how to write smu supplemental essays

Mastering SMU Supplemental Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Introduction

The supplemental essay portion of the SMU application is an opportunity for prospective students to showcase their fit with the university, as well as their unique experiences and perspectives. These essays provide admissions officers with additional insight into who you are as a person and what you can bring to the SMU community. Crafting impressive supplemental essays requires careful thought and consideration, as they play a crucial role in determining your admission. In this guide, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to write outstanding SMU supplemental essays that will capture the attention of admissions officers. We will discuss the purpose of these essays, offer tips and best practices for writing them effectively, and provide examples to illustrate our points. Whether you're applying to SMU's Cox School of Business, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, or any other program at the university, this guide will help you navigate the supplemental essay process successfully. So let's dive in and learn how to master SMU supplemental essays!

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Understanding SMU Supplemental Essays

When applying to Southern Methodist University (SMU), prospective students are required to complete supplemental essays in addition to the general application. These essays provide an opportunity for applicants to showcase their unique qualities, experiences, and perspectives that make them a strong fit for SMU. Understanding the purpose of these supplemental essays is crucial in crafting compelling responses that will impress the admissions committee.

SMU supplemental essays are additional writing prompts that allow applicants to go beyond their general application and delve deeper into their personal background, interests, and aspirations. These essays give applicants the chance to highlight specific aspects of their life or experiences that they believe are important for the admissions committee to know.

The purpose of SMU supplemental essays is twofold. Firstly, they provide a way for the admissions committee to gain a more comprehensive understanding of each applicant. By asking specific questions, SMU can assess an applicant's passion, motivation, and potential contributions to the university community. Secondly, these essays help SMU evaluate an applicant's fit with the university's values, culture, and academic programs. Through thoughtful responses, applicants can demonstrate their alignment with SMU's mission and show how they would thrive within its unique environment.

Writing impressive SMU supplemental essays requires careful thought and consideration. Applicants should approach these essays as an opportunity to tell their story in a way that sets them apart from other candidates. To craft compelling responses, it is important to thoroughly research SMU's values, programs, and opportunities. This knowledge will enable applicants to tailor their answers specifically to what SMU is looking for in prospective students.

When writing SMU supplemental essays, it is essential to showcase your fit with the university by highlighting your relevant experiences and achievements. This could include discussing specific courses or professors at SMU that align with your academic interests or mentioning extracurricular activities or organizations on campus that you are excited about joining. By demonstrating your knowledge of SMU and its offerings, you can show the admissions committee that you have done your homework and are genuinely interested in becoming a part of the SMU community.

Additionally, it is important to use these essays as an opportunity to showcase your unique experiences and perspectives. Think about what makes you stand out from other applicants and how your background has shaped who you are today. Whether it's overcoming challenges, pursuing a passion outside of school, or engaging in community service, sharing these personal anecdotes can give the admissions committee a deeper insight into your character and potential contributions to SMU.

Writing Tips and Best Practices

When it comes to writing SMU supplemental essays, there are several tips and best practices that can help you craft impressive and compelling responses. These essays are an opportunity for you to showcase your fit with SMU, as well as highlight your unique experiences and perspectives. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your essays stand out from the competition and leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee.

One of the first steps in writing SMU supplemental essays is to carefully analyze the essay prompts. Take the time to read through each prompt multiple times and make note of any key words or phrases. This will help you understand what the prompt is asking for and allow you to tailor your response accordingly. It's important to fully grasp the purpose of each essay prompt in order to provide a thoughtful and relevant answer.

Once you have a clear understanding of the essay prompts, it's time to start structuring your responses. Begin by creating an outline or rough draft of each essay, organizing your thoughts and ideas in a logical manner. Consider using headings or subheadings to break up different sections of your essay, making it easier for the reader to follow along. A well-structured essay will not only make it easier for the admissions committee to read, but it will also showcase your ability to think critically and present information in a coherent way.

In addition to structure, using persuasive language and storytelling techniques can greatly enhance your SMU supplemental essays. Instead of simply stating facts or listing achievements, try incorporating personal anecdotes or examples that demonstrate your skills or character traits. This will make your essays more engaging and memorable for the reader. For example, if one of the prompts asks about a challenge you've overcome, instead of just describing the challenge itself, share how you tackled it and what you learned from the experience.

Another important aspect of writing impressive SMU supplemental essays is proofreading and editing. After completing a draft of each essay, take the time to review and revise your work. Look for any grammatical or spelling errors, as well as areas where the writing could be tightened or clarified. It can also be helpful to have someone else read your essays and provide feedback. Fresh eyes may catch mistakes or offer suggestions that you may have overlooked. Taking the time to thoroughly proofread and edit your essays shows attention to detail and a commitment to producing high-quality work.

In conclusion, mastering SMU supplemental essays is crucial for prospective students looking to stand out in the application process. By understanding the purpose of these essays and crafting compelling responses, applicants can effectively showcase their fit with SMU. It is important to highlight unique experiences and perspectives that set them apart from other candidates. By following these tips and best practices, applicants can increase their chances of impressing the admissions committee and securing a spot at SMU. Remember, the supplemental essays provide an opportunity to demonstrate your passion, commitment, and potential contributions to the university community. So take your time, revise your drafts, and make sure your essay reflects your best self. Good luck!

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How to Write the SMU College Admissions Essays

Last week , I wrote about how to brainstorm and draft the TCU-specific college admissions essays. And a few weeks back , I talked about best practices for the ApplyTexas Essays and UT Short Answers. Today, I will provide some tips on how to approach the SMU college admissions essays.

SMU requires two school-specific responses in addition to the “main” admission essay. I will explain how to brainstorm and outline your responses to these prompts. But first, let me explain what SMU (as well as any other college that has school-specific prompts) is generally looking for.

Any school-specific college admissions essay is meant to illustrate that you’ve “done your homework.” In other words, the admissions officers want to know (1) do you actually want to attend this college for a substantial reason, (2) and can you clearly articulate that reason?

Superficial reasoning -- like location of the school or the prestige of its name (or, worse, its best sports team) -- will not help your application. And vague, copy-and-paste reasoning cobbled from other essays won’t really help either.

So, what does this mean for writing the SMU-specific college admissions essays? Simple. Spend half an hour on SMU’s website (or longer) and see what you like about the college’s professors, academic resources (such as research labs and business affiliates), and student culture.

You don’t need to digest the whole website, tour the campus, and burn with ever-glowing pride for Mustang culture (although, of course, none of those things would hurt), but you do need to demonstrate that you’re not just “phoning it in” and writing these essays so you can “get the app in.”

Make sense? Great! Now, let’s review the actual prompts.

PROMPT #1 : SMU appeals to students for a variety of reasons. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply. (250 words)

First break the prompt into multiple components, which you can use to structure your short response:

Paragraph 1: Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU. (~100 words)

Explaining your interest in SMU is basically stating what caught your eye about the university in the first place. In other words, this first half of the question is your introduction paragraph .

Maybe you attended an engineering camp during summer. Or maybe you assisted research in the Biological Sciences department. Or maybe you simply watched a YouTube video from one of its dozens of famous alumni (including many politicians). Whatever the connection, you want to identify a specific moment that gave you the first meaningful connection to SMU. You will build off of this moment in the subsequent paragraphs.

And, whatever first put SMU “on your radar” should have made you realize how the school represents something or offers something . Basically, this intro paragraph should end with some kind of thesis or thematic statement that crystallizes what underlying trait SMU has that interests you -- for example, “Ultimately, I realized that SMU is the best college for me to further develop a sophisticated knowledge of international business.”

Paragraphs 2-3: What specific factors have led you to apply? (~150 words)

After the initial appeal of “first contact” with SMU is described, then you need to explain how your piqued interest led you to act. Therefore, paragraphs 2 and 3 should go into more detail about how you learned more about SMU and then finally made the decision to apply.

Paragraph 2 (~100 words) should be the initial “research” stage. You can talk about reviewing the work of professors or touring the campus or interviewing alumni or really anything , as long as you are specific about what you learned about SMU and why it motivated you to apply.

Paragraph 3 (~50 words) is the “what you hope to accomplish” segment. Once you describe the major reason for applying to SMU (I recommend going with a specific professor / research area as your reasoning, but that’s not always the most compelling option), you can further demonstrate why SMU fits your college goals by stating how you see yourself at SMU.

Alternately, you could also make the third paragraph the “furthermore, I like this too” part of your essay. In this case, you can identify another feature of SMU that genuinely excites you (for secondary reasons, additional resources such as alumni contacts or internship opportunities usually work well). For length purposes, it may be hard to cram in another point in a convincing manner, so your best option is likely to go deeper on your one main point. But, if you can make it work, then do it!

PROMPT #2 : SMU is a diverse learning environment shaped by the convergence of ideas and cultures. How will your unique experiences or background enhance the University, and how will you benefit from this community? (250 words)

This topic is quite similar to one of the UT-Austin Short Answers (#3), so if you plan on applying to UT-Austin and SMU, then you most likely will be able to recycle the UT Short Answer for this one with minimal editing. But let’s go ahead and assume that you do the SMU essays first (or don’t apply to UT-Austin).

Similar to the first prompt, you can use the multiple parts of this question to organize your thoughts:

Paragraphs 1-2: How will your unique experiences or background enhance the University? (~200 words)

Over the course of the first paragraph (~50 words), you need to introduce one unique experience or element of your identity -- and this should be something unseen elsewhere in your other essays and application materials, if possible. For example, maybe this is the moment to talk about your religion (though in non-preaching, somewhat neutral terms) or a family tradition.

In the second paragraph (~150 words), you then go into more details about the specifics of this experience or part of your identity. The second paragraph is basically “the story” of your essay, but there is one complication: you also have to explain in this paragraph how this experience/background will enhance SMU . Thus, at the end of the “story,” you need to state (1) what you learned and (2) how you will apply this lesson while attending SMU.

Paragraph 3: How will you benefit from this community? (~50 words)

You can address the second half of the prompt in the third / conclusion paragraph of the essay. Indeed, once you’ve explained what makes you unique and how this will be useful at SMU, you can then say how you imagine the student body and general community spirit will benefit you.

This part can focus on extracurriculars, student groups, resident hall traditions, and anything else that reveals what excites you about the culture of SMU. And of course, you want to make sure that whatever you highlight relates to what you discussed in the previous paragraphs.

Those are my recommendations for how to approach the SMU supplemental college admissions essays. I hope you find it easier to brainstorm and draft your responses!

Need help finalizing your college admissions essays? We can gladly help you review essays and determine best strategies for editing content, adding more details, and removing extraneous information. Check out our College Admissions Services -- Essay Editing for more information!

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Southern Methodist University | SMU’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Why this college short response.

SMU appeals to students for a variety of reasons. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply.

Diversity Short Response

SMU is a diverse and welcoming learning environment shaped by the convergence of ideas and cultures. How will your unique experiences enhance the University, and how will you benefit from this community?

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

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How to Write the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Supplement 2024-2025

Southern Methodist University, usually just called SMU, is a private research school that is surprisingly non-secretarian in its teaching (so not as Methodist as you might have guessed). Located in a charming area of Dallas, Texas, the school has become popular recently, especially for their undergraduate business and engineering schools. SMU has a sizeable Greek system, fun traditions, and a beautiful campus… which has also made it even more buzzy. They often don’t outright publish their acceptance rate, but it is usually around 50%. The school is test-optional and has a reasonably straightforward supplement. While it isn’t a tricky supplement, there are a couple of best practices on how to approach it. So let’s break it down.

SMU appeals to students for a variety of reasons. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply. (250-word limit) 

This prompt asks the simple question, “ Why do you want to go here? ” This is probably the number one question that colleges ask, and we have a little bit of a formula for approaching it. The first step is research. The more you know about the college, the easier this will be to write, and then our “formula” will do all the hard work. It is going to seem weird at first, but stay with us.

First, tell your academic origin story.

You want to tell a short personal story about when you first fell in love with what you want to study. Honestly, it doesn’t have to be the “first first” thing, but it should pique the reader's interest and make them understand why you are passionate about your future major. For example, if you hope to major in accounting, maybe you can tell a story about helping your uncle make an expense spreadsheet for a vacation. If you hope to study English, maybe it was going on a tour of Hemingway’s house on a school trip. You then want to state what you want to major in and that you want to study it at SMU.

One quick note here: don’t be undecided. You want to talk about a specific major. Even if you aren’t 100% sure, write like you are. Trust us, this isn’t a formal declaration, and it will be much harder to get in if you are undecided. They want confident and passionate students. Try to channel that.

Second, add some specifics about academics.

Now that you have stated what you hope to study, you want to back it up. This is where the research comes in handy. You should mention at least two higher-level (skip the 101s) classes in your major that you are excited about taking. Talk about why you are excited about these classes and how they connect with academic interests or experiences that you have already interfaced with. Do the same with a professor you would like to work with and what appeals to them about their research. Once you have talked about classes and a professor, you can mention any other specific or unique academic opportunities that speak to you.

Third, talk about extracurriculars.

Once you have delved into academics, you should talk about who you hope to be outside of class. We recommend mentioning a club/extracurricular related to something you already do so you can talk about yourself. For example, if you sing in your school’s choir, you could talk about joining the Belle Tones acapella group. TL;DR: You want to establish the overlap between your interests and what they offer at SMU. First academically, then more generally.

That is probably all you can fit into 250 words, but you want to leave the reader with the idea that you are perfect for SMU and that SMU is perfect for you.

SMU is a diverse and welcoming learning environment shaped by the convergence of ideas and cultures. How will your unique experiences enhance the University, and how will you benefit from this community? (250-word limit)*

Sometimes, students get tripped up by the word “diverse” in this question. They feel like they need to write about “diversity.” However, the only thing you need to do for this essay is to tell a good story and bring the reader into your own personal world. While the prompt might have the word “diverse” in it, the question itself asks for a “unique experience.”

You want to tell the story of an important experience that connects to the person you are. You could write about finishing your first song, getting over your fear of heights, working on cars with your dad, making dim sum, or coming out as queer. All of these are equally good stories as long as you show the reader why this experience is essential to you and your world.

After you have told your story, you should connect it to who you will be at SMU. You want to connect your skills to the SMU community and your experience there.

SMU’s supplement isn’t tricky. Their questions are similar to those on many other college supplements. These questions are popular for a reason! They are great ways to get to know you. All you have to do is do your best and give yourself time to research and edit.

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An Introduction to Supplemental Essays

What is a Supplemental Essay?

A supplemental essay is an additional essay, besides the main one, submitted by applicants along with their college application. While the main college essay gives the admissions committee a peek into an applicant’s strengths and achievements, the supplemental essay provides more information on the applicant’s opinions, traits, and beliefs, based on which an application is either selected or rejected. 

Depending on the college or university, applicants may be required to submit one or more supplemental essays apart from the primary college essay . 

Common Supplemental Essay Topics

Supplemental essay topics are college-specific and therefore vary from one college to another. They are also different from the main college application essay topics . 

Below are some college supplemental essay example prompts from colleges across the country. 

1. Why Us? 

This is one of the most common questions asked by colleges. The aim of this question is to understand an applicant’s keenness to join a college or university. 

Following are some examples of ‘Why Us’ supplemental essay questions. 

• Your moment has arrived. Share with us the moments or experiences that have led you to apply to Babson College. (500 words maximum) – Babson College Essay Prompt, 2022–2023.
• Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply. (250-word limit) – Southern Methodist University, 2022–2023.
• Why are you interested in American University? (150 words) – American University, 2022–2023
• What is your motivation for pursuing higher education? Why do you believe George Mason University is the right institution for you? (400 word limit) – George Mason University, 2022–2023. 

2. Community Contribution

Colleges often prefer candidates who can add value to their community. If an applicant has already participated in community activities, then sharing such an experience is a good way to earn some brownie points.

Following are some examples of supplemental essay prompts that aim to understand a candidate’s willingness to be a part of a community. 

• Sarah Lawrence College’s community places strong value in inclusion and diversity. Tell us about what you value in a community and how your perspective, lived experiences, or beliefs might contribute to your College community. (250-500 words) – Sarah Lawrence College, 2022–2023. 
• As you look to join our community of doers and disruptors, in what ways do you envision using both the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to invoke change for marginalized groups? (250 words) – University of Rochester, 2022–2023. 
• Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech? (120 words) – Virginia Tech, 2022–2023.
• The Trinity College community is characterized by engagement, inclusion, and collaborative partnerships. Based on the different communities that you are a member of, how will you engage with and leave an impact on the Trinity College community? (300 words) – The Trinity College, 2021–2022.

3. Subject of Choice

This essay prompt helps admissions committees understand a candidate’s academic background, future goals, and the kind of support they would need from the college to achieve their academic goals. 

Following are some examples of supplemental essay prompts that direct students to elaborate on why they have chosen a particular subject. 

• Please explain why you wish to study in the academic areas you selected. (150 word limit.) – Rice University, 2022–2023. 
• Please write in the space provided describing your interest in the subject(s) you wish to study at the University of St Andrews. (400 words) – University of St Andrews, 2021–2022. 
• Please tell us why you chose the Majors you did? (100 words) – The University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2022–2023.
• Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech? (300 words) – Georgia Tech, 2022–2023. 

4. Non-Scholastic Activities

From being a member of a literary club to working as an apprentice, there are several extracurricular activities that help students develop new skills or hone existing ones. Essay prompts focused on non-scholastic activities intend to help admissions committees learn about an applicant’s skills developed from participating in extracurricular activities. 

Following are some examples of supplemental essay topics that focus on non-scholastic activities. 

• Briefly (approximately one-half page, single-spaced) discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. – Harvard, 2022–2023. 
• Have you participated in or been assisted in your college preparation and search by programs outside of the classroom, such as Educational Talent Search, Take Stock in Children, Upward Bound, Boys and Girls Club, etc.? (250 words) – University of Florida, 2022–2023. 
• Tell us about a time when you advocated for something you believe in. (200 words) – University of Notre Dame, 2022–2023. 
• Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200-400 words) – The Vanderbilt University, 2022–2023. 

5. More About You

One way to tackle this question is to focus on strengths, skills, or interests that haven’t been mentioned in the college application or personal statement. Since the supplemental essay has to be kept short, writing about one or two specific traits or skills would suffice.

Below are some examples of supplemental essay prompts that are aimed at better understanding an applicant. 

• In what ways are you the right fit for the distinctive educational and campus experience that Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers? (500 words max.) – Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2021 – 2022. 
• Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity or your community) and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words) – Johns Hopkins University, 2022 – 2023. 
• Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better. (250 words max.) – Stanford University, 2022 – 2023. 
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why? (250 words max.) – Stanford University, 2022 – 2023. 

Things to Remember while Writing Supplemental Essays

Supplemental essays should offer additional insights about an applicant to the admissions committee. Following are some points to consider while writing such an essay.

• Non-repetitive content: The content of a supplemental essay should be unique. It should not repeat what is already mentioned in the college application or the personal statement . 
• Word count limit: Supplemental essays include anywhere from 200 words to 500 words and are hence shorter than the main college admission essay.. It is important to read the essay guidelines and ensure that the supplemental essay does not exceed the word limit. 
• Unconventional topics: Often, colleges come up with quirky topics to analyze an applicant’s ability to get creative. While attempting unconventional or controversial topics, it’s important to think outside the box to be able to impress the admissions officers. 

Although writing a supplemental essay isn’t always mandatory, admissions officers mostly give preference to applicants who choose to write and submit supplemental essays. These essays, when written well, can help an applicant get their foot in the door to getting an admission into their favorite college.  

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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.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Supplemental Essay Guide 2024-25

What do the 2024-25 supplemental essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA's experts are here to break them all down.

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Agnes Scott College 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

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• Admission Requirements

A holistic approach to the admission process

In addition to GPA and SAT or ACT scores, our admission committee weighs many factors during the course of the application process, including classroom performance, the rigor of high school curriculum, quality of essays and recommendations, extracurricular activities, talents, character, and life experiences. But what's most important for you to know is that your application will be considered individually, on its own merit.

Minimum High School Course Requirements

units of English

units of math (algebra I, II, geometry)

units of social science

units of science (of which 2 must be lab science)

consecutive units of foreign language

There is no absolute "cutoff" for grades. Classroom performance would generally present competitive applicants in the top quarter of their high school class. The difficulty of curriculum and competitive nature of the high school are also important factors in the admission process.

Standardized Test Requirements

Official SAT or ACT scores. SMU does superscore the SAT and ACT , and also accepts self-reported test scores . Please note SMU does not require the SAT essay or the ACT writing test.

Receiving Test Scores

When the ACT or SAT is taken, students may indicate three schools to receive their scores. When SMU is indicated, the College Board sends us a record of your scores four to six weeks later. SMU's code for the ACT is 4174, and our code for the SAT is 6660.

SMU grants credit and placement for scores of 4 or 5 on most AP examinations taken in high school. Six to eight credits will be awarded for scores of 5, 6, or 7 on International Baccalaureate higher-level exams, with a maximum award of 32 credits. For more information, click here . To receive credit for an AP test in high school, arrange for an official copy of your test scores to be sent to SMU's Registrar Office. Upon receipt of this information, SMU will determine the credit you will receive.

Test-Optional Policy

SMU is fully test-optional. Please reference our  Test-Optional Policy .

Correspondence Course Credit

SMU does not accept correspondence course credit, however, such coursework may represent to the Admission Committee a commitment to study beyond the minimum high school curriculum.

Concurrent (Dual Credit) High School/College Programs

SMU first-year students may request college credit for coursework taken during high school. In order for this credit to be transferable to SMU, the course(s) must meet all regular transfer requirements:

• The course(s) must be completed at an accredited school;
• The course(s) must be grades of C- or better in comparable SMU courses;
• The course(s) must be submitted on an official college/university transcript; and
• The course(s) must NOT be a correspondence course.

To process your concurrent credit, please request that official college/university transcripts be sent from each institution you have attended. Please note that even though you may not be granted course credit, SMU must receive official transcripts from any college or university you have attended. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that a professional evaluation and an official transcript accompany all foreign transcripts. Send all college-level transcripts to:

Concurrent/Dual Credit Processing Southern Methodist University - DES PO Box 750181 Dallas TX 75275-0181

If you are an admitted student and are planning to enroll in college-level coursework the summer after your high school graduation, please be prepared to inform your Academic Advisor of this intent during your session which will occur during orientation.

You will be notified of your transfer work as quickly as possible. If your concurrent credit does not meet the above criteria, you may choose to take AP exams offered by the College Board, or you may choose to take optional departmental exams after you complete orientation.

Receiving Credit for a Course Taken at Another College

Arrange for the college to forward an official transcript to SMU. If you are a transfer or first-year applicant, send the transcript to the SMU Division of Enrollment Services. If you are a continuing SMU student, send transcripts to the SMU Office of the Registrar.

We want to learn more about you and evaluate your writing skills. Each application (The Common Application, ApplyTexas, the SMU Online Application, and the MyCoalition application) has its own set of essay prompts with varying length requirements, but essays are generally 250 – 650 words in length. No matter which application method you choose, all essays are reviewed equally.

Foreign Language

As a requirement of the University Curriculum (UC), all students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language. Students who do not enter with the equivalent of four semesters of college-level second language proficiency prior to matriculating at SMU are required to improve their proficiency by two-semester levels or to meet the four-semester proficiency requirement, whichever comes first. Proficiency can be demonstrated in numerous ways; to determine which path applies to you, please click here to refer to the detailed description of the requirement.

At the time you apply for the first-year admission, you will have the opportunity to indicate the two areas of study you are most interested in pursuing. If you want to be considered for admission to the Cox School of Business, you need to indicate that at the time you apply. When students get to SMU, they work with their academic advisors to determine the best course of study for all the majors they would like to pursue.

If you are planning to major in Art, Film (BFA), Dance, Music, or Theatre , a required audition or portfolio is a critical factor influencing your chance of admission. Otherwise, all first-year SMU students are accepted as "pre-majors" in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, regardless of their intended major. If you want to pursue a major in finance, accounting, management, marketing, and other areas of business administration, you must indicate that interest on your application to be considered for direct  admission to the Cox School of Business .

Cox School of Business

Applying to the cox school of business.

Incoming first-year students who want to pursue a major in finance, accounting, management, marketing, and other areas of business administration in SMU’s Cox School of Business  apply for direct admission. This admission model paves the way for incoming first-year students to gain opportunities for early access to important coursework in their fields.

For those who seek a successful career in business, our outstanding liberal arts and sciences tradition opens pathways that expand your career options – whether you pursue a major at Cox or in another college at SMU. Employers value the signature elements of the SMU experience, which includes:

• the flexibility to explore multiple passions with a double or triple major
• the opportunity to land career-boosting internships
• the preparation to lead, solve problems and communicate with emotional and cultural intelligence

Learn more here . Download a Cox admission FAQ document for students.

• Meadows School of the Arts

Test-Optional Policy for Dual Admit Applicants to SMU Meadows School of the Arts

An SAT or ACT score report is not required for admission consideration from applicants who are seeking admission to Dual Admit programs in the Meadows School of the Arts (Music, Theatre, Dance, Art, Film-BFA). Applicants should only submit an SAT or ACT score report for academic merit scholarship consideration. The recommended combined score to be considered for academic merit scholarships is 1380 on the SAT (critical reading and math sections only) or 29 on the ACT.

Note that students who do not submit test scores will be considered only for artistic scholarship and need-based aid; they will not be considered for scholarships based on academic merit.

Students who do not submit test scores should list their Meadows major first on their application for admission. Students not admitted to Meadows via their portfolio or audition, but who still wish to be considered for admission to SMU, will be required to submit test scores at that time.

Like other top-tier visual and performing arts schools, SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts has adopted a Test-Optional Policy for Dual Admit applicants in Music, Dance, Theatre, Art, and Film-BFA. These students complete auditions or submit portfolios that, after careful review, provide a stronger indication of their likelihood to succeed in their academic program at SMU.

Auditions and Portfolios

Special requirements for students interested in music, dance, theatre, art, or film.

All art, film (BFA), dance, music or theatre. applicants are considered “dual-admission” students, which means they must apply to and be accepted by both SMU and the Meadows School of the Arts. In addition to their SMU application, “dual admission” students must also audition or submit a portfolio to Meadows.

See the links below for more about admissions, auditions, and portfolio requirements for:

• Film and Media Arts  (B.F.A.) 

Home school graduates must submit the application for admission, SAT I and/or ACT scores, an academic portfolio/transcript, two letters of recommendation, a personal essay, activities resume, and the Home School Supplement .

Prospective athletes may call the recruiting coordinator in the SMU Department of Athletics to make arrangements with the coach of the particular sport. For more information, visit http://www.smumustangs.com .

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The Ultimate Guide to Supplemental College Application Essays (Examples Included)

Learn how to impress admissions committees through any type of school-specific supplemental essay prompt plus strategies for tackling essays of various lengths.

We recommend using this resource alongside our College Supplemental Essay Premium Example Hub , which includes a sample essay in response to every prompt required by the top universities and BS/MD programs in the United States.

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: from outlining to writing.

The 600-word essay

The 500-word essay

The 150–250-word or other very short essay, part 3: types of secondary and supplemental essays.

The “why us” essay

Tell us more about an extracurricular

Design a class/a major

Tell us about your major

Diversity-in-community essay, part 4: frequently asked questions.

If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably finished the most challenging part of your college application process, the Common App essay, i.e. personal statement. In that case, major congratulations are in order!

Now it’s time to address the various supplemental or secondary essays that schools like Harvard , Princeton , Yale , Stanford , and many others will ask you to write. Whereas some universities will require you to complete one additional essay, other schools will ask you to complete multiple essays. In addition, the essay lengths will vary from school to school and from prompt to prompt, ranging in length from 25 characters to 650 or more words.

Some students think they should treat their personal statement as the main “essay question” on the test and consider the supplemental essays as “short answer” questions. While it’s true that your personal statement almost always allows you the most space to share an aspect of who you are, it’s important that you treat your supplementals with the same rigor.

Admissions committees use your secondary essays to augment the story they have assembled about you as a candidate from your Common App essay and your recommendations. They are looking for more details that confirm and expand what they know about you, and which neither contradict nor repeat what they’ve already learned from your personal statement.

Let’s replace the “essay question” and “short answer” analogy we hear from students a lot with an interview analogy. Your Common App essay is the initial answer you get to give the interviewer when they say, “Tell me about yourself.” You deliver that with excellent posture and careful word choice. Now, as the interview continues, and the questions become things like, “Why would you like to attend our school?” and “What’s your favorite snack?” and “Can you elaborate more on your favorite extracurricular?” you don’t want to kick off your shoes, slouch in your chair, and develop a sudden drawl as you respond to your interviewer.

Realizing that the supplemental essays are, well, still essays that require outlining, planning, and editing, some students can freeze up. You’ve just completed a mammoth task of squeezing yourself into your personal statement and now you have to write more ?

The good news is that the skills and rhythms you developed while writing your personal statement remain applicable for your supplemental essays. If you haven’t worked through our step-by-step guide to writing your Common App Essay or viewed our college essay examples , go do that now, and you’ll be well prepared for your supplemental essays shortly.

In preparing for your Common App essay, you likely left some material “on the cutting room floor,” so to speak—meaning you probably thought about topics or experiences that moved you but weren’t “the one” for your personal statement. Now is your chance to make use of that excess!

The exercises and prompts we used to prepare for the Common App personal statement can serve as excellent material for addressing the many types of questions that come up in the supplemental essays. The difference is how you’ll apply them to the formats of your supplemental essays, which are generally shorter.

Here’s a general strategy for approaching essays of varying lengths. We’ll tackle examples of the essays themselves by subject matter shortly.

The 650-word essay

In this essay, a college may simply give you a chance to write another Common App-style personal statement.

Let’s take a look at some example prompts from Pitzer College : At Pitzer, five core values distinguish our approach to education: social responsibility, intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary learning, student engagement and environmental sustainability. As agents of change, our students utilize these values to create solutions to our world’s challenges. Please answer only ONE of the following prompts (650 words maximum)

Reflecting on your involvement throughout high school or within the community, how have you engaged with one of Pitzer’s core values?

Describe what you are looking for from your college experience and why Pitzer would be a good fit for you.

Pitzer is known for our students’ intellectual and creative activism. If you could work on a cause that is meaningful to you through a project, artistic, academic, or otherwise, what would you do?

Strategies for this essay: It’s the personal statement 2.0—so lather, rinse, repeat! Go through your materials from your Common App essay pre-writing phase, including the list of topics you made originally, and choose the one that almost made the cut for your personal statement. Outline it with the same rigor and attention that you gave the Common App!

This means you’re using your traditional five-paragraph essay tools. You’ll need an intro paragraph with a lede or hook of some sort, a billboard paragraph, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You will likely want to follow our personal statement model of linking your essay to at least one anecdote or specific story.

Here’s an example prompt from Rice University : Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural tradition each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? (500 word limit)

Strategies for this essay: With just 500 words to work with here, we might want to think slightly smaller or more contained than a five-paragraph essay revolving around an anecdote or personal experience. Instead, let’s think in terms of the following units:

A topic or thesis statement that unites the question with your personal experience.

Some evidence, drawing on personal history, that supports the thesis statement.

The one-line zinger that ensures the committee knows you read the question and are answering it.

Here they are again, with examples based on our student Ramya, whom you met during the personal-statement-writing process.

A topic or thesis statement that unites the question with your personal experience

Ramya came up with a number of things that make her uniquely “her,” and which her friends, family, teachers, and counselors would all recognize as her. She’s planning on studying medicine but is a rabid sports fan, loves football and soccer, and is also a loyal friend. Ramya is also Indian American and comes from a small town in California where being Asian doesn’t actually make her a minority. So, while some students might choose to write about race or identity or other things we traditionally think of when thinking of “diversity,” Ramya’s mind doesn’t go there. Instead, she thinks about… Harry Potter. Hold that thought. Here’s what she thought about when asked to consider what made her different:

I grew up in a community full of ambitious people, all of whom were told to be leaders. What makes me unlike them? I’m not the one who stands up at the front of the room to try to run things. I’m the one who makes them run, behind the scenes. In fact, I’m the dependable one, the loyal one...

Ramya's personal experience has shown her that this makes her different.

So, what about Harry Potter? Here’s how Ramya articulates this to her readers:

I was raised on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. As a kid, I remember friends choosing which house they thought they’d be sorted into: brave in Gryffindor, smart in Ravenclaw, ambitious in Slytherin, and… everyone else in Hufflepuff. Rowling says Hufflepuffs are the “loyal and true.” But when friends and I talked about landing up as a badger, it seemed like we were doomed.

Some evidence, drawing on personal history, that supports the thesis statement

Now, just as we used anecdotes and set scenes for readers while writing the personal statement, we want to do something similar here. But we don’t have time for Ramya to walk us through the room where her heart pounded as she revealed herself to be a Hufflepuff. We have to move more efficiently this time, without sacrificing specificity. One way to do that is by writing in a list, as Ramya did here:

Strangely, though, as we got older, it was exactly my Hufflepuff qualities that my friend group seemed to depend on the most. “You might belong in Hufflepuff,” the Sorting Hat sings, “where they are just and loyal.” Hufflepuffs are “patient,” “true,” and “unafraid of toil.” It’s not a thrilling description! No bravery, no promises of ruling the world here. But those words all seemed to describe me. During my junior year, I found my friends turning to me after the loss of a classmate. We needed people to organize an assembly, a memorial, and a charity in the classmate’s name. My school was going through a difficult time, and everyone was trying to contribute in their way. But we were all young and new to grief, which meant we didn’t always know how to get things right. Some people were quick to speak or write about the classmate, believing that someone had to take a leadership role. Others felt uncomfortable and tried to move on past it entirely. I was quiet, as I often am, but when I saw how many ways people were trying to respond, I realized we didn’t need another “leader” to step in. We needed loyal followers and patient workers to follow through on the many initiatives that people were trying to start in the wake of this classmate’s passing.

The one-line zinger that ensures the committee knows you read the question and are answering it

Because many essays are like opening a door to a larger conversation, it can be easy to wander through the door and begin pacing around the interesting room you have discovered on the other side. But don’t forget your manners! At some point you have to make sure you acknowledge that a specific door was opened. Leaving that metaphor before we wring it dry: in plain terms, remember that, unlike in the case of the personal statement, the supplemental essays often ask a specific question that you need to ensure you’ve answered. So make sure your concluding statement or one of your last few lines gets into that. This Rice essay has Ramya musing on what makes her “different” (her Hufflepuff-ness) and has sent her into anecdotal territory, remembering her classmate’s loss. But she has to bring it home, and answer that question specifically, not just introduce the committee to something quirky and distinctive about her. Here’s how she does it:

If there’s one thing I, and the generation of kids who grew up on Rowling’s series, learned from those books, it’s that you need all types of people, represented by all four houses. My personality, as a loyal, heads-down, sometimes quiet Hufflepuff, often made me think of myself as boring when I was younger. But for the past year, I’ve seen how it can be a strength, not just to me, but also to the community I belong to. I am applying to Rice early because it feels like a strong community. From the residential college system to the tight-knit campus, I can see myself giving my best Hufflepuff qualities to my classmates and peers during intramural sports tournaments, late-night study sessions, and more—in the face of both everyday trials and larger, scarier moments in life.

Ramya has done a double-whammy here, telling us not only about what the community gets from her unique qualities, but also slipping in an answer to the “Why Rice” question that she’ll soon have one more chance to respond to in full.

An example prompt from Columbia University : Please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)

Strategies for this essay: With a short amount of space to work with, we’re going to need extremely taut and clear sentences. This essay doesn’t need the fancy flourish of anecdotal hooks or ledes; in fact, you can’t back into this essay through narrative. Clarity and direct responses to this kind of question will win you the game. The components of a successful answer to an essay of this length:

A topic sentence that explicitly answers the question that has been asked

Evidence supporting the conclusion (in this case, that neuroscience is the right major for Josh)

A dash of introspection to finish the day

Here’s what Josh, our pianist and soccer player, wrote:

I hope to double-major in neuroscience and behavior and film and media studies at Columbia. Though I may eventually attend medical school, I want to use the liberal arts curriculum at Columbia to explore multiple disciplines as an undergraduate. The combination of neuroscience and film studies might seem surprising to some, but together they pay tribute to the reason I love science at all. My elementary and middle schools didn’t have strong STEM programs, and so my teachers, seeing a student enthusiastic about science, used to put on science documentaries when I’d finished the homework. Watching Stephen Hawking, Oliver Sacks, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, I discovered things that couldn’t have reached me from the textbook. At Columbia, I hope to both take courses that prepare me for a career in neuroscience while also learning documentary filmmaking and production. I hope to intern at least one summer at a production company specializing in science documentaries, and to do a senior project that might eventually see screen time. Whether or not I go on to make films as a career, I know that learning how to communicate complicated ideas to the public will serve me well as a scientist.

Josh’s essay is successful for a number of reasons, but particularly because it not only answers the question (how did you come to your interests), it also specifies the types of classes he’d like to take, summer internships he’d like to pursue, and his eventual goals with both majors. It’s excellent because it’s tailored to Columbia, the asking school; like Ramya’s Rice essay, it serves as an additional mini essay proving Josh’s knowledge of and passion about the school.

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While you can face a number of different types of questions when tackling your secondary and supplemental essays, there are certain prompts and certain genres of prompts that come up again and again. It’s a good idea to be aware of the general types of secondary essays that can come up.

(On the other hand, the University of Chicago is a school that’s famous for coming up with new prompts inspired by its current students each year—a list of current and past questions is available here .)

You’ll notice that many of these secondaries touch on things that you scribbled about way back during your pre-writing phase, while others may ask you to do some thinking about the qualities of the specific college to which you are applying.

We’ve broken down the wild sea of supplemental essays into a few particular types of questions and come up with some strategies with which you can approach the next phase of your application.

The “Why us?” essay

Some colleges will ask you to explain why you’d like to attend their school.

Baylor University : What are you looking for in a university, why do you want to attend Baylor, and how do you see yourself contributing to the Baylor community? (450 words)

Dartmouth College : Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2028, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth? (100 words or fewer)

Yale University : What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Strategies for addressing the “Why us?” essay:

Work backward. Think about what your big dream is—what or who you hope to become—and identify a few specific things about each college you’re applying to, asking yourself how each one of those is going to help you get there.

Provide a “mini-thesis” for each school rather than a general list of qualities that the school meets for you. Anita, our humanities-oriented student, writes that she’s interested in studying history, and includes a tidbit in her “Why Yale” essay from the campus tour she was able to take about how Yale’s architects were so obsessed with the past that they built the campus to look even older than it is. This jives with her own interest and the fact that Yale has one of the best history departments in the country.

Go beyond the website, and be specific. Don’t restate the “About Baylor” section of the Baylor brochure to the admissions committee—they already know why they offer you a great opportunity. Talk about your experiences with the college you’re applying to—did you visit and hear something from a tour guide, admissions officer, student, or professor? If you couldn’t visit, did you do some online research that got you in touch with some of the big themes a tour guide or info session would hit? Is there a particular class you’ve heard of that’s legendary on campus? A tradition at the school? An alumna/alumnus of the college whose work has inspired you?

Here’s an example of a great “Why us?” essay, responding to Yale’s prompt. Our mock trial champion from our Common App personal essay guide, Anita, was admitted to Yale.

I hope to study history or English, and Yale's departments in both are some of the best in the world. I am drawn to the interdisciplinary humanities offerings, including the Directed Studies program and the Humanities major. A writer, I also hope to work on the Yale Daily News or the Globalist. But it isn't just the caliber of academics that draws me to Yale. It's also the sense that the campus itself is comprised of history and knowledge. From Sterling Memorial Library, literally constructed as a cathedral to knowledge, to the buildings the architects poured acid on to make them look older, I felt a sense of almost ancient respect for intellect when I visited.

Anita’s essay is extremely specific, citing history, English, a freshman academic program, a particular major, two campus publications she wants to write for, and two facts she learned on her campus tour (which you could also get from watching a number of YouTube videos or speaking with local alumni or meeting admissions officers at a local college fair, if you’re not able to visit schools). But it’s also successful because it has a thesis that conveys a dual passion: a personal passion for her own academic interests, and a passion for the school. She converges her personal plans with the spirit of Yale, and that shows the admissions officers that she’s a natural fit.

Some colleges will simply ask for you to elaborate further on an extracurricular activity or class you’ve already mentioned on your Common App activities list . This is the only time you should elaborate further on something already in your application.

An example prompt from Brown University : What is your most meaningful extracurricular commitment, and what would you like us to know about it? (100 words)

Strategies for addressing the extracurricular essay:

Choose an activity that means something to you, or that could benefit from being livened up by your prose. Anita our mock trial champion, chose to write about a wilderness solo. But now would be a good time for her to talk about mock trial—the thing the admissions committee will already know her for, but which now she can add some humanity to, without making it the only thing that defines her.

Don’t write about the same thing you’ve written your Common App Essay on! Josh, who chose piano for his personal statement, will need to pick something else.

Here’s another of Anita’s essays, this one about her mock trial activities. Remember that mock trial is one of Anita’s most obviously impressive activities. She’s nationally competitive, and it will come up in her counselor and teacher recommendations and her national wins will show up on her resumé and lists of awards. But she hasn’t written about it yet. Her job is not to summarize her wins—her recommenders and CV will do that for her—but to tell the admissions committee something they can’t get from other portions of her application.

I spend several Saturdays a semester in front of a room full of people, acting out a story. It is one of the greatest adrenaline rushes I can think of. My role: I am an attorney, for a few hours. My motivation: simple. To win the case.

I’m not in the drama club. I’ve never been on a proper stage. I almost threw up as an eighth-grader at theater camp when I had to improvise a scene. And yet, I thrive as a member of the mock trial team. That’s because when my job is to make sense of a series of arguments, to cross-examine my way to the heart of the trial, and to articulate a clear and powerful closing statement, I am inhabiting my best self. I am Atticus Finch and Clarence Darrow, and, most importantly, me.

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Design a class/major

Some colleges, especially those with a liberal arts foundation, will ask you to come up with a seminar or even reimagine an entire department.

Example prompts:

University of Chicago : Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History... a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available here . — Inspired by Josh Kaufman, Class of 2018

University of Notre Dame : During the spring semester, Notre Dame faculty gave 3-Minute Lightning Talks on exciting topics within their fields of expertise. While you don't have a Ph.D. yet, we bet you're developing an expertise in something. If you were giving a Lightning Talk, what topic (academic or not) would you choose? (200 words)

Strategies for this essay: This should be tons of fun—a way of getting to hear you geek out and be creative; it’s a chance for you to show your excitement at the chance to get a broad and varied education. The important thing here is to convey excitement for the reason the college is asking you to do this at all: you’re going to get a chance to study somewhere where your intellectual curiosity is valued.

Here’s Ramya’s answer to an Emory University prompt from a few years back:

If you could create an academic course that is in the Emory University spirit of collaboration, creativity, entrepreneurship and inquiry, what would it be? What impact would the course have on you and your classmates’ educational experience? (500 words)

Why do I love chocolate while my brother gags at the scent of it? Why are some people more attracted to Italian food than Mexican food? Why do we like some foods during the summer, and others during the fall? Can we predict what people might find enjoyable based on their background and attitudes? As an avid foodie, I have always wondered what it is that attracts each person to different tastes.

These are a few of the questions we would answer in my Freshman Seminar class on “Food for Thought.”

We would purchase, cook, and taste foods from all around the world and observe the neurological effects that each has. While there is common knowledge of the basic proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, along with how a good balance should be struck in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, this new class would focus on the subtle differences in types of signals emitted by the brain when different foods are consumed. Students would be exposed to the theory and practice of neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and PET scans. We would identify neurotransmitters emitted as a result of the food ingested and study if different parts of the brain “light up” in response to different foods.

Along with creating a brain-food map, students would learn how to use statistically sound methods to study how variables such as a subject’s ethnic background, age, gender, and social attitudes such as open mindedness, correlate with the subject’s likes and dislikes.

This class will also address cultural elements of food. When eating foods from around the world, in order to fully appreciate the dish as a whole, it is important to understand the context surrounding what lands on our plates. We would read short stories or passages and watch excerpts of popular film focused on food from the countries whose cuisine we are testing. Cooking and tasting food together are great ways to bring people together, as seen in many movies such as Ratatouille and The Hundred-Foot Journey.

Not only would this class be informative, but it would also be an engaging, hands-on experience, and would provide freshmen with two valuable experiences during their first year at college—forming community and rethinking their fundamental approaches to academics by introducing them to interdisciplinary thought. “Food for Thought” would expose freshmen to an integrated approach to science while providing a fun environment for freshmen to get to know each other. At the end of the class, all students would have a better understanding of neuroscience as well as an appreciation for different cultures and their unique foods.

Sign us up for Ramya’s class! This is such a vibrant essay for a number of reasons. She’s truly thrown herself into imagining an interdisciplinary topic that converges a fun, light part of her personality—food—with something already on her application—her interest in medicine and neuroscience. She’s also made a few expert moves here, whether consciously or not. By pointing to the “valuable experiences” students need freshman year, she has indicated to the admissions committee that she understands that being a part of Emory involves both community and academics. That’s the kind of person you want on your campus!

Some schools may ask you to apply to a specific professional school or track or having declared a major. Others may ask you to indicate an initial preference. Still others may expect no prior thought about majors.

Cornell University : Students in Arts and Sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell’s “any person…any study” founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our College. (650 words maximum)

Brown University : Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about an academic interest (or interests) that excites you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue it. (200–250 words)

Strategies for this essay: This is one essay hiding two in it—it’s a “Why us?” essay combined with an essay that wants you to state where you see yourself in 5–10 years.

First, apply the same strategies you did for the “Why us?” essay (specifics!) —go to the website of the undergraduate program or major you’re applying to/indicating interest in, and look at student or alumni profiles. Is there anyone who makes you say, “Yeah, I’d love to do that”? Write about them. Is there a summer program, a particular class, an internship, or anything else associated with this program that attracts you?

Second, talk about where you want to be in 5–10 years. Imagine your dream job and tell the admissions committee how this particular program or major might help you reach it. This is a time when you can and should be specific—because you’re not committing to the story you’re writing down. You’re just demonstrating that you’ve thought about it and have a passion or vocation pulling you in one direction or another.

Here’s an example in response to Brown’s prompt from our student Josh, who isn’t sure what he wants to study. But he’s generally interested in international affairs and global political issues.

I am interested in studying International Relations or East Asian Studies. My mother is Chinese and my father is American. When they met, their two countries could not have been more distant. But today, China and America have to increasingly understand one another, economically, politically, and culturally. I am able to stand at the crossroads of these two countries, and I hope to use my time at Brown to learn Mandarin and to study abroad in China. I am also excited about the East Asian Studies requirement to engage with countries beyond China; learning about migratory patterns and cultural conversations in the region and studying Korea and Japan will help me crystallize my sense of the region.

An essay that asks you what you bring to the college community can seem like it’s asking for you to explain the ways in which you bring “diversity” to the community. You can answer in terms of your identity—gender, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, or otherwise—but you do not need to. Really, essays like this are asking for you to identify one way in which you’re different, and the way you make that difference a boon to others around you.

University of Michigan : Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

Duke University : We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you. (250 words maximum)

Strategies for these essays: Go back to your pre-written prompts and think about what you noticed that made you different and unlike your peers. You’re often looking for something intangible to others but tangible to you. Think about what you wrote about your parents or siblings, your hometown or community.

We’ve given you Ramya’s response to this above, but here’s another essay, from Michael responding to the Duke prompt, who wrote about surfing with his grandfather for the personal statement. Though Michael has included his grandfather in his application already, he takes a different angle on him for this optional essay so it does not feel redundant. Especially because this is a non-required answer, that repetition is fine.

I was born and raised in a small town in southern California and attended a big public high school. Here, everyone is racially mixed-up. Black, Asian, Hapa, Hispanic, and other combinations mingle in our loud school hallways. I never had much of a reason to think about my ethnic heritage until recently. My maternal grandfather is Hawaiian, and he married a “haole,” or a white person. My paternal grandparents are white Californians. I look almost entirely white, and I get to move through the world feeling like any old white guy. But when my grandfather got sick and eventually passed away at the end of high school, I became interested in that part of my background.

I learned about the state’s history and the colonial presence that white people had. I also learned how many people in Hawaii now serve in the Armed Forces. This is a complicated history, and one I am interested in exploring more in college. Though I don’t know if I will ever live in Hawaii long-term, I want to study history or anthropology to write about this part of American history, which I never knew about growing up. I think this cultural background could bring something unique to the Duke community. I also think it can contribute to conversations about social justice, which are big in my high school, but which entirely white people sometimes struggle to contribute to. My sense of containing multiple racial identities now will shape me and the school I attend.

Some universities ask for your “short takes” on a number of things, limiting your response to 35 words or so.

Yale University (approximately 35 words each):

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss?

Yale students embrace the concept of “and” rather than “or,” pursuing arts and sciences, tradition and innovation, defined goals and surprising detours. What is an example of an “and” that you embrace?

Princeton University (50 words each):

What brings you joy?

What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

Strategy for these “essays:” Be authentic, original, and don’t overthink it. You might even have someone else read them aloud to you and answer instinctively. This is a chance for you to sound like the you your friends and family know and love. If you’re flexing here, trust us, the admissions officers will roll their eyes. They can smell it.

Recent trends in essay types

Through our work advising students on their college supplemental essays, we’ve noticed a few interesting trends in the types of questions universities prefer to ask over the last few years. Namely, a slow phasing out of questions around adversity or challenges and a greater variety of questions asking students to reflect on themes of diversity and community.

There may be a few reasons behind this shift. For example, students often felt at pains to paint a dramatic story that described their background and how they overcame some form of adversity to get to where they are today. This created an environment where many critics argued that students felt pressured to embellish or even completely fabricate stories of hardship in the hope that adcoms would look favorably upon them and their situation. Many students felt if they didn’t have anything especially challenging to write about, they were at a great disadvantage.

Furthermore, the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action meant that many schools had to revamp their diversity essays as well as how they asked about and handled race in their applications. This caused some schools to reformulate their essay prompts, sometimes even adding more prompts to the application. For instance, schools would ask questions that focus on a student’s upbringing and how it shaped them, the meaning of community and the varying (diverse) communities that have shaped them, or ask students to detail an experience or relationship in which they had to closely interact with someone whose views, background or culture differ markedly from their own.

To see this change in action, let’s look at a few recent prompts as examples.

Vanderbilt University : Vanderbilt University values learning through contrasting points of view. We understand that our differences, and our respect for alternative views and voices, are our greatest source of strength. Please reflect on conversations you’ve had with people who have expressed viewpoints different from your own. How did these conversations/experiences influence you?

Northwestern University : We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background, your identity, or your school, community, and/or household settings have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?

Strategies for this essay: This is your chance to paint a picture of the range of experiences you’ve had and stand out as an applicant who will add to the dynamism of your future campus community. While it’s perfectly fine to discuss your race or sexual orientation here, it’s important to make the connection between your experiences and how they have shaped the way you connect with others.

Here’s an example response to Vanderbilt’s prompt written by one of our former students.

In my psychology class we discussed synesthesia, a condition in which people experience perceptions that cross between senses. This could mean tasting shapes or feeling sounds or, as one of my classmates put it, hearing colors. It turned out that my classmate Julie had identified as a synesthetic for many years.

When I asked her about it she was adamant that particular sounds were linked with colors. A classic telephone ring, for example, was the color red. As we stood in the hallway someone was drinking from the water fountain. Julie told me this sound was the color green.

I was intrigued by these insights because I tend to assume, as I think many of us do, that my own perceptual experience is the norm. My conversation with Julie reminded me that we never have full access to another person’s experience of the world. While we might agree that we are both looking at a blue sky, are we having the same experience of blue or is this merely culturally conditioned? I find this question both humbling and awe-inspiring.

At the same time, there was a way in which Julie’s experience made sense to me. I realized that I also tend to associate certain sounds with colors. Doing further research, I encountered a theory that everyone is born with synesthesia but that as we grow up our brains become more specialized. I think there’s joy to be found here, and lately I’ve been striving to recapture experiences of sensory overlap.

How much of a “theme” do I need to convey across my Common App personal statement and supplementary essays?

You want to offer one round story about yourself, while also giving the admissions committee an opportunity to discover you anew each time: first in your Common App essay, then in your recommendations, and finally in your supplementary essays. Stating major contradictions or trying to span too much—for example, saying you want to study English, biology, Chinese, and public health—might confuse things. Everyone is more complex and multivalent than they can seem on paper, but remember to keep sounding related notes without ringing the same bell over and over.

Are supplementary essays the place to explain away bad grades or holes in my academic record?

Some schools will give you a chance to elaborate on splotches on your transcript or weak points. If they don’t, remember that you have the chance to engage with your weak spots in any number of these supplementary essays, as long as you write narratively. Say your STEM grades were weak freshman and sophomore year. You might talk about how your middle school didn’t have a strong math or science program and when you switched to a good high school, you weren’t prepared. Then you’d want to explain what you did to improve them and how that taught you a lesson going forward.

It’s important to note, though, that it is rarely the right choice to talk about your bad grades in your essays. More often, you should try to be impressive on your own terms rather than risk seeming defensive.

Many supplemental essays seem to want me to “loosen up.” Is there such thing as going too casual?

Take your cue from the tone of the question. The Pitzer essays we mentioned in this post, for instance, have a serious tone and are basically invitations to write another personal statement. But the short takes, or Stanford’s famous “roommate essay,” are asking you to be creative, and that might mean more casual. But it probably means something more like “sound like you.” In any case, be deliberate and try not to slip too much into generational patois.

I’m applying to the University of California , which asks for 350-word essays, or another school system with short word counts on the essays. Can I use those as supplemental responses? Can I use my supplemental essays for the other schools?

Yes, definitely. It’s always a good idea to reuse your material as much as possible. You don’t have to reinvent yourself for every application. You’re presenting the same self at a slightly different angle based on the questions a given school chooses to ask you.

Always remember, though, that any essays you reuse across schools will probably have to be at least a little bit modified so that they directly answer the question that was asked. The question from the University of California that asks, “What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?” is not the same question as “Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you.”

That said, your answer might be the same or similar. Your greatest talent or skill might be mock trial or soccer; perhaps you’ve written about mock trial for the extracurricular supplemental essay. The trick now is to make sure you’re answering the “over time” element of the UC question. Your job isn’t just to say you did mock trial and why you liked it; you will also need to explain something about its arc and change in your life over a period of months or years.

(Suggested reading: How to Write Great UC Essays )

I feel like everyone’s extracurricular activities are much more interesting than mine. I struggled to fill out my Common App activities list and now I have to make one sound compelling. Aren’t there some magic bullet points I could hit that they’re looking for?

Unfortunately, no. The whole essay writing process would be so much simpler if that were the case. Different schools will have different reasons for including a question like this on their supplemental applications.

However, it can be helpful to keep a few things in mind.

Your extracurricular activity isn’t “you,” meaning the activity itself doesn’t have to be interesting to adcoms, only you do. You could be really passionate about watching grass grow but the way you “show” that passion to your reader is what will intrigue them about you as a candidate.

Being creative within constraints shows effort and an ability to think outside the box. In this case, your constraint is what you imagine is the typical extracurricular activity you must write about. Adcoms likely get hundreds of applications from students writing about biology club or being on the student council, but do those students’ larger personalities and passion show through their writing? Remember to consider an example or anecdote that sparked your interest in that activity and harness the emotional connection in your writing.

I’m applying to an Ivy League school and having trouble with the ‘Why Us’ essay. I can’t seem to think of a good enough topic – doesn’t everyone want to attend an ivy?

Answering a ‘why us’ essay question for a highly prestigious school can certainly be difficult. Surely, everyone wants to attend a top-tier institution, which makes the answer seem obvious.

It can be helpful to compare your dream school to other top schools. For example, if you’ve got the grades and the talent to gain acceptance to Yale, what makes Yale a more desirable place to study for you than Princeton? Why not a public ivy such as UC Berkeley?

Consider which specific professor, course, or research interest that exists at your dream school that isn’t offered at other ivies. No one institution can offer everything. Most importantly, how will your engagement with that professor, course or research interest add to the campus community? You can cite specifics from a professor’s published work that excite you, noting what you hope to accomplish from working with them. You could also discuss a unique course you hope to take and what you plan to do with what you learn or even a research facility at the school that specializes in a particular interest of yours.

Remember that location is important as well. The cultural and science activities you will have access to will be markedly different in Ithaca, New York from Boston, Massachusetts.

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.

THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.

Supplemental Essays Guide: How to Write, Tips & Examples

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 6/27/24

Writing stand-out supplemental essays may be your ticket into your dream school. Follow along for our complete guide on writing perfect supplemental essays for college.

If you’re working on supplemental essays, you’ve already spent countless hours perfecting your application. However, even the perfect application must be followed by stellar supplementals to get you into your dream school. That’s right, supplementals are a highly important piece of the application process - so how can you perfect yours? 

In this complete guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about writing excellent supplemental essays, including examples from well-written essays , tips for common essay prompts, and each possible length. To top it all off, we’ve also included answers to the most frequently asked questions about writing stand-out supplemental essays.

Let’s get started!

What Are Supplemental Essays? 

Supplemental essays are additional writing samples that you submit along with the rest of your college application. Many high-ranking schools ask for these essays, as they are intended to be more specific than your personal statement. It’s a chance for you to further demonstrate why you are a good fit for the school you’re applying to. 

How Important Are Supplemental Essays?

In short, supplemental essays are an extremely valuable part of your application. Your application allows schools to see the base of your work ethic through numbers (grades, extracurriculars, awards, and more), but it doesn’t give any indication of your personality. 

These essays are your first opportunity to give your university an idea of who you are and what you are passionate about. 

Excellent essays can tip the scales in your favor, especially for highly competitive schools where most candidates have excellent grades. An in-depth, well-written essay can set your application apart from others.

In our college essay webinar , admissions expert Kayla Kirk offers insight into why essays are so important: 

"When you write your essay, this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself further from the other students who might be being discussed at that very committee. When you're applying to these selective schools, these top schools, most applicants are gonna have the scores, they're going to have an impressive GPA, they are going to have taken a bunch of AP classes, and that's great. But the essay is an opportunity to show a personal side of yourself that makes you a little more human, makes you more than just the grades on your report card."

List of Schools Where Essays Are Important

According to their Common Data Sets , nearly all of the top schools in the US categorize application essays as either “Important” or “Very Important” in their basis for evaluation! Here are some top universities where you’ll need to write a stellar essay in order to be considered. 

Top schools that view application essays as “Very Important” include: 

• Princeton University
• Stanford University
• Yale University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Duke University
• Brown University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Northwestern University
• Columbia University
• University of Chicago
• UC Berkeley
• Rice University
• Dartmouth College
• Vanderbilt University
• University of Notre Dame
• Georgetown University
• University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
• Washington University in St. Louis
• UC San Diego
• University of Florida
• University of Southern California 
• New York University
• UC Santa Barbara
• Tufts University
• University of Washington
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest University

Some schools that list application essays as “Important” under their basis for selection are: 

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Emory University
• University of Virginia 
• Georgia Tech
• University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Boston College
• Rutgers University-New Brunswick
• Boston University
• Ohio State University
• Purdue University
• University of Maryland, College Park 
• Lehigh University
• Texas A&M University
• University of Rochester
• Case Western Reserve University
• Florida State University

Keep this in mind if you’re planning on applying to one of these schools! If you’re looking for supplemental essay assistance at a top college, our team can help. We’ve worked with tons of students to help them get admitted to competitive schools! 

What Are Colleges Looking for in Supplemental Essays? 

In supplemental essays, colleges look for honesty, specificity, and the ability to answer the prompt accurately and succinctly. We will look at several common prompts that colleges often use: 

• “Why This Major?”
• Community/diversity
• Extracurricular 

How to Write Different Supplemental Essay Prompts

Every college has a unique set of prompts they distribute to their applicants each year. However, most prompts follow core formats. Here are some of the most common types of supplemental essays and how to write them.

The “Why Us?” Essay

The “Why Us?” or "Why This School?” essay is one of the most common prompts in circulation. Top schools such as Brown, Columbia, and Cornell have all been known to ask applicants to answer this prompt as part of their application. So, how do you write the “Why Us?” essay? Let’s talk about it. 

When a college asks you why you want to go there, the admissions committee wants to know a few things:

• The specific things about this school that appeal to you (have you done your research?)
• How you will contribute to this school’s college life
• How attending this school will help you achieve short and long-term goals

With this prompt, avoid listing reasons you want to go to the school unless you are directly instructed to do so. This is an opportunity to show the admissions committee how much their school matters to you, what programs and courses most interest you, and how the school will help you develop your passion and achieve your goals. 

You should do thorough research on the school and consider what sets it apart from other colleges on your list . Avoid providing general reasons that could be said about any other college. 

In our webinar on how to answer “Why This College?” essays , admission expert Darryl Tiggle offers plenty of incredible advice, including how to research colleges! 

"Researching the college can come in many different ways. The easiest way, research their website, gather information about their programs or campus culture, their faculty, what-have-you. But also research them through other venues. There's ways in which students can follow colleges on their Instagram. If there's an academic major you're interested in, you can follow that department."

Writing this essay is your chance to showcase why you are passionate about attending this specific school and why it matters to you. Finally, conclude your essay by explaining how and why attending this school will help your long-term goals. 

“Why Us?” Essay Sample from Columbia University:

“Computer science is at the core of my academic passions and my life ambitions. What I value in life is being around brilliant technologists. At Columbia, I have worked with and befriended the most driven and gifted programmers I’ve ever met. In January, I formed a team with three Columbia freshmen for MIT’s annual strategy-game-playing artificial intelligence competition. Ben, Ryan, Koh and I spent the month reviewing matches, debating approaches and tweaking our models. More than once we coded through the night. Their caliber was clear in the subtle insights that their multi-disciplinary backgrounds gave them and they gave me something to aspire to.

I have many interests that lie outside of my intended major but that I want to continue to pursue, and Columbia provides an environment for those diverse passions. Recently, while at a Columbia math club meeting with Ben, I ran into a political science major, Mathieu. He was elated to point out the insights that a love of math granted him in his courses and his conviction encouraged me to explore the peculiar intersection of the two fields.

I love teachers who love to teach. At Columbia, I’ve seen faculty who have a love for what they do and who care about students. While touring, I sat in on a quantum mechanics lecture. Professor Norman Christ strode into the room at eight on-the-dot and jumped into a discussion of WKB complex value approximation. For three straight hours, he guided us through the intricate world of QM without any notes. His enthusiasm brightened that drizzling Monday morning. That I could follow the lecture at all is a testament to his lucid explanations and extraordinary knowledge. When I came to him with questions afterward, he helped me truly understand a topic that initially felt years out of reach.”

Why this is a successful essay: In this essay , the writer starts by talking about their major and how Columbia provides an excellent program. They continue to add how they could positively impact Columbia if accepted. Take note of how the writer lists their key topic at the beginning of each paragraph and then connects Columbia to each topic. 

This student also mentioned that they enjoyed a Columbia professor's lecture, which is an excellent way of showing their deep interest in the school. Showing in your essay that you are passionate about the program and that you’ve done your research can be a point in your favor. 

The “Why This Major?” Essay

Although this prompt is very similar to the “Why Us?” essay, your answer should focus entirely on why you’re passionate about your degree. Think of this essay as an opportunity to tell the story of how you developed your passion. Try creating a timeline before you start writing to help organize your ideas. It should look something like this:

1. The first time I thought about pursuing this major was: __________________                              

2. I started to get more serious about pursuing this passion when: _________________

3. I’m now applying to this program so that in the future, I can: __________________

Creating a timeline can help you easily convey how important your major is to you and the journey you’ve taken to build upon your passion. 

You can also include, if it applies, what specific things about your school’s program that drew you to your current selection. However, the main focus of this essay should be how you developed your passion for the subject and what you want to do in this field later on.

"Why This Major" Essay Sample from Yale:

“Literature and anthropology are telescopes into the past; philosophy, a prism into the mind. I want to ask the hard questions: Do I have free will? Is meaning lost in translation? Is there eternal truth? What is an “I”? Am I my mind, body or something more? Literature is an empathetic account of the past, anthropology a scientific documentation of human lives. I want to find commonality in lives separated by time and space, find meaning within them, partake in the collective memory of humanity, and interrogate what it means to be human.”

Why this essay works: 

In this short essay example from a Literature and Anthropology student from Yale, the student gets straight to the point. Demonstrating the questions they have that they hope to answer throughout their education is an excellent way to show that you’ve given your major a lot of thought. 

They’ve also captured the true essence of their major in the last sentence by stating they want to “partake in the collective memory of humanity” and “interrogate what it means to be human.” Whatever major you choose, write honestly about what calls you to the subject and demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the genre of material you’ll be studying. 

The Adversity Essay

As one of the most challenging essay prompts, the adversity essay presents students with the uncomfortable task of recalling a difficult life experience and explaining how they overcame it. 

For some, choosing an instance of adversity can be the most challenging part of this prompt. Keep in mind that adversity looks different to everyone. Your story doesn’t have to be overly tragic to write a good adversity essay; you simply need to approach your issue from a place of growth. 

One of the main mistakes applicants make when writing the adversity essay is thinking that their adversity story needs to be overly tragic or complex. Instead of focusing on the actual adversity, your essay should mainly focus on the steps you took to overcome the adversity and learn valuable lessons moving forward. 

If a school asks you to write an adversity essay, the admissions committee wants to know how you handle a challenge. If you buckle under pressure, you may not be able to handle the intensity of a heavy workload. 

Therefore, schools want to know that you are capable of facing challenges head-on and have the capacity to learn from your mistakes. 

Adversity Essay Sample from Harvard University:

“When I was a freshman in high school, I didn't care about school or my education. I couldn't see a future where it mattered whether I knew how to say 'how are you' in Spanish or how to use the Pythagorean theorem. Because I couldn't see the point of these classes, I found myself disconnected from the high school experience as a whole, which resulted in low grades. My parents expressed their disappointment in me, but I still couldn't bring myself to care; I was feeling disconnected from my family, too.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I was depressed. I stopped spending time with my friends and stopped enjoying the things I used to enjoy. I was feeling hopeless. How could I get through three and a half more years of high school if I couldn't even get through a semester? I couldn't stand the thought of feeling this way for so long – at least it felt so long at the time.

After a few failed tests, one of my teachers approached me after class one day. She said she also noticed a difference in my demeanor in the last few weeks and asked if I was okay. At that moment, I realized that no one had asked me that in a long time. I didn't feel okay, so I told her that. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her that I was feeling disconnected from school and classes and just about everything at that point.

My teacher suggested I visit my guidance counselor. So the next day, during study hall, I got a pass to visit with my guidance counselor and told her I was feeling disconnected from classes and school. She asked me what my interests were and suggested that I take an elective like art or music or a vocational tech class like culinary arts or computer coding. I told her that I wasn't sure what I was interested in at this point and she told me to take a couple of classes to see what I like. At her persistence, I signed up for art and computer coding.

It turns out art was not my thing. But it also turns out that computer coding is my thing, and I am not sure I would have realized that had I not gone to see my guidance counselor at my teacher's recommendation. After taking computer coding and other similar classes, I had something to look forward to during school. So even when I still dreaded taking Spanish and Geometry, I knew I could look forward to an enjoyable class later in the day. Having something to look forward to really helped me raise my grades because I started caring about my future and the possibility of applying for college to study computer science.

The best thing that I took away from this experience is that I can't always control what happens to me, especially as a minor, but I can control how I handle things. In full transparency: there were still bad days and bad grades, but by taking action and adding a couple of classes to my schedule that I felt passionate about, I started feeling connected to school again. From there, my overall experience with school – and life in general – improved 100%."

Why this is a good essay: In this essay , the applicant focuses on personal development. They begin by addressing their low grades and poor mental health at a younger age and how the experience affected them. The main focus of the essay, however, is how they found the motivation to get back on track and improve their grades. 

The student has taken this essay opportunity to not only explain the poor grades that Harvard will see from freshman year but has also proven that they have the ability to pull through when times get tough. Remember, the adversity essay should focus mainly on how you’ve learned and grown from a negative experience rather than focusing on the experience itself. 

Community/Diversity Essay

Essay prompts that ask about your experiences in your community help colleges to better understand your unique perspective. Many schools aim to cultivate a diverse environment to enrich the student experience and make sure students from all different backgrounds feel welcome on campus. 

Diversity can relate to your ethnicity, culture, birthplace, health, socioeconomic status, interests, talents, values, and many other things. There is no “correct experience” when it comes to choosing a topic here. In this essay, you have the opportunity to celebrate your unique perspective.

Think about experiences that are important to your identity. For example, you could write about your hometown, a family tradition, a community event, a generational story, or whatever feels most authentic to you. 

Keep this essay authentic; avoid fabricating a story or using someone else's experience. This story needs to come completely from you and let your school get some more information on who you are.

Kayla Kirk offers more advice on how to approach these types of prompts: 

“What’s your background? Where do you come from? What elements of your family experience or cultural experience do you feel are relevant to share, whether they have shaped your educational pathway to this point or just shaped your interests academically… It is about your own experience. It’s also about how you’re going to engage with other perspectives in the future.” 

Community/Diversity Essay Sample from Duke University:

“The pitter patter of droplets, the sweet smell that permeates throughout the air, the dark grey clouds that fill the sky, shielding me from the otherwise intense gaze of the sun, create a landscape unparalleled by any natural beauty. I have gazed upon the towering cliffs of Yosemite, stood next to Niagara Falls as the water roars, succumbing to the power of gravity, and seen the beaches of Mexico basked in moonlight, yet none of these wonders compares to the simple beauty of an Arizona rainstorm. To me, our rain represents more than humidity and darkness; its rarity gives it beauty. The uncertainty of when the next day of rain will come compels me to slow down, and enjoy the moment.

Out of the three realms of time; past, present, and future, the present is the only one we can experience, and I take advantage of every moment I have. When I pause my running to enjoy a sunset that dazzles the sky with brilliant colors of purple and orange, when I touch my brush to a canvas and focus on my movements in the present, when I drive home after a long day of improving our robot, and decide to drive around my neighborhood to finish “Garota de Ipanema”, which just popped up from my playlist of 700 songs, I am taking advantage of the moment.

So next time it rains, step outside. Close your eyes. Hear the symphony of millions of water droplets. And enjoy the moment.”

Why this is a successful essay: This essay is an excellent example of pulling a unique experience from your life and expressing its importance. The applicant tells a compelling story about their unique perspective on rain in Arizona and does an excellent job of expressing how special the seemingly mundane event is to them. 

The language used here is visually descriptive, which makes the reader feel as if we are experiencing the event with the writer. This is an excellent way to get the admissions committee to feel connected to your story and get a better understanding of who you are and what you enjoy doing in life. 

The Extracurricular Essay

Many schools are interested in how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Extracurricular essays are as common as supplemental essays, although students often struggle with how to make an entire essay out of their extracurricular activities. That’s why it’s important to brainstorm and create a story.

Think of a problem that arose while you were participating in one of your extracurricular activities, such as:

• Your sports team lost an important player
• You were injured during a dance recital
• Your music group needed funding 
• Your local soup kitchen was at risk of being shut down, etc.

The problem you choose can be big or small as long as it lends itself to a story. Think about the problem and how you took steps to solve it with your team or other members of your community. 

Use your extracurricular essay to show how your passion and motivation extend beyond the classroom. You can choose any activity to write about, as long as it was not during regular school hours or related to a specific course. 

Extracurricular Essay Sample from Yale:

“ Haunted romanticism, ravaged gaze, desperation bordering on lunacy, Saturn Devouring His Son first caught my attention as a bored nine-year-old wandering around a museum, and once again as a high-school student, after catching a glimpse of it in a textbook. 

Because after looking at angelic frescos after more Church frescos, I could not stop myself from flipping back to the tiny printing of this unholy piece. I sought to discover the story behind it—what caused this artist to create something so raw and naked, in the age of staid royal family portraits?

I became immersed in unraveling each bit of the story, how Goya had long transitioned from a royal painter, to a harsh, but veiled critic of society, the desolation that occurred during the French occupation of Spain, the corruption of Charles IV— who was really only a puppet ruler to Godoy. I learned how kingdoms rose and fell—and rose again, how art is unafraid to capture the seditious attitudes of the common people, and how it has endured to teach us of past mistakes.

I fell in love with dissecting the messages from the past, and discovering how we still have not listened to them.”

Why this essay is successful: 

The prompt for this Yale extracurricular essay was “Write about something that you love to do,” and the writer has certainly delivered. Here, the writer goes into detail about why they enjoy going to art museums outside of school. They’ve kept their essay focused on the meanings behind the paintings, giving the reader a deeper understanding of not only what fascinates them - but why it does.

The real key to an extracurricular essay is showing your passions outside of school. There is no right answer; you should simply focus on what interests you and explain why. Try to make the reader feel as if they are there with you. Think about the smells, the sights, and the feelings that surround your extracurricular interest and include them in your essay. 

College Supplemental Essay Length 

All of the essay types above come in different lengths. Some essays will ask only 150 words or less, while some have no word limit at all. Here, we’ll go over how to adjust your writing depending on your word count. 

Short Essay

There is a broad misconception that writing a short essay is “less work,” which we are unfortunately here to squash. Writing shorter-form essays (150 to 500 words) can be more challenging because you have less room to make your point, and your writing must be concise. 

To write an excellent short-form essay, start by brainstorming your ideas and move on to writing once you have a solid idea of the main points you want to include. Avoid fluff, repeating the question, reciting your resume, and run-on sentences. The best short essays are honest and to the point. 

If your essay is too long when you’ve finished writing, go through each sentence and ask yourself: “Could I tell this story without this sentence?” If yes, cut it completely. If you answered no, find ways to subtract unnecessary words. Having a friend help you edit is a great way to find out which parts are making the text longer without lending anything to the story. 

Medium Essay 

A medium essay is a sweet spot. Typically, a length of one to three pages flows easily and allows the writer to include all necessary information without repeating themselves or taking anything away. 

Because of this, make sure not to go over or under the word count. Most students do not struggle to keep their writing within these parameters, so it’s important to respect them. 

Although you have more room in a medium-length essay, your writing should still be concise and flow well without including excess information. It’s always a good idea to have a teacher, friend, or family member look over your story. 

Make sure that when they edit, they are looking for things like grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and unnecessary information. They shouldn’t take too much out of your essay because you don’t want the voice of the essay to change. 

Long Essay 

When tasked with writing a long essay (three pages or more), it can be challenging to continuously provide fresh information and avoid repetition. However, repetition and dragging sentences is the main thing you’ll want to avoid in a long-form essay. To do this, you should rely heavily on planning and your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement sets up your article, allowing you to break the information into parts and tackle each step individually. Brainstorming before you start writing is critical as it ensures you have enough relevant information to fill out the full length of your paper. 

How to Write School-Specific Supplemental Essays? 

It’s a good idea to tailor your supplemental essays to match the expectations of the school you’re applying to. Here are some guides on how to write outstanding essays for specific schools: 

• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the University of Michigan Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Duke Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Northwestern University Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the UPenn Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the University of Washington Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Boston College Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Cornell Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Bowdoin Supplemental Essays
• How to Write the Pepperdine Supplemental Essays

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Be careful not to fall into these common pitfalls when writing your college essays! 

Not Being Specific

Specificity is crucial if you want to make your essay stand out from the crowd. Don’t just say that you want to study film or that you enjoy playing basketball. Get specific! Why do you enjoy basketball? How has a particular film impacted your life? Try to differentiate yourself with specific details. 

Not Proofreading

Making grammar or spelling mistakes in your writing is an easy way to appear unprofessional. Make sure that you proofread your work before you submit it. You can even ask someone else to read your essay over for you to ensure it’s error-free. 

Being Generic or Cliche

Many students get caught up in trying to write what they think the school wants to hear. But the truth is that what they want more than anything is to get to know you! 

Steer clear of cliches or generic topics that you think will impress the admissions committee. Instead, get vulnerable and show them who you truly are. 

Bragging Too Much

While it’s okay to try and sell yourself, it can be off-putting if your essay is just a long list of all your accomplishments. Try and focus more on things you’ve learned and ways in which you’ve grown. Be confident, but humble!

Repeating Yourself

Your essay is a chance to make yourself stand out and give the admissions committee a more well-rounded view of who you are. Avoid re-stating facts about yourself that they can find in other elements of your application. Instead, discuss something new!

To help you further in your supplemental essay writing ambitions, try taking a look at our database down below! You can discover tons of essay examples to give you inspiration and get you started on your own essay. 

FAQs: Supplemental Essays

Here are our answers to some frequently asked questions about supplemental essays.

1. Do Colleges Care About Supplemental Essays?

Yes, colleges care about supplemental essays. Your writing gives colleges extra insight into who you are as a person beyond your grades. Strong essays can give you an advantage in your application to many different schools. 

2. What to Include in Supplemental Essays?

Stick to the prompt. Your response should approach each aspect of the prompt while providing genuine information about your life experience. 

Each essay prompt is different, but admissions committees always love to hear a good story. Use descriptive yet concise language to get your points across while transporting the reader into your world.

3. When Should I Start My Supplemental Essays?

You should start planning your essays as soon as you receive the prompts for each. Once you’re confident in your plan, begin writing your essay as soon as you can to give yourself plenty of time to edit before submitting. 

4. Are Supplemental Essays Hard?

For students who are not strong writers, it can be challenging to get started on your essays. However, the most important part of your essay is to remain genuine, tell your story, and be concise. 

5. How Do I Start Writing My Supplemental Essay?

Before you start writing, brainstorm and create a solid plan for what you want to include. This will help you write with ease and remain on track while you’re writing your paper. You can also look at good essay examples for inspiration. 

6. Where Do You Submit Supplemental Essays? 

If using the Common Application, you can submit your essays in the Writing Supplements section. Generally, you will submit your essays along with the rest of your application. 

Final Thoughts

Your supplemental essays are an important part of your application and should be given plenty of time and attention. No matter what essay prompts you are given, ensure that you are consistently speaking from the heart and telling a compelling story. 

Keep in mind that your experiences are what make you unique, and you do not have to exaggerate or fabricate anything to craft an excellent supplemental essay.

If you are still struggling with writing compelling essays, you can always seek professional help to get assistance with writing, editing, brainstorming, and overall crafting stellar supplementals. 

Good luck with your essays!

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How to Write the Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essays: Examples + Guide 2023/2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are the carnegie mellon supplemental essay prompts.

• How to write each supplemental essay prompt for Carnegie Mellon
• Prompt #3: "Additional information" essay

If you combined a robber baron, a classic fruit, and an extra “L,” and somehow ended up with a top 25 university with an especially strong engineering program, you’d obviously name it Carnegie Mellon.

Carnegie Mellon’s supplemental essay prompts can feel more wide open than those for many other schools, stymying some students at first, but also offering an opportunity for students to differentiate themselves from other applicants.

The below guide will help you move past initial roadblocks.

If you want to get a clearer sense of what Carnegie Mellon is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information on its Common Data Set . And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its strategic plan . Reading through this will give you a strong idea of what CMU values—and may offer nuggets you can sprinkle into your essay.

Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words)

Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)

Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300 words)

How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Carnegie Mellon University

How to write the carnegie mellon supplemental essay #1.

This is a standard “Why Major” prompt. For a larger guide to “Why Major” prompts, click here . Below is a condensed version.

One possible approach:

Think of this as a quick origin story.

Step #1: Imagine a mini-movie of the moments that led you to your interest and create a simple, bullet-point outline.

Step #2: Put your moments (aka the “scenes” of your mini-movie) in chronological order, as it’ll help you see how your interests developed. It also makes it easier to write transitions.

For CMU’s essay, try one scene per short paragraph.

Step #3: For CMU, you’ll likely want to include a specific thesis that explicitly states your central argument—in this case, what you want to study and why. This thesis can come at the beginning, middle, or end of your essay.

Once you have those pieces, you have a few structural options:

A. A hook that thematically sets up where you’ll take us, and ideally shows an aspect of your intellect/personality. (If you do this, it can be stylistically effective to bookend—to end the essay by linking back to what you opened with.)

B. An initial moment that sparked your interest.

C. Your thesis.

The moments of your mini-movie, illustrating both the development of your interest and some of your core values.

One option: Go narrower—perhaps link to specific aspects of CMU that will help you continue on your path toward a future goal.

Another option: Go wider—name the road you hope to follow ahead (for example, career path, organizations you’d like to work with, the greater value/implications of studying what you want to).

It’s important to note that, unlike at many schools, at CMU, it can be difficult to change majors (some departments don’t allow you to switch into their programs at all).

And last, a quick tip: Be sure this essay is consistent with your personal statement if you’ve mentioned aspects of your major/career there.

Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essay Example #1

At heart, I’m both regulatory bureaucrat and capitalistic entrepreneur.  Coming from a small business-owning family, I’ve grown up finding ways to one-up the competition, from boosting website search ranking with unconventional SEO to negotiating with book suppliers to cut costs. After all, our rent depends on our profits.  However, I also hold enormous respect for regulation. I vividly remember seeing my second grade classmate Nelson sprawled on the asphalt in front of the Chinese school we attended, accidentally run over by his teacher. I later discovered that afterschool was unlicensed: no safety training, no inspections, nothing. Years later, when my mother opened her own afterschool business, I filed the licensing documents and installed government-mandated guardrails. Though burdensome, regulation is crucial.  The afterschool industry taught me the inseparability of business and policy, but also sparked my curiosity concerning how political economics can leverage that relationship for maximal social benefit. In my Democratic Party internship, I examined how to incentivize below-market-rate housing construction without reducing overall supply. At FBLA Nationals, I delivered a presentation on management practices to reduce oil spills, increasing profits while meeting environmental standards. CMU strikes me as surprisingly similar to the afterschool industry: an environment where learning occurs through doing and where business and policy can be explored in tandem. I’m excited by the new Economics and Politics degree, which would allow me to take Tepper’s and Dietrich’s classes concurrently. I’d love to attend the Washington Semester Program, applying my education to policy at a greater scale than I am currently. And I’m intrigued by electives like Coffee and Capitalism, using my favorite drink as a microcosm of commerce and geopolitics.  Whether I become a leader in the afterschool industry or an elected official regulating it, I know CMU will enable this Capitalist Bureaucrat to catalyze purposeful impact.  — — —

Tips + Analysis:

Hook the reader. Notice how the first line performs a few functions here. First, it pulls us in and makes us curious what exactly they mean by this claim. Second, it shows some of the author’s personality, as there’s a slight wry humor to the juxtaposition (both in the self-effacing nature of referring to themselves as a bureaucrat, with its cultural connotations, and in the joining of two things that tend to be viewed as diametrically opposed). You’ll notice that the other example essays for this prompt hook us as well, giving us a quick sense of who the author is. 

Show the development of your interest through moments that connect to core values. Each paragraph provides details that show both intellectual and emotional links to the student’s chosen field, and that link to their core values (community involvement, integrity, etc). And they do a nice job of increasing the degree of the student’s interest and involvement (e.g. internship, FBLA Nationals), illustrating their dedication. Bonus points here for raising the stakes by mentioning their family’s rent is in part dependent on their work. 

A narrower ending—how CMU can help with the next steps. Above, the student has clearly thought about how CMU can help them on their path forward. (If you choose this option, be sure to avoid repetition with the next prompt.) 

Below are three more sample essays.  

Example #2:

How would our world change if we could print any image or text onto any surface with just a small portable printing device and a mobile app? Designing walls, tunnels, roads-- all these jobs would become effortless. To make my vision into reality, I created an Augmented Reality & Machine Learning app as well as a handheld printer prototype at Cornell's Computer Systems Lab last summer. My application harnesses the motion detection data and on-device deep neural networks to determine the surfaces surrounding the smartphone camera's view. Afterwards, the user can tap and drag an image on the camera screen of the smartphone to "prop up" an image onto any detected surface. Using the handheld printer, the user can print the virtually propped image onto the actual wall. I’ve grown more enthusiastic in my work every day because I’ve seen how innovative mobile apps can magically merge virtual objects into the real world for billions of smartphone users. The combination of data collection, analysis, and implementation of computer graphics and machine learning in my project has intensified my interest in Data Science. From analyzing the refugee crisis in the Middle East to detecting tumors at an early stage, the benefits that three quintillion bytes of data every day can provide are endless. As a Statistics and Machine Learning student at CMU, I look forward to continuing my project with deep neural networks and mixed reality, as well as discovering other interdisciplinary applications. Courses such as Modern Regression and Statistical Computing will help me use scientific methods to draw meaningful insights from data.  As the unprecedented increase in scale and importance of data revolutionizes a multitude of industries, Carnegie Mellon’s groundbreaking Statistics & Machine Learning curriculum and research opportunities will support my ambition for making a genuine impact in the world. — — —

Example #3:

When I was young, I drew planes almost everyday. Planes with three, four, or even eight turbines. Planes with multiple wings and two fuselages. My planes were impossible according to the laws of physics, but I tried to create them anyways.  In middle school, I became fascinated with building planes. After watching hundreds of hours of FliteTest on YouTube and building their kits, I was ready to create my own. My first idea started with a single wing. I drew up a 3’ 4” long wing on a sheet of foam board and, after drawing three more prototypes, I assembled it. Then, I wired the two servos and a single 2280kv Radial 2218 brushless motor. On its maiden flight, I threw it into the air and it went straight into the ground. Too much weight in the front, Kanishka. Back to the garage.  In high school, I became captivated with cars, more specifically hydrogen and electric cars. I created a Hydrogen Car team to compete in a hydrogen fuel cell endurance race. I learned how to make a fuel cell more efficient. Ambitious, I worked tirelessly to get to the world finals. I devised a way to use the motor’s thermal energy and convert it into electrical energy, making our car more efficient.  I am a creator. The laws of physics often hinder my creativity, but I keep trying to push the limits of what is possible.  In college, I hope to combine my research in hydrogen fuel cells and airplanes to design a new type of plane that isn’t electric or combustion based. I want to major in mechanical engineering to accomplish that. With a minor in AI, I’ll learn how to use neural networks to manage energy consumption in complex systems. — — —

Example #4:

One question + two statements + three sounds = Success. “Want to build a computer?” “Pass me the screwdriver.”  “Configure the BIOS.” *BEEEEP... ptung-ptung...* That is how I built my first computer with my dad. I was 10.  Computers have been a part of my life from a young age, but it wasn’t until later that I began to realize the degree to which computers can be used to solve the world’s major problems. This past summer at the Beaver Works Summer Institute at MIT, we were asked to brainstorm a problem to solve. Because of my Keratoconus surgery and my knowledge that worldwide blindness is projected to expand exponentially by 2050, my goal is to create artificial sight for the heavily visually impaired. Currently, bionic eyes, which cost over $150,000, allow a person to see only bright flashes of light; I hope to create an affordable device that allows the blind to see as if they had natural 20/20 vision.  A fully functional artificial eye requires the melding of many different fields of knowledge, such as the ways in which neurological nerves interact with circuits, the precise robotics needed to install the functionality of a high-resolution camera into a small package, and the artificial intelligence required to understand the habits of a specific human being. I have begun to learn how to utilize artificial intelligence, and I know I will continue expanding my understanding of A.I. at the collegiate level by majoring in Computer Science. Through my numerous difficulties with vision and my computer-centric upbringing as an engineer, I am determined to allow the blind to see again. What problem in the world today can you solve? Bionic eyes cost over $150,000. I can make a difference. *BEEEEP... ptung-ptung…* One question + two statements + three sounds = [Student], Engineer — — —

How to Write the Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essay For Prompt #2

This is one of those prompts we find “nutritional,” in large part because we’ve had some students who, before this prompt, had never thought before about what exactly “a successful college experience” would look like.

A few key things here:

Spend some time really investigating this. Give yourself space to think expansively. You can think in terms of career if you like, but also take some time to explore aspects of personal growth: Who is the human being you want to become? Are there ways that CMU can help you further develop your values?

Treat some of this essay as a "Why us?" —what does CMU offer that helps you on your path to becoming the human you want to be? Get specific. Show its admissions counselors that you’ve done your research and have thought about why you and the school are a good fit.

You’ll again want something thesis-ish in the essay, though you can build toward it rather than leading with it.

Here’s a sample essay:

My mouse hovered above the "Publish Website" button. The event-management website I developed (Gsca.us), which serves thousands of users in the Indian-American nonprofit I belong to, was about to go live. Filled with anticipation, I looked up at the small team that helped me with the website: the 65-year-old Chairman of GSCA and the 21-year-old college student who helped design the banners and logo for the site. Collaborating with an array of people from all ages, backgrounds, and experiences runs through my years developing software, engaging with my community, and conducting research projects.  Therefore, at Carnegie Mellon, I look forward to learning in an environment conducive to group learning. The fact that the walls and windows of many buildings are whiteboards, and that students carry around markers to collaborate and share ideas is a learning method that I resonate with. The different perspectives I will gain through working in groups, and exploring interdisciplinary coursework will be invaluable towards my overall intellectual development.  Outside of the classroom, I'll contribute to the variety of Indian cultural events - including Holi, Diwali, and Garba - supported by CMU OM. As a GSCA volunteer for the past 6 years, as mentioned above, my experience anchoring large events that serve thousands of Asian Americans, developing websites and social media publications, and raising funds for natural disasters and underprivileged students means I'll be able to contribute to similar events at CMU. Also, I am excited to engage in the 1000plus Day of Service to positively impact the Pittsburgh area through community service events.  By participating in CMU OM and 1000plus Day of Service, I will ultimately learn more about my own culture and character while serving my campus and surrounding city. Additionally, studying interdisciplinary courses in a collaborative setting will culminate in my successful college experience. — — —

Tips + Analysis

Hook the reader. Starting to notice a trend? As with the samples above, this essay dives in with a specific moment that gets us curious, and also immediately communicates aspects of identity and values (“serves thousands of users in the Indian-American nonprofit”).

Use details that connect to core values. For example, 65-year old Chairman, 21-year old college student → varied collaboration, community engagement, effective leadership.  

Show how you want to grow, and how a successful college experience plays into that growth. Students carrying around markers → collaboration and intellectual development. Engagement with Indian cultural events → greater engagement with and understanding of their own culture.

Get specific about how Carnegie Mellon fits the college experience you’re looking for, but keep the focus on you. The “Why us?” elements of the essay above get nice and specific about CMU, but they are always linked back to what the student is looking for, and why they and CMU fit well together.

Below are three more sample essays.

I escape English class with excitement and anticipation, bolting towards the school cafeteria to begin organizing the ingredients. Last year, I established Cooking on the Stove (COTS), a club where members could connect through common culinary interests. Through COTS, I discovered how to empower my classmates with a collective drive to experiment and test our creative recipes together. In a different realm, at the American Society of Anesthesiologists conference, I presented my internship data science project to anesthesiologists from across the globe. Navigating through the convention center, I was entranced by the thousands of presentations and products transforming the medical field. When presenting next to other researchers at the conference, I felt part of a global movement to overcome medical problems of every variety.   Building connections like these will be an important goal for me in college. On a personal level, I hope to establish COTS at Carnegie Mellon, cooking together with other food fanatics. Off-campus, I’d participate in study abroad with CMU’s chapter of Global Medical Brigades, where I’d get to know the students I travel with and others across the world who share my interests.  On a professional level, my college circle would start with research. In particular, I hope to work with faculty in improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare solutions across the world. By working in the Disruptive Health Technology Institute, I will connect with renowned faculty to develop innovative healthcare technologies that will shape the future. While strong academics set the stage for a good education, the true experience is defined by the network of people that I build along the way. In this network, growing individually becomes synonymous with growing together. — — —

At heart, I’m an inventor. In college, I want to take project-based classes and research to apply my learning. At CMU, I’ll be able to conduct research regarding energy at the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. With professors like Jay Apt working there, I hope to find a way to make thermoelectric plates flexible and work under fewer temperature constraints.  I also want to pursue interdisciplinary activities and courses related to cooking. Every fall, I experiment with different recipes to find the right balance between nutmeg and vanilla extract in my pumpkin pies. At CMU, I can learn more about the science behind spices in Special Topics in Culinary Mechanics class, a unique class that combines engineering and food. I want to understand what is happening to the tissues and cells when a piece of meat is soft versus when hard.  I am eager to continue racing and competing at a more advanced level. Racing allows me to learn through pouring hours to explore an idea and then implement it. The mistakes I make introduce me to new topics. I aspire to be the lead engineer of the CMU racing team. Here, I would challenge my engineers to use AI and sensors to find where energy is getting lost through excess heat or sound. By utilizing every bit of energy, we can reduce weight and increase power.  I enjoy creating tangible, innovative products and designs because they force me to go beyond the classroom. At CMU, I’ll use the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship to be part of the VentureBridge Program. There, I’ll be able to avoid common startup mistakes, recognize an ideal audience and market, and build a successful product.  College, for me, is a chance to bring my ideas to life through research, racing, and creating.  — — —

I hope to help the blind to see. My ambitious goal requires an equally ambitious undergraduate learning plan. There will be milestones to meet and communities of learning to foster.  In addition to my goal of helping the blind, I also intend to develop an algorithm that can create a fully-functional program through speech, using code generation and natural language processing. The Small Undergraduate Research Grants program will help me take the initial steps toward succeeding. The ultimate goal of this system would be to enable a layperson to create professional-grade software just by stating the intent of a program in an English sentence, which would liberate incredible ideas. The types of problems people could solve would not be limited by money, networking, or education. Taking tangible steps toward achieving this goal is integral to my idea of a successful college experience.  I also look forward to joining a community of engineers. From a young age, I’ve worked with those around me to create, design, and innovate. At Carnegie Mellon, I will become involved in organizations such as the Computer and Data Science clubs and will continue to be active in the competition math community through the Math Club. In addition, I intend to pursue a joint major in Statistics and Machine Learning, and take a secondary major in Human-Computer Interactions. Through my clubs and classes, I will foster a community of engineers: they will help me advance my ideas, while I in turn help them nurture theirs. I know my college experience will be successful when, through my coursework as a part of my major, and through my interactions with my community of engineers, I have taken steps towards achieving my milestone of creating a language-to-code translator as well as my ultimate goal of allowing the blind to see. — — —

How to Write the Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essay For Prompt #3

Now we’re wide open. Having the option to write about anything can be both exciting and daunting—with the myriad elements that make up you, how do you narrow it down? If you’re feeling adrift, here are some options. 

Before you start writing, take some time to zoom out and think about your application as a whole—between your main statement, your Activities List, your Additional Info section, and the above prompts, what parts of you is CMU seeing, and, importantly, is there anything they aren’t seeing that they maybe should be? 

A couple ways to approach this: 

A values scan—look through the elements of your application and think about what core values are being illustrated. Are there any of your core values that you’re leaving out? 

The “ Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me ” exercise (which is useful to have done for any of your applications, not just this CMU prompt).

We’d also recommend thinking about taking the Super Essay approach—are there supplements you’ve written for other schools that could fit nicely here, with modification as needed?

For example, many schools have essay prompts that ask about communities to which you belong, or Stanford has its “What is meaningful to you and why?” prompt. Those essays can frequently fit nicely with this CMU prompt as well.

Ultimately, think of this essay as a way to show another core aspect of how you’ve become who you are.

My room’s got all the necessities--bed, desk, closet, posters--but there’s another desk with a PC, a microphone, a cassette-player, and an assortment of gadgets decorated with knobs and displays. I’ve gradually put my recording studio together over the years--including building the computer from scratch and working jobs to buy sound equipment. In the process, I’ve grown so familiar with it, it’s become a sanctuary--a place where I don’t have to worry about grades, breakups, insecurities.  As for Fortaleza, Brazil--its homeness wasn’t so immediately apparent.  I once believed that despite learning English from the ground up and struggling with several Americanisms, my Brazilian identity was just a matter of geography. But returning to Fortaleza this year showed me the tethers I was blind to. While browsing a crafts market, I met an elderly gentleman selling cordéis : booklets of long, narrative-driven lyrics musicians purchase and interpret. He told me he wrote them himself, and offered to play a song. And so, listening to this haunting, droning hymn, I looked through the various tales these authors had conceived… stories of Brazilian heroes, thieves, princesses. At that moment, I understood something—I’m not a musician for just any reason. This spirit of poetry, this faith in art and storytelling… it’s in my blood. Even in my home studio in Washington, I feel an energy being channeled from Fortaleza, through my fingers, into the music. As sambista João Bosco puts it: “with so many leaving/on the rocket’s tail/our motherland wept/on the soil of Brazil.” — — —

Discovery and growth. One thing we like about this essay is that we see the writer go on a quick voyage of discovery. They experienced a moment of insight that has been key in their development. One nice way to approach this prompt is by thinking about insights that have been pivotal to your growth. 

Tell them by also showing them. The prompt asks you to tell, not show, as in don’t give CMU a link to a website. But still show its admissions counselors you. You can do so through essence objects and details. Essence objects can help to infuse the essay with quick touchstones of character and values. For example, building the computer from scratch and working jobs to buy sound equipment show dedication and resourcefulness. The cordéis show us a sense of cultural value and identity.

The Super Essay approach. This essay was originally written for another school’s prompt regarding a community the student belonged to. With fairly few changes, it can work nicely for this CMU prompt as well.

I recognize quoting Einstein is beyond cliché, but one of his musings was definitive for me: “if I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” I’ve always been unwaveringly passionate for music--but Einstein’s observation cemented my passion for astrophysics.  There’s an immediate connection between science and music--when recording, I often use graphical analysis to balance frequencies, trigonometry to determine microphone placement, and wave mechanics to gauge acoustics. But I think it goes deeper. The Greeks believed creativity wasn’t creation--it was discovery . This implies art is indistinguishable from science, as both are deeply explorative ; and it aptly fits the connection Einstein alluded to. Musicians speak of artistic trances--where inspiration seems to strike from the ether--and scientists speak of the proverbial apple falling on Newton’s head, of Archimedes’ “eureka!” I’ve realized these catharses are identical--chord progressions come to me just as intuitions for quantum phenomena do.  Despite this similarity, choosing between physics and music means sacrificing part of my identity. So does choosing between passions for Brazilian sociology, investigative journalism, and philosophy. But by the time I graduate college, I hope to feel educationally fulfilled, and fulfillment isn’t isolationist--apples fall on physicists’ heads, but they also fall on musicians’, sociologists’, and philosophers' heads.  So, I dream of pursuing these fields unbounded by requirements: studying sociology while receiving a formal music education and researching quantum gravity. Although I don’t know what my apple’s going to be, I know that pigeonholing myself will only lead me farther from the tree. — — —

Example: #3

Every weekend I swim from a shark: kicking frantically, surrounded by ice cold ocean water, I am in survival mode. Except in reality I’m treading lightly as to not splash the fellow swimmers in a warm 10x7 meter pool while my five-year-old student, Marcus, follows closely.   After he had several unsuccessful attempts at finding an instructor who met his level of energy, I was able to cater to his needs as an autistic child. So every lesson, humming the Jaws theme, I am proud of gaining his trust and engagement while teaching him a serious life-skill. My relationship with Marcus has propelled me forward in my role as a Water Safety Instructor.  When I was on the swim team, I never received more than a participation ribbon, but I won lifelong friends and support. So when I hung my own racesuit up to dry, I knew I wanted to help others join the community too. As soon as legally possible, I became a certified instructor and now spend my weekend mornings teaching. I have worked with first timers to competitive swimmers, three-year-olds to middle schoolers, parents buried on their phones to those practically jumping in the pool, and everyone in between. With each interaction, I have learned to trust my intuition and value compromise. This community has taught me how to work with and support anyone, a skill I will carry for life. I have finally earned the gold medal for empowering new members of the swimming community. — — —

The first session of “A Galaxy of Stars: Modern Data in Stellar Astrophysics” ended and our teacher handed out the first homework assignment, encouraging us to work together. Taking his advice to heart, an hour later fifteen students crammed into a hot dorm room and got to work.  We shot questions back and forth:  “Who understands how to use parallax measurements?” “Did anyone else figure out the code for a stellar color-magnitude diagram?”  Everyone brought talents and unique perspectives to the challenge the homework presented, and before we knew it, the work was complete. So we got to talking, and the “astrogang” was formed. Sitting in this humid dorm room, I realized I had found my people. There was Maria who knew all about stars from her telescope, Luca the coding wiz, Noel who loved math more than anyone, and me, the go-to for physics. Everyone in the group was so engaged and excited about science and learning, just like me, and that was an experience I had never had before. Every day after that, we met up to work together, play ping pong under the sun, and scrimmage soccer down by the river. We debated politics, discussed astronomical theories, and compared cultures, each of us learning from what the others shared.  As the astrogang, I’m certain we would have expanded our research beyond the stars to encompass black holes or dark matter. But even now, scattered across the globe, we will always be the kid scientists who look to the sky for answers, and I hope that I will meet other students who will continue what the original astrogang began. — — —

Special thanks to Andy for writing this post.

Andrew has worked as an educator, consultant, and curriculum writer for the past 15 years, and attended Stanford and Oxford, earning degrees in Political Science and Drama. He feels most at home on mountain tops.

  Top Values:  Insight/Growth | Truth | Integrity

Application Prompts for 2024-2025

Your essay and short answer responses help us get to know you.

We’ve selected the following prompts for the UNC-specific portion for the first-year and transfer applications for 2024-2025. We’re proud of the Carolina community and how each student makes us better through their excellence, intellect, and character. In reading your responses, we hope to learn what being a part of the Carolina community would mean to you.

Short answer prompts

We’d like to know how you’d contribute to the Carolina community and ask that you respond to each prompt in up to 250 words.

• Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. This could be your current community or another community you have engaged.
• Discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. Why does this topic interest you? Topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college.

Common Application essay

You’ll choose one Common Essay prompt to respond to in 250-650 words. These prompts are common to all schools who accept the Common Application, and you can view the prompts here. Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don’t feel obligated to do so. The Common Application also has an optional section where you’ll have the opportunity to write about how COVID-19 has affected you.

Your responses will be evaluated not only for admission, but also for possible selection for scholarships and other special opportunities. We look forward to learning more about you!

Advice for Your Application

First-year application, transfer application.