photographs as writing prompts

Also saw this in the last Sunday’s New York Times: “What Do You See?” Seems could be a good writing assignment, a promising way of getting more interesting essays and avoiding plagiarized / re-hashed topics.

What does a swimming tiger suggest about public policy, or a pricked finger say about your goals? The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University is showing applicants two dozen conceptual photos, and giving them the option of basing an essay on one of them.

The following photo album was created by the Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit group that produces visual tools to prompt conversations at leadership training seminars. Wagner is putting the concept to unusual use as an admissions tool. “It allows us to get a deeper sense of the applicant’s passion for/commitment to an issue, and unlocks the depth of interest in a way that is not always achievable in a standard admissions essay,” says Tracey Gardner, Wagner’s chief of staff.

Another benefit: no more essays rehashed from other applications. About 970 applicants for this fall’s class, more than half, wrote on an image.

Here’s the slideshow, showing a sampling of the images and examples of what students chose to write about.