly, specifically proud of?
Before you submit
  • Did I show a quality in action instead of just naming it?
  • Would this sentence be true only of me, not any applicant?
  • Did I avoid a list of adjectives entirely?

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