<p>“Think about a disappointment you have experienced. What was your response? (in 250 characters or less)”</p>
<p>This isn’t too difficult, except that it’s in 250 characters. Am I supposed to just provide the response, or am I supposed to provide the backstory as well?</p>
<p>Not intending this to sound snarky, but the reader probably learns something about the applicant in 250 words that he wouldn’t learn in 1500 words. Edit and then edit some more. </p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>There’s only so much you can fit in 250 characters. I would start by describing the disappointment, and your response, in a short paragraph - three or four sentences. Then trim and edit yourself down to the 250 characters. </p>
<p>You have to provide context of what exactly the failure was. In like 5 or 6 words you can do this. For example: “Falling off the bike again, I learned…” It makes your reaction much more understandable and powerful.</p>