Here is a PDF of all 650 prompts, and we also have a related lesson plan, From ‘Lives’ to ‘Modern Love’: Writing Personal Essays With Help From The New York Times.
Below, a list that touches on everything from sports to travel, education, gender roles, video games, fashion, family, pop culture, social media and more. Like all our Student Opinion questions, each links to a related Times article and includes a series of follow-up questions. All questions published since May 2015 are still open to comment by any student 13 or older.
So dive into this admittedly overwhelming list and pick the questions that most inspire you to tell an interesting story, describe a memorable event, observe the details in your world, imagine a possibility, or reflect on who you are and what you believe.
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Overcoming Adversity
1. What Challenges Have You Overcome?
2. What Are Your Secret Survival Strategies?
3. What Do You Do When You Encounter Obstacles to Success?
4. When Have You Failed? What Did You Learn From It?
5. When Have You Ever Succeeded When You Thought You Might Fail?
6. What Life Lessons Has Adversity Taught You?
7. What Work Went Into Reaching Your Most Difficult Goals?
8. How Often Do You Leave Your ‘Comfort Zone’?
9. When Was the Last Time You Did Something That Scared or Challenged You?
10. What Are You Afraid Of?
11. What Are Your Fears and Phobias?
12. What Are Your Personal Superstitions?
13. Do You Like Being Alone?
14. How Often Do You Cry?
15. Do You Ever Feel Overlooked and Underappreciated?
16. How Have You Handled Being the ‘New Kid’?
17. How Do You Deal With Haters?
18. How Do You React When Provoked?
19. What Role Does Stress Play in Your Life?
20. Does Stress Affect Your Ability to Make Good Decisions?
21. How Do You Relieve Stress?
22. How Do You Find Peace in Your Life?
23. Does Your Life Leave You Enough Time to Relax?
24. Do You Set Rules for Yourself About How You Use Your Time?
25. Is ‘Doing Nothing’ a Good Use of Your Time?
26. What Did You Once Hate but Now Like?
27. What Kind of Feedback Helps You Improve?
28. Is Trying Too Hard to Be Happy Making You Sad?
29. Do Adults Who Are ‘Only Trying to Help’ Sometimes Make Things Worse?
