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How to Write the Most Common Supplemental College Essays: A Complete Guide

Note: This post focuses on supplemental essays. If you want advice on the Common App prompts, check out our guide to the Common App essays .

Your grades are in, your test scores have been sent, and recommendation letters have been uploaded…but there’s one last component of your college applications left: the essays. For many students, essays are the final and most daunting hurdle to clear before hitting submit.

Your essays, however, are your opportunity to tell admissions officers how you want them to remember you. Maybe you didn’t do so well on the SAT, or maybe you got a lower grade than you hoped for in Honors Chemistry, but you can’t change your grades or scores.

The essays, however, are entirely in your control. There is so much freedom to tell your story and what makes you unique. Our mission at CollegeVine is to make the essay-writing as stress-free as possible. Read on for our tips and tricks on writing a college essay that will give you the best chance at getting that thick envelope!

Content overview:

• Why this college?
• Why this major?
• Elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience.
• Discuss a community you belong to that has impacted who you are today.
• Crafting the essay
• Avoiding pitfalls

Want to learn more about Supplemental Essays? Check out one of our popular recorded live streams on this topic.

Common Types of College Essays

Colleges will find a hundred different ways to ask a question, but most of the time, the prompt boils down to one of the following common essay themes.

Common Essay #1: Why this college?

Students’ most common mistake on a “Why this college?” essay is lack of specificity; in particular, some students will list attributes that can apply to multiple schools, which is what you want to avoid at all costs.

When it comes to a “Why this college?” essay, you need to discuss qualities and programs specific to that school. It is not enough to merely list or name-drop, however. Instead, talk about why this item is important to you. Here’s how this plays out:

What not to do:

I want to go to the University of Southern California because it is a highly ranked school in Los Angeles. In addition, I like its Cosmic Writers Club, as well as the Incubate USC program. I am especially excited about the abundant film resources.

Why the previous response doesn’t work:

There are many reasons you want to avoid a response like this. Let’s start with the first sentence: replace the school’s name with UCLA and the accuracy doesn’t suffer. What this means is that the sentence is not specific enough to USC. In addition, you never want to state, or even imply, that you’re applying to a school due to prestige or ranking.

The exception for the previous rule is if a school is ranked highly for a specific program of interest. For example, if you want to pursue creative writing and a school has the number one creative writing program in the country, you can mention this because it is a quality specific to that school. A school’s overall prestige, however, should not be mentioned in your essay.

Why else doesn’t this response work? Let’s look at the second sentence. The writer does well to mention specific programs within USC. However, the response fails to discuss why they liked these programs or how they would benefit from having access to them.

What to write instead:

As someone with a lasting love for writing and a blossoming passion for entrepreneurship, I was so excited to find a large urban school like the University of Southern California that would give me the resources to pursue both. From classes with award-winning authors—amongst them Professor T. Boyle, whose environmental fiction works are similar to those I hope to someday publish—to clubs like the Cosmic Writers Club, which unites author hopefuls, USC offers more resources than I could ever exhaust in my journey to publish my first book.

On the business side, USC is known for fostering the type of creativity and innovation needed in pursuing start-ups. In particular, I was so excited to learn of the Incubate USC program, a unique mothership of ideas that nurtures the creativity of students. With the help of this program, I would be able to pursue my growing interest in the world of start-up ventures.

Why the previous response works:

This response not only mentions programs and resources specific to USC, but it shows how the student would take advantage of these opportunities. In addition, this response portrays passion and ambition, infusing elements of the student’s personality while still staying focused on answering the prompt.

Other things to keep in mind:

• The first time you say the school’s name, you should write it out. After that, you can abbreviate.
• Avoid writing what every other applicant is going to write. For example, every NYU applicant is going to mention NYU’s location in New York City. Unless you have a unique twist on this, you should skip it.
• Don’t mention frivolous things like dorms or dining halls. Your reasons for liking a school should be more substantial.
• Do your research. For example, don’t say you’ve always wanted to go to a city if you’re writing an essay for a rural school.
• Do not copy and paste your “Why this college?” essay and simply change the school name. Many non-Harvard admissions officers have received essays from students about why they want to go to Harvard. If your “Why this college?” essay is so general that you can copy and paste it, your reasoning will not impress admissions officers.

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the “Why this college?” essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay #2: Why this major? 

One of the most important things to remember is that admissions officers are not looking for a résumé. This is not to say you can’t discuss your activities and how they culminated a passion for a specific major. The challenge, however, is to use these activities to tell a story rather than a mere list of achievements.

How do you do this? Share your thought processes. Many times it is the thoughts surrounding an activity more than the activity itself that will show the reader your journey to choosing a major.

Other tips:

• Don’t ever say that your reason for choosing a major is money-making potential. If you want to mention life beyond college, then talk about how this major will help you achieve your dreams. If your dream is to produce a feature-length film and a film major will help you get there, say that. But don’t say your dream is to be a rich film producer.
• Undeclared? That’s totally okay. Just be sure to list a couple potential majors, and explain your interest in those. Under no circumstances should you say you have absolutely no idea, as that will make you look like you don’t care. For more tips, see our post on how to write the “Why this major?” essay if you’re undecided .

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the “Why this major?” essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay 3: Elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience.

Is there an activity or work experience in your application that you have more to say about? Maybe there’s a story behind it that you want to tell. Some questions to consider are:

• How did you become interested in this extracurricular?
• What is your role in the activity or work experience?
• Why do you do it?
• Have you experienced growth within the activity over time?

There are endless angles you can pursue here, but your essay should, in short, show your motivation behind participating in a certain activity or job.

What you don’t want to do, however, is simply restate something that’s been said elsewhere. If you have already spotlighted an activity in another essay for a given college, don’t write about the same activity. Your goal here is to share new information and your breadth of experiences.

As with the “Why Major?” prompt, it is more powerful to share a story with the reader rather than to detail the activity itself.

For more tips on writing this essay, see our complete guide to the Extracurricular Activity essay , including a real sample essay.

Common Essay 4: Discuss a community you belong to that has impacted who you are today.

“Community” can mean many things, so there are many possible approaches to this prompt. Some applicants respond with a community they’re linked to through culture, and others through sports or a club.

One thing you can emphasize is personal growth—or other aspects of who you are as a person—that has come from belonging to this community. The majority of the essay should, in fact, center around how being part of this group has changed or impacted who you are as a person.

What to avoid:

• Do not discriminate against other communities in your response.
• Try not to talk about your community in broad terms, but instead focus on your place within this community.
• Avoid using the essay as a chance to complain. If you choose to talk about challenges in a certain community, find a way to give your essay a sense of resolution. This can consist even of talking about how you’ve grown as a person or learned how to confront these obstacles in a productive way.

Writing the Essay

Phase 1: ideation.

Highlights of this section:

• Thinking of an idea
• Portraying individuality
• Staying true to yourself
• General tips and tricks

Now that you’re familiar with some of the most common types of essay prompts, let’s dive into the ideation process. Here are some questions that it’s good to ask yourself when you’re just starting out, particularly when the prompt deviates from the more straightforward archetypes above:

• What makes you unique?
• What is your story?
• Is there something you weren’t able to say in your application that you think admissions officers should know?
• Did you mention something earlier in your application that you want to elaborate on?

Remember that your essays, and application in general, should read like a portfolio in which all components are complementary without being redundant. If the application is like a drawing, then the essays should contribute to creating one coherent image without sketching the same line more than once or leaving gaps in the drawing.

Don’t shy away from being quirky! The more you present yourself as your own unique person, the more likely the admissions officer is to remember you. Take the following cases, for instance:

• A football player who scores a winning touchdown in the last five seconds of the game.
• A football player who knits scarves for residents of a retirement home in his free time.

In the first case, telling this story doesn’t do anything to differentiate this football player from others. However, the second story portrays a unique student with two interests the reader might not otherwise have paired together. Individuality is the goal here.

Of course, don’t exaggerate , lie, or pretend to be someone you’re not. In particular, don’t write something just because you think the admissions officer wants to hear it. They have read enough applications to separate the genuine voices from the insincere. As such, your only job is to put your true self on the page!

Here are some other things to keep in mind while brainstorming college essay topics:

• Narratives will always be more successful because they engage the reader emotionally. They are also an easy way to demonstrate how you’ve changed and grown over time.
• If you have already emphasized something in your application, don’t dedicate an essay to it unless can share an entirely new perspective. When in doubt, choose a new topic.
• Your essay doesn’t have to be about something rare and incredible. You don’t have to have started a company or traveled the world to write a solid essay. In fact, some of the strongest essays have taken a simple, perhaps even everyday occurrence, and portrayed it in a beautiful way that shows a unique way of thinking.
• Be sure to answer all aspects of the prompt while still giving the reader insight into who you are. It’s very easy to speak about some topics in third-person or broad terms (example: “What is your idea of success?”). Don’t do this. Instead, find a way to link the prompt to your own life.

Overall, think of the essays as a way to let the admissions officer get to know you on a personal level. Humanize yourself.

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Phase 2: Crafting the Essay

• Show, don’t tell.
• Perfecting the first and last sentence
• What does the essay say about me?

You have likely heard this next tip a hundred times throughout high school, but it’s vital to writing a strong essay: show, don’t tell . The whole point of essays is to give insight into who you are and how you think. Can you effectively do that if you’re merely listing off things that happened? Nope. Let’s take a lot at two examples:

• An example of telling: The cat ran out the door, and I got scared.
• An example of showing: The doorbell rang, accompanied by the creak of the mailbox as the mailman slipped the day’s envelopes inside. I ran downstairs and threw the door open, knowing today was the day I was going to hear back. My excitement made me oblivious, though, and it wasn’t until I saw a blur of dark fur dash through the open door that I realized my mistake.

The second example takes the facts and turns it into a story. It gives the reader a sense of anticipation as well as a character to identify with and root for. That’s what “show, don’t tell” does for your essay.

Now let’s talk about the two most important parts of your essay: the first sentence and the last sentence.

Your first sentence’s job is to hook the reader. Aim for a first sentence that surprises, even slightly jars, the reader to wake them up and get their full focus on your essay. Here are some examples:

• It wasn’t supposed to be blue.
• Was the car meant to sound like that?

In both cases, the writer has intentionally withheld information, providing just enough to leave the reader wanting to know the rest of the story. What isn’t supposed to be blue? What happens next?

As for the last sentence, its job is to resolve the essay, leaving the reader with a sense of peace and finality. Give the reader one last great impression to remember you by. Here’s an example:

“I’ve learned to hold my failures close; not so close that they burden me, per say, but just

close enough that they can guide me as I journey onward.”

This sentence works because it gives the reader a sense that, though the story continues on in the form of the narrator’s ongoing journey, the story on the page has been resolved. It feels peaceful.

Now then, after you’ve completed your first draft, the next thing you want to do is ask yourself the following question : What three things about me can the reader get from reading this essay? If you’re having trouble answering this question, then the essay needs to share more about you. Otherwise, you’re ready for revision!

Phase 3: Revision

• Careless errors
• Staying under the word limit
• Getting a second opinion

You’ve done the hard work. You came up with a brilliant idea and poured your heart and soul into the writing. Now comes the tedious part: revision.

Most importantly, college essays need to be absolutely devoid of grammatical or spelling mistakes . You don’t want to give your admissions officer the impression that you didn’t care enough to proofread, especially after all of your hard work.

Another aspect that tends to frustrate students is the word limit. If you’ve made it under the word limit, great! If not, here are some methods of cutting down.

• Example: In visiting your campus, it occurred to me that the method with which you schedule your classes is ideal because…
• This can be cut down to: The way you schedule your classes is ideal because…
• Most times phrases such as “I think,” “I believe,” “it seems,” and other similar wording is not necessary and simply takes up extra space. Use your judgement, but generally, these phrases get the boot.
• Keep an eye out for the word “that.” This can almost always be cut.
• If you use a long hyphen (—), no space is needed between words. This will bring your word count down. Don’t get too hyphen happy, though!

If the above tips are not enough to get you below the word limit,  you may need to remove entire paragraphs. If a paragraph does not drive the story forward, or is unnecessary in understanding the progression of the story, you may want to remove it.

Once your essay is mistake-free and below the word limit, your next task is to send it to at least three trusted individuals. Ask them the following questions to guide their suggestions:

• Does it make sense?
• Does it sound like me?
• What does it say about me? (Check that this aligns with what you want it to say about you).

Take note of their responses and decide what changes you want to implement. Be receptive, but remember to stay true to yourself and your vision.

Avoiding Pitfalls:

• Avoid discussion of taboo subjects or things that can be perceived as controversial. Everyone is entitled to their own views, but you don’t want to chance saying something controversial that your reader might disagree with.
• Never appear discriminatory in any way. Colleges tend to be vastly left-wing and progressive.
• Don’t turn in work that isn’t your own. When does accepting another person’s edits become plagiarism? If they are rewriting entire sentences in their own words, it is no longer your own work.
• Avoid clichés! It is okay to write about a common experience (like a sports injury or service trip), but only if you have a unique take on them. Don’t write on a popular topic if you will simply describe the same lesson that everyone else learned.
• Don’t write your essay directly into the application text box or it may not save your work. Write it in a separate document and copy and paste it later. Then, double check that the format is correct.

At the end of the day, your essays should just leave the reader thinking: I want to have a conversation with this student. You want to show that you’re an multifaceted, mature person with an interesting story to tell. At CollegeVine, we’re rooting for you all the way—go get writing!

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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• College Application

Your Definitive Guide to Supplemental College Application Essays

Including supplemental essay examples to inspire your own.

Supplemental college application essays come in a vast range of topics and sizes and are often the biggest challenge for students after getting through the grueling initial application stages. These essays are crucial in the admissions process, as they provide a more personal and detailed context of your candidacy. They allow you to speak about more specific topics than the more general and broadly-structured personal statement or Common App essay that you submit in your primary application.

In this blog, our college essay advisors go over the general categories and purposes for the various supplemental essays you may have to navigate, and offer examples of short, medium, and lengthy supplemental essays.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 25 min read

Why are supplemental college application essays so important.

Supplemental essay prompts are usually provided directly by colleges as part of the secondary application, after you’ve submitted your primary application. Some colleges ask for multiple essays of varying lengths while others may ask for just one long-form supplemental essay. The specific prompts and word count requirements vary widely between schools. Every admissions committee creates their own supplemental requirements, including secondary essay prompts, to help them form a holistic picture of the applicant and judge how well-suited they would be for their school.

At the outset, it’s vital to understand that the term “supplemental” does not mean optional or second in importance. A supplement fills or makes up for an absence or imbalance, and that’s precisely the role these essays play in your application. Think of it a bit like adding colored paint to a black and white drawing. Your high school resume , transcripts, and test scores have given admissions committees an initial sense of what your candidacy. Supplemental essays, when correctly attuned to the personal statement, create a more nuanced portrait of your as an applicant.

Supplemental essays present a unique challenge as they have to be written in a short period of time, typically in 2 weeks or a month. Colleges send out secondary applications only after receiving your primary application and they provide strict submission deadlines. Additionally, unlike your personal statement, it’s not always possible to write supplemental college essays in advance since colleges frequently change their exact prompts from one year to the next and secondary essays need to always be tailored in response to specific prompts. However, that doesn’t mean you have to wait till you actually receive your specific prompts to start work on the essays.

A good strategy to tackle advance work on supplemental college essays is to spend 2 to 3 weeks writing rough drafts of the most common supplemental college essay types. Depending on the colleges you’re applying to, you can focus on specific prompts they’ve frequently asked in previous years. You can also check out college essay examples to get a better idea of what kind of content you need to come up with.

As you’re working on your primary application in the summer before senior year of high school or in September/October of your senior year, you can spend a few minutes each day brainstorming ideas for the previous year’s secondary essay prompts from colleges you’re applying to and creating a few rough drafts. For instance, most colleges ask for the “why us” essay, so you should definitely brainstorm your answer to that question in advance for all the colleges you’re applying to.

The advantage of following this strategy is that you will probably be wrapping up your primary application, including your personal statement or Common App essay, just as you begin work on your secondaries. Writing an effective personal statement requires a lot of brainstorming, journaling, introspection, free writing, rough drafts, and revisions. In the process, you’re sure to have spent plenty of time identifying key experiences, events, incidents, and people in your life, and also thinking about your own strengths, weaknesses, motivations, ambitions, and failures. Not all of this would have made it into your personal statement, and you can re-use a lot of this rough material as inspiration for your supplemental essay content. Moreover, you would have already honed your structuring and writing skills working on your personal statement, and the basic written communication skills required for the secondary essays are the same.

The goal of this advanced writing process is to have ideas and inspiration ready for when you actually receive your specific essay prompts. All your pre-writing and brainstorming will give you plenty of base material to work with, and rather than starting from scratch, you can spend the critical time before your supplemental deadline tailoring your essays to respond to the specific prompts and word counts. Remember, this is going to be a very busy period for you: while different colleges have different supplemental application dates and timelines, they generally occur within a similar period of time, typically between October and November for early decision programs and December and January for regular applications. So, you’re bound to have some overlap between the secondary essay deadlines for different colleges you’re applying to. You might end up having to work on secondary essays for multiple colleges within the same 1 month period. That’s why it’s all the more important that you complete your brainstorming in advance and create a few rough drafts of essays in response to the most commonly expected prompts.

Now, let’s discuss some general trends and categories frequently used for supplemental college application essays.

How to Tackle Different Supplemental Essays Prompts

While these categories cover the general focus of most supplemental essays, it’s important to note that schools change their secondary and supplemental essay prompts regularly, sometimes every year, and as a result, topics and categories evolve over time. Nonetheless, these are the most common categories both historically and currently.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while working on any essay type:

The School-Specific Supplemental Essay

What is it?

As we mentioned previously, this is one of the most frequently used supplemental college prompts. These are typically between 250-350 words in length, although this varies widely from school to school. This is actually one of the easiest types of secondary college prompts to answer. Students don’t usually choose their undergraduate institutions randomly, rather, they make their choice after careful deliberation and research. To answer the school-specific essays, use that research! Schools want to know you’re engaged with their overall mission and clearly understand their place in the world, as well as what you specifically hope to get out of the campus experience aside from a Bachelor’s degree.

Sample essay prompts

Dartmouth : While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: \"It is, sir,\u2026a small college, and yet there are those who love it!\" As you seek admission to the Class of 2026, what aspects of the College's program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? (maximum 100 words) ","label":"Dartmouth","title":"Dartmouth"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

How to write this type of essay

• Provide specific details that tie to an overarching theme : It’s very important to set up the connection between your academic ambitions and what the college has to offer. Think deeply about what you hope to achieve and why you’ve identified this specific college. Back up your thesis with specific details about the college. It’s not enough to say – “I love XYZ college, and I’d love to pursue ABC major there.” The why is crucial. Remember, in this essay, colleges don’t want to see you simply discuss you and your journey; they want to know how that journey led you to them. Back up your claims with details about what attracts you to them, which could be anything from the campus and famous alumni, to the college’s unique values, or their innovative curriculum.
• Go beyond the obvious : This type of essay is, crucially, asking you to do your research and go beyond the obvious. Don’t just talk about a school’s generally known reputation or what’s on their homepage. Instead, try to identify specific projects, academic opportunities, research avenues, extracurriculars, or faculty that interest you, and relate them to your goals.
• Consider what you can do for them : Think not only about why this college is a great choice for you, but why you are a great choice for them. Why do you think you’ll fit into their campus? Are there college traditions you would be proud to continue? Can you contribute to any on-going projects or initiatives on campus? Demonstrate why they should choose you by using a concrete example.

The Extracurricular Essay

In this essay, you may be asked to talk about a particularly meaningful extracurricular activity. You might have already covered the basic details of this activity in the activities section of your application, but supplemental essays dealing with your extracurricular activities get into more overtly personal territory. Remember, the intent here is not to simply get a rehash of your activities section or transcript; rather, in these essays, schools want you to get into the deeper aspects and psychological nuances of your involvement in those activities.

It’s important to keep in mind that most prompts will not directly reference extracurriculars, but the most likely answer to these kinds of prompt will include a discussion of an extracurricular activity. For instance, some colleges ask you to elaborate on an activity where you demonstrated leadership or what helps you explore your creative side.

University of California: Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. (maximum 350 words) ","label":"University of California 2","title":"University of California 2"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

• Pick the right activity : It’s important to pick the right activities to talk about in your supplemental essays. Research the school’s website and social media to see their mission, values, and what kind of qualities they value in their matriculants, and choose an activity that reflects these. While you obviously want to remain genuine in your essays, it does not mean you cannot be strategic. Choose an activity you know will resonate with the college you’re applying to. Another tip: If you’ve already discussed one activity in detail in your personal statement, avoid repeating that here. Additionally, don’t pick achievement-oriented activities just because you think this might impress the admissions committee. You’ve already communicated your achievements in the activities section – in this essay, you have a chance to share another side of your personality and show the admissions committee more of what makes you unique. So, you can either focus on activities you are passionate about but haven’t mentioned elsewhere, such as cooking, woodworking, non-competitive chess playing, and so on. Or pick a compelling angle for activities you’ve already mentioned. For instance, if you’ve noted being a musician in your application elsewhere, this essay would be an opportunity to discuss why and how it’s been meaningful in your life, and potentially the lives of others.
• Do not be repetitive : Think of the personal circumstances, feelings, failures, and learnings surrounding your extracurriculars and write an essay that elaborates on one of these aspects. For example, even if you do end up picking your top activity from your primary application to write about, make sure the essay you write covers a unique aspect of your experience that you haven’t discussed elsewhere in your application before. Continuing our previous example, don’t just cover the obvious aspects of musical performance, but get into the psychological impact of performing, and of what specific types or music have impacted you through immersive practice or playing. 

Check out this infographic:

This type of essay is often the hardest for students to navigate, and also comes with the longest minimum word count requirement, often 500 or more words. If you’ve had your head down in the grind of coursework and achievement-oriented activities for most of your time in high school, odds are, you haven’t had a lot of time to engage in community service or collective projects outside of school. In a sense, this is a supplemental essay that requires some advanced planning: volunteer or community service work is a widely-understood key to getting admitted to competitive universities, so you will need something to refer to in this regard. Moreover, in this essay more than any other, colleges want to see an account of meaningful experience rather than a mere description of activities performed. They’re looking for long-term involvement, thoughtful self-reflection, and a clear personal growth journey. It’s a lot to ask from a high school student writing a 500 word essay!

However, part of the brilliance of this type of essay is its flexibility. You don’t need to have built a new community center with your bare hands to have impacted your community. Maybe you’ve participated in a group project that benefitted other students, or maybe you took part in planning a school event. Even a part-time job likely had some impact on your neighbors and fellow citizens. You could also discuss “informal” activities, such as helping your elderly neighbor with her grocery shopping, helping your family with a cultural project, your background as a member of a minority group, and so on. Think creatively about the ways you’ve acted in the world, and from that, determine how those actions have impacted others.

MIT : At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world\u2019s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. (200\u2013250 words) ","label":"MIT","title":"MIT"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

• Find what makes you unique : If you’re having trouble identifying which communities you’ve been a part of, or which part of your identity to focus on, try the “what makes me unique?” angle. This is definitely something you would have brainstormed for your personal statement, so bring those notes out! We are all a part of various communities, whether we realize it or not, and we all contribute to them in our own unique way. You might have a unique skill or talent, or maybe it’s a personal quality that helped you deal with an issue in the community. Alternatively, maybe your background and identity are a key part of your life’s journey, and you have many experiences related to that. There’s no “wrong” community you could discuss, whether it’s a Dungeons and Dragons club you created with your friends, the ethnic community you’re a part of, or the neighborhood where you grew up. The key is to identify what makes you unique.
• Focus on your growth journey: The easiest way to discuss community engagement in a “meaningful” way is to focus on how you, individually, found growth and learning through your participation in a larger community, and how you simultaneously impacted them. No matter what the community is, the growth narrative is important. There has to be a clear two-way impact that demonstrates how your engagement and contributions affected those around you.

Create Your Own Class Essay

One of the more creative type of essays, these prompts ask students to come up with their own class, reimagine a whole department, conceptualize their ideal lecture series, and so on. This essay is your chance to show your creative and out-of-the-box thinking, while also expanding upon your academic interests and sharing your passions with the admissions committee. This essay is essentially a more creative alternative to the “why this major” essay.

Boston College : Boston College strives to provide an undergraduate learning experience emphasizing the liberal arts, quality teaching, personal formation, and engagement of critical issues. If you had the opportunity to create your own college course, what enduring question or contemporary problem would you address and why. (maximum 400 words) ","label":"Boston College","title":"Boston College"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

• Get creative : You can really use this essay topic to stand out from the crowd. Come up with a creative answer and expand upon it with fun, yet thoughtful details that show your intellectual curiosity and unique perspective on the world.
• Align your answer with the college : Remember, you’re being asked to come up with a course for the specific college you’re applying to. What’s their mission? What kind of curriculum do they have? What type of learning do they value? Find out the answer to these questions and incorporate these details in your essay. For example, if the college you’re applying to values an interdisciplinary learning environment, try to come up with a course that incorporates both science and humanities concepts.
• Use your experience : This prompt is also the school’s way to learn more about your personal goals and experiences. Try to ground your motivation for creating this course in your own life. For example, if you want to create a curriculum that covers the influence of fashion on punk rock culture, try to connect it to your own interests or skills, such as a sewing hobby or your love of underground culture.

The Major or Field of Study Essay

This can be a tricky essay type to handle for college students who are still undecided about their major, which is very natural for high school students. Luckily, not all colleges ask for this type of essay. You can expect this essay mostly from colleges focused on a specific stream of study, who want to know why you’re attracted to that field. Some elite universities, like Ivy League schools , also ask this question because they want to see the applicants’ long-term academic ambitions and how well these fit in with their own mission.

Interested in learning more about how to gain acceptance to an Ivy League School? Check out this video!

Sample essay prompt

MIT: Pick what field of study at MIT appeals to you the most right now, and tell us more about why this field of study appeals to you. (maximum 100 words) ","label":"MIT","title":"MIT"}]" code="tab5" template="BlogArticle">

• Include personal as well as college-specific details : Similar to the “why us” essay, you need to refer to specific details of the college program, faculty, academic curriculum, research opportunities, and campus life. Connect these details with your own experiences and passions and explain why this college or program aligns with your academic or professional interests. Think about key formative events and personal motivators for your interest. For example, if you’re applying to a top science, technology, engineering, or medicine (STEM) college such as MIT, you obviously have a specific passion for one of these subjects. While you can and should expand on your personal ambitions, don’t forget to explain why MIT is the best option to help you achieve them.
• Focus on the long-term : In a way, this type of essay is analogous to the “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” interview question. If you do have a clear plan of how you see your future academic and professional life developing, this essay is where you share it. However, you need to make sure you don’t just spin a beautiful story that isn’t based in reality. Your ambitions should be supported by thorough research, real-world industry knowledge, and a careful consideration of your own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, don’t just include grand ambitions for the sake of sounding impressive – back them up with personal motivations, or better yet, include concrete, achievable goals. For instance, if you’re applying to the best undergrad business schools , your supplemental essay shouldn’t simply say “I want to be youngest CEO in the USA” or “I want to feature in a 30 under 30 article” – instead, it should focus on specific business interests and goals, for example – “I want to use my leadership skills, business training, and community engagement experience to eventually pay it forward by expanding the economic and business opportunities in my own community.”

The Quirky Essay

This type of essay is meant to catch you off-guard or ask you to write about something not often discussed in the context of admissions. These essays are often among the shortest in terms of length, and generally hope to evince some humor and self-awareness from the writers. Topics for these essays include odd talents, strange experiences, or hyper-specific situational questions like what superpower you’d choose if given the chance. They can also be quite general: Princeton, for instance, includes a prompt asking, simply, “what brings you joy?”.

Princeton: What brings you joy? (maximum 50 words) ","label":"Princeton","title":"Princeton"}]" code="tab6" template="BlogArticle">

• Keep the tone light : When responding to such prompts, don’t get too caught up in trying to be ultra-intellectual, serious, or different from the crowd. Be creative, have fun, and try and show a lighter side of your personality to the admissions committee. Match the tone of the question and don’t overthink this one too much!
• Be genuine : The tricky part about responding to these random and creative prompts is to make your answer humorous while also being as honest and genuine as possible. Sincerity is key – make sure you don’t pick an answer you think sounds funny, or impressive, but that isn’t strictly true and backed up by the rest of your application. For instance, if asked “what kind of bird are you”, if you respond with something like “eagle” and talk generically about your leadership qualities without any specific details, admissions committees will be able to tell you aren’t being genuine. You can give any answer you like here! The important thing is to justify it with real aspects of your personality that add some interesting color to your application.

Now, let’s look at how to structure essays depending on the length. We’ll also go over an example for each essay type. 

Short Supplemental Essay (250 Words or Fewer) Examples

According to our college admissions consulting experts, these can be quite dangerous for some students, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because an essay has a short word count, you don’t need to spend much time on it. This can actually be one of the toughest types of essays, since you have very limited space in which to capture the admission committee’s attention and make your point. When you start writing, you might find that by the time you’ve set up your premise, you’re already done with 80% of the available word count! The key here is to include crisp, well-structured sentences to directly address the question being asked. There’s not really any space for a “hook” here, such as a quote, story, or layered personal experience. Only include a story or a personal experience if the question explicitly asks you too. In just 250 words or less, you won’t be able to describe too complex an event or activity, so just cut straight to the point.

Recommended Structure

• Direct opening sentence : Your first sentence should clearly address the essay prompt and set up the topic. Don’t worry about this being a boring or straightforward strategy – that’s what you need here!
• Specific details to support the topic : Add personal details and self-reflections suitable for the prompt to support your opening sentence. Remember, every word is crucial here so leave out any unnecessary facts and descriptions – stick to what’s relevant. Try and focus on a single experience, reflection, opinion, or topic, as you really won’t be able to do justice to any more. At the same time, make sure you don’t sacrifice flow to brevity. Each sentence should connect smoothly to the next, setting up a logical pathway from your opening thesis to your conclusion.
• Conclusion : Add the key takeaway or reflection and tie it back to the prompt.

To see how a short essay should be structured, let’s take a look at this prompt from Brandeis :

“Justice Brandeis once said, ‘If we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold.’ Tell us about something bold that you’ve recently done.”

Here’s a sample answer:

Although painting isn't itself an especially wild or bold activity, showing my art for the first time felt very bold indeed. As someone with a motor impairment, I've never been able to draw well, and found art classes throughout elementary school incredibly frustrating and embarrassing. However, discovering the wide and extremely varied world of abstract art a few years ago, I was finally bitten by the art bug, and began experimenting with acrylic paint. At first, I just learned how to operate the varying dilutions and textures of paint, but over time I became obsessed with the idea of color gradients and shading, and how the paint itself can do a lot of work that doesn't depend on a completely steady hand. I amassed a small stack of canvasses, and this past year asked around at the two art galleries in town to see if anyone was interested in putting some of my pieces up. Fortunately, and to my surprise, one independent gallery offered to show my entire collected work for a month. Not only did I receive a tonne of really positive and encouraging messages from visitors to the gallery, but I even sold 3 pieces! I was honestly terrified at every step of the way, but that first sale was about the most confidence-building event I've ever experienced. It felt bold, but also made me hungry to continue making art and sharing it with others. (237 words) 

Medium Supplemental Essay (250-500 Words) Examples

Shorter than your personal statement, longer than a short answer, these essays require you to balance a logical flow with a crisp central narrative.

While the basic structure of this essay can be similar to the long-form 650 word essay, you’ll need to make a few adjustments to suit the shorter length.

• Opening paragraph : You can choose to add an “anchor experience” for these essays, or you can write it in a more direct style, responding to the prompt and getting straight to the point. It depends on what you want to say and how you want to say it. For example, if your essay is focused on personal experiences, then an evocatively described personal experience could be a great hook. However, if the prompt asks you to provide your opinion about a specific issue or creatively imagine a specific scenario, then getting right to the point is a better idea.
• Main body : Here, you describe your central thesis and add further details to support it. You have to be very efficient with your choice of experiences and even with the details of any experience you chose to include. Each sentence should be in service of the essay prompt. Review this section with the questions “Is this related to the essay prompt? Does this help to answer the question being asked?”.
• Conclusion : The key to an efficient, memorable conclusion of a medium length supplemental essay is economy of words. In a single sentence, you should address the question being asked and also communicate your own central thesis, with a focus on what makes you special. Crafting this conclusion will take you time! First, identify the points you want to make, and then figure out a way to compress them into as few words as possible, without sacrificing clarity.

Let’s check out an example of this type of essay.

University of California: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? (maximum 350 words)

Growing up as the precocious daughter of hard-working immigrant parents, academic excellence and achievements were always the two key cornerstones of my life. My parents inculcated the importance of doing well in school in me from a young age. After all, it was education that had enabled my parents to escape the poverty and trauma of their homeland and find refuge in this country. With a natural penchant for academics and a love for learning, I never had cause to question this life-long commitment – not until junior year of high school.

That was the year when my parents’ restaurant business took a huge hit, and from a regular middle-class American immigrant success story, we were brought to the brink of bleak poverty. It was a shock to our family that took us through some of the toughest times I’ve ever experienced. We all had to make sacrifices, and one of the most profound changes I experienced in that period was a total shift in my priorities, as I had to work at my parents’ restaurant every day after school to help keep the business afloat. From being a grade-A student, I became a struggling straggler who could barely keep up with tests and exams, much less take on extra credit projects. At one point, I even considered quitting school! The worst part was watching the pain in my parents’ eyes, knowing they couldn’t provide the ideal home environment they had envisioned for me, which they themselves had never received.

However, looking back, I consider that period one of the most significant learning experiences of my life. It tested my commitment to my academic interests, which had previously always been so easy to pursue, and I came through with a system that allowed me to contribute at home and also excel at school. It made me further appreciate the struggles my parents had gone through as immigrants juggling family, work, education, and a major cultural adjustment. And finally, it made me appreciate what a gift and privilege education truly is, and vow never to take it for granted. (347 words)

Want to know a surprising fact? You might actually find the long-form supplemental essays easier to write than their shorter counterparts! These essays are typically 500 to 650 words long, which means you have plenty of space to build a coherent narrative, expand on your thesis, and support it with relevant details. When writing a longer supplemental essay, you can actually re-use many of the same strategies you employed for your Common App essay or personal statement. The basic structure (which we’ll explain in a moment) will be similar, and you can even recycle some of your rejected personal statement ideas to write an exemplary supplemental essay.

You can go for the commonly used 3 to 5 paragraph essay structure here. Include the following:

• Introduction : For longer essays, it’s critical to have a strong opening that hooks the reader and draws them into your narrative immediately. Admissions committees are reading thousands of essays, so you want to shake them out of their “reading fatigue” by capturing their attention with story, personal experience, unique quote, etc. In this paragraph, you should also clearly set up the central thesis of your essay. Critically for supplemental essays, ensure that your central thesis directly addresses or answers the prompt. Tie the “hook” of your opening paragraph in with this central thesis.
• Body paragraphs 1/2/3 : While the 5-paragraph structure is the most commonly used essay format for long-form essays, you can include more or fewer, as per the requirements of your specific narrative. Remember to be selective when you choose the experiences to support your thesis. In these paragraphs, you build on the central narrative you set up in introduction, supported with your self-reflections and personal examples. Include only the necessary details that help to build the central theme of the essay. Your essay should be written in a natural, direct style, but you can try and include evocative details and personal reflections to help communicate your point.
• Conclusion : As with all other supplemental essays, the conclusion is critical. You must include a key takeaway, learning, or crisp one-liner to sum up your answer to the question being asked.

Harvard : An intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science, or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you. (maximum 650 words)

“It is the sandbox of men who care not where they are going; they merely want to know where everyone else has been.”

It’s a hot summer’s day, I’m red-faced, sweaty, and out-of-breath, hunched over a pile of earth, delicately brushing away tiny amounts of ancient mud, and John Bishop’s words suddenly pop into my mind. Our project director, Professor Saltzman, had led a brief session that morning concluding with this memorable quote, and it stayed with me for one clear reason: I felt it perfectly encapsulated my own journey, from a guy who cared too much about where he was going, to someone who now primarily cared about the business of these long, long, dead ancient women and their kitchen tools. The irony of the realization made me chuckle a little, disturbing the earth around the little kitchen mound I was excavating, and then I went back to my gentle brushing, once again fully absorbed.

It was simply not a picture of myself I could have believed merely months prior. From a very young age, I had a vision of myself as a lawyer. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, carving an illustrious career that would begin, like theirs, at Harvard, and end with me on the Supreme Court. This dream hit a minor snag when, due to a medical absence is junior year, I missed my AP History exam. Mr. Griffin, my history teacher, suggested that I complete a summer archeology program he was affiliated with to make up the credit. And that was how this “minor snag” actually ended up diverting my passions, interests, and ambitions away from law and firmly into the field of archeology.

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. I was resistant to what I perceived was a distraction from my true interest, the practice of law – I thought then I’d much rather be shadowing my father in a cushy air conditioned office than sweating it out in a desert, digging for broken bits of ancient pottery. But within a couple of days, I found to my surprise that I loved every second of it. The director of the program, Professor Saltzman, liked to walk us through our findings, however minor, at the end of each day. For the benefit of the younger students present, he often delivered lectures expanding upon the critical contextual history of that period. I was amazed at how these small, faded pieces of pottery could tell us so much about the socio-cultural norms of 8000 years ago; from which countries they traded with to what they ate, from their dominant gender roles to the kinds of currency they used.

Most amazing of all, at least to me, was how archeology could actually help envision the lived reality of these people from long ago. Our key findings in that dig were the kitchen utensils of a woman we nicknamed “Leda”, a widowed fisherwoman with two children. Every day, we would discover a new piece of evidence and spend hours classifying, dissecting, and contextualizing it to discover all it could tell us about how Leda lived her life. I realized that all the physical discomforts were worth the thrill of bringing these tiny pieces of history back to life.

In those 4 weeks, I experienced a kind of wonder, and joy in learning, and intrinsically motivated intellectual curiosity, that I had never experienced before in my life. With law, I was primarily attracted to all the perceived prestige and privileges that accrued to the profession; with archeology, the subject matter itself drew me onwards to push past my prejudices and discomforts. Today, I hope to continue to pursue my passion for archeology by continuing my work under Professor Saltzman as an undergraduate at Harvard, and hopefully discover the secret lives of many more Ledas in the future. (643)

The personal statement is a more general essay with a broader scope, typically submitted as part of your primary application, whereas supplemental essays respond to specific prompts and are submitted with your secondary application directly to each school. You only need to write one personal statement (such as the Common App essay) which goes out to all your colleges, and it should therefore never include any college-specific details. On the other hand, each college asks for their own set of supplemental essays, and they may often ask you to expand upon your interest in the specific college, program, or major you are applying to. A personal statement is a single long-form essay of 650 words or more, whereas colleges can ask for multiple supplemental essays that can range in length from 35 to 650 words.

The most commonly used supplemental college essay prompts are:

• The “why us” essay that asks you to discuss why you want go to a specific college
• The extracurricular essay that asks you to discuss your activities, talents, or skills
• The community essay that asks you to expand upon your identity, diversity, community engagement, and so on
• The “why this major” essay that asks you to discuss your specific academic interests
• The “create a class” essay that asks you to creatively design a major or come up with your own class
• The “quirky” essay that can include creative, zany, out-of-the-box, informal prompts

Supplemental college essays can range in length from 35 words to 650 words. Every college has their own prompts and requirements, so you should check the admissions website of your colleges to learn more.

The “why this school” college essay is one of the most common supplemental college essay types. It’s very important to be college-specific in this essay, and to include details of your special interest in the concerned college supported by your knowledge of their unique offerings. You will have to do some research on the college so you can make your essay as specific and unique as possible.

Yes, supplemental essays are a critical part of your application. They help to personalize and flesh out your application, building on your achievements, transcripts, and scores, to show the admissions committee a well-rounded, unique individual. Crucially, supplemental essays are a chance for you to show how well your thinking and experiences align with the college’s missions and values and why you would be an excellent candidate for their program.

A word count of 250 words or less can pose a significant challenge for students. To write an effective short answer, you need to be concise and direct, addressing the question asked while building a logical flow from introduction to conclusion. There’s no space in such questions for fancy opening hooks and elaborate narratives – just stick to the relevant experiences and reflections and always connect back to the prompt itself.

It depends on the topic! It’s not a good idea to copy paste the essay content for college-specific prompts such as “why us” or “why this major”, where the expectation is that you will talk in detail about the unique features of that college which attract you. However, for more generic topics like “what inspires you” or “how did you serve your community”, you can certainly re-use topics and themes between essays. Just make sure you edit each essay to meet the specific word count and include college specific details wherever possible. Additionally, you should always read and understand the prompt thoroughly before drafting your essay. Respond to the spirit as well as the letter of the prompts in your opening and concluding sentences, even if you’ve re-used most of the main body content from another similar essay.

Supplemental college essays certainly afford you greater room to be creative and informal than your personal statement. However, the extent to which this style of writing would be appropriate depends on the prompts. The short answer, zany, creative prompts, are the perfect place to show a lighter side of your personality and introduce a little humor in your application. But an essay about significant obstacles you’re overcome, or your long-term academic goals, might not be an ideal place to get overtly casual and humorous.

You will receive your secondary application directly from the college after you submit your primary application. The deadline to complete secondary applications varies from college to college. Most colleges ask you to submit your completed supplemental application, including essays, within 2 weeks or a month of receiving the prompts. This isn’t a lot of time, especially considering most colleges will be sending out secondary applications in the same rough time period and you’ll have to work on multiple applications at once. However, you can prepare in advance for your supplemental essays by brainstorming ideas and writing rough drafts in response to previous years’ prompts.

Every college has their own unique secondary application requirements. You should check the admissions websites of your colleges to learn more about their specific requirements. Some colleges may ask for just a single 650-word essay, while others may provide 5 or 6 prompts of varying lengths. Generally speaking, most colleges don’t ask for more than 1 or 2 long supplemental essays (500+ words), along with 2 or 3 shorter essays.

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Can extracurricular activities contain sth like assisting family ,and socal activities that doesn't encounter certificate?

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Hello Phoebe! Thanks for your question. Yes, you can definitely consider these extracurriculars, depending on the activity you did. For example, if you assisted a family member after an illness or organized social activities like fund raisers.

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How to Write a Supplemental Essay for College Applications

Discover tips for tackling writing supplements, and read a sample essay from a current student.

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A supplemental essay gives you an opportunity to tell the admissions committee about something you weren't able to cover in your main essay.

Prospective students are usually aware that they must write an essay as part of the college application process . But they may not know that some schools will ask for additional writing samples such as a supplemental essay.

Avoid These College Application Mistakes

Courtney Rubin and Cole Claybourn July 26, 2023

These writing supplements are usually shorter than the main college essay , but they're no less important, experts say.

"Every word counts in getting your story across," says Deborah Davis, president and founder of Davis Education & Career Consultants LLC, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Some colleges ask for just one supplemental essay while others may require several.

For example, Wake Forest University in North Carolina had six additional questions for prospective students to respond to on its 2020 undergraduate admissions application. However, a couple of the questions asked applicants to write lists – for instance, a personal top 10 list – rather than a full paragraph or two.

Supplemental essay prompts come in all shapes and sizes. In some cases, schools let applicants choose from several options. For instance, the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill 's fall 2019-20 application included four prompts – such as "What do you hope will change about the place where you live?" – from which prospective students had to select two.

Davis says two of the most common prompts she's seen are "What do you want to major in?" and "Tell us about a favorite activity."

While word counts for supplemental essays vary, they tend to be limited.

Wake Forest has a 150-word limit for each of its supplements, says Tamara Blocker, the university's senior associate dean of admissions. UNC caps applicants' short answer responses at 250 words each, according to the school's website.

In contrast, The Common Application , a platform that allows students to apply to multiple colleges at once, has a suggested 650-word limit for the main essay and 250 words for others.

These types of written responses are more like vignettes or snapshots, rather than full-blown essays, says Stephen Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admissions at UNC.

"I think – I hope, anyway – that students feel the opportunity maybe in the shorter responses to worry less about form and just be a little more open with us," he says.

To help prospective students familiarize themselves with supplemental essays, U.S. News obtained an example from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Ryan Sheehan from Wallingford, Pennsylvania, wrote the short piece and is a computer science major in the class of 2021.

As part of his application, Sheehan responded to the following prompt: "There is a Quaker saying: 'Let your life speak.' Describe the environment in which you were raised – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – and how it influenced the person you are today."

"As the son of two journalists, I have grown up under a lifelong inquisition: How is your room such a mess? Can you please stop chasing the cat? Will you come down from the tree already? Granted, those are all from this past year, but the point still stands. Like any good journalists, my parents have also always had a propensity for uncovering the truth. On the third night that I had my license, I decided to go to the library to study. Before 15 minutes had passed, I noticed the librarian peering at me through the shelves before quickly averting her eyes and whispering, "He's here," into her phone. Even so, regardless of how many spies they've hired over the years, I have always looked up to my parents immensely. However, I have found my inherited inquisitiveness to be a trait most useful in a place far from the realm of reporting: the robotics lab. After four years of spending almost more time in the lab than at home, I have learned that nothing is more important than asking the right questions. As a programmer, I need to be able to communicate with my builders. Come press time, if I don't interview them properly, our robot will invariably end up as a hunk of unresponsive aluminum. To make a machine, the team must work as one. So although I may be writing source code instead of a breaking story, I am glad I had such nosy parents after all."

Karen Richardson, former dean of undergraduate admissions and enrollment management at Tufts who is now dean of admission at Princeton University in New Jersey, explained why she liked this response: "This is a great essay because, in just 250 words, it shows rather than tells the reader who Ryan is and the things that matter to him. It gives us a sense of his family life and academic interests, and it even shows us he has a sense of humor. As an admissions committee, we learned a lot about Ryan in just one paragraph."

Here are five additional tips from admissions officers to help prospective college students craft strong supplemental essays.

Answer the Question

This may seem obvious, but applicants should carefully read a supplemental essay prompt and make sure they understand what it is asking before answering it, Richardson says.

Prospective students may want to reuse an essay they wrote for another college, but that doesn't always work because supplemental questions tend to be more tailored to an individual institution, she says.

Start With an Outline

Applicants may have their own writing process, but Davis encourages those she works with to create outlines. She says prospective students should brainstorm the personal qualities, skills or experiences they would like to convey in their supplemental essays.

Don't Repeat Yourself

Supplemental essays are a chance for applicants to give more information to an admissions committee to further show why they are a good fit for a school, Davis says. So prospective students should make sure they aren't repeating something that's already been covered in their main essay.

Narrow Your Focus

Probably the biggest mistake applicants make in supplemental essays is choosing a topic that's too big, Farmer says. For example, he says prospective students may attempt to settle a complex political issue in just one paragraph.

"I think it's better to do something small and do it well than to do something big and skate over the surface," he says.

Maintain Your Voice

It's a good idea for applicants to ask another person for editing help, but too much input can be detrimental to an essay, experts say. If lots of people – teachers, parents, peers – read and weigh in on an essay, they can weaken how clearly a student's voice comes through in the writing.

"It's great to read something that sounds like it was written by an 18-year-old and not by a machine," Farmer says, "or by someone who's trying to be prematurely middle-aged."

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Common App Supplemental Essays: 6 Ways to Prepare for College Supplements

Just When You Think You’re Done, You Realize There’s One More Step To Complete Your College Applications: Supplemental Essays…

Students are often asked to respond to supplemental essay prompts in their college applications, and these supplements are something students should take very seriously. Unfortunately, the essay writing process can make even the most successful and ambitious students nervous.

However, with some preparation beforehand, writing your Common App supplemental essays can be a smooth process that allows you the opportunity to showcase your true self to the college of your dreams.

What You’ll Find In This Article

• What are Common App Supplemental Essays?
• 6 Ways to Prepare for the Common App’s Supplemental Essays
• Everything You Need to Write College Supplemental Essays

What Are Common App Supplemental Essays?

In addition to the general Common Application essay, some more prestigious schools such as Ivy League universities and other competitive schools require a supplemental essay response. These supplemental essays are unique to each school and allow them to gain a more in-depth understanding of each applicant.

This means the Common App supplemental essays are an excellent opportunity for applicants to express themselves beyond their basic application.

Importantly, supplemental college essay prompts are not drastically different than any other type of college application essay. The only major difference is that these prompts are geared towards the specific school itself and their values.

Word counts for most supplemental essays hover around 500 words, but be sure you follow each school’s minimum and maximum word requirements or you’ll risk your essays going unread.

While not all colleges require supplemental essays, some of the biggest names in higher education like Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth do require them. More competitive and selective schools are more likely to require college supplemental essays to help them learn more about their numerous applicants. Students should take the competitiveness and acceptance rate into account when deciding if they should write supplemental essays for their Common App.

WHY “OPTIONAL” ISN’T REALLY OPTIONAL

Essays listed as “optional” are not truly optional—despite the label. Colleges offer optional essays in order to help ambitious students boost their applications. Because of this, these essays are essential to students looking to have the highest possible chance of admission.

Ambitious students should always complete optional essays.

While nobody wakes up in the morning eager to write a supplemental essay, students who are applying to competitive schools should try to put themselves in the mindset of “there’s no such thing as optional.”

Each additional essay you write is a window into your life that a college wouldn’t otherwise have. Why waste such an excellent opportunity to improve your chances of admission?

6 Ways To Prepare For The Common App's Supplemental Essays

Preparing before you sit down to write your college supplemental essays is a key step that many students skip. Gathering all your prompts, identifying deadlines, and doing research into your prompts will put you a step ahead in the essay writing process.

Students looking for extra help preparing for their supplement essays can also seek the advice of a professional college counselor , who can walk you through the steps needed to write an excellent supplemental essay.

One of the best ways to approach writing your Common App supplemental essays is to treat them like you would any other essay. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare and meet your deadlines. The earlier you start preparing and writing your essays, the more time you will have to review them and make your writing shine.

FIND THEM FIRST

The first step of preparing for your essays is to find your prompts.

Log in to your Common Application account , or create one if you haven’t already. You should fill out the Common App to the best of your ability before turning to the supplemental essays; your answers to certain questions such as major selection can affect which essay prompts apply to you.

Once you’ve filled out your application and added your colleges, it’s time to find the essay prompts themselves.

Each college has a section for their “Writing Supplement” where you can find their supplemental essay prompts and any extra questions. Gather all of these prompts together in one Word document or take  screenshots to help yourself stay organized.

PICK YOUR COLLEGES

It’s essential that you pick all the colleges you are applying to within the Common App. While some supplemental essay prompts are available elsewhere online, you should always use the version of the prompt from the Common App itself when writing your response. This version will be the most up to date and accurate. The Common App will also act as a hub of all of your supplemental essays, making it easy to keep track of what ones you still need to complete.

Still, because each college will require different supplemental essays, it’s wise for students to keep track of deadlines and requirements for each school in their personal calendar as well. While essay prompts will be posted by August 15th, each school will have their own deadlines for submission.

READ THE PROMPTS

Students should take the time to read each prompt carefully. While most prompts are self-explanatory and simple, students who take extra time to analyze supplemental essay prompts will feel more confident in their answers. Let’s take this supplemental essay prompt from Brown University as an example:

“Tell us about a place or community you call home. How has it shaped your perspective? (250 words)”

You should spend time thinking through a variety of possible responses to each prompt as you read. Many students will read the above prompt and immediately think of their own home and how their parents have shaped their perspective on life. However, that’s simply one way to answer the prompt. Other students may choose to read and interpret the prompt in the sense of their hometown, their spiritual community, or any other sort of community that has embraced them.

If you’re ever unsure how well you’ve read and understood a prompt, ask a teacher or counselor for help. Make sure to come prepared with your possible responses to the prompt. These specific examples will allow your helper to determine how well you’re answering the supplemental essay prompt.

FIND NEW THINGS TO SAY

Your supplemental essays are a chance to go beyond the basic, general traits covered in the rest of your Common App. A good brainstorming strategy for your supplemental essays is to write a new list of topics that you haven’t already covered. Can you finally mention your civic service record? Is there a way to tie in your summers spent as a camp counselor to the essay topic?

Your supplemental essays are one of the only ways to offer new information about who you are to the college admissions officials. Many colleges ask that you avoid overlapping your supplemental essays with your Common App essay; they’re asking additional questions to gain more insight, not to reread the same essay written with different words.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

College supplemental essays that are well researched can greatly improve an applicant’s chances of acceptance.

Students should use specific examples to back up their essay responses wherever possible. Many college supplemental essays are a variation of “why do you want to attend our school” and listing specific courses, amenities, and college features are a good way to show you’ve done your research.

If asked to respond to a quote, look for additional context such as a video recording or newspaper article. Use your research to form your own response rather than paraphrasing someone else’s thoughts. The time spent analyzing your research and using it to inform your response to a prompt will show in the quality of your essay.

REVIEW YOUR WORK

While reviewing your essay isn’t technically part of preparing for college supplemental essays, it’s an essential step that many students overlook. Reviewing your work begins with making sure your essay is grammatically correct and free of spelling errors. Then, you should take the time to review the content of your essay; does your response answer the prompt clearly and compellingly?

All the time you spent preparing for your Common App supplemental essays will give you a strong start to your essay writing process.

It’s essential that you put the same amount of effort into reviewing your essays as well.

If you’re struggling with this review process, bringing in outside help during the review process can help you refine your supplemental essays beyond what you can achieve alone. Asking a teacher, mentor, or a counselor to help you revise your essay brings a fresh set of eyes to your work. Not only will they catch any remaining technical errors in your essay, they’ll help you discover new ways to tell your story better.

Everything You Need To Write College Supplemental Essays

Preparing for your Common App supplemental essays allows you to be in control of the essay writing process. Supplemental essays are not all that different from regular college application essays, and thankfully, we have a guide for writing the perfect college application essay . If you approach all essays on your application with the same preparation and mindset, you can create a clearer picture of who you are as a person through your essays.

Ultimately, your supplemental essays are your best opportunity to showcase what makes you the best applicant; make sure you spend the time and resources you need to write the best essay possible.

Of course, whether you’re struggling to edit your essay or you’re having trouble understanding your prompts, it may be time to bring in an expert on the college application process: a WeAdmit counselor . Our essay editing skills are sharp from years of experience, and our counselors can help you through every step of the college application process, even beyond your supplemental essays.

Now That You’re Prepared, It’s Time To Sharpen Your Pencils And Read Your Prompts. Let’s Get Into College!

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Tips for Writing Supplemental Essays

Ah, those pesky supplemental essays. Just when you think you’ve got your college application pretty much all together, you realize that several colleges where you’re applying want you to write another essay. How should you approach this additional task?

In most cases, supplemental essays are either as important or more important than your Common App essay. Colleges use them in different ways – sometimes to draw out a different side of your personality, sometimes to gauge your level of interest in their institution, occasionally to evaluate some specific quality that is important to their community. Usually, the college’s intent is pretty clear in the questions they ask (so don’t worry about trick questions or reverse psychology). But in every case, the fundamental purpose of a supplemental essay is for an admission committee to learn more about you.

Here are some tips to consider as you craft your supplemental essays:

• Write your Common Application essay early. Most of you will be applying to multiple colleges that accept the Common App, with its choice of seven essay prompts. If you haven’t already begun to craft your “main” essay, now is the time to do that. I recommend having this one more or less finished before your senior year begins – which will leave you more time to focus on your supplemental essays as application deadlines get closer.
• Strategize the order you write your supplemental essays. Research ahead so you know which colleges require supplements and when they are due. Start with the most immediate deadlines (often Early Action or Early Decision), and move to the later deadlines from there.
• Spend just as much time writing and polishing your supplemental essays as you do your Common App essay. This is the biggest pitfall of supplemental essay writing – and admission officers are not impressed when they see evidence you didn’t put as much time and effort into your second essay. (At some colleges, this could even lessen the competitiveness of your application, if they perceive it as a lack of interest on your part.) Plan ahead and give yourself the time you need to brainstorm, draft, edit, and proofread.
• Tell your story. Supplemental essays have the same purpose as the standard ones – to give you an opportunity to share something about yourself. Even if the question is focused on the college, don’t just use this as an opportunity to show your knowledge about the college; use your knowledge of the college to tell your own story. Consider this a second opportunity to share something meaningful about yourself , and consider how you can use this essay to complement your Common App essay and provide a fuller picture of who you are.
• Don’t just list off a bunch of things you learned about the college from their website. While some colleges are looking to see that you’ve done your homework and are familiar with their institutions, you should consider that a secondary purpose for your writing. This is still a personal essay, and needs to be fundamentally about you. (When colleges ask about your fit at the institution, they’re not looking for an essay about the institution – they’re looking for an essay about your fit . That means it’s got to be about you at the core.)
• Answer the question/prompt. It’s okay to repurpose other essays you’ve written, if they are generally in line with the question – but be sure to tailor them, carefully, to ensure they answer the prompt seamlessly. You don’t want an admission officer thinking, “Yep, this student copied and pasted this essay from somewhere else and rewrote the first and last sentence.”

With a little planning and some careful consideration of the advice above, you shouldn’t have any problem delivering some excellent supplemental essays with your college applications. And if you're ready to begin crafting your supplemental essay for Richmond, you can find our Richmond Question prompts in the Application Materials .

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Last updated March 21, 2024

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Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write a Why Us Supplemental Essay

How to Write a Why Us Supplemental Essay

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

The "Why Us" supplemental essay is an opportunity to show alignment with your chosen college. To effectively write this essay, conduct in-depth research on the school's academic programs, values, and unique features that relate to your interests. Craft your essay to showcase how these elements resonate with your personal, academic, and professional goals. Avoid common mistakes such as vague connections or focusing on unrelated aspects of the school.

This post is one in a series of posts about the supplemental essays. You can read our core “how-to” supplemental post here .

The “Why Us” supplemental essay prompt—also known as the “Why This College” prompt—is one of the most common types of supplemental essays you’ll write during your application journey.

At the most basic level, Why Us prompts ask students to describe why they have decided to apply to the college in question.

Why Us prompts are important for both colleges and applicants.

When admissions officers review applications, Why Us supplementals help them understand how a student’s background, goals, values, and academic inclinations align with the school’s offerings. They also help admissions officers assess how serious a student is about wanting to attend the institution in question.

For applicants, Why Us essays allow you to make your case for school fit. They are the perfect opportunity for you to stand (metaphorically, of course) in front of the admissions committee and explicitly explain why you belong at a school.

In short, Why Us or Why this College essays let you explicitly tell admissions officers how you align with a school so you don’t have to leave the guesswork up to them. Let’s get into how you can write a Why Us essay that stands out.

What is a Why Us Supplemental essay?

Why Us supplementals can have a few variations, but they all get at a common question. Take a look at the following three examples.

1: University of Chicago

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

2: Duke University

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.

3: University of Michigan

Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests?  (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words /maximum 550 words)

Why Us Essay Strategy

To write a good one, you need to know something about the school—you’ll need to do your research.

By this point, you probably already know a bit about the schools you’re applying to. After all, you’ve hopefully built your school list based on schools that best align with your academic interests, stats like GPA and test scores, and personal interests like school type and location.

Now’s the time to put those key areas of convergence into action.

The key to writing these essays is to do some deep research into the school you’re applying to. If you’re focused on applying to schools that have esports programs, you need to find a compelling way to articulate your interests that aligns you with the school and its offerings.

A school’s offerings don’t always need to be academic, but it helps. They can also be social, athletic, or cultural.

Often, however, students have a harder time writing essays about cultural or social fit that don’t feel superficial. It’s not enough to write an essay about how nice everyone was when you took a college tour.

Instead of focusing entirely on a single experience you had while visiting the campus, talking to an alum, or being interviewed, do some serious research into the school and how it would fit you as a student and a member of the campus community.

How to do Why Us School Research

School research is an important step in writing good supplemental essays. But it’s absolutely essential for Why Us essays.

Why Us essays are all about making an argument for school fit. They’re your main opportunity to say, “Hey, admissions officer. I belong at your school!”

So what does any good argument need? That’s right—research.

Because schools want to see that you a) have taken the time to get to know the institution and b) can make a case for why you belong at the school, you’ll need to do good research and use it in a way that best supports your case.

The research you do may depend on the specific prompt Why Us prompt you’re responding to. But in general, there are two kinds of research you can focus on.

Method 1: Find Academic Alignment

The first place you can focus your research is, of course, on academics. Since colleges are schools, showing your academic alignment is a safe bet.

So what is “academic alignment” anyway?

Academic alignment means that your academic background, interests, and goals match up with what a school has to offer. Schools don’t want to admit students whose academic needs they can’t meet, and students shouldn’t seek out schools where they won’t be able to accomplish their academic goals.

This alignment can appear in a variety of places. Here are some of the most common:

• Major options
• Special concentrations or programs
• Faculty research and labs
• Student research opportunities
• Academic initiatives and projects
• Study abroad programs
• Community partnerships
• Classroom philosophies

To find this information, you’ll need to scour not just the school’s website but also the website of the specific department you’re interested in applying to.

In your research, there are lots of places you can look:

• Course lists
• Faculty biographies
• Faculty CVs (these are basically faculty resumes that list all the academic work they’ve done)
• Academic articles and books written by faculty members
• Research lab websites
• News stories about academic research and awards

With these facts in hand, you can write supplemental essays that draw specific points of connection between you and a school.

Method 2: Find Values Alignment

Academic alignment is an obvious and common approach to Why Us essay prompts. But there is also a less common approach. Take your Why Us supplemental essays a step further by looking at school values.

All colleges and universities have specific values that guide the institution. That’s why schools have mission statements that lay out what the institution is all about.

To find school values for your Why Us supplemental essays, look for a school’s motto, mission statement, or strategic plan.

Mottos sum up an institution’s values-based framework. School mottos are typically established at an institution’s founding. Often they’re in Latin and have English translations

Example: Yale’s motto is Lux et Veritas or “Light and Truth.”

Mission statements are statements about an institution’s values and purpose. They lay out and are occasionally revised or updated as institutional priorities change.

Strategic plans are documents published by university leadership. They establish a working plan the university will follow over the next several years. They often lay out strategic initiatives and reveal where the institution wants to invest the most time and resources. These initiatives often revolve around social

Brand identity is a way universities ensure all of their communications sound the same. While these aren’t always public, you can often look up a university’s brand guidelines. These guidelines are written for university employees who communicate to the public on behalf of the university. While there’s no specific way you can incorporate these guidelines into your essays, they can give you a very clear sense of how a university thinks of and markets itself. With that knowledge in hand, you can write an essay that shows exactly how you fit into the ethos of the institution.

Example: Vanderbilt has a comprehensive brand identity page.

Showing that your values align with those of an institution

Method 3: Find Other Alignment

Why Us essays don’t just have to be about academics and values. They can also be about areas of interest that you hold dearly, like music, community service, athletics, and more. If you’re a die-hard Scrabble player and notice that the school has a Scrabble club, then that’s a unique feature that you can draw out in your supplementals.

Pick your strengths and lean in. If you're a track star, find something about the athletic culture. If you're a musician, research the community music program. If you love creative writing... you get it. Schools love to see students who have a clear vision of where they're going and why.

Scour a school’s website and social media channels for these unique and compelling connections.

Step 1: Choose the major you THINK you’d like to study at the school. It’s OK to not know for certain!

Look at the majors and minors offered at the school and get a sense of what interests you. Once you have a decent idea about what specific program you might be interested in exploring…

Step 2: Do a deep dive into that program and learn about the work being done by faculty in the department.

What do the professors study? Are there any interdisciplinary centers on campus that you could see yourself participating in? Learn about what real students do on campus and familiarize yourself with what  specific  academic and extracurricular opportunities might be available to you on campus.

Step 3: Think about how these opportunities could be applied to your other interests and passions. Try to find an interdisciplinary connection.

Be creative here, and specific. Unlike the Common App essay, where reflection is key, in the Why X essay you are looking forward. Talk about what you  will  do if accepted. Be as specific as you can. Make your readers feel as if you’ve really done your homework and have a good reason for applying to the school.

Why Us Supplemental Essay Example

It helps to have an example, so I'll walk through how I would help a student research a school and write a Why Us supplemental essay.

To start, let’s say the student in question is interested in studying psychology and wants to get involved in prison abolition efforts.

To add extra granularity, let's pretend this student's top choice program is Lewis & Clark College.

Now let’s go step-by-step through the Why Us research process.

Step 1: Choose the major you THINK you’d like to study at the school.

Our first step is to explore L&C's psychology program. Our hypothetical student is academically inclined. Thus, our focus in the supplemental will be on demonstrating the strong fit between the school's academic climate and the student's intellectual interests.

So we google "Lewis & Clark psychology" and navigate our way to  the department page .

We know we want to do research while in college, so the "research" tab on the right side of the page jumps out right away. Let's navigate to that page and see what's up.

We quickly realize that L&C emphasizes research, and particularly emphasizes the opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate on research.

Cool. So now we have some ammo to work with in the supplemental essay. We can "demonstrate fit" by writing about our interest in pursuing research alongside a faculty member while studying psychology. Boom.

Scrolling through the page, I also notice that the L&C Psychology Department is touting their summer research opportunities and their history of placing students in nearby research labs. More stuff to say you're interested in.

Remember, by contrast with the Common Application essay, which is about your life, the supplemental is all about sketching a detailed plan for your undergraduate study.

The next step is to enrich your alignment with one of the department's core offerings (research) by finding professors who are conducting research that you'd actually want to help out with.

Read professor bios and take a look at which courses they offer. Or, start with a course catalog, find ones you're interested in, and then figure out which professors teach them.

Mention these folks by name. Talk about how they could enrich your education and help you become the student you hope to be in a few years' time.

Finally, I would recommend balancing out your essay by nodding to one of your extracurricular interests. In this case, our example student is interested in incarceration and prison abolition.

Given these interests, the student could talk about how she intends to study the relationship between early-childhood trauma and incarceration and co-teach psychology classes in L&C's prison education program.

By bringing her academic focus to bear on her interest, she is creating an interdisciplinary focus in her "Why X" essay that will help her stand out.

Most Common Why Us Mistakes

You’re almost ready to start writing. But before you begin, watch out for a few easy-to-make mistakes.

Not making any specific connections to the school.

Hopefully by this point, you know why this is a problem. A Why Us supplemental essay that makes no argument for why you belong at school isn’t adding much to your application.

Unlike a Common App essay that should be applicable to every school you apply to, Why Us supplemental essays should be customized to each school. They should have the school name and any relevant, specific details you want to include.

Feel free to explicitly state the name of a professor you want to work with or the title of a class you want to take. Including these specifics is much better than being overly general because the details show admissions officers that you’ve done your research.

Making connections that are too broad.

Other students try to make connections, but they make them far too broad.

Let’s say you’re writing a Why Us supplemental essay for a liberal arts college.

An inadequate answer to a “Why us?” question would be, “I want to go to your liberal arts college because of the small class sizes.”

While that may be true, it’s not a very good argument for why you’re a good match for the school. It needs to be more specific—about you and the school.

Focusing on features of a school that don’t connect with your background or interests.

The final major mistake students make when writing Why Us supplementals is choosing to focus on details that don’t actually connect to their backgrounds or interests. In other words, students go wrong when they call upon random facts and figures.

Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)

Contrary to popular belief, the Buddha didn’t say “life is suffering”. He said “life is dukkha ”, which roughly translates to anything impermanent , and clinging to that which is impermanent leads to suffering.

My interest in world religions led me to study Buddhism, which led me to practice meditation.(( The writer begins with a compelling hook and jumps quickly into answering the “Why Us” question.)) Soon, I was researching online what neuroscientists observe in the brains of meditators, which brought me to the Mindfulness Center at Brown. Over the past year, I’ve followed an infinite trail of links and videos from the Center’s website about how meditation, an ancient practice present in all religions, influences modern psychology, neuroscience, public health, education, athletics, medicine, and philosophy.

So, I became interested in Brown and just about every academic subject under the sun.(( These school connections are great because they show that the student was learning from Brown’s resources before they even began looking at colleges.)) I want to use my education and career to reduce suffering for others, and this goal transcends disciplines. Brown’s Open Curriculum would allow me to pursue my interdisciplinary interests while embracing my mission of improving lives.

To start, I’d like to branch out from psychology to neuroscience. My most likely path is to emulate neuroscientists like Brown’s Dr. Judson Brewer, who studies the brain on meditation and how mindfulness impacts habit change.(( This reference is specific, relevant, and incorporated seamlessly into the essay.)) I’d also like to try public health courses to learn how organizations impact communities, and biology and chemistry courses to grasp the basics of medicine. All I do is grounded in an understanding of ethics and religion, and I am also interested in the education concentration as I seek to share my ideas with others.(( This final sentence wraps up the essay beautifully by connecting everything back to the writer’s interests and values, which are related to those of the institution they’re applying to.))

Liked that? Try this next.

The Incredible Power of a Cohesive College Application

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College Reality Check

Unlocking the Hidden Power of Supplemental Essays

Forbes has a list of 80+ schools that do not require supplemental essays.

College-bound teens who hate writing essays or believe that essay writing is not their strongest suit rejoice!

By choosing strategically, they can apply to college without writing a single literary word.

Unfortunately, chances are you may have to write several of them if your college list contains selective schools, given that most of them require supplemental essays.

Secondary essays.

College-, school-, or institution-specific essays.

Regardless of the name, these are the same things. They’re all supplemental college essays .

If a college asks for one (or more in most circumstances), you must submit it.

Many college admissions agree that supplemental essays account for about 25% of the weight of your college application as they provide information about you that your GPA, class rank and test scores can’t.

It also allows college admissions officers to see whether or not you know the school you’re applying to.

College Essay vs. Supplemental Essay: What’s the Difference?

A college essay comes in different names.

They include:

• Common App essay
• Coalition App essay
• Application essay
• Admissions essay
• Personal essay
• Personal statement

You can call it any name you like, but a college essay is an entirely different type of written composition from a supplemental essay, though both can help you get into the college of your preference.

It Only Takes One College Essay to Apply to All

A college essay is anywhere from 250 to 650 words or 500 to 650 words.

It all depends on which college application platform you intend to use or the college of your liking accepts — the Common Application has a lower minimum word requirement than the Coalition App (250 vs. 500).

What’s nice about a college essay is that you must write it only once .

The one you include in your college application will reach all the colleges you apply to.

So, in other words, college admissions officers from different institutions will read the same essay, although those who don’t consider it in the application process won’t look at it.

That’s nice — just one essay for all the schools on your college list!

However, including colleges that require supplemental essays on your list changes everything.

Supplementals are Usually Shorter but More Than Just One

As mentioned, supplemental essays are also called school-specific essays.

That’s because they’re exactly that — you write each essay with a particular school in mind.

Compared to personal statements, supplementals are usually shorter , although it’s not uncommon for some colleges to set the maximum word count to 650 or sometimes more.

But then most of them are anywhere from 35 to 250 words long.

There are shorter ones (sometimes just a single word!), which is why they’re called short-answer questions .

Although you usually need fewer words to write a supplemental essay, you often have to write more than just one supplemental essay when applying to a single college.

On average, colleges require two to three institution-specific essays.

Applying to ten postsecondary institutions requiring supplementals could leave you writing anywhere from 20 to 30 college supplemental essays in a single admissions cycle!

Why Supplemental Essays Matter in College Admissions

College admissions officers, especially at competitive schools , want to know applicants in a certain way.

They want to learn not only about your academic accomplishments, personal achievements, unique life experiences, individual strengths, core values, and prospective goals.

They also like to know how those would fit on the campus of the specific school you’re applying to!

Due to this, supplementary essays are college-specific.

Colleges Want to Know How You’ll Fit on Campus

Your college essay alone may not reveal how you would make a perfect addition to a specific campus.

Again, every college you send your Common App or Coalition App to will be able to read it, which is why it’s crucial for your personal statement to focus on you as an individual and a learner, not the institution you like.

On the other hand, a supplemental essay should focus on what makes you a good fit for the college.

If you may, think of a writing supplement as an opportunity to convince college officers that you are a better choice than another applicant with the same academic profile as yours.

Show that your positive traits, hobbies, interests, and personality all fit on campus.

Talking about your weaknesses is fine, too, although it would be a great idea to point out you are working on them and how attending the college you are applying to can turn them into your strengths.

Of course, you won’t be able to write about how you’ll fit on campus without knowing the college.

Colleges Also Want to Know How Much You Know Them

College admissions officers want to know what you can add to the campus community.

Similarly, they want to know how the school can meet your academic and career goals .

Supplemental essays are an opportunity for you to discuss both and prove to your top-choice college that you are applying to the right school and also show that you are the right applicant .

For this, you must know what sort of academic program can make your professional dream happen.

It’s vital to know, too, which type of campus community can make you a well-rounded student and equip you with the skills necessary to succeed beyond college.

You can tailor your college application to fit the school’s needs through supplementals.

They allow you to demonstrate how you will fit with its culture, values, and mission.

Ultimately, they let you express why sending you an acceptance letter is worth it.

Increasing Your Admissions Chances Through Supplementals

Because supplemental college essays are major role players in the admissions process where they are required, I cannot stress enough the importance of giving your best when writing them.

What you say in them can spell the difference between an acceptance and a rejection.

College application is stressful , and writing various supplementals can make it even more nerve-racking.

But avoid panicking.

It’s of utmost importance for you to take a deep breath, compose yourself, and then pay attention to blowing the minds of college admissions officers with your supplemental essays.

That can be a challenge , but totally doable.

The secret is to know the steps necessary to nail those supplemental essays.

• Research. Before writing a supplemental essay, ensure you have researched the college or university enough. Study its values and culture. Examine its alumni members. Look into its programs and facilities.
• Introspect. It’s not enough that you know about the college — it’s also a must to explore why you intend to go to it. Determine what you want academically, socially, and professionally.
• Stick to the prompt. Most of the time, institutions allow applicants to pick from various supplemental essay prompts. Choose well and ensure that you talk about what your selection asks of you.
• Be genuine. No matter how tempting it is to exaggerate your achievements and capabilities to increase your admissions chances, don’t! Showcase your true self and write what you believe the college needs to know.
• Write well. Besides your writing supplement’s content, your writing skill also counts. Mind your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structures. Remember to draft for flow and organization.
• Proofread. Misspelled words, missing punctuation marks, grammatical slip-ups, etc. — they can take away from a well-thought-out and well-written supplemental college essay.
• Get feedback. Before college admissions officers read your supplementals, ask others like your parents, teachers, or mentors to check them out and provide suggestions.

Supplemental essays allow your application to stand out, so grab the opportunity in every way you can!

Independent Education Consultant, Editor-in-chief. I have a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and training in College Counseling. Member of American School Counselor Association (ASCA).

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What are supplemental essays & how do I write one?

Posted on 5th july 2021.

There are many unique things about the 1500+ US universities, one of which is that each institution generally requires applicants to write a supplemental, or college-specific, essay. This is in addition to the main 650-word personal essay required as part of the Common Application (the main portal for US applications). These essays are different from anything UK students will have written in school, and from the Common Application essay, so it’s good to know a few things about supplemental essays before getting started.

Supplemental essays range in length from only a few words to around 650. Although it varies, each university typically sets 1-3 supplements, and one usually asks why students are interested in that particular university. Universities are asking this question because the main purpose of the supplemental essay is to assess fit: how well a student’s passions and strengths would match the specific type of community that a university offers. So, paying attention to the types of questions colleges ask in their supplemental essays can give you important information about colleges’ values. This can help you assess whether you would be a good fit at that institution.

For example, Columbia University has a strong core curriculum with lots of required reading, and one of their supplemental essays asks applicants to list books they have enjoyed reading over the past year, both in school and for fun. When faced with this question, some students may wonder, ‘If I don’t read for fun, what should I write here?’ Rather than puzzling over an answer, it may be better to see this as a sign that a curriculum like Columbia’s with lots of required reading is unlikely to suit your particular learning style, and that you may be a better fit at a college with a different type of curriculum.

Another good example of a college whose supplemental essay prompts reflect its values is the University of Chicago. UChicago is known for asking unusual questions for its supplemental essays, and you can see examples below:

• It's said that history repeats itself. But what about other disciplines? Choose another field (chemistry, philosophy, etc.) and explain how it repeats itself.
• What can actually be divided by zero?

You can read an archive of UChicago’s supplemental essay prompts over the years here . Again, when encountering unique essay questions, you want to ask yourself why the college may be taking this approach. In the case of UChicago, they seem to be looking for students who have a playful intellect, and enjoy thinking outside the box. If you find these types of questions difficult or uninspiring, that might indicate that the academic environment of UChicago isn’t going to be the best fit for you. Don’t be discouraged if you’re stumped by one college’s supplemental essay questions, though! Just keep researching lots of other colleges, and soon you’ll find questions that you’re excited to answer.

Although UChicago’s supplemental essay questions are unique, other colleges will have more predictable types of prompts, and you may see the same questions cropping up in supplemental essays from different colleges. Often, students are asked to expand on a particular extracurricular activity or leadership experience, so by drafting some ideas on this early on, you will have a bank of writing to draw on when you have finalised your college lists. Something to avoid, though, is using the exact same piece of writing for multiple college essays. Make sure if you’re re-using content, that you still tweak it a bit to tailor it to each specific college.

How can you make sure you write strong supplemental essays? These are very important pieces of writing: in the eyes of some university representatives, the ‘why this university’ essay can hold even more weight than the main Common Application essay. The main way you can do this is by thoroughly researching each college on your list before starting to write. This may seem like a daunting task—especially when supplemental essays are short, and there are so many things to do for US applications generally. However, by taking time to do this (ideally in the spring and summer of year 12) you can not only ensure that your essays will be good, but also that you will find colleges that fit you. This is key to ensuring a good overall college experience, as well as boosting your chances of admission.

To find out more about colleges on your list, you can attend online events: college fairs are great ways to learn about universities that may not be on your radar, but match your passions and learning style. You can also reach out directly to admissions officers, whose email addresses are generally available on university websites. Using universities’ websites to find out information about classes offered in your area of interest is also beneficial. Does one course or professor stand out to you as interesting? Look for their lectures online- this would be a great talking point for a supplemental essay.

Regarding the writing style of supplemental essays, you don’t have to think as much about crafting your story and having a literary writing style as you do for the main Common App essay. But you still want to make sure your essay is well-written and engaging, and connects specific information about what you’ve done to your personal motivations and values; those values should match those of the particular college. Even for the more objective or academic questions, you want to draw a connection of some kind to your personal qualities and experience.

For help with your supplemental and Common Application essays, you can get in touch with UES Education. Our essay tutors can help you with brainstorming and drafting, and if you also need help with college research generally, our college counselling service can guide and support you. For more info, email [email protected]!

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How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays for 2023-2024

Harvard College needs no introduction—its name is synonymous with prestige in higher education. This alone can account for the extremely low acceptance rate, which was just 5.2% (out of 39,000 applicants) for the Class of 2021. But there is a way that applicants can improve their chances of getting into Harvard, and that is to write a stellar personal essay.

What are the Harvard Supplemental Essays?

When applying to Harvard, you are given the opportunity to include supplemental essays to showcase anything you feel was not adequately conveyed through your Common Application Essay . While Harvard’s admissions website indicates that including this essay is “optional,” almost all advisors will strongly encourage you to submit as much information about yourself as you can. Perhaps the fact that over 85% of the Harvard Class of 2019 wrote a supplemental essay might convince you just how important it can be.

Harvard Supplemental Essay Prompts for the 2023-2024 School Year

Each year, applicants find themselves struggling with exactly what they should put in their essays to impress the admissions committee. The Harvard supplemental essay prompts for 2023-2024 are no different. But because Harvard seeks students who are independent, creative, and self-motivated, this open-ended quality makes perfect sense. This essay is essentially a blank canvas on which you can paint some fascinating aspects about yourself in vivid color.

Here are the Prompts for the Harvard Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words)

Activity essays like this one allow you to say everything you couldn’t fit on your Common App activity list. Make sure to pick an activity that has meaning and one which you haven’t already written about. It’s usually a good strategy to pick something that you’ve been doing for a long time, where you can showcase key qualities like commitment, perseverance, and leadership. If you prefer to write about a job or hobby you just got started on, however, you can still write a compelling essay about why you started, what made you interested in it, and what you have learned in your journal thus far. You should contribute additional context to what the Harvard admissions officers know about you, and you only have a small space to do it in, so use it wisely.

Your intellectual life may extend beyond the academic requirements of your particular school. Please use the space below to list additional intellectual activities that you have not mentioned or detailed elsewhere in your application. These could include, but are not limited to, supervised or self-directed projects not done as school work, training experiences, online courses not run by your school, or summer academic or research programs not described elsewhere. (150 words)

This prompt is pretty easy to understand. Harvard is asking you to list any of your intellectual activities that you have not already included in your application materials. Did you try to build a computer game or app in the last few months? Maybe you interned somewhere that made you interested in a certain industry or line of work. Or perhaps you took an online Chinese course to get ready for an extended trip to China over the summer. Harvard wants to understand what you are getting up to, so let them know and don’t spare any important and exciting details!

You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments. You may write on a topic of your choice, or you may choose from one of the following topics (No word limit; max file size is 2000 KB) .

• An unusual circumstance in your life
• Travel, living, or working experiences in your own or other communities
• What you would want your future college roommate to know about you?
• An intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science, or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you
• How you hope to use your college education
• A list of books you have read during the past twelve months
• The Harvard College Honor code declares that we “hold honesty as the foundation of our community.” As you consider entering this community that is committed to honesty, please reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty. 
• The mission of Harvard College is to educate our students to be citizens and citizen-leaders for society. What would you do to contribute to the lives of your classmates in advancing this mission? 
• Each year a substantial number of students admitted to Harvard defer their admission for one year or take time off during college. If you decided in the future to choose either option, what would you like to do? 
• Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development, or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates. 

As you can see, applicants have a LOT of choices in terms of the direction they take when writing their Harvard supplemental essay. Read on for tips on how to approach ANY of these prompts in a meaningful and productive way to get the most out of this important essay and impress the admissions officers.

How Long Should the Harvard Supplemental Essays Be?

Although Harvard gives no explicit word or character limit for the supplemental essay, most accepted students will write between 500 and 700 words (or about a page when written in Times New Roman 12-point font). This doesn’t provide you a lot of room to ruminate at length on your experiences or to write about multiple topics. Therefore, you need to focus on one aspect of yourself (or what the prompt is asking you to write about) and drive it home. But don’t worry about getting it right on your first draft—write as freely as you can and work on re-drafting and revising your essay once all of the important elements have come to the surface. The more time you spend on the essay, the more polished and powerful it will be. Visit Harvard’s admissions website for comprehensive guidelines on writing this essay.

Paint a Picture of Yourself as a Unique Student and Graduate Candidate

When looking over the prompts, consider which one will allow you to write about an aspect of yourself that you didn’t portray in other essays you have submitted. Do not choose the same event, experience, passion, ability, interest, or talent that you used for the Common Application. For instance, if in the Common App Essay you wrote about your love of reading and described some of the books you have read, do NOT choose the Harvard essay about “A List Of Books You Have Read During The Past Twelve Months.” Similarly, if you already wrote about your experience backpacking around Asia last year, choose a different Harvard prompt than “Traveling Or Living Experiences In Other Countries.” No matter how profound or life-changing your experience was, writing about the exact same topic or experience is redundant and will not add to the depth of character you need to convey.

Zooming out, not only should you choose a separate  topic  for your supplemental essay, you should consider choosing an entirely different  perspective  as well. If your Common App Essay is about a past experience, choose the Harvard essay that asks about your future plans. If the first essay is about your impressive abilities, focus the second on how you overcame a challenge or deficit. If in the Common App Essay you have discussed your love of organic chemistry, write in the Harvard essay about your weekly volunteering at the local homeless shelter. In other words, deepen the picture you present of yourself.  Show how you live (and flourish) in many dimensions!

When writing a Harvard essay, applicants must also  stand out from the crowd . Do not think of it as a chance to merely remind the admissions committee about what you have accomplished, to list more details about your stellar academic record, or to brag about some outstanding marker on your resume. You have to dig deeper and WOW them in order for you to stand out in their minds.

Present Yourself Sincerely to Harvard Admissions Officials

Remember to always SHOW your sincerity, your attitude, and your excellence in your admissions essays—do not merely TELL about it. You can achieve this by focusing on actions, using lots of verbs, and by including a great number of  details  and examples as you describe your experiences. If playing the piano profoundly affected your sense of what “work” means to you, do not merely write, “Practicing all the time made me realize how working hard pays off.” Show this correlation between effort and understanding of work via anecdotes and details.

Here is what  showing  looks like (versus telling ):

“Three hours of straight practice a day in our windowless basement, six days a week perched upon a hard wooden bench, aching fingers on the keys, nothing between myself and Chopin but willpower and concentration, the haunting sounds of the hammer on the strings my instant reward for uncountable days and years of effort—all of this flashed through my mind on Jun 19, 2019, as I took the stage for my first Tanglewood recital.”

A detailed anecdote full of action makes it much easier for a reader to accept your assertion that playing piano profoundly affected your life. Readers can trust the feelings and positions you explicitly state only once you have proved them with examples and details.

Show How You Fit Into Harvard’s Unique Culture and Mission

When approaching this essay, it is important to understand that Harvard places special importance on the development of passions and community involvement over pure academic excellence. They also are deeply committed to diversity of experiences and views, and this means that they value curiosity in their students: intellectual, philosophical, social, etc. These values are included in their mission statement, which is “to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society” via “exposure to new ideas, new ways of understanding, and new ways of knowing,” which is designed to set students on a “journey of intellectual transformation.”

With these institutional objectives in mind, you should focus on how you can best illustrate your curiosity, and your potential for growth and greatness, in your essay. Do this by conveying your passion and showing how your passion drives your potential to contribute to worthwhile advances in society. One way to accomplish this in the essay is to choose a prompt that emphasizes your ambitions or even your plans to use your education. Consider responding to a prompt that explicitly mentions Harvard, or to one that asks “how you hope to use your college education” and become a “citizen-leader.” These provide a great opportunity to showcase those personal attributes that fit the mold of the desired Harvard student.

Explain Why You Deserve to Attend Harvard College

Another aspect to keep in mind is that Harvard is interested in enrolling people who are genuinely  good , in addition to being intelligent, talented, or ambitious. The final line of their mission statement reads: “From this we hope that students will begin to fashion their lives by gaining a sense of what they want to do with their gifts and talents, assessing their values and interests, and learning how they can best serve the world.” The last phrase indicates a person who demonstrates true concern about the world in which they live.

Thus showing strong regard for other people or animals or expressing a sense of duty and honor is a definite plus for the Harvard admissions committee. This is another perspective from which you might portray yourself in your essay—the hardworking, dutiful, kind, compassionate citizen-leader that they want and  deserve  to have, and the one that wants to be part of a like-minded community. But only focus on this aspect of yourself if you can do so authentically and honestly. The worst thing possible would be to lie or come off as disingenuous to the admissions committee. So just be yourself, your whole self, and nothing but yourself.

And before submitting your essay, be sure to get English editing and proofreading services from Wordvice–the best admissions editing service in the business. We offer supplemental essay editing services , as well as a host of revision services for admissions documents, including cover letter editing , personal statement editing , CV editing , and recommendation letter editing .

And try the new free AI Text Editor at Wordvice AI, which features a suite of revision tools including an AI Proofreading Tool and AI Paraphrasing Tool , among others. Best of luck writing this important admissions essay!

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Supplemental Essays: How to write & Some Topics Example         

Writing A Supplemental Essay

College application involves several steps. Most colleges will need a good resume, an application schedule, and a personal statement. However, for the admission board to gather more information about the applicant, a student has to write a supplemental essay.

Writing a good supplemental essay is one of the best ways to polish your admission profile. 

What is a Supplemental Essay?             

Supplemental essays are part of your application for a chance to join a college. It is one of the mandatory requirements after the initial primary application.

While there are colleges that will require a student to write several essays of different lengths, others can demand one long supplementary essay. 

The essay prompts and the word count will vary depending on the rules and regulations of the college. Colleges have different admission committees that are in charge of giving out supplemental requirements for the essay.

This is a way of getting the real picture of the applicant. Through these essays, the committee will tell if you are fit to be given a chance to join the college. 

Even though the essays are called supplemental, it doesn’t mean they’re insignificant or optional. The essays act as supplements to make for any imbalances that occur in the primary application.

Apart from the test scores, high school resume, and transcripts, colleges use these essays to get a true portrait of the applicant. 

The personal statement you provide is simply an overview of your academic journey. On the other hand, supplemental essays give a broader scope and more details about the applicant.

Your answers to the supplemental prompts will give the admission board more information about your identity, experiences, opinions, and background. 

Since most of the essays range between 200-600 words, specificity is vital. You have to stick to the intention of the prompt and know the boundaries of answering it. Even so, let your answers to the questions be as direct as possible.

This will make it possible to provide all the relevant answers and be able to stay within the word count. 

Here is a guide on writing a college application essay .

How to Write a Supplemental Essay

Supplemental essays cover a lot and often allow you to explain yourself. You need to cover the extra-curricular activities, how the community has been of help in your life, and the reasons for choosing the college. The essays also explain the specific reason for selecting the course you want to pursue. 

In many ways, supplemental essays are the perfect chance to compliment your personal statement.

With proper planning, you can take a shorter time in writing the best supplemental essay that will boost your chances of getting admission. 

When writing a supplemental essay, base it on the positive traits that you have included in other parts of your application.

This is how you can come up with an essay that will make the reader understand more about you. 

Also, it is important to answer the whole prompt so that you give as much information as possible. Therefore, focus on answering the specific prompts and have correct facts that will not contradict you. 

Unlike other essays, supplemental essays are not a measure of a student’s creativity. They are just a way of providing more details about the student. This is the reason why a direct approach is the best way of writing these essays.

The ideal way to start the essay is by providing the answer to the prompt in the early stages of your writing. 

Through the use of anecdotes, explain to the reader the answers you are providing. Including details from your personal experience is a good way of demonstrating facts for the readers to understand better.

Far from that, more emphasis should be on the initiative, growth, and impact. With these themes, it will be easier to come up with an attractive supplemental essay. 

Below are additional tips to help you write your supplemental essay:

1. Picking the right topics

While some colleges give specific topics, others still give students the chance to select from the options provided. Therefore, picking the perfect topic will make it easier to write a piece that will entice the audience.

Ensure that you write intending to prove to the admission board that you will succeed in your studies and career. If you choose great topics, the chances of developing a good supplemental essay will be high. 

2. Answering the question

Many admission boards will be keen to determine your ability to understand questions. As such, it is advisable to read and understand the supplemental essay prompt before you can start writing.

Understating the prompt allows you to write only facts that are relevant to the essay. 

It will also be difficult to reuse an essay you previously wrote for another college.

This proves difficult because most of the supplemental questions are specific to an individual institution. Therefore, take time and understand the question if you want to write a successful essay. 

3. Have an outline

Even though you may have your writing process, creating an outline can make your writing easier. Start by brainstorming your personal qualities so that you know the right ideas that you can include in your outline.

Think of experiences that you can convey in your supplemental essay to make it more informative and attractive. With a proper outline, you will take a shorter time to come up with a well-organized essay. 

4. Avoid Repetition

Remember to have all the details you included in your main essay. With all that in mind, do not repeat them in the supplemental essay. Simply focus on giving the admission committee more information about yourself and why you deserve a place in the school. 

5. Narrowing Down your Focus 

When you are choosing a topic, opt for one that is not too big. This is a common mistake that most students make. Since the word count for a supplemental essay is not big, select a topic that you can comfortably discuss in a few paragraphs.

Being brief helps to discuss a complex topic in a short paragraph. It is better to write a small piece of essay and dot it well by making it informative. 

6. Maintain your Voice

As you write your essay, do not include too much unnecessary input that can make it boring. Even if you seek external help, do not be influenced to make changes that may be unnecessary.

Seek opinions from teachers, friends, and parents but remember to maintain your voice in the essay. External help will be good for editing your work so that there are no grammar or sentence mistakes. However, ensure the voice in the writing is yours and avoid using informal words .

7. Take Time to Understand the Essay Prompt

Most essay prompts will ask the student to explain why he or she wants to join this particular college. If that is not the case, other prompts will be about the interests of the student in the particular program.

Therefore, stick to the prompt and avoid unnecessary explanations that will make you go off-topic. For instance, if you are asked about a school program, do not emphasize writing about the learning institution as a whole. 

8. Write about Yourself

Supplemental essays are all about presenting information about the applicant. These essays allow you to tell the admission board why you are the best fit to be in their institution.

Even if the topic at hand is about the school, ensure you include something constructive and encouraging about yourself.

At the same time, reveal something new about yourself. There have to be different facts about yourself that you did not include in the application. 

9. Do your Homework

Do thorough research about the programs and courses of the school. If the school wants an explanation of why you want to join them, use programs that you have an interest in to catch their attention. However, let all the explanations you give be in line with your goals and interests. 

Do a lot of homework to know more about the college. Researching before you write the essay will help you to know what the admission board of the college expects from applicants. 

10. Stay Within the Word Count

Many colleges give specific word counts for supplemental essays. As such, you are expected to write within the count. You have to write and meet the minimum word count that the admission board requires.

Not staying within the word count will be an indication of a lack of seriousness and an inability to follow instructions. 

Examples Of Supplemental Essay Topics

1. Why us? Tell us the reasons why you want admission into our university.

2. What are the main reasons why you have an interest in the majors you have selected?

3. Describe your specific areas of academic interest

4. In brief and summary, elaborate on one of your favorite extra-curricular activities that you do for fun.

Most of the supplemental essay prompts are similar. The essay you write is more technical and not a narrative style. Pack your essay with adequate personal information that shows why you are academically fit to be in that institution. 

James Lotta

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How to Write the UPenn Supplemental Essays - Examples & Tips

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/26/24

So, you’ve set your sights on attending the University of Pennsylvania. You’re confident in your GPA and SAT scores, but how should you write the UPenn supplemental essay? Read on to find out!

The University of Pennsylvania is one of the most selective schools in the United States. According to U.S. News, its acceptance rate is 7%. As such, it’s essential that applicants supply the admissions office with a detailed picture of not only who they are as a student but also as a person. 

Completing the UPenn supplemental essays is a necessary and crucial part of the application process. A well-written essay can give your application a massive boost, but a poorly-written one can affect your other materials significantly. 

In this guide, we’ll cover how to tackle the UPenn essays so that you can maximize your chance of acceptance!

UPenn Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

UPenn requires all applicants to complete three supplemental essays . Each required essay is short, with a maximum word count ranging from 200 to 250 words. 

If you're applying to a specialized program, you may have to complete additional essays. Take a look at our college guides for a step-by-step walkthrough of the UPenn application process. 

The following are the standard UPenn supplemental essay questions that all undergraduate applicants are required to complete. 

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #1

“Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)”

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #2

“How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)”  

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #3 - School of Nursing

“Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science and promoting equity. What do you think this means for the future of nursing, and how do you see yourself contributing to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (150-200 words)”

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #4 - College of Arts and Sciences

“The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences? (150-200 words)”

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #5 - The Wharton School 

“Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues.  Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it.  (150-200 words)”

UPenn Required Essay Prompt #6 - School of Engineering and Applied Science

“Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology, by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics, exploration in the liberal arts, and depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you hope to explore your engineering interests at Penn. (150-200 words)”

For the college-specific prompts (#3-6), you will only need to answer the prompt for the school you’re applying to. So, you’re only required to write three essays overall. 

UPenn Program-Specific Prompts

Depending on your desired program, you may also have to write essays tailored to your particular area of study. Many of the program-specific questions resemble the third supplemental essay question, asking the applicant to explain why they are interested in the specific academic path they are pursuing. 

Tap into your passion and use these questions to explore the practicalities of the path you’re on. Take a look at these program-specific essay prompts.

DMD: Digital Media Design Program

“Why are you interested in the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at the University of Pennsylvania? (400-650 words)”

Huntsman : The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business

“The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally-minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and internationally. What draws you to a dual-degree program in business and international studies, and how would you use what you learn to make a contribution to a global issue where business and international affairs intersect? (400-650 words)”

LSM: The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management

“The LSM program aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the life sciences and their management with an eye to identifying, advancing and implementing innovations. What issues would you want to address using the understanding gained from such a program? Note that this essay should be distinct from your single degree essay. (400-650 words)”

M&T: The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology

• “Explain how you will use the M&T program to explore your interest in business, engineering, and the intersection of the two. (400-650 words)”
• “Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words)”

NETS: The Rajendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering

“Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words)”

NHCM: Nursing and Healthcare Management

“Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words)”

Seven-Year Bio-Dental Program

This program has five prompts:

• “Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry.
• List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands.
• What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people?
• Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least.
• Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended.

*Please note that there is a 250 word limit for the Bio-Dental Program supplemental essays.”

VIPER: The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research

“How do you envision your participation in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) furthering your interests in energy science and technology? Please include any past experiences (ex. academic, research, or extracurricular) that have led to your interest in the program. Additionally, please indicate why you are interested in pursuing dual degrees in science and engineering and which VIPER majors are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words)”

How To Write Each Essay Prompt for UPenn

Let’s take some time to zero in on the three required essays that you’ll need to write for UPenn. Below, we’ll analyze what each prompt is asking of you and provide some tips to help you approach the essays well! 

How to Write the UPenn Supplemental Essay #1 + Analysis and Tips

UPenn prompt #1 : “Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)”

Analysis of prompt #1 : The school is seeking to figure out whether you have a sense of the importance of others in your life and if you realize the ways that they’ve helped you along the way. 

Though many high schoolers have learned the importance of individual hard work and discipline, studying at the university level often requires teamwork and collaboration. Schools like UPenn want to know that you’re prepared to participate and that you have a sense of community, which is further explored in the second essay. 

But to start, they want to get a sense of whether you know how others have made a difference in your life. This is your chance to show that to them. 

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Tip #1: Choose Your Person Wisely : Take some time to consider the person you will choose for this prompt. Make sure to pick someone who has had a significant impact on your life and to whom you are genuinely thankful. Don’t just pick someone that you think will impress the admissions committee. 
• Tip #2: Demonstrate Growth : Include reflections on how this person’s actions have changed you. Don’t be superficial ; dig deep into why you are thankful to this person and how you are still affected today. 
• Tip #3: Be Vulnerable : This prompt asks you to write directly to the person you’re thanking, which encourages you to get personal. Don’t shy away from this! Vulnerability is a mark of humility. However, make sure not to include details that will make your reader uncomfortable. 

How to Write the UPenn Supplemental Essay #2 + Analysis and Tips

UPenn prompt #2 : “How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)” 

Analysis of prompt #2 : Universities are communities. So, they are seeking students who have a sense of community and who want to be a part of one. 

In the first prompt, you are asked to demonstrate your appreciation for others who have shaped you in the past to who you are now. This second essay is an opportunity to show how you hope to contribute to the experience of those at UPenn and also how you hope to be transformed by your university experience.

• Tip #1: Reflect on UPenn’s Culture : Take some time at the beginning of your essay to demonstrate your understanding of UPenn’s community values. This shows that you not only fit into the community but that you’ve put effort into researching UPenn’s mission and values.   
• Tip #2: Show How You Fit : Now, talk about your own values and how they line up with UPenn’s. What draws you to UPenn outside of academics? How would you align with the school culture? 
• Tip #3: The Details Matter : It can be helpful to get really specific and use small details to convey memorable and meaningful ideas. An article by UPenn tells students that “sometimes, the smallest, most tedious things are the places where… we can communicate the most about ourselves as people.”

How to Write the UPenn Supplemental Essay #3 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompts #3-6 : The third UPenn required essay, although it varies from school to school, is essentially asking all students the same question: “Why us?” 

If you have a specific career path in mind, the school wants to know that you have an understanding of the knowledge you’ll need in order to get there. Not to mention if you will use the knowledge you obtain at their school to be a contributing member of society .

There is no ‘right’ answer when it comes to your reasoning for pursuing any course of learning. UPenn wants to see evidence that you want more from your education than just bringing home a huge paycheck or achieving an illustrious degree. UPenn is interested in what matters to you. 

What do you know about the field of study you’re pursuing? Are your aspirations distinctive or a little hazy around the edges? How will you take advantage of the resources available to you? How will you contribute to the classroom environment? 

Seek to answer those questions when writing. Here are some more tips to help you tackle your third essay for UPenn: 

• Tip #1: Know Your Program : UPenn advises applicants to be extremely specific about why they’re applying to their specified undergraduate school. The more you can get into those details in your supplemental essay, the better. You may want to end your essay talking about your future aspirations at UPenn and beyond!
• Tip #2: Consider Your Personality : What are the specific factors that draw you to this field of study - class structure, learning opportunities, specific instructors? How will your personality and skill sets fuel your ability to thrive in the program of choice?
• Tip #3: Answer the Prompt : It can be easy to get off-track when writing your essays, so be sure that you’re actually answering what’s being asked of you. UPenn has chosen specific prompts in order to learn certain things about you, so stay on topic to improve your chances of acceptance!

Examples of UPenn Supplemental Essays That Worked

Below, you’ll find some UPenn supplemental essays written by real applicants who were admitted to UPenn! Let’s look at each one and discuss what worked about it.

UPenn Supplemental Essay Example #1: The Thank-You Note

If you’re still unsure about how to approach this prompt, take a look at this example essay for some inspiration:

To my brother:

Every day when I come home from school, I am exhausted and kick off my shoes, thinking three steps ahead, about the homework I’ve got to do, or the friend who hasn’t called me in a while. Wrapped in a world of my own. 

And yet, every time I head out the door, I find the laces of my shoes have been neatly untied, loosened and ready for me to step into the shoe. Having not taken the simple step of untying them when I get home, I have not set myself up for a quick or efficient trip out the door.

You and I are so different. I live in a world of abstract ideas and mental exploration, you are grounded in practical matters and prefer not to stray from what is right in front of you. I’m not ‘cool’ and have struggled to make connections with other kids, you fit in so easily, without much effort. 

Although in the past I wished you would stick up for me more, I know how hard it can be to go against the grain. I know you’re looking out for me, in the way that you know how. You’re helping me find my own way by making the small inconveniences in my life disappear, so I can head out the door and face larger challenges. Although I’ve never witnessed you untying my laces, I know that it’s you. Nobody else is home, but your being there is enough. 

Thank you for showing me how to care for someone, and how to give support in a small but impactful way.

Why Essay #1 Worked

Each sentence offers a window into the identity of its writer. They reveal a person who is a bit of a dreamer, who loves to explore abstract ideas, and who sometimes has trouble fitting in. It also offers a window into the writer's thought process. 

Although they express their love of daydreaming, they are also detail-oriented, noticing small things like shoelaces that have been undone in their absence. The writer shows they're able to appreciate the personality differences between themselves and their brother. They have compassion for their brother despite their differences.

UPenn Supplemental Essay Example 2: How Will You Explore Community at UPenn?

Below is a sample essay responding to the community-focused UPenn essay prompt: 

As a kid, I was always encouraged to sit and listen to the adults around me, as they were having conversations with one another. Not to spy, or to get information I could use for my own advantage, but to observe people. My Dad told me you can tell a lot about a person based on what words they choose to say, and also how they say them.

Because I was a bit of a chatterbox as a kid, at times I thought he was giving me this advice, so I would be quiet and keep to myself a little more. But as I got older, I realized he was trying to help me build a skill; the skill of listening to others, before offering up a response.

Time went by, and I continued to be a chatty goofball. Though my stoic father had tried his best, I still much prefer telling jokes over sitting silently. Luckily, I was able to find the perfect outlet for both of my powers: improv club. I could act out as much as I wanted, but the most hilarious skits we came up with were the result of listening before responding to my teammates. 

As I’m hoping to pursue a degree in philosophy, I’m very excited to put these skills to practice in the classroom. I can’t wait to explore the dynamism that comes from discussing complex topics with my professors and other students. 

Why Essay #2 Worked

The writer sets the stage by explaining how they started to learn more about relating to others. They also showed how they came to learn to work with their nature - wanting to be more active and leading in a conversation while also working to ensure they are making space for others. 

The writer also seems to anticipate the classroom environment they will be in, knowing that University Philosophy classes often involve discourse on the theories students are exploring. The more you’ve armed yourself with an understanding of UPenn’s programs and classrooms, the easier it will be to write about how you will be an excellent addition to the school.

UPenn Supplemental Essay Example 3: Explaining Your Undergraduate School Choice

Here is a great example of an essay that explains the background and particular reasons behind a student’s specific undergraduate choices: 

“Some Pig.” The day I read these words was the day I became a vegetarian.

In around 192 pages, E.B. White changed my entire perspective. My parents suddenly had to grapple with the challenge of feeding a kid who would not eat meat. Luckily, they understood that this wasn't just a phase for me. I started to gain a curiosity about the inner lives of animals, leading me toward an interest in animal psychology.

How much do we really know about what animals are thinking or feeling? Will we ever live in a world where humans are able to communicate with animals? What kind of moral issues would we face should that possibility become a reality? These are questions I used to spend hours researching on the internet. 

One day, I stumbled upon a course on UPenn’s website: Animal Cognition and Ethics. I couldn’t believe it. A whole class dedicated to discussions of what I most wanted to know! This was the beginning of my goal of being admitted into UPenn’s Bachelor of Philosophy and Science program.

Knowing that Philosophy required an understanding of how to evaluate ideas and shape arguments for and against them, I joined my school’s debate team. I was able to gain a sense of how to consider a wide variety of opinions, and a respect for those with opposing opinions. 

This experience has prepared me to explore ideas with my fellow classmates at UPenn.

Why Essay #3 Worked

The writer begins by explaining the beginning of their passion for the topic they hope to study at Penn. They then get into the specific program they hope to be admitted to while mentioning a specific class offered at the school. 

In doing this, they are demonstrating not only that they have done some research into the school but that they are already capable of seeking out resources to take advantage of while studying there. 

UPenn is looking for students who are open to new experiences and are not necessarily satisfied with the status quo. In this essay example, the writer has sought to demonstrate their understanding of a college classroom dynamic by mentioning their experience with the debate team. In doing this, they’ve shown they can engage with ideas that are different from their own. 

Get More Sample Essays Here! 

Looking at examples of supplemental essays is a great way to find inspiration and discover strategies that work well. Use our extensive college essay database down below to find tons of other sample essays!

FAQs: UPenn Supplemental Essays

Looking for some fast answers? Here are our answers to a few common frequently asked questions about how to write the UPenn supplemental essays examples.

1. Does UPenn Require Supplemental Essays?

Yes. You must complete three supplemental essays, which are short in word count.

2. How Do I Write the UPenn Supplemental Essay?

Reflect about what makes you an ideal candidate, and seek to demonstrate how you think and how you will be a good student in your essays. Make sure you keep to the word count, and ensure your grammar and spelling are impeccable.

3. Is There a “Why UPenn” Essay?

Yes. The third and final supplemental essay prompts you to explain why you’ve chosen to apply to UPenn, although the specific prompt varies depending on the undergraduate college you’re applying to. 

Final Thoughts

Writing UPenn’s Supplemental essays is an exciting opportunity to give the school more information about the person you are behind your grades. The essays are concise and are therefore not highly daunting to complete. However, their short length requires applicants to be succinct. 

Taking time to reflect on the program you’ve chosen at UPenn, what the school’s identity is and how that fits into your self-concept will be advantageous for approaching each question and providing detailed examples.

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Brandeis Supplemental Essays 2023-24

Brandeis supplemental essays .

One of the most important parts of your Brandeis application is the Brandeis supplemental essays. Like at many other top schools, when you apply to Brandeis University , you’ll need to submit thoughtful, impactful essays. In addition to your Common App essay , you’ll also be asked to write a unique Brandeis essay. Writing strong Brandeis University supplemental essays is an excellent way to improve your chances of getting into Brandeis. So, if you’re looking for tips to help you tackle your essays, you’re in the right place!

In this article, we’ll discuss each of the Brandeis University supplemental essays in detail. And, we’ll go over some other common essay prompts you may see on college applications, like the Why School essay. We’ll cover the requirements for the Brandeis essay prompts and show you how to make your Brandeis essays stand out . Throughout, you’ll find resources that you can refer to when writing your own Brandeis essays. Finally, we’ll go over everything you need to know regarding important application deadlines, dates, and timelines.

Ready to learn more about how to get into Brandeis? Let’s start with some Brandeis Quick Facts!

Brandeis Admissions: Quick Facts

Brandeis university admissions quick facts.

• Brandeis Acceptance Rate: 39% – the Brandeis Acceptance rate makes it a more selective school.
• Brandeis Essay Requirements: Brandeis requires students to complete the Common App essay as well as one additional Brandeis Essay. There is also a second Brandeis essay specifically for international college students.
• Brandeis Application: According to the Brandeis requirements, students must apply via the Common Application . Brandeis has some additional requirements for international college applications. So, students applying from other countries should carefully review the international admissions requirements.
• Early Decision I: November 1
• Regular Decision and Early Decision II: January 2nd
• Brandeis Essays Tip: The Brandeis essay prompt speaks directly to the school’s mission, so it’s important you put your best foot forward. That means giving yourself enough time to think critically, be honest, and show Brandeis how you align with their values.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does Brandeis have supplemental essays?

Yes, Brandeis requires students to submit Brandeis supplemental essays along with their application. Generally speaking, supplemental essays can take many forms depending on the college. One common prompt includes a Why School essay where applicants describe why they want to attend a particular college. Another is a cultural diversity essay where applicants describe how they would contribute to the cultural diversity of the campus.

The first Brandeis essay asks students to consider how their educational experience has helped inform their perspective on Brandeis’s values. At first glance, this may not seem like a Why School essay or cultural diversity essay. However, you’ll see how the Brandeis essay can be thought of as a combination of both.

If you are an international student , you’ll need to write a second supplemental essay. The Brandeis essay for international college applications is also a combination of a cultural diversity and a why school essay. The prompt asks applicants to reflect on the reasons they are excited to attend Brandeis. Later on, we’ll discuss both of these prompts in more detail.

How many essays does Brandeis require?

Students must answer up to two additional Brandeis University supplemental essays. All prospective Brandeis applicants must answer the first of the two Brandeis essay prompts.  However, only international college students must complete the second of the Brandeis supplemental essays. Both of the Brandeis essay prompts require responses that are at most 250 words.

In the next section, we will take a closer look at both of the Brandeis essay prompts. We’ll break down how to approach the prompts and write the best possible Brandeis supplemental essays for each one. Like all application essays, these Brandeis supplemental essays require different writing strategies from the essays you write in English class. And, it is important to know what the admissions committee is looking for when they read Brandeis supplemental essays.

Brandeis Supplemental Essays

Below are both of the prompts for the Brandeis supplemental essays.

Brandeis Essay Prompts (#1)

Brandeis was established 75 years ago to address antisemitism, racism, and gender discrimination in higher education, and today, the university remains dedicated to its founding values of inclusivity and justice. how has your educational experience shaped your perspective on these values (250 words max.).

The first of the Brandeis University supplemental essays has a lot of information in it. (So, be sure to read each of the Brandeis essay prompts carefully.) This essay requires students to reflect on how they view inclusivity and justice, two of the founding principles of Brandeis. The prompt also asks about students’ educational experiences, which may include challenges you’ve faced or lessons you’ve learned.

Keep in mind that the Brandeis essay prompts also exist to assess students’ writing capabilities. Being able to clearly and effectively communicate your ideas signifies your readiness to attend a rigorous university like Brandeis. Your essays are your opportunity to show Brandeis why you are a good fit for both their mission and standards.

Brandeis Essay Prompts (#2)

*for international students only, what excites you the most about being an international student at brandeis university (250 words max.).

The second of the Brandeis supplemental essays is only required for international college applications. It asks students applying from other countries to talk about why they are excited to be an international student at Brandeis.

This prompt combines the topics of a why school essay with a cultural diversity essay. The admissions committee knows that there are many additional challenges for international college students attending school in a foreign country. Therefore, they want to know what is motivating these students to apply to Brandeis and how they’ll handle their new environment.

How to write Brandeis supplemental essays

Brandeis Essay Prompts (#1: Inclusivity and Justice)

Before you start writing your Brandeis supplemental essays, start with a no-pressure brainstorm . Think about specific stories from your life that have defined your views on inclusivity and justice. These are broad concepts, and it might be easy for your Brandeis essay to turn into a philosophical paper. Rather than simply defining these terms, remember to keep the focus on you. Remember, your Brandeis supplemental essays are personal narratives describing how inclusivity and justice have shaped your life. So, by the end of your essay, your reader needs to have learned something about who you are.

Use Personal Anecdotes

Because you only have 250 words to work with, try to be as specific as possible. That means picking one or two key moments to focus your essay on. Then, when you start writing, make sure your personal anecdotes are the central focus of your Brandeis essay. Your very first line should draw the reader into a specific story. Avoid restating the question or making a broad statement about inclusivity and justice in general.

Remember that the purpose of the Brandeis supplemental essays is to get to know you, the applicant. So, don’t be afraid to showcase your voice and specific values in your writing. Filling your Brandeis supplemental essays with personal stories is the best way to dynamically answer the prompt. Even better, you’ll demonstrate with real examples what a valuable member of the Brandeis community you would be.

Be Authentic

When writing these Brandeis supplemental essays, be true to yourself. Don’t fill your Brandeis supplemental essays with what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Instead, let your own unique perspective on inclusivity and justice shine through. Everyone has their own story to tell and these Brandeis essay prompts are designed to bring out those stories.

Maybe you took an economics class that discussed income inequality, inspiring you to volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Maybe you’ve suffered bullying and know firsthand how important it is to stand up for victims of abuse. Whatever your experience, use the Brandeis University supplemental essays as a vehicle for your story. Focusing on the impact of your experiences and lessons you’ve learned will help make a great impression on your readers.

Writing Resources

Looking for more guidance on how to write the Brandeis University supplemental essays? Check out our guide on writing better essays . If you’re struggling to come up with a topic for your Brandeis supplemental essays, don’t panic. Take a look at our guide on how to approach college essay topics , such as the why school essay.

Brandeis Essays for International Applicants

As we have previously mentioned, there is a specific Brandeis essay for international students to complete. This essay serves a variety of purposes, including assessing applicants’ command of English. Admissions wants to ensure students have the skills to succeed in a challenging academic environment.

Many of the tips for completing the first Brandeis essay also apply to this Brandeis essay. Let’s look again at the Brandeis essay prompts for international students: 

The type of essay that Brandeis assigns to international college students is called a Why School essay. This is self-evident as it asks students to reflect on their reasons why they want to attend Brandeis specifically. International applicants often face more obstacles when applying to college than their American peers. In this case, they face writing an additional essay.

This essay gives applicants the opportunity to show the school how much they’ve researched them and their offerings. With so many qualified applicants, Brandeis Admissions wants to be sure students are motivated and passionate about attending Brandeis.

Take Time to Reflect

When preparing to write this essay, start by reflecting on the question and write down some preliminary ideas. Think about why you want to further your education in America. Then work on narrowing it down to why Brandeis specifically. Try to answer the following questions in bullet points or a short outline:

• What drew you to look at this school in the first place?
• Why did you decide that it was worth filling out an application?
• What does Brandeis have to offer that other colleges or universities do not have?

Make sure these answers center around your own personal motivations. Factors like parental desires or advice from a college counselor don’t make for compelling essay topics. Be sure to bring your unique experiences and perspectives to your Brandeis supplemental essays.

Do Your Research

Before you start writing, learn everything you can about Brandeis on their website and consider taking a virtual tour. Are there specific aspects of Brandeis’s educational or extracurricular programs you’re excited about? Although your essay needs to be brief, a combination of personal details and Brandeis-specific details will make for a rich response.

Applying to Brandeis as an international student

International applicants to Brandeis have more Brandeis requirements than American students. This makes the application process longer and more involved. Many of the requirements for international college applications are the same as other first-year applications:

• A completed Common Application
• Transcripts
• A school report
• A letter of recommendation
• An application fee
• Responses to the Brandeis essay prompts

Students may submit standardized test scores or an Early Decision agreement if they choose to pursue that pathway. The Brandeis acceptance rate is generally more competitive for international students. So, if you are an international applicant, you may opt for an Early Decision I or II admissions plan.

In addition to the above application requirements, international students must prove their English Proficiency. That means providing exam scores from one of several recognized testing companies, unless exempt from the requirement. Students must also submit financial documentation. This applies to all students, regardless of if they are applying for financial aid. Finally, international applicants are encouraged to take a virtual tour and/or participate in an interview. These last two parts are not required but are strongly recommended. That’s because they show Demonstrated Interest , a measurement of a student’s investment in attending a school. 

That being said, Brandeis does have a high percentage of international students in their undergraduate population. According to statistics from 2021 , over 20% of undergraduates at Brandeis come from foreign countries. So, international students will certainly find a community on campus.

What does Brandeis look for in an applicant?

The Brandeis acceptance rate is highly competitive because of the high standards Brandeis sets for its applicants. A successful application needs to not only fulfill the Brandeis requirements but also paint a clear and compelling picture to Admissions. You’ll need to show Brandeis how you’ve succeeded in the past and will continue to strive for success in the future.

Brandeis admissions officers do not just take into account grades and test scores. Instead, they use a holistic review process that considers students’ involvement both inside and outside the classroom. Brandeis also takes into account an applicant’s character and knowledge of Brandeis’s mission. All of these aspects work together to give Admissions a sense of what kind of Brandeis student someone might be.

Students can demonstrate readiness for advanced academic coursework by completing challenging high school curriculum. Honors and AP classes are a good indicator that a student is ready for the academic rigors of college. Students should also demonstrate involvement outside of the classroom by participating in extracurricular activities. Leadership positions and a significant devotion of time to extracurricular activities can showcase a student’s personality and passions. Overall, Brandeis looks for commitment to the values of the college and how students have given back to their communities. 

Demonstrating your values and interest

One of the best places to demonstrate these qualities is in your Brandeis University supplemental essays. The Brandeis essay prompts help Admissions see your personality and how your values and interests fit in with the incoming class. The Brandeis supplemental essays are your opportunity to show your best qualities. So, it is important to spend quality time writing your Brandeis University supplemental essays.

Brandeis emphasizes on their website how their application review process is holistic . That means, in addition to seeing your academic record, they want to get a sense of your perspectives and character. While your academic records are important, the Brandeis supplemental essays will provide the most insight into your personality and fit.

So, when thinking about how to get into Brandeis, students should not just focus on their grades and test scores. Applicants are in charge of helping the admissions committee get to know them through their Brandeis supplemental essays. For more advice on applying to Brandeis, check out our How to Get into Brandeis guide here . 

Additional information about Brandeis University

Successfully writing the Brandeis supplemental essays starts with getting to know Brandeis through research. Doing research will not only help you decide if Brandeis is a good fit for your interests. It also provides details that can be used to enhance your Brandeis essays. Schools like Brandeis look favorably on applicants who are familiar with both the college’s mission and its academic offerings. So, let’s look a little deeper at what Brandeis University has to offer.

Religious Roots

Brandeis University is a private university located in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by members of the Jewish community. Brandeis’s founders were looking to establish an institution of higher learning rooted in Jewish religious traditions and values.

Today, students of all backgrounds and faiths attend Brandeis. However, the values of critical thinking, community service, and self-reflection remain the cornerstones of learning at Brandeis to this day. Jewish student organizations and a Judaic studies major are just a few of the ways in which Brandeis stays true to its roots.

Brandeis Fast-Facts

Brandeis is a medium-sized research university that is home to around 3,500 undergraduates. The student/faculty ratio is approximately 10-1. So, students have access to research opportunities and fellowships that are harder to find for undergraduates at larger universities. It is a suburban campus, but the large city of Boston is less than 10 miles away. This makes Brandeis a good fit for students who want a suburban campus environment with the convenience of a nearby major city. Brandeis is home to a diverse community with 20% of students from other countries and 33% of students of color. 

You can get even more information about Brandeis by signing up for an information session, virtual tour, or in-person campus visit. These learning opportunities can help give you a sense of what campus life would be like as a Brandeis student. (And also give you details that you can mention in your Brandeis essays!)

Brandeis Supplemental Essays: Final Takeaways

The Brandeis University supplemental essays are one of the most important facets of the Brandeis application. While strong grades and extracurriculars help improve your chances of acceptance, they are not the end all be all of your application. The Brandeis supplemental essays allow the admissions committee to know you on a deeper, more personal level. In addition, strong responses to the Brandeis supplemental essays may be just the thing that sways a decision in a student’s favor.

Given the importance of the Brandeis supplemental essays, it is vital that you take the time to put forth your best work. Spend time reading the Brandeis essay prompts and doing research so you can be familiar with their mission and facilities. Then fill your Brandeis essays with specific details and personal stories that showcase your best qualities. That way, you can be sure to provide evidence of why you are a strong fit for the Brandeis community. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Many students find that they need some extra help tackling their Brandeis supplemental essays. If you’re looking for help writing your Brandeis University supplemental essays, we’ve got you covered. CollegeAdvisor’s trained team of advisors is here to support you at every stage of the writing process. We have admissions experts on our staff to help you make your Brandeis essays as strong as they can be. And, our advisors include Brandeis graduates who have first-hand experience writing successful Brandeis supplemental essays.

Feel free to refer back to this guide at any point in your writing process. Remember to edit for clarity and polish your essays before submitting them. Keep in mind our tips and advice, and you’ll be sure to craft Brandeis supplemental essays that will shine .

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Alex Baggott-Rowe . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Crash Course: How To Write The Supplemental Essays

January 30 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm est.

Sign up here . 

Many selective colleges will require you to write supplemental essays. These essays are another way to showcase your personality and experiences to the admission officers.

Writing these supplemental essays—and even just brainstorming a topic—can be a struggle for high school students. That is why Moon Prep combined the collective knowledge of the team to create this video course that has everything you need to know when writing supplemental essays that show your impact and core values.

How The Course Works

This video course shows you the techniques you need to create a supplemental essay that showcases a new facet of your personality and experiences. Throughout the video modules, we will go through the common different types of supplemental essays to help you put together a strong application.

With a selection of video modules, examples of essays that worked, brainstorming worksheets, and many advanced strategies, our course is one of the most comprehensive available

Course Modules:

Module 1: The “Why This School” Essay

• A complete guide to the “Why This School” Essay
• Examples of how to turn an essay from drab to fab

Module 2: The “Why This Major” Essay

• Tips for writing a “Why This Major” essay
• Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Module 3: The Extracurricular Essay

• Which extracurricular activity to pick, even if you have too many choices
• Which extracurricular activity to pick, even if you can’t think of one
• A complete guide to the 150-word essay

Module 4: The Diversity/Community Essay

• How to decide which community to describe
• How to write an impactful essay
• Showcasing how you are unique

Module 5: General Tips For The Supplemental Essays

• General tips on how to answer the short answers
• A guide to common mistakes and how to avoid making them
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