I’ve searched this prompt all over the web looking for a way to tackle it, but the issues raised with the prompt are always the same thing, “I’ve never had any problems in my life so I don’t know what to write”. Now I wish that was my situation, but the thing is that I have numerous problems and issues that I’ve experienced but the only ones I’ve ever dealt with are so minor that they’d hardly make 3 paragraphs of meaningless content. The noteworthy problems in my life are still going on and I’m still in the midst of dealing with them, maybe they’d make content for another prompt but it doesn’t seem like it would fit in this one.
Remember the point behind the essay.
It’s not therapy or Confession or an audition for Reality TV. You have 650 words in which to “give them a reason to say yes.”
So I would avoid the big, glaring problems. I would find one example of a small problem you did solve, and tell the story. But find a problem that doesn’t paint you as a victim of circumstances you could have avoided.
You want the kind of story you’ll tell your kids one day… “Mom/dad, tell us about the time you…” Something that paints you in a positive light, because you took action, and you took the right action. It doesn’t have to be a “noteworthy” problem.