Don’t Sweat the Supp Stuff: Advice for Crafting Your Supplemental Essay

what to write about in a supplemental essay

It can feel daunting to choose what to write about in your college application essays. How do you sum up the complex, dynamic individual you are with such limited space? 

The short answer: You can’t. But that’s OK. 

The goal of your application is not to share every detail of your multifaceted life. Rather, the process allows you to share your story with the admissions committee about what makes you a strong match for the institution. Each piece of the application reveals something about your academic experiences and personal journey that shows us how you might contribute to the Hopkins community. 

In some ways, the essays help tie together the rest of the application. They offer space for you to tell stories that represent the most important parts of your identity, which provide context for other components of the application. 

Let’s zero in on the supplemental essay . 

The supplemental essay portion of the application is specific to each school. Each institution has intentionally crafted a question (or multiple) to help determine whether a student might be a good match. We look for individuals who share Hopkins’ institutional values but will also bring unique experiences and perspectives to the community.  

Below is the supplemental essay prompt for students applying for entry to Hopkins in the fall of 2025:  

How has your life experience contributed to your personal story—your character, values, perspectives, or skills—and what you want to pursue at Hopkins? (350-word limit)

Picture your life in college. What does your community look like? Which aspects of your identity are most important for you to develop and nurture?  

Now jot down some thoughts about experiences or parts of your identity that have had a significant effect on your life. Maybe it’s a hobby you love, a cultural tradition, or an instance when you discovered something new about yourself. 

Once you have a list, think about how each of these will continue to play a role in your college life. Choose one to focus on and spend some time building it out. 

Keep in mind this essay is not an exercise in “tell us everything you know about Hopkins.” While it’s important for the admissions committee to see you’ve done your research and understand what Hopkins has to offer, simply listing what you hope to pursue on campus is only half of the puzzle. Be sure to connect the dots by explaining why you wish to pursue those things, and how they’ll help you remain connected to and grow in your identity. 

If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas or crafting your essay, reach out to your school counselor or an English teacher. They can help you brainstorm and ensure your piece is answering the prompt in a meaningful way. 

Happy writing! 

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Your Definitive Guide to Supplemental College Application Essays

Including supplemental essay examples to inspire your own.

Supplemental College Application Essays

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

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

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Article Contents 25 min read

Why are supplemental college application essays so important.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Tackle Different Supplemental Essays Prompts

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

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

The School-Specific Supplemental Essay

What is it?

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

Sample essay prompts

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

How to write this type of essay

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

The Extracurricular Essay

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

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

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

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

Check out this infographic:

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

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

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

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

Create Your Own Class Essay

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

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

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

The Major or Field of Study Essay

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

Sample essay prompt

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

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

The Quirky Essay

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

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

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

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

Short Supplemental Essay (250 Words or Fewer) Examples

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

Recommended Structure

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

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

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

Here’s a sample answer:

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

Medium Supplemental Essay (250-500 Words) Examples

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The most commonly used supplemental college essay prompts are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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what to write about in a supplemental essay

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Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write a Supplemental Essay for College

writing a supplemental essay

  • By Debbie Schwartz

Published on November 20, 2023

Understanding the nuances of supplemental essays in college applications is crucial for aspiring college students. This article delves into what a supplemental essay is, its importance in the college admissions process, and how it differs from the Common App essay. It provides a comprehensive guide on writing effective supplemental essays, including strategies to showcase your fit with a college and tips to address various essay prompts.

What Is a Supplemental Essay?

In addition to the main personal statement for the Common Application, many schools include their own college-specific essays, also known as supplemental essays. These additional pieces of writing give admissions officers the chance to get to know you better.

Many students might not know some schools will ask for additional essays. These writing supplements are usually shorter than the main college essay but are no less important.

Some colleges ask for just one supplemental essay, while others may require several. Most of the more selective colleges will require at least one additional essay, and some may require several essays.

How a Supplemental Essay Differs from the Common App Essay

A supplemental essay is targeted to one college, while the Common App personal statement essay accompanies your Common Application, which can go to multiple colleges of your choice. As a result, supplemental essays are usually more specific and designed to showcase your fit with the college.

Here are the three key differences between supplemental essays and the Common App essay:

  • Specificity and focus: One of the most significant distinctions between the Common App and supplemental essays is the required specificity and focus. The Common App essay prompts are intentionally broad, allowing you to choose a topic that speaks to your experiences, values, or interests. In contrast, supplemental essays are often college-specific and require you to address particular questions or prompts related to that institution.

Colleges design supplemental essays to assess your genuine interest in them. . Admissions committees want to know why you’re choosing them. You must demonstrate a deep understanding of the college’s values, programs, and opportunities to excel in these essays. Avoid generic responses and instead tailor your writing to highlight the unique aspects of the school.

  • Word count: The word limit for the Common App personal statement is 650 words, while supplemental essays are usually shorter. Most supplementals range from 100 words to 500 words. However, some are 800 to 1,000 words, longer than the Common App essay.
  • Showcasing your fit: Supplemental essays provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your “fit” with a college. Admissions officers are looking for students who will succeed academically and thrive within their campus culture. Therefore, these essays often ask questions like “Why do you want to attend this college?” or “How will you contribute to our community?”

To effectively answer these questions, research the college thoroughly and identify specific aspects that align with your goals and values. Consider the college’s mission statement, core values, and any specific essay prompts provided.  Mention unique programs, professors, extracurricular activities, or campus initiatives that resonate with you. Explain how your background, experiences, and aspirations make you a perfect match for their community. Use anecdotes, examples, and personal stories to illustrate your fit and commitment.

How to Write a Supplemental Essay

Writing a standout supplemental essay requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. To help you craft a compelling response that sets you apart from other applicants, follow these essential steps:

  • Thoroughly Research the College or University

Before writing, delve deep into the college or university you’re applying to. Familiarize yourself with its programs, campus culture, values, and mission. Look for specific information that resonates with you and aligns with your academic and personal goals. Take notes on what makes this institution unique and why it fits you well. The more you know, the better you can tailor your essay to demonstrate your genuine interest.

  • Understand the Prompt

Carefully read and understand the supplemental essay prompt or question provided by the college. Identify the key themes or elements the admissions committee seeks in your response. Be sure to address every aspect of the prompt and follow any specific instructions or word limits. Misinterpreting the prompt can lead to a disjointed or irrelevant essay.

  • Brainstorm Ideas

Once you understand the prompt, brainstorm ideas for your essay. Think about your experiences, achievements, challenges, and goals related to the college’s values and mission. Consider how your unique perspective and background can contribute to their community. Create an outline or list of potential talking points and anecdotes to incorporate into your essay.

  • Craft a Strong Thesis Statement

Your supplemental essay should have a clear and concise thesis statement that encapsulates the main message you want to convey. This statement should directly address the prompt and highlight your fit with the college or university. It serves as a guiding principle for the rest of your essay and helps you maintain focus.

  • Tell a Compelling Story

Effective supplemental essays often tell a compelling story. Use vivid and descriptive language to engage the reader. Share personal anecdotes or experiences that illustrate your connection to the college and demonstrate your qualifications. Show, don’t just tell, how you align with the institution’s values and contribute to its community.

  • Provide Specific Examples

Back up your claims with specific examples and evidence. If you mention a program or initiative at the college that excites you, explain why it’s meaningful to you and how you plan to get involved. Use concrete details to paint a vivid picture of your contributions and aspirations.

  • Edit and Revise

Writing a strong supplemental essay often involves multiple drafts. After writing your initial draft, take a break and return to it with fresh eyes. Look for areas where you can improve clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Check for grammar and spelling errors. Seek feedback from teachers, peers, or mentors to gain different perspectives and refine your essay further. Make sure you stay within the word count.

  • Proofread Carefully

Before submitting your essay, proofread it meticulously. Typos and grammatical errors can detract from your professionalism and attention to detail. Use spell-check tools and consider reading your essay aloud to catch any awkward or unclear sentences.

  • Seek Feedback

Feel free to seek feedback from trusted individuals, such as teachers, counselors, or experienced writers. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improving your essay. Be open to constructive criticism and be willing to make revisions based on their feedback.

  • Final Review

Once you’ve made the necessary revisions, review your essay to ensure it meets all the prompt’s requirements and aligns with the college’s values. Confirm that your writing flows smoothly and effectively conveys your message.

Supplemental Essay Prompt Examples

The most popular supplemental essay prompt is a “Why Us?” question. Colleges ask this question to find out why the student is applying to this institution and why they have listed a specific major or program. 

The best way to approach this question is to consider your visit, do more research, and find an angle no one else will use to capture how differently you see yourself and that specific college.

Another popular supplemental essay prompt asks students to write about an extracurricular or job-related experience. It’s good to save this type of experience for a supplemental essay instead of using it in the main college essay.

The following are actual supplemental essay prompts from a sample of colleges:

  • Yale University: “Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it?” 
  • Cornell University: “In the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, Ezra Cornell wrote, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” For over 150 years, Cornell University has remained deeply committed to Ezra’s vision. Explain how your life experiences will help inform your contributions to a learning community devoted to “…any person…any study.” We encourage you to think broadly about your life experiences, including how local (e.g., family, school, neighborhood) or global communities you’ve been part of have helped shape your perspective.”
  • Duke University:  “What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you?  If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.”
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): “MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds together to collaborate, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to lending a helping hand. Describe one way you have collaborated with others to learn from them, with them, or contribute to your community together.”
  • University of Georgia: “The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”
  • University of Vermont: “If you could pick one song to be the soundtrack of your life, what would it be? What is your connection to the song?”
  • Rutgers University: “You indicated interest in honors community consideration and participation.  Please share with us your concept of an educational challenge that interests you, and how you anticipate meeting this challenge at Rutgers through your involvement in an honors program.  Your response can be up to 500 words.”
  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: “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.”
  • Virginia Tech: “Virginia Tech’s motto is “Ut Prosim” which means ‘That I May Serve’. 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?”
  • Wake Forest: “Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community?”
  • Johns Hopkins: “Tell us about an aspect of your identity (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, religion, community, etc.) or a life experience that has shaped you as an individual and how that influenced what you’d like to pursue in college at Hopkins.? (This can be a future goal or experience that is either academic, extracurricular, or social).”
  • Purdue University: “How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (Respond in 250 words or fewer.)”
  • Vassar College: “At Vassar, we aim to foster an inclusive community through our philosophy of engaged pluralism. Engaged pluralism is rooted in “the conviction that collaborating across differences is necessary for social transformation and critical for the well-being of any community and its members.” In short, we believe it’s our differences that make us stronger. Tell us a little bit about an important part of your identity and how it has shaped your life and/or interactions with others.” 

Organizing Multiple Supplemental Essays

Some schools require more than supplemental essays, and you’re probably applying to several colleges. So, that means you need to keep track of the essays and their deadlines. Use a spreadsheet or a text document to list the colleges and prompts in order of their deadlines. 

This will keep you on track and help you identify similarities between prompts. You can use similar ideas in different supplemental essays if appropriate

Do You Want 1-1 Essay Coaching and Editing?

Road2College provides 1-1 essay coaching and editing with professionals. We can help you brainstorm ideas, choose approaches, organize the essay, and write, edit, and polish it. We offer a full package or a final review . Check out all of our services here .

Use  R2C Insights  to help find merit aid and schools that fit the criteria most important to your student. You’ll not only save precious time, but your student will avoid the heartache of applying to schools they aren’t likely to get into or can’t afford to attend.  

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what to write about in a supplemental essay

what to write about in a supplemental essay

Supplemental Essays Guide: How to Write, Tips & Examples

Student writing in on paper

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 to write about in a supplemental essay

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 

what to write about in a supplemental essay

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

what to write about in a supplemental 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 

what to write about in a supplemental 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 

what to write about in a supplemental 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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Blog > Essay Advice , Supplementals > How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers

How to Write Supplemental Essays that Will Impress Admissions Officers

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

Written by Alex McNeil, MA Admissions Consultant

Key Takeaway

Welcome to the wonderful world of supplemental essays.

If you’ve made it this far, there’s a good chance that you’ve completed (or at least have begun thinking about) your Common Application personal statement.

But believe it or not, you’re not done once you’ve sorted out your personal statement.

That’s right—many colleges require you to write even more essays as part of your application. These essays are called supplemental essays , and you’ll usually write 0-4 per school you apply to.

Hopefully you’re starting to do the math… If I apply to 10 schools that require an average of 2.3 supplemental essays, then that’s 20+ essays I have to write on top of my personal statement!

And, to make matters more dire, supplemental essays are really important to your application. Schools only require them because they play a critical role in admissions decisions.

That’s why having good supplemental essay strategy matters. There’s no time to waste, and they need to be good.

But thankfully you’ve found yourself here, at the ultimate guide to supplemental essays. We—Alex, Ben, and Kylie—have compiled our years of admissions and essay-writing knowledge to tell you everything you need to know about writing supplemental essays. (And, as you’ll see, we also have more specific guides for the most common supplemental essay prompts.)

In this guide-to-end-all-guides, we start out with supplemental essay basics and then break down the supplemental essay strategies that have worked for our clients again and again. Once you reach the end, you’ll be able to download a free essay tracker to keep you organized and on track.

Ready? Here we go.

What are supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays are a kind of college essay.

As a refresher, recall that there are three main kinds of college essays:

Personal Statement: A personal statement is a singular essay that is the keystone of your entire application. It goes to all the schools you apply to, and it covers a topic that is deeply meaningful to you. Personal statements are typically around 650 words. (For more about personal statements, see our college essay writing guide .)

Supplemental Essays: Supplemental essays are essays required by specific schools. They typically have different prompts than the personal statement and are usually shorter in length.

UC Essays: UC essays are their own beast in the college essay-writing world. Their purpose is a blend of personal statement and supplemental essay. (For more about UC Essays, see our UC guide.)

Supplemental essays serve a unique purpose. The reality is that the majority of your college application has to be written with several colleges in mind, especially if you’re applying to schools through application systems like the Common Application or Coalition.

That means that the majority of the information admissions officers base their decisions on is relatively generic information that doesn’t address why you’re a good fit for their school in particular.

That’s where supplemental essays come in.

Supplemental essays give you the opportunity to tell an admissions officer why you belong at their school specifically. They also allow colleges to ask you questions based on what they’re looking for in applicants.

Imagine that you’re interested in adopting a new dog. You browse your shelter’s online photo gallery, see the statistics about the age and weight of each dog, and read the brief descriptions of their temperament. The online profiles give you quite a bit to go on, but you still can’t quite picture how each one would fit into your family. You need just a little more information. So you drive to the shelter, meet the animals, and ask the shelter staff more questions about the animals you’re interested in.

Okay, college admissions are obviously a lot different than adopting a dog. But you get the metaphor. Sometimes the information on the Common App alone isn’t enough. Admissions officers need more information about which students are going to be the best fit for their college communities. And the one tool universities have to get that specific information are supplemental essays .

In short, some schools require supplemental essays because they want to get more information about how well your academics, extracurriculars, values, or otherwise align with their institution.

What’s the difference between a supplemental essay and a personal statement?

We can look at the differences between personal statements and supplemental essays across three categories: purpose, length, and research.

Supplemental essays serve a very different purpose than personal statements. While personal statements are deeply meaningful reflections that go to all the colleges a student applies to, supplemental essays are school-specific. Your personal statement is a place for you to write about something related to one of your core strengths. Supplementals are opportunities for you to show how your core strengths make you a good fit for a particular institution. Since they have different purposes, you’ll need different writing strategies to approach each kind of essay with.

Essay lengths vary by school and type, but supplemental essays are generally shorter. The Common App personal statement, for example, is maximum 650 words. Supplemental essays, on the other hand, typically range from 100 to 400 words (although occasionally some will be longer). When added together, you’ll likely be writing at least a couple thousand words for your college applications.

Finally, personal statements and supplementals also require different levels of research. Whereas personal statements typically require no research, supplementals require a lot. Because supplemental essays are school-specific, you’ll need to do research about every single school you write a supplemental essay for. We’ll get into that more in a second.

So personal statements give admissions officers a deep insight into who you are, while supplemental essays build on that narrative and sometimes include school research.

How important are supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays are important. At schools with sub-20% acceptance rates especially, they alone can be the difference between a deny and an admit.

Take this story from Ben’s time at Vanderbilt as a cautionary tale:

A prospective engineering student has an unweighted 4.0, near-perfect test scores, and extracurriculars that show both reach and impact. But none of their essays says anything about why they want to study engineering or why they want to go to Vanderbilt. Because they can’t communicate why they are a good fit, they get denied.

Unfortunately, Ben saw this situation time and again.

Sure, you could write your personal statement about how much you love engineering or what a good problem-solver you are. But doing so still doesn’t allow you to talk about why you align with the engineering options at a particular school .

Supplementals are your one chance to communicate this information with admissions officers, so use it wisely.

Types of Supplemental Essay Prompts

Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Don’t fret. While you’ll be writing a lot of supplementals throughout your application process, you won’t necessarily have to come up with unique ideas for each of them. That’s because most supplemental essay prompts can be broken down into seven common categories: “why us,” diversity, community, academic interest, “why this major,” personal challenge, and extracurricular activities. Because there are similarities between prompts, you can reuse some of your essay ideas and content from school to school—and we have a whole post about how recycle your essays effectively. For now, let’s take a quick look at the prompt types. If you’re interested in any in particular, you can click through to our more in-depth post about each.

These prompts ask students to write an essay that explains why they want to attend a particular institution, school, or program.

Some diversity prompts ask students to write about some aspect of their background or identity that makes them diverse. Other diversity prompts ask students to write about a time they engaged with diverse perspectives.

Community prompts ask students to write about some aspect of the community they come from. Other community prompts ask how a student will contribute to the college community they’re applying to join.

Academic Interest

These prompts ask students to demonstrate intellectual curiosity by elaborating on a particular academic interest.

Why this Major

These prompts allow students to make a case for why they want to study a particular major at a particular school.

Personal Challenge

Personal challenge prompts ask students to write about a moment or period when they encountered a personal challenge. Often personal challenge prompts will encourage students to think about how they grew as a result.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities essays ask students to discuss one of their resume items.

Okay, so there’s lots of prompt types that ask you to do different things. But no matter the supplemental prompt type you’re responding to, your supplemental essays will have some commonalities in form and function. We’ll dive into those commonalities in the coming sections.

What should a supplemental essay look like?

Because supplemental essay prompts can be more direct than personal statement prompts, students often get confused about what a supplemental essay should look like.

Let’s use a simple example prompt: “Why do you want to attend X school?”

Since the prompt is formatted in the style of a straightforward question, many students (logically) begin their essays like this:

“I want to go to X school because it is a great academic fit for me. I love the location, and the weather can’t be beat. I know I would be happy there because there are lots of things to do. I would be so excited to work with Professor Y because their research is exactly what I want to do in the future. I love the traditions on campus and can envision myself joining in them, especially the annual puppy days before finals. Overall, I think I am a good fit”

While that essay directly answers the question, it doesn’t have an engaging hook or storyline. When you write a supplemental essay that explicitly addresses the question without paying attention to style and form, it reads more as a short answer question than an actual essay.

Like a personal statement, a supplemental essay should still be an essay. Even for supplemental essays under 150 words, there should still be some kind of essay structure. The essay should begin with a hook, build up a story, and offer a brief conclusion that ties everything together.

So now that you know that your supplemental essays should still be essays rather than short answers, let’s get to the juicy stuff: strategy.

The 3 best supplemental essay strategies

As with any part of the college application process, you should consider approaching your supplemental essays with an explicit strategy from the start.

Since supplemental essays are the main way for you to signal school and academic fit, your strategy will likely revolve around deciding when and how to demonstrate your academic, social, and value-based alignment with the school in question.

Strategic supplemental writing also means balancing your narrative across your personal statement and supplementals. Planning ahead to determine what information will go where can save you a lot of trouble later on in the application process.

Strategy #1: Do strategic school research.

The first step in writing good supplemental essays is knowing how to do school research. It’s also about knowing how to use your school research effectively. In the case of supplemental essays, “school research” means a lot more than simply googling a school and pulling out a few facts and figures. Unlike the research you did when building your school list, your supplemental essay school research is a lot more intentional and targeted.

Think of supplemental school research like the final stages before buying a car. Your initial research—the school list-building research—helped you narrow down all your options to find cars with the right facts and figures for your needs. But now you need to think in terms of specifics. Looking at Car A, you see that the infotainment is perfectly suited for your music-loving needs and the 4-wheel drive will let you drive to your favorite remote hiking destinations. Car B has all the safety features you could ever ask for and has enough cargo space to go on long road trips. For each car, you can explain exactly why you and the car are a good match.

In the same way, your supplemental essays will draw attention to the specific points of connection you have with a school. After reading your supplemental essay, you want your admissions officer to say, “Wow, they really belong here.”

But the mistake most students make when doing supplemental school research is that they look up a few professors or programs that align with their interests, and they plop those brief references into their supplemental essays without actually making it clear why they’re important.

While this method does show some effort and may impress admissions officers at schools with lower acceptance rates, it won’t cut it at schools where the majority of applicants get rejected.

Let’s go over how to do supplemental school research the right way.

How to do school research

This kind of school research may seem a bit elusive. There are so many places on a school website to look that it can be overwhelming. But the key to doing successful school research isn’t about finding those little nuggets of information.

It’s about creating a cohesive story that makes it seem only logical that you be admitted.

And how do you do that?

By looking at the values the institution holds dearly and positioning yourself in clear alignment with them.

It’s easy to find an institution’s values if you know where to look. Most often, they appear in the following places:

a) The school’s motto

We’ll use Lewis and Clark College’s motto as an example. A quick Google search of “Lewis and Clark College motto” informed me that their motto, in English, is “to explore, to learn, to work together.” Right off the bat, that tells us a ton about what Lewis and Clark College values and looks for in students.

If I were to write a supplemental essay (and—surprise!—one of their supplemental essays is actually about the motto), then it’d be easy to draw from areas of my own life that represent the values of exploration, education, and teamwork.

b) The school’s 5-year plan

Schools are future-minded institutions, so they always have plans that discuss where they want to be five or ten years down the road. These plans are written by university leadership and lay out values, goals, and strategic initiatives that the institution will be devoting resources to. They can tell you a lot in a short amount of time.

c) Departmental websites

Don’t just find an interesting professor and call it quits. Take the time to go through and actually read the website for your department of interest. Look at the kinds of research professors and students are doing. Departments often have a list of where students tend to end up after they graduate, so take note. Find anything you can about what the department looks like and values.

For instance, take this press release from the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. The headline says, “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is investing nearly $12 million in four College of Engineering faculty members this fall through its  prestigious program for outside-the-box thinkers .” There you go. Without even reading on, you can tell that out-of-the-box thinking is a popular characteristic among these Georgia Tech faculty members. You could then craft your supplemental essay around a time you showed out-of-the-box thinking yourself.

The beauty of this strategy is that it works no matter the kind of supplemental essay prompt you’re responding to. It is as applicable to a “diversity” or “why us” prompt as it is to an “extracurricular” one.

Setting your supplementals apart using school research

Take this example, which we sent out recently in our newsletter .

Say you’re interested in attending Johns Hopkins University to study business.

You set out to answer their supplemental prompt: Founded on a spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests and pursue new experiences. 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)

You could talk about how devoted you’ve been to DECA and mention a JHU business faculty member whom you admire. But that essay wouldn’t be memorable at all. Admissions officers have likely read hundreds of similar essays.

Instead, using your newfound school research knowledge, you start by googling JHU’s strategic plan . You keep diving deeper. You find that they have a specific initiative to engage more with their local community in Baltimore. You dive even deeper and see that part of that initiative revolves around encouraging the JHU community to shop locally .

Ah ha! You actually created a holiday market at your school and invited local vendors to participate. You brought your community together, and you helped them make the decision to buy from local businesses.

You now have a story that shows your business interests and connects seamlessly with the values at Johns Hopkins University. And it’ll lead to a supplemental essay admissions officers haven’t read before.

Okay, that is a very specific example. Remember, school research needs to be specific to you and your interests. When you are clear about your strengths and keep your own activities in mind, you can point your research towards what the school does that most clearly relates to you.

Strategy #2: Make a case for school or academic fit.

Each supplemental essay should have a specific purpose. We’ve already established this fact in this guide, but it’s worth restating. One of your application essays needs to make a case for school or academic fit. There’s no other way to slice it.

Institutions are like people. They have unique personalities, values, and preferences that attract students and community members to them. A single school will not be the right fit for every student. That’s why it’s so important to take academic and school fit into account when building your school list, and that’s why institutions factor these considerations into their admissions decisions.

What is “academic fit”?

“Academic fit” is particularly important when you’re applying to a specific major (like computer science, engineering, music, etc.). The concept is fairly straightforward.

It measures how well your academic background and interests meet the standards of a particular school or program. While academic fit includes measurements like your weighted and unweighted GPA, the level of rigor you’ve taken throughout high school, and your standardized test scores, it isn’t just about your statistics. It is also relevant to how you talk about your intellectual vitality in your essays.

This could look like showing disciplinary alignment. If you’re dead set on studying business but you’re applying to a school without a business program, for example, then you won’t have good academic fit, no matter how solid your academic record is.

It could also look like showcasing your intellectual curiosity or an academic passion. These kinds of academic values can signal to an admissions committee that you are a good fit for the program.

What is “school fit”?

“School fit” is a way to categorize how well you align with the overall vibe and intellectual community of a school. Academic fit is part of school fit, but school fit encompasses more. It’s like a friendship test. Do your personalities mesh well? Do you have similar values? Can they meet your needs and vice versa? Do your extracurricular activities align? Do you envision yourselves having a future together?

School fit is important because you don’t want to end up at a school that doesn’t align with your wants and needs across these categories. Transferring is always an option, but being mindful of school fit from the start can help you get it right the first time.

When it comes to your supplementals, signaling those intangible measures of school fit can also be one of the best tools in your application toolbox. Because they’re intangible, they’re harder to communicate. But communicating them correctly can help set you apart.

Overall, academic and school fit are application essentials. If your academic background hasn’t prepared you for a particular college environment, or if you can’t clearly communicate why you’re a good academic fit, then an admissions officer might believe that you’d be better off elsewhere. Similarly, there’s no point in applying to a school that you’d be miserable at, and there’s no point in admitting you to a school that you’d likely transfer from anyway. Keeping the concepts of “academic fit” and “school fit” front and center meets student and institutional needs.

How to show academic fit

We’ve written on Reddit  about the importance of academic score in college admissions. While each institution has its own process, academic scores are usually some kind of measurement of a student’s academic success in high school, calculated based on statistics like GPA, number of rigorous classes, and standardized test scores.

Since academic scores are based on things that have already happened, you have very little control over them as you put together your application.

To a certain extent, there’s nothing you can do to overcome a low academic score. That’s why it’s important to put the right schools on your school list . 

But what you do have control over is how you communicate academic fit.

Remember that your entire application should cohere to form a unique personal narrative . Your academic alignment with the programs you’re applying to is part of that narrative, and supplemental essays are a fantastic place for you to drive home why you belong in a particular program.

It’s often easiest to show academic alignment in “why us,” “why this major,” and “academic interest” supplemental essay prompts. But it is possible to accomplish with other prompts, too.

No matter the supplemental you’re writing, consider applying these tips to show academic fit.

a) Think about the academic values the admissions committee will be looking for.

You’ve already done your school research and have probably learned something about the values a school is looking for. Now you can think more specifically about what kinds of values admissions committees will be looking for in their applicants. Make a list of these values.

Here are a few values we’ve looked for as admissions officers to get you started: teamwork, creative thinking, resilience, leadership, communication, intellectual curiosity, real-world applications.

Once you have your list of values, start circling the ones that apply to you and your experiences the most. Then you’ll be able to incorporate those values into your supplemental essays.

b) Consider how your previous experiences relate to your future goals.

Another approach to showing academic fit is thinking linearly about how what you’ve done in high school relates to your future academic and career goals.

Especially with prompts that ask you to reflect on concrete experiences, taking this approach can be a great way to bridge the gap between your resume and academics. Showing an admissions officer why your background experiences make you a natural fit for a specific program can be an effective supplemental essay strategy.

Overall, remember: schools want students. When in doubt, show academic fit.

How to show school fit

How you show school fit will depend on the type of school you’re applying to. There are three main levels: the institution as a whole, individual schools or colleges, and particular majors or programs. Each level requires a different school fit focus. Let’s start by going through the types:

Level 1: The Institution

For some schools, you apply to the institution as a whole. Think liberal arts colleges or other schools that don’t require you to declare a major upon application.

Level 2: Schools & Colleges

Other schools have you apply to a college or school. Think of applications that have you choose a “college of arts and sciences” or “a school of engineering.” These are institutions within an institution, so the dynamics are a little different.

Level 3: Major

Finally, others yet will have you apply directly to the major you want to study. If you indicate the major you want to apply to, or if you’re asked to respond to a “why this major” supplemental essay prompt, then you’re likely applying directly to a major.

For each of these levels, school fit will look different because the community you’re applying to join has a different makeup. So bear those differences in mind as you consider the two following tips about aligning with school fit:

a) Write supplemental essays that connect your extracurricular activities to major or program fit.

One way to demonstrate school fit is by showing that you’ve already been doing what students at that institution do. We’ll pretend that for one of your extracurriculars, you participate in hack-a-thons.

Let’s also say that during your school research, you found that your top-choice computer science major values technical skills and diverse perspectives. Finally, we’ll also pretend that the first hack-a-thon you did was a special event intended to introduce more girls to computer science, and you found it a really empowering experience.

Using what you know about school fit, you can craft a supplemental essay about one of your hack-a-thon experiences that shows the technical skills and diverse perspective that you bring to the table. Writing your essay in a way that highlights a convergence of your background with their offerings is exactly what your supplementals need to do.

b) Write supplemental essays around community values.

Especially if you’re applying to an institution as a whole, you can also consider incorporating institutional values into your supplementals. These values, taken from your school research, don’t necessarily have to be about academics.

Let’s return to our Johns Hopkins example about organizing a holiday market to encourage students to shop at local businesses. That example seamlessly demonstrates school fit because it hinges on values the student shares with the institution. While the example may gesture towards academic fit because a holiday market is inherently related to business, it doesn’t do so explicitly. The focus is more on the underlying community values.

All this talk about fit is also to say that none of your applications will look exactly the same. Because institutions have different makeups and expectations, the shape your application narrative takes will vary from institution to institution.

Strategy #3: Highlight your strengths.

Every college essay you write should be rooted in a strength.

If you’ve read any of our other guides or blog posts , you’ve likely seen this statement before.

We say it again and again because it’s true. And very important.

Admissions officers don’t admit students at random. They admit students who will be good additions to their community. All communities need a range of people and personalities—strengths, if you will.

To help admissions officers know how you’ll add to their campus, it’s critical that you tell them what your strengths are.

That doesn’t mean literally writing, “I am a strong critical thinker.”

What it does mean is writing essays that demonstrate positive characteristics about yourself.

Recall that application strengths can include things like critical thinking, open-mindedness, problem-solving skills, a passion for justice, artistry, and more. These kinds of traits are what you want your admissions officer to learn about you from any piece of writing you submit with your application.

We’ve already covered how to write strengths-based personal statements in our college essay writing guide .

But when you’re juggling a personal statement and several supplemental essays, it can be tricky to balance your strengths in an authentic way.

Juggling Your Strengths

You don’t want all your essays to talk about the same strength. You also don’t want your strengths to seem disparate or unrelated. And you really don’t want to come across as braggadocious.

It’s therefore important that your essays all tie together to form a cohesive application narrative .

So writing strengths-based supplementals requires a certain kind of balancing act.

Picture your college application narrative as a seesaw (stick with me for a second—I promise this is going somewhere). Imagine that your personal statement is the base of the seesaw. Without anything else on the seesaw, it is you in your most genuine, balanced form. It is the fulcrum upon which your entire application narrative rests. But it’s not yet complete. It’s limited in how much information it actually reveals about you.

Now imagine that you add in all your application data—your transcript, test scores, activities list, and letters of recommendation. We get more information, but the application data are heavy, weighing it down on one side. Your application narrative becomes slightly off-kilter. We see the strengths you describe in your personal statement, but they’ve become filtered through the lens of your application data.

Finally, we add your supplemental essays to the other side. They stitch together your personal statement and data to create a roundedness to your application narrative. They restore balance.

That means that the strengths you write about in your supplemental essays have to complement those in your personal statement. And the strengths in both have to make sense alongside your application data.

While your personal statement should be about a core strength, your supplemental essays should be about different strengths that support and cohere with your personal statement. It’s all about how you disperse your strengths across your essays. You want to show depth AND diversity.

Here’s an example breakdown of strengths:

a) Personal statement: problem-solving skills

b) Supplemental 1: passion for justice

c) Supplemental 2: teamwork

Without even reading the corresponding essays, we get a sense of who this person is by their strengths alone. We can envision them primarily as a problem-solver, but we also see that they use their skills to pursue justice. And we understand that they are someone who does all these things alongside others rather than as a lone wolf.

Just one of these strengths alone wouldn’t give the whole picture. It’s about finding the right mix of breadth, depth, and balance.

How to organize your supplemental essays

There are countless spreadsheets out there that can help you track and organize your applications and supplemental essays. It’s a good idea to browse through a few of them and see what format works best for you.

But we believe that one of the most efficient ways to organize your supplemental essays is to categorize them by prompt type.

Sorting your essays by prompt will allow you to group similar prompts together. That means you’ll have an easier time seeing where there’s overlap between essays, which will allow you to reuse ideas or snippets across your applications to write them more efficiently. (Using the same material for multiple supplemental essays is allowed, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it. We have a whole post on recycling your supplemental essays .)

Key Takeaways

There you have it! Everything you need to know about writing a supplemental essay. If you haven’t already, check out our mini-guides that cover the most popular supplemental essay prompts. You’ll find even more specific strategies and examples to guide you on your supplemental essay writing journey.

If you want to see some outstanding supplemental essay examples before you get started, head on over to our college essay examples .

When you're ready, grab your essay tracker and give your supplementals a go. If you need any more guidance, our Essay Academy program is chock-full of more strategies, insights, and examples from our team of admissions professionals.

Interested in more admissions insights? Read our next post , where we go behind the admissions curtain to reveal how admissions offices actually process tens of thousands of applications.

Happy writing!

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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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How to Approach Supplemental Essays

When our students dig into the college application process, they are often surprised to encounter not only the main Common Application’s personal statement , but also a host of supplemental essay questions. These assignments are often school-specific writing prompts for which a student must also craft thoughtful, well-written replies.

Supplemental essays are often more focused than the Common App assignment, though they vary in length and scope. Their prompts tackle subjects that range from deeper explorations of a student’s background to their collegiate and academic interests.

We often encourage our students to nail down their personal statement topic first, then ask them to approach their supplemental essays in priority order, according to submission deadlines. Many schools will offer prompts that are similar in theme and content to one another (for example, many institutions now ask about a student’s most important activity ), so it is helpful for students to gather and review all supplemental questions before beginning the brainstorm process to see where they might naturally overlap.

Elite institutions often have extensive supplemental sections, as do some honors programs, so students should keep this in mind as they hunt for their essay questions and map out their plan of attack.

All supplemental essays should be given the same time and care as the main Common Application essay. These supplements not only are an excellent opportunity to show a school both your competence and level of devotion to their institution, but also offer opportunities to paint some personality into your application. So embrace supplements, use your unique voice, and show these schools what you’re made of!

Agnes Scott College 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

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Alvernia University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

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2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, california institute of technology (caltech) 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, california lutheran university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, capitol technology university 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, carleton college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, carnegie mellon university (cmu) 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide , catawba college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, centre college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, chapman university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, claremont mckenna college 2024-25 supplemental essay guide  , clark university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, clemson university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, coastal carolina university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, college of charleston 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, college of william & mary 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, college of wooster 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt 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essay prompt guide, kalamazoo college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, lafayette college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, lehigh university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, lewis and clark college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, linfield university 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, loyola marymount university (lmu) 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide , lynn university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, macalester college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, manchester university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, marist college 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, mary baldwin university 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, massachusetts institute of technology (mit) 2024-25 essay prompt guide, meredith college 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, monmouth college 2024-25 supplemental essay guide, moravian university 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, morehouse college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, mount holyoke college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, new york university (nyu) 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, frequently asked questions.

It really depends. Typically, the more competitive the university, the more arduous the supplemental essay requirements. Most top universities ask for at least three supplemental essays, but some only require one short essay.

The most common supplemental essay topics are:

  • The Why Essay , which asks applicants to discuss their interest in their intended major and/or the school in question.
  • The Activity Essay , which asks applicants to describe their involvement in an activity that is meaningful to them.
  • The Community Essay , which asks about a community the applicant belongs to and the role that community plays in their life (and vice versa!).
  • The Diversity Essay , which often asks applicants to explore how they champion diversity and inclusion in their communities and/or how they engage with people from different backgrounds or who hold opposing views. 
  • The Short Answer , which asks applicants to answer prompts in very few words (or characters) to add context to their application and a splash of personality.
  • The Oddball Essay , which asks applicants to tap into their creativity to connect curveball questions to their lives and interests.

Just like with the Common App personal statement, you’re going to want to write authentically about yourself while addressing all parts of each supplemental essay prompt. Many schools want to better understand how you see yourself contributing to their campus community and/or diversity and inclusion efforts along with how you hope to use your education to achieve your goals. So, be honest and forward-thinking, and don’t forget to customize each supplemental essay so it’s specific to each school you’re submitting to. That means doing research and weaving information into your essays that demonstrates the amount of time and thought you’ve put into your application. 

We have a few successful supplemental essay examples in our Free Resources section.

Each admissions department has their own process for reviewing applications, and some admissions committees put more weight on supplemental essays than others, but all admissions departments that offer applicants the opportunity to pen additional essays are doing so for a reason: to better understand the applicant and compare similarly qualified candidates. It’s in the applicant’s best interest to not only provide admissions with as much information regarding their candidacy as possible, but also go the extra mile. At highly competitive institutions, admissions officers are looking for reasons to remove students from the applicant pool—don’t let poorly written or (*gulp*) incomplete supplemental essays work against you!

Absolutely not. Please do not reuse content from your Common App essay in your supplements. Although it’s possible for you to expand upon an idea, activity, or community that you mention in your Common App essay in your supplements, you should never recycle content or any phrasing word for word.

Start by reading through all the prompts. Next, jot down ideas that come to your mind (no matter how silly they may seem!). Everyone has a story to tell, and we’re willing to bet you’re more interesting than you think. Give yourself plenty of time to consider different topics and revise, revise, revise! Also, our handy dandy Supplemental Essay Guides are sure to help you on your writing journey.

North Carolina State 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

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what to write about in a supplemental essay

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College Supplemental Essays That Worked: Tips & Inspiration

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As summer winds down, it’s time to start thinking about supplemental essays as well! How do they fit into your college application?

what to write about in a supplemental essay

College supplemental essays are what makes the application process so challenging. With students applying to 5-8 schools and each school requiring 2-3 additional writing supplements, students are looking at writing 25 essays (including the personal statement!) in 4 months time.

That doesn’t end up being a lot of time, especially given the effort that goes into  brainstorming, writing and editing each essay.

While it’s tempting, students shouldn’t reuse application essays. Most supplemental essays prompts are tailored to the university and reflects what the university is looking for in their student body. Thus, you should also tailor your response to the schools you’re applying to in order to demonstrate good fit.

Supplemental essays may initially seem tedious, but they offer applicants a great opportunity to share more about themselves. You can elaborate on your extracurriculars, your interest in a specific major, your cultural background, or just something unique about yourself that’s not represented in your academics or resume.

Here are 5 supplemental essay writing tips to help you make the most out of them and craft a winning application:

Supplemental Essay Tip 1: Bigger Picture

View your application holistically. Don’t just focus on your personal statement or your supplemental essays, or even your SAT/ACT score as individual components of your application. If they are reviewed by the admissions office altogether, you should aim to do the same. Think of the bigger picture.

Why is this important? To make sure you’ve highlighted everything you want to about yourself in your application. Think strategically about your grades, test scores, classes you took, extracurriculars and recommendation letters—what will each of these components highlight about you? These are things that reflect your high school career that you can no longer change. So consider these anchoring points that you can build off of. 

Is there a particular passion of yours that isn’t readily apparent from reviewing other parts of your application?  Maybe you want to devote more room to discussing a specific major you want to pursue. Or perhaps it’s an extracurricular you dedicated 4 years too that didn’t get much airtime in your personal statement. While your personal statement should highlight the most integral part of your identity, your supplements are a great place to elaborate on aspects of your candidacy that more fully develop you as an applicant. Remember to tie your essays back to why you’re a good fit for the schools you’re applying to.

Read more: UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompts 2018-2019

Supplemental Essay Tip 2: Do Your Research

Supplemental essay prompts are developed by the university’s admissions office, and are often inspired by past successful applicants. You can tell a lot about a university based on their supplemental essay prompts and what they want to know more about from their applicants. In order to respond accordingly, it’s important you do your research.

Research comes in many different ways. You can explore and read the university website or blog, follow them on social media channels, reach out to professors or current students, or visit campus. The point is to learn as much as you can about the school you’re applying to. More than being able to respond to the essay prompts, it’s crucial to make sure you’re applying to the right school for you. Consider incorporating details from the information session or the overnight stay that highlight aspects of the school that appeal to you. It’s also an opportunity to discuss a fact that may be lesser known or speak to an experience that’s personal to you; the more specific you can be about your interest in the school, the better.

Supplemental Essay Tip 3: Know Your Essay Prompts

Universities that require additional supplemental essays usually come in 4 categories of prompts. They will either ask you to respond to one of these prompts, or a combination of the following:

1. ‘Why Us’ School Specific Supplement

This is probably the most common supplemental essay question that is required. With increasing applications every year, universities want to be able to set applicants apart based on why they want to attend their institution. Do applicants really understand what the university stands for? Do they know what the campus culture is like and would they be a good fit? And finally, if accepted, how would they contribute to university’s community?

This is where your research is important. Based on your understanding of the university, respond in relation to your own strengths. This then ties back to thinking about the bigger picture. Is there a quality that makes the university a great fit for you and vice versa? Or a specific major you’re interested in that would be best studied at this institution? This is how all these different elements come together!

Big universities with many different undergraduate schools and colleges will typically offer this as their only additional supplement. If you need help on this particular supplemental essay, here are some tips and examples for the Why NYU supplemental essay  and the Why Cornell supplemental essay . 

2. Extracurricular Supplement

Some universities will ask you to elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. This is a great opportunity for you to share more about your extracurricular resume, especially if you haven’t been able to highlight too much of it in your personal statement. If you come across this supplement, choose the extracurricular that was most important to you, or perhaps the one you’d like to continue to pursue in college.

Admissions offices ask for this supplement to see how you’ve engaged in your community, what you enjoy doing outside of the classroom, and what you’ve learned by participating in it. College isn’t just about going to class, so they want to see how else you’d potentially engage with the rest of the student body if given the opportunity.

This supplement is often disguised as a community question. For example, how have you contributed to your community and what would you contribute to our community? Schools like MIT  and Princeton  both ask for this supplement.

3. Unique Question Supplement

This supplement is usually the one that stumps most applicants. Universities will offer multiple thought provoking essay prompts for applicants to respond to. While it gives students a lot of freedom to be creative and share something different about themselves, it also takes up a lot of time when they are brainstorming and responding to this prompt.

The most stressful part of the process is just breaking down the essay prompts to figure out what they are really trying to ask you. Take Boston College’s supplemental essay prompts  for example. All the prompts are 2-3 sentences long and cover a lot ground. Follow our blog to get the breakdown of all the different supplemental essay prompts. It’ll make it easier for you to choose which one to respond to, and what to write about.

Finally, don’t forget to think about the bigger picture. Go back to the qualities you want to show off with your application and see if there is an essay prompt that gives you the opportunity to do that.

4. Short Questions

Last but not least, there are the short questions. A few universities will have a few questions for you to list out your favorite film, book, website, role model, and so on. This is another way for the admissions office to learn more about you as an individual. Don’t agonize over these short questions and waste too much time on them. Just be genuine about who you are and let your voice come through in how you answer these (meaning word choice and tone). It’ll read authentically to the admissions officer if you do. 

Supplemental Essay Tip 4: Be Genuine

If there’s one advice that is constantly reiterated by people in the college admissions field, it’s this: “Be Genuine.” It seems intuitive, but it is a hard to do when you are trying to appeal to these selective universities to choose you over thousands of other applicants. It goes without saying that you certainly should not lie about anything in your application, and also be careful you’re not exaggerating any of your achievements. When applicants try to make certain activities sound more impressive than they are, this often backfires. Same goes for trying to sound too mature or intellectual; if your essay doesn’t sound like your writing, it’s easy to spot (admissions officers have been doing this a long time!). Give the admissions officers a chance to know the real you, and they, too, will give you a chance at their university.

Read more: UNC Chapel Hill 2018-2019 Essay Prompts

Supplemental Essay Tip 5: Pay Attention to Detail & Plan Ahead

At best, you won’t have any supplemental essays to write (woohoo!). At worst, you’ll have 24 additional writing requirements. So, finalize your school list and create a list of supplemental essay prompts you have to respond to. You don’t want to find out late in the game you’ve missed a prompt for one of your schools, and have to scramble last minute.

One more time: think about the bigger picture. Consider all  the major themes you want to convey with your essays, then attribute them accordingly to each essay prompt. Look at your application as whole and strategize what you should emphasize in what essay. It’ll be helpful to plan ahead, so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting fresh every time you begin a new supplemental essay—you have a plan.

Don’t slack off just because these are “supplemental” essays. They should receive the same kind of attention as your personal statement. Get your friends, family or a trusted teacher to proofread them. Everything you submit with your application should be meaningful and impactful. Make everything count.

If there are any additional supplemental essay prompts you need help breaking down, comment the school name below! For supplemental essay examples, you can now search by supplemental essay topics on our search page. Or, you can check out our curated packages to find what you’re looking! For further access, upgrade to our  premium plans  offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. 

About The Author

Frances Wong

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

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How to Write Great Supplemental College Application Essays

what to write about in a supplemental essay

Check out our Just Admit It! Podcast

IvyWise counselors Eric  and Zach discuss what admissions officers are looking for in supplemental essays and what students can do to stand out on the Just Admit It! college admissions podcast , giving listeners expert insight from former admissions officers.

Aside from grades, standardized test scores, and your high school courses, one of the most important elements of the college application is the essay. Supplemental essays give admissions officers the chance to get to know students, and they’re also great gauges for demonstrated interest. So how can students master college admission essays?

What Is a Supplemental Essay? 

While the Common Application and the Coalition Application each have a required essay, many colleges include their own school-specific essays, known as writing supplements. These supplemental essays are designed to help the admissions committee gain a better understanding of who you are and how you will fit in on campus.

Tell Admissions Officers Something They Don’t Already Know

Admissions officers want to get to know applicants. There’s only so much that application readers can deduce from your extracurricular activities, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and other application materials. Many times the best way to get a clear picture of a student’s goals, accomplishments, and character is to hear it directly from the student themself.

Instead of using the essay to regurgitate the information that’s already available, reveal something that can’t be found anywhere else in the application. For example, if captain of the school’s soccer team is on the activity list, don’t write an essay about the biggest game of the season. The admissions officers already know soccer is an interest, so choose a deeper topic that reveals something meaningful.

One example: A student’s top activity on her activity list was horseback riding. Instead of writing an essay about riding, she instead wrote about her faith and how she reconciled that with what she was learning in her advanced science courses.

Approaching “Quirky” Essay Prompts

It’s a college admissions trend that keeps growing in popularity: the quirky college application essay question . From questions about what advice a wisdom tooth would have to inquiries about how students would design their own courses, many colleges are asking applicants some strange questions. For many students, these wild and wacky application prompts can be extremely intimidating. Many struggle with the balance between writing creative, witty responses and sounding cheesy and forced.

When tackling these odd application essay prompts, remember the main goal of the admissions essay — to reveal something not obvious about yourself. These essays are about you, not what you think the college wants to hear, so keep your interests in mind! The same applies to the “short-take” supplement questions (those that seek a one-word or one-sentence response). Dig deep, but remember that your answer doesn’t have to be as strange as the prompt — it just needs to reflect your character and passions.

The Common “Why This College?” Essay

One of the most common supplemental essays that students will come across is the infamous “ Why This College? ” essay. Whether it’s simply “Why XX University?” or a more specific question about how a student plans to contribute to the campus, colleges are looking for detailed and well-researched responses.

It’s not enough to say, “I want to go to XX University because it’s a great school,” or “XX College is my favorite.” When evaluating these responses, colleges want to know that a student has done their homework on the institution and has really thought about how they will fit into the campus community. If supplemental essays are good gauges for demonstrated interest , this particular type of essay is the most important.

When answering this essay question, use specific details. Mention courses and professors of interest. Students should elaborate on campus organizations or programs that fit certain goals, and specific aspects of the campus community that make it a good social and academic fit. Be as detailed as possible, but be sure to relate these details to specific goals and interests. Don’t just rattle off some course names and expect to wow the admissions committee.

The best writing supplements will add great context and personality to a student’s application, and elevate their chances of admission. Often it can be the difference between the ‘no’ and the ‘maybe’ pile. Research and preparation are key to writing stand-out supplements, so don’t wait until the last minute! If you’re still unsure about how your essay could come across to admissions officers, it’s not too late for our team of expert counselors to review your supplements and give guidance on how to draft and revise your essays. Contact us to learn more.

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Sample Supplemental Essay for College Admissions: Why This College?

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Most college applicants fail to put adequate time into a supplemental college essay. The Common Application's personal essay allows a student to write a single essay for multiple colleges. The supplemental college essay, however, needs to be different for every application. Thus, it's tempting to dash off a generic and vague piece that can be used at multiple schools, resulting in a  weak essay .

Don't make this mistake. Your "Why This College" essay must be specific, demonstrating a high level of interest in and commitment to this particular school. To better understand how to ace this supplemental essay prompt, let's analyze a sample essay written for Oberlin College .

The essay prompt reads:

"Given your interests, values, and goals, explain why Oberlin College will help you grow (as a student and a person) during your undergraduate years."

Sample Supplemental Essay

I visited 18 colleges over the past year, yet Oberlin is the one place that most spoke to my interests. Early in my college search I learned that I prefer a liberal arts college to a larger university. The collaboration between the faculty and undergraduate students, the sense of community, and the flexible, interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum are all important to me. Also, my high school experience was greatly enriched by the diversity of the student body, and I am impressed by Oberlin’s rich history and its current efforts connected to inclusiveness and equality. To say the least, I’d be proud to say I attended the first coeducational college in the country.
I plan to major in Environmental Studies at Oberlin. After my campus tour , I took some extra time to visit the Adam Joseph Lewis Center. It’s an amazing space and the students I chatted with spoke highly of their professors. I became truly interested in issues of sustainability during my volunteer work in the Hudson River Valley, and everything I’ve learned about Oberlin makes it seem the ideal place for me to continue exploring and building upon those interests. I am also impressed by Oberlin’s Creativity and Leadership Project. I’ve been a bit of an entrepreneur ever since second grade when I made a dollar producing and performing The Runaway Bunny for my extended family. I’m drawn to a program that supports the move from classroom learning to creative hands-on, real-world applications.
Finally, as the rest of my application clearly demonstrates, music is an important part of my life. I’ve been playing the trumpet since fourth grade, and I hope to continue performing and developing my skills throughout college. What better place than Oberlin to do so? With more performances than days in the year and a large group of talented musicians in the Conservatory of Music, Oberlin is an ideal place for exploring my love of both music and the environment.

Understanding the Essay Prompt

To understand the strength of the essay, we must first look at the prompt: the admissions officers at Oberlin want you to "explain why Oberlin College will help you grow." This sounds straightforward, but be careful. You're not being asked to explain how college, in general, will help you grow, nor are you being asked how attending a small liberal arts school will help you grow. The admissions offers want to hear how  Oberlin , in particular, will help you grow, so the essay needs to include specific information about Oberlin College.

A strong "Why This College" essay will make a case for why the school in question is a good fit for the student. The case should be made by connecting facts about the school—unique opportunities, educational values, campus culture, et cetera—with the student's goals, values, and interests.

From the Admissions Desk

"We want to see [in the "Why This School" essay] that students understand the unique educational model at High Point University. We know that students have access to more information than ever before and that most colleges focus on the classroom experience. We want students who desire 25% of their time to be experiential ... who want to grow as people of character with strong values and to fully immerse themselves in our life skills education."

–Kerr Ramsay Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions, High Point University

A good way to see if you've responded to the prompt well is to swap out the name of the college you're applying to with the name of any other college. If the essay still makes sense once you do a global replace of the school name, you haven't written a good supplemental essay.

A Critique of the Supplemental Essay

The sample essay certainly succeeds on this front. If we were to substitute "Kenyon College" for "Oberlin College" in the essay, the essay would not make sense. The details in the essay are unique to Oberlin. Demonstrated interest can play a meaningful role in the admissions process, and this applicant has clearly demonstrated that she knows Oberlin well and her interest in the school is sincere.

Let's look at some of the essay's strengths:

  • The first paragraph makes several important points. First of all, we learn that the applicant has visited Oberlin. This may not seem like a big deal, but you'd be surprised how many students apply to a large number of colleges based on nothing but the schools' reputations. Also, the student notes that she wants to go to a  liberal arts college , not a larger  university . This information isn't really specific to Oberlin, but it does show that she has thought about the options available to her. The final point in this first paragraph gets more specific—the applicant is familiar with Oberlin and knows the school's socially progressive history.
  • The second paragraph is really the heart of this essay—the applicant wants to major in Environmental Studies, and she is clearly impressed with the program at Oberlin. She has visited the Environmental Studies building, and she knows of some of the unique opportunities offered at Oberlin. She has even talked with Oberlin students. This paragraph can't help but make a favorable impression on the admissions folks—the applicant is drawn to Oberlin, and she clearly knows exactly  why  she likes Oberlin.
  • The final paragraph adds another important dimension to the application. Not only does the student find the Environmental Studies program attractive, but her love of music makes Oberlin an even better match. Oberlin has a top-rated music conservatory, so the applicant's dual love of music and Environmental Studies makes Oberlin a natural match for her.

Admissions officers can't help but feel that Oberlin is a great match for this applicant. She knows the school well, and her interests and goals line up perfectly with Oberlin's strengths. This short essay will certainly be a positive piece of her application.

A Final Word About Supplemental Essays

The content of your supplemental essay is extremely important, and poor decisions on this front can lead to a weak supplemental essay . But content isn't everything. You also need to focus on the presentation of your ideas. Make sure your essay is entirely free of any grammatical errors, and be sure to avoid common stylistic problems . The admissions officers need to conclude that you are sincerely interested in attending their school and that you are an excellent writer.

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How to Write Every Type of Supplemental Essay

What are supplements, school-specific guides and examples, why are supplements important, intellectual curiosity, drive to improve one’s community, determination and resilience, school fit / how you are a particularly good match for a school’s specific culture, where can i find each colleges’ supplements, the experiences question, here’s a sample essay answering “the experiences question”, the question about your interests and goals, here’s a sample essay answering an interests and goals prompt, the adversity question, here’s a sample essay answering “the adversity question”, the influential person prompt, here’s a sample essay answering an influential person prompt, the diversity & community question, here’s a sample essay answering a diversity & community question, the “why our school” question, here’s a sample essay answering why our school prompt, the rapid-fire list, here’s a sample response to a prompt asking for a “rapid-fire list”, the roommate question, here’s a sample essay answering the roommate question, the significant issue / civic engagement question, here’s a sample essay answering the civic engagement question, the creative prompt, here’s a sample essay answering the creative prompt, the academic passion question, here’s a sample essay answering the academic passion question.

what to write about in a supplemental essay

Most colleges and universities will ask you to submit, at minimum, one extra essay in addition to the 650 word personal essay. While your grades and test scores lie at the foundation of your college applications, supplements are a key part of the writing “package” that college admissions officers review to decide whether to admit you to their school. Supplemental questions require a range of answers, some as short as 30 words, others, multiple full length essays of up to 1,000 words.

We’ve put together guides for all the top schools! Our school-specific supplement guides go in-depth on how to answer every top school’s supplemental essay question(s), complete with examples!

Your personal statement and supplemental essays are your opportunity to tell your story and let admissions officers hear your voice. Admissions officers rely upon essays to get a sense of your personal characteristics, unique qualities, and your potential to thrive as a student on their campus.

Colleges are looking for students who are outstanding academic performers. That being said, in the holistic review process, they are also looking for evidence of:

The goal of the supplement is to answer one question: “Why are you an especially good match for our school, and not better off at a similar one?” The best way you can improve your odds of admission is to showcase your unique qualities and make a case for why you belong at the colleges you’re applying to through your supplements.

On the other hand, a weak supplement can inadvertently convey disinterest in a school, a lack of care or time invested into the application, and overall is a missed opportunity to help you stand out from other applicants.

If you are not sure where to find prompts for your colleges’ supplements, check colleges’ official admissions websites and the Common App . You’ll typically find prompts for supplements hiding in different nooks and crannies of the Common App, usually under “Writing Supplement” but sometimes under “Questions→ Writing” or “Questions → Activities.” Supplements often take time, research, and multiple drafts– they matter greatly, so as always, start early and seek as much help and as many resources as you need!

Below, you’ll find guides for how to write each school’s specific supplements! Before you jump into the writing process, however, read through our strategic advice for writing winning supplemental essays.

Top colleges that use this question: Brown , Northwestern , Columbia , Duke

The experiences question asks you to reflect on how your life experiences have shaped you and how they will allow you to meaningfully contribute to a campus community. A strong response to this prompt will begin with an engaging anecdote relaying a particular experience that was formative for you. Then, reflect on the way your experience has informed your values, and connect that to 1) the values of the school to which you are applying and 2) specific academic and extracurricular opportunities the school offers and the communities of which you would be a part. The experience you choose does not have to be monumental or life-altering—but it should communicate insight about who you are and what you value.

Northwestern University’s Prompt:

We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? (300 words, required)

Sample Essay:

“Trust me. Things just don’t make sense here…”

The wisdom and experience of my fellow HOPE Florida volunteers made it clear that there was nothing we could do to get Wanda enrolled in SNAP benefits since she didn’t have a permanent address. She was homeless—of course she didn’t have an address! There has to be a workaround. SNAP is designed to support low-income individuals to get access to nutrition.

Addressing and supporting the houseless community has been my passion since middle school. In my community, intersections are full of individuals asking for food. What began as storing and distributing snack kits from my parents’ glove compartment has turned into weekly volunteering and now, hopefully, systemic change.

Studying Learning and Organizational Change (LOC) at the School of Education and Social Policy will empower me to analyze diverse organizations, creating a personal framework for effective work in the public realm. The curriculum’s unique combination of learning sciences paired with business management and leadership development will allow me to better handle inevitable change and challenges.

As a teenager who has witnessed disparities within my own community, I’m committed to devoting my academic and extracurricular pursuits towards meaningful change. Education enables action, and Northwestern’s commitment to student experience resonates with me. Through my Junior Year Practicum, I will have the opportunity to gain first-hand professional experience and make an impact while still an undergraduate student receiving feedback from my professors.

Through the Community Engagement Certificate, I will take courses such as “Social Policymaking and Implementation,” where I will analyze the complexities of public policy and present a policy brief proposing alternative eligibility for federal benefits. I am dedicated to serving marginalized communities, and I am certain that Northwestern’s dynamic curriculum, resources, and opportunities will allow me to realize my dream of making an impact.

Top colleges that use this question: Brown , UNC , CMU

Many colleges ask students to reflect on their unique interests and goals and how they hope to pursue them at the particular school or college to which they are applying. Much like the last question, start off anecdotally and descriptively, and describe how your interest came about—perhaps it’s always been a fascination, or you initially hated the subject but grew to love it as you understood it more. Once you establish your interest, connect it to your future, whether in regards to your intended major or your future career, or ideally, both. If detailing how you hope to further explore or pursue your interest in college, be as specific as possible in identifying opportunities you hope to pursue on campus. Be intentional with your answer, and tailor your response to the values and offerings of each school to which you apply.

Note that while some prompts ask you to provide information about your primary academic area of study or your intended career, that is not always the case! Depending on how the prompt is phrased, you may be able to write about an extracurricular hobby or intellectual pursuit that comes secondary or complements your primary passions.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Prompt:

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 word maximum)*

The year is 2035—I imagine myself standing in a bustling innovation hub, surrounded by a team of brilliant engineers, each of us working tirelessly to bring a groundbreaking project to life. As I look around the room, I remember the late nights spent debugging code over my dorm room desk, the animated discussions with professors that spilled over after class, and the moments of breakthrough in the classrooms of Scaife Hall. It was at Carnegie Mellon that I realized the power of collaboration, the thrill of solving complex problems, and the importance of using technology to make a difference in the world.

When I look back as a Carnegie Mellon graduate, the experiences that stand out the most are not the grades I earned, but the way that my peers, professors, and coursework at CMU pushed me to grow and develop as a person and scholar.

Success was defined by more than just academic achievements—it was about the relationships I built, the challenges I overcame, and the impact I began to make in the CMU community. Those years shaped me into the leader I am today, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and drive to turn my visions into reality. And as I look toward the future, I know that the foundation laid at Carnegie Mellon will guide me in my journey to innovate, inspire, and lead—in 2035 and beyond.

Top colleges that use this question: UC schools

This question helps the admissions committee understand how you react to challenges and difficult situations, as those moments often reveal a person’s true values and character. Ideally, your response to this question should begin with an anecdote establishing the challenge, followed by an explanation of how you overcame it, and ending with introspection and reflection demonstrating maturity and growth. Be careful to be neither too self-deprecating nor too arrogant in your response to this question—it’s okay to admit weakness, but be sure to emphasize how you grew or learned from this challenge.

UC System’s Prompt:

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

When I was eight years old, I stopped speaking. It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say—I just couldn’t say it. Words clung to the back of my throat, and I felt as though I was choking on a ball of anxiety. The therapist handed my parents books and articles on “selective mutism,” as they sought to help me find my voice again, but the dense psychological analyses did little to assuage the feeling of shame that accompanied my silence.

The challenge of being voiceless defined my early academic experience, turning simple tasks like answering a question or reading aloud into insurmountable obstacles. As I worked with a therapist, I inched toward progress. Small victories like whispering to a friend felt monumental. I learned to cope with my debilitating anxiety through deep breathing and visualization, and slowly began speaking one sentence out loud per day, then two, then three.

By high school, my voice was still quiet, but I had found the will to speak up. In a moment of determination (and perhaps impulsiveness), I signed up for the mock trial team. Though the first year was terrifying, mock trial taught me to use my voice to advocate—not only for others, but also for myself. As I delivered opening statements, argued my positions, and even coached budding mock trial-ers during my second and third years, my passion for advocacy chased away my fear of speaking. I became a formidable voice in the mock trial courtroom—and outside of it.

Overcoming this challenge taught me that perseverance and patience can turn even the quietest voices into powerful ones. Today, my voice is my greatest strength—a tool I use not only to express myself but to inspire and help others find their own. As a member of the UC community, I intend to join a legacy of students and graduates who used their voice to demand freedom, peace, justice, and change. I will not only speak up, but I will speak out for those who—like my younger self—can’t speak for themselves.

Top colleges that use this question: UPenn , Yale

While your response to these questions will naturally highlight the qualities of another person who has impacted you, remember that it’s still an opportunity for the admissions officers to gauge your character and values. The question is phrased differently by different schools—while Yale requires you to describe the person (noting that it cannot be a family member), UPenn asks you to craft a letter to someone important to you. Regardless of the structure, the reader should come away with the feeling that although you’re writing about someone else, this person’s influence provides a window into who you are and what you value.

UPenn’s Prompt:

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

Dear Grandma,

Your work organizing voiceless residents of your retirement community towards productive action in the family council is the roadmap I use for bettering my own community. Your committed work paved a path that I strive to always follow. You’ve taught me the essence of advocacy, not just through your unquestioning support of me, but by showing what it means to work for the community. I hope to handle life’s obstacles with the grace, resilience, and unwavering conviction that you embody every day.

In the 1940’s, when you were not much older than I am now, you decided to dedicate your young adulthood to educating Japanese children in the face of internment and unimaginable bigotry. Your example showed me that—then as now—people young and old are capable of affecting immense change. Your courage is what I aspire to.

In our long rambling conversations about my world and yours, I’ve learned that empathy, gratitude, and connection are not just virtues, but guiding principles. Thank you for being an extraordinary example of strength and for teaching me to stand up for what is right.

Your loving grandson, Cole

Top colleges that use this question: UMich , Vanderbilt , Rice

Some schools include a question asking about the communities you are a part of or, relatedly, the ways in which you will contribute to their diverse campus communities. Unless the school specifies the particular type of community/diversity they want you to reflect on (as in Duke’s optional question about gender and sexual orientation), feel free to define community in whatever way you choose when you answer this question. Community can be cultural, geographic, ethnic, or religious community, or it can be less traditional—perhaps you find community among the orchids at the florists’ where you work or with the patients at the hospital where you volunteer. A creative approach to this question would pique the admissions officers’ interest. Focus on how you fit into this community, both in terms of how it has shaped you into the person you are, as well as how you have impacted it in return.

University of Michigan’s Prompt:

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. (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words/maximum 300 words)

Upon seeing the swirls of pink and purple displayed on the projector during my seventh grade biology class, I was transported back to when I was four years old, when my dad brought me to work where he diagnosed cancer patients. With a picture of those cancer cells from class in hand, I raced home, excited to tell my dad that I remembered peering through a microscope that day, arranging the slides with my tiny hands.

Ever since I could speak, medicine and science have been a part of my life through dinner table conversations, schoolwork, and my own interest. As an innately curious person, I’m fortunate to have a family that celebrates knowledge; coming home to discuss the intricacies of a day’s learning is only natural. In such an environment, my desire for knowledge has only grown.

At the same time, my family doesn’t just value curiosity for curiosity’s sake. We’re not too far removed from tragedy to forget that it’s a privilege to revel in intellectual pursuits. During World War II, my mother’s family was held in Japanese internment camps and my father’s family barely escaped Nazi-torn Europe. Though I’m two generations removed from this hardship, I’ve never taken my education for granted, and I recognize how privileged I am to be where I am.

So, while those swirls of pink and purple cells alone are fascinating, it’s more than just curiosity that drives my interest. My family’s story inspires me to use my inquisitiveness for a greater purpose—to benefit the lives of those around me. Wherever it takes me, I know my family will cheer me on, mirroring my childlike thrill.

Top colleges that use this question: Dartmouth , Duke, BU, CMC, Tulane, Washington University in St. Louis

To answer this question specifically and compellingly, take the time to research the opportunities you would take advantage of as a student at the school to which you are applying. Ask yourself honestly how you would make the most of available resources, particularly considering how those opportunities fit your interests and match your goals. Visit the academic department website of your intended major. Once there, browse through the resources and special opportunities offered to students. Try to single out opportunities (such as study abroad programs, research opportunities, multi- or interdisciplinary academic programs) that are unique to that school and fit to your intended academic or professional pursuits. You can also check out recent research-related breakthroughs in the “News” tab on the academic department’s website. Look for articles that match your interests or mention professors whose research intrigues you. Beyond identifying specific opportunities that you would be a part of on campus, it’s important that you demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of and that you share macro-level values with the university.

Tulane University’s Prompt:

Describe why you are interested in joining the Tulane community. Consider your experiences, talents, and values to illustrate what you would contribute to the Tulane community if admitted.

“Wait a minute, Ms. Carver. Are you telling me that none of the school’s recycling actually gets recycled?”

I was dumbfounded to learn from my high school environmental science teacher that our school had an environmentally unfriendly waste management program. We had separate bins for recycling plastic, but students used them wrong, and at the end of the day, it all went into the same landfill pile. Instead of frustration, I felt fascination. I knew from my AP Environmental class that recycling is a complex issue. I decided to try a solution: I printed bold, easy-to-read flyers explaining what goes in which bin and posted them in front of the bins. With faculty support, I recruited a team of students to come to school an hour early to get our hands dirty–literally–and sort the recycling. Combining my intellectual interest in Environmental Science with action-oriented initiatives for change filled me with pride, satisfaction and hopes to do the same in college. At Tulane, I’m eager to continue learning in an environment that prioritizes giving back. Incredible opportunities like the TIDES courses (this fall’s Climate Change Solutions is perfectly suited for my interests), will enable me to make a tangible difference in the New Orleans area starting in my first semester. I’m also excited to take impactful, hands-on courses like “Urban Gardening” and “New Orleans Case Study.”

I believe with Tulane’s service-minded curriculum, I will continue using my passions to make a positive impact on my community.

Top colleges that use this question: USC , Stanford , Brown , Columbia

When responding to these short answer prompts, you should be really deliberate in the items, characteristics, and/or experiences you choose to include. For instance, USC and Brown ask applicants to describe themselves in three words—in doing so, students should choose words that are highly descriptive and avoid clichés as much as possible. Columbia asks students to list resources that have enriched their academic interests outside of the classroom, giving students the opportunity to showcase their creative pursuit and application of their core interests beyond the traditional academic setting. Meanwhile, Stanford asks students to name five things that are important to them, a question that is deliberately open-ended. Students should be creative, including creative answers as concrete as a family heirloom or as abstract as a quality they value in the people they surround themselves with. In answering these questions, students should get creative to add depth and dynamism to other aspects of their applications and leave a lasting impression on admissions officers.

University of Southern California’s Prompt:

  • What is your favorite snack?
  • Best movie of all time?
  • If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
  • Dream trip?
  • What TV show will you binge watch next?
  • Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
  • Favorite book?
  • If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
  • Fried plantains and Gyoza—sweet and savory, reflecting my Carribean and Japanese heritage.
  • The Price of Everything, which questions where the value art is assigned.
  • An art therapist who helps children overcome trauma through imagination and play.
  • Anthem – Leonard Cohen’s words remind me that pain is often a sign of growth.
  • Hopping from the Earth to the Moon and back in Calvino’s Cosmicomics.
  • The Great British Baking Show, to get tips and tricks for my own baking experiments.
  • W.E.B. Du Bois—his infographics make me think he’d be an organized roommate with good taste in decor.
  • Octavia Butler’s Kindred inspired me to take further interest in Black history.
  • Kara Walker and Alma Thomas: Women of Color’s Legacy and Impact in the Field of Muralism.

Top colleges that use this question: Harvard , Stanford

Colleges and admissions officers are looking for applicants who can positively contribute to their campus communities. This prompt provides a space for applicants to reveal unique aspects of their personality and upbringing that may not have been mentioned in previous essays. In addition, seeing how you would interact with another member, or members, of the community shows admissions officers how you’d fit in on campus. This is the space where you can share your idiosyncrasies and quirks that make you, you. The key to approaching this prompt is being authentic and genuine in your tone and your writing.

Harvard University’s Prompt:

Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

Dear Amigx,

First question: Democrat or Republican? — just kidding, let’s have a meal first and then discuss politics. But you must know, I’m a political junkie. As an aspiring government concentrator, I’m eager to explore the future of immigration policy in the United States. Born and raised in Arizona, a border state, it’s a major issue for my community.

I enjoy deep conversations at night, where we can compare Sartre’s existentialism with Camus’ absurdism. Or discuss how Latin American magical realism influences our contemporary culture. We can also zone out to Friends (spoilers: Rachel should’ve definitely ended up with Joey).

I’m an aficionado for TexMex; it reminds me of home. We can try out different restaurants; I’m also excited to cook a dish my mother would always make: Chimichangas. A true delicacy! Although it can simply be a coincidence computed by an algorithm, or whether you believe in fate over chance, out of 8 billion humans on Earth, we got matched. We’re destined to become friends. I cannot wait to meet you.

Saludos, Josh

Top colleges that use this question: Princeton , BU , American

These prompts ask you to reflect on an important global issue or to share how you intend to use your education in a socially responsible and civically-minded way. The key to responding to this prompt is to avoid sounding cliche. You have to be plugged in to current events to know what problems need solving, but try not to pick the most obvious issues. If you do choose to write about a hot topic, make sure you approach the essay with nuance and creativity. For instance, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with writing about climate change, it may be difficult to write a standout essay on a topic that’s so widely discussed and debated. For any issue you choose, make sure to root your response in why this issue matters to you and how you have taken action to address it in some way—doing so will not only help your essay stand out, but also tell the admissions committee more about you through your perspective on the issue.

Boston University’s Prompt:

Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?

For most of my childhood, the only computer I had was a boxy, early 2000s PC my mom used once a week to browse Facebook. I didn’t realize that my technological skills were far behind my classmates’ until middle school, when we were expected to know how to Google reliable sources, use Word, and run different software programs.

With effort and dedication, I slowly developed the digital skills to match my peers’ throughout middle and high school. Now, I am passionate about increasing access to technology and closing the gap in digital literacy for students like me. Comparing my own experience with that of my fellow students helped me to recognize the need to level the playing field. I founded a school club, Students for Digital Access, which aims to donate laptops to underprivileged students. I partnered with my library to host a technology drive, encouraging community members to donate their old laptops and tablets, and then worked with the local tech store to refurbish and donate the laptops to members of my school community. I successfully provided forty-seven laptops to students in need. This initiative enabled students to engage in online learning and explore digital resources, and underscored the significance of community collaboration in driving positive change.

Advocacy has been central to my efforts. Collaborating with other student organizations, I have organized a panel discussion on the impact of the digital divide and potential solutions. I also wrote an article for my local paper, highlighting the intersection of technology access, education, and social equity.

Ultimately, by cultivating digital literacy, I contribute to a more inclusive and interconnected community. I especially resonate with BU’s value of service, as I work towards a future where every individual has equal opportunities to harness the power of technology for personal and communal advancement.

Top colleges that use this question: UChicago , CalTech

Some colleges love to challenge applicants with unique and creative prompts that stand out from other traditional essay questions. These prompts can be quirky, thought-provoking, or abstract, allowing students to showcase their creativity and critical thinking skills. For instance, UChicago is famous for its offbeat prompts such as “Find X” or “What can actually be divided by zero?” Other schools such as Brown and Yale, on the other hand, ask you about the one class you would teach or book you would write on a subject, academic or otherwise. The key to tackling these prompts is to let your personality and imagination shine through while ensuring that your response is coherent and reflective of your intellectual curiosity.

UChicago’s Prompt:

Pluto, the demoted planet. Ophiuchus, the thirteenth Zodiac. Andy Murray, the fourth to tennis’s Big Three. Every grouping has something that doesn’t quite fit in. Tell us about a group and its unofficial member, why (or why not) should it be excluded? – Inspired by Veronica Chang, Class of 2022

Beneath the dim glow of the singular overhead light, I stand before the sacrificial flame. It’s burning hotter than usual. My eyes fixate on the blue body of fire, which only occasionally ejects a bright orange wisp. I had performed the ritual countless times before, but never on my own. This was the moment where I would decide my fate. Two paths lay before me—neither without consequence—and yet, I knew exactly what had to be done.

My hands wrapped around the first bowl to my right, which contained the three sacred ingredients that would begin my journey. Without hesitation, I threw them into the pot and watched as cubes of green and white began to sizzle and jump from their introduction to heat. Knowing the time was nigh, I grabbed the second bowl and threw in my fourth offering. I quickly mixed the orange cylinders into the other ingredients and let out a sigh. The hard part was over.

“Attaboy,” Dad exclaims. I look over my shoulder to see the corners of his mouth curling upwards from a deep sense of pride.

“It’s your fault he’s like this,” Mom replied, her eyes like knives pointed towards the two of us. “That ain’t no way to prepare crawdads.”

I knew my choice would be controversial. “The Holy Trinity” of cajun cuisine was a special thing to both my parents. Mom grew up in Bogalusa, Louisiana, where peppers, celery, and onions were the exclusive occupants of the trinity. Meanwhile, Dad’s family was from Arles in the south of France. Ever the food purist, he always told me that the Holy Trinity was adopted from the French mirepoix; to exclude carrots from that group would be a cardinal sin. I agreed.

My love of carrots came after years of indoctrination from Dad’s side of the family. In the summers, we’d visit his parents’ farm outside of Arles, where our days were spent digging through soil and competing to find the most perfect vegetables. After a few hours in the dry heat, there was nothing more satisfying than finally pulling out that perfect cone shape with an orange so radiant you’d think it was painted on. In the afternoons, I’d sit on the countertop and watch as Mamie’s delicate hands chopped them up, always making sure to save a bit off the top for me to nibble. With each bite, I’d be greeted with a delightful crunch that was as satisfying as it was invigorating. The initial crispness quickly gave way to a subtle sweetness. Yet, there was still the lingering taste of earth from soil that was washed off only moments ago. Who wouldn’t want these carrots in every recipe ever?

Those days on the farm were my favorites growing up, not only because of the memories I made while harvesting and cooking, but also because of how they inspired my passion for nutrition and food sustainability. For decades, my grandparents lived off the food that they produced. This was a sharp contrast to the environment where I was raised. In many of my neighboring communities, access to nutritional food like fresh vegetables is scarce. Rather than having autonomy over the quantity and quality of food available, inequitable policies and commercialization have led many individuals to lose control over what they put in their bodies.

As I move forward with my educational career, I plan to continue dedicating myself to rebuilding power through access to good, healthy foods. That includes learning more about systems of power and how they contribute to nutritional deficits, while also advocating for environmentally responsible approaches to farming, and taking direct, supportive action within my community to build health policy from the bottom-up.

Despite my controversial take on the Holy Trinity, I unabashedly love carrots, and I want the world to be able to love them too.

Top colleges that use this question: Brown , Yale , Emory , Notre Dame , Cornell

This question is designed to gauge your intellectual enthusiasm and dedication to a particular field of study. Top schools might ask you to describe an academic project or subject that has deeply engaged you and spurred your interest in their institution. Explain why this area excites you and how you have pursued it thus far in your high school career. Use this essay to show your passion, curiosity, and commitment to learning. Highlight any independent research, projects, or extracurricular activities related to your academic interests. Depending on how the prompt is specifically phrased, end your essay by briefly outlining the ways in which you would pursue this passion on the school’s campus!

Brown University’s Prompt:

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

Growing up, I was always told that if I like to think analytically, I’m left-brained, and if I resonate more with my creative side, I’m right-brained. The problem is that I’m an Aristotilian, so the whole of my brain is greater than the sum of its parts. In that case, I’m just brained.

And thankfully, Brown’s Open Curriculum does not discriminate on the basis of one’s cerebral leanings. As a metaphysically whole-brained human, the academic flexibility that the Open Curriculum affords makes it possible for me to explore my dual interest in both philosophy and neuroscience and the intersections in between.

At Brown, I look forward to the opportunity to conduct research at the Carney Institute for Brain Science to continue my research efforts in pathogenesis, while drawing from the deep knowledge of philosophy professors like Dr. Christopher Hill to make connections to topics in the philosophy of mind. Since I also plan to continue writing for my Brain Philosophy blog, I look forward to partnering with students to write for Impulse, the largest undergraduate research journal focused on neuroscience.

Outside philosophy and neuroscience, I also anticipate cross-registering for graphic design courses at the Rhode Island School of Design to continue in my passion for designing aesthetic neuroimages. Coupled with Brown’s famous Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science course, I plan to explore the possibility of creative neuroimaging through code.

Whether I like it or not, I’m whole-brained—at Brown, I look forward to continuing being just that.

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Highly-selective colleges and universities often require supplemental application materials. These materials help further personalize the admissions process so that each college’s admissions committee has the information it needs to select a vibrant and diverse incoming class. 

In this article, we will look at 10 supplemental essay prompts from top colleges and universities for the 2022-23 admissions cycle. Once you get a better sense of what to expect from a supplemental essay prompt, we will outline key strategies for answering these prompts, as well as provide practical writing tips to help you get started.

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What are supplemental essays and are they important?

Each college has its own sets of values and criteria that it looks for in applicants. This is why determining college fit is so important. By carefully researching each school on your college list and having several clear and compelling reasons for wanting to attend, you will increase your overall chances of admission.    

One way that colleges gauge whether or not a student would be a good fit for their university is by posing unique supplemental essay prompts. This is why knowing how to write a supplemental essay is so important. Most colleges with supplemental essays will have applicants write the “why this college” essay . 

Many selective colleges will require additional supplemental essays as well. In some cases, you will need to prepare an additional five essays per school, so give yourself plenty of time to complete each essay thoughtfully, write multiple drafts, seek out feedback, and proofread. The college application process can feel overwhelming at times, so make sure you brainstorm ways to stay organized during the college application process . 

Although the style and content of the actual prompts can vary greatly, at the core these prompts have one thing in common: They are designed to get to know who you are as a person, what your values are, and whether you demonstrate compatibility with the university’s overall mission. 

How to write supplemental essays

If you’re looking for supplemental essay tips, you’ve come to the right place! In this section, we will discuss how to write a good supplemental essay, by providing several key application essay tips. 

To start, it’s important to remember that the process of writing supplemental essays is similar to the process of writing a successful personal statement . Review components of a strong personal statement to give yourself a fresh perspective before beginning your supplemental essays.

Tips for writing supplemental essays

Supplemental essays are typically pretty brief. This is why it’s important to learn how to write concisely and powerfully. Having very few words to respond does not mean that you should prepare your responses casually or that your responses shouldn’t include lots of details. Rather, approach each word limit creatively. Whether you have 50 words, 200 words, or 500 words, try to use each sentence and detail to your advantage. One of the best ways to do this is to begin by freewriting. Write down everything that comes to mind. Take time to fully flush out your ideas. Then review what you’ve written and see what feels most important. These are the details you will want to highlight in your response.

Some colleges will require three to five additional essays. Maybe even more! This is why it’s important to be prepared and plan ahead. Supplemental essays are an important part of your college application and they require a lot of time and effort. While some supplemental essay prompts may be similar between schools, in general, you want to avoid recycling your college essays. Admissions officers can tell when a student is tweaking an existing essay to fit a prompt.

While some essay prompts are required, others are optional. In general, try to answer each prompt thoughtfully and creatively. After all, it’s no secret that college admissions are highly competitive so it’s great to give your application “an edge” whenever possible. That said, there are times when you should pass on writing an optional essay. If you’re not sure whether or not you should submit an essay for an optional prompt, begin by drafting a response. Then ask yourself if the essay feels forced or genuine. Does the essay convey something new about you that isn’t included in the rest of your application? If the question doesn’t seem to apply to you and you are genuinely unsure what to contribute, you should probably skip that particular essay. After all, no one wants to read an uninspired essay that doesn’t contribute to your overall application.

2022-23 supplemental essay prompts

As mentioned, supplemental essay prompts can vary significantly. Some prompts ask you to respond in 50 words while other prompts ask you to respond in 500 words. Some prompts focus on academics while others ask you to reflect carefully on your cultural upbringing or life philosophies. Still, other prompts will ask you to introduce who you are as a person or discuss something that you enjoy.

Just as supplemental essay prompts vary in style, your responses will also vary. Some prompts will require you to be thoughtful and serious, while other prompts may encourage you to be humorous or creative. It all depends.

Brown University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Brown University requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)

Columbia University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Columbia University requires the following supplemental materials: 1 list of 75 words, 1 list of 125 words, 3 essays of 200 words each, and 1 short answer of 35 words. One of their supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

For the following questions, we ask that you list each individual response using commas or semicolons; the items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order. No explanatory text or formatting is needed. (For example, it is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications. No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.)  

List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)

what to write about in a supplemental essay

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Dartmouth college supplemental essay prompt.

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Dartmouth College requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

“Be yourself,” Oscar Wilde advised. “Everyone else is taken.” Introduce yourself in 200-250 words. 

Duke University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Duke University requires at least one supplemental essay, with the option to submit an additional two supplemental essays. One of the optional supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Emory University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Emory University requires two supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

Emory If you could witness a historic event (past, present or future) first-hand, what would it be, and why?

Harvard University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Harvard University requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

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

MIT supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, MIT requires five supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows:

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.

Princeton University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Princeton University requires three supplemental essays and three short responses. One of the short-answer prompts is as follows:

Please respond to each question in 75 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?

What brings you joy? 

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

Stanford University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Stanford University requires three supplemental essays and five short answer responses. One of the short-answer prompts is as follows:

How did you spend your last two summers? (50-word limit)

UPenn supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, UPenn requires three supplemental essays. One of the supplemental essay prompts is as follows: 

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

Yale University supplemental essay prompt

As a part of the 2022-23 college applications, Yale University requires the following supplemental materials: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words. One of the short answer prompts is as follows:

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? (200 characters or fewer)

Supplemental essay examples

One of the best ways to prepare your supplemental essay responses is to look at successful past examples. In this section, we will look at three examples and explain why each response is successful. 

This first example was submitted as a part of Harvard’s college application. This essay is in response to the prompt: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (50-150 words).

Feet moving, eyes up, every shot back, chants the silent mantra in my head. The ball becomes a beacon of neon green as I dart forward and backward, shuffling from corner to far corner of the court, determined not to let a single point escape me. With bated breath, I swing my racquet upwards and outwards and it catches the ball just in time to propel it, spinning, over the net. My heart soars as my grinning teammates cheer from the sidelines. While I greatly value the endurance, tenacity, and persistence that I have developed while playing tennis throughout the last four years, I will always most cherish the bonds that I have created and maintained each year with my team.

This essay uses rich, descriptive language to evoke a clear sense of movement and place. The first paragraph shows a creative and expert control of language, whereas the second paragraph uses straightforward language to highlight key characteristics. Overall, this response is creative, well-balanced, and uses each word to its advantage. 

Source: https://www.collegeadvisor.com/essay-guides/harvard-university-essay-examples-and-why-they-worked/  

This essay was submitted as a part of an MIT college application. The supplemental essay prompt that it addresses is: Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?

We were moving away from my home of thirteen years to go miles and miles away, from my whole life. Worst of all: away from New York City – the only place in the world worth knowing – or so I thought. The town might as well have been called “Miniscule Ville”. I resented every second of it. The real shocking thing to me was almost that anything existed outside of New York City. NYC is a world of its own, with its own pulses and lifeblood. I still think it’s a great place, and I’ll likely at least visit it someday, but right now, I want to visit everywhere. My move humbled me. I began to love nature walks, the friendly camaraderie of the small town, and saw a world I never imagined. I thought I knew it all just because I lived in New York. Here was a great place, hidden from view. I loved experiencing that new world, learning local history, and most of all, learning the life stories of my new neighbors, each one of whom had a fascinating life. My greatest dream is to be a journalist, covering other countries, and learning about new worlds and neighbors. My old perspective feels so limited. If I can share global stories, I can open up my perspective, and I can share those stories with a thousand homes so readers can learn about other perspectives as well. The world is full of different lives. Everywhere is somebody’s home.

This essay covers a lot of material; most impressively, it shows a shift in perspective and its effect on the student’s lived experience. It also clearly explains the student’s academic and professional goals. The tone of this essay is both confident and humble. It demonstrates who this student is as a person, what their goals are, and what they value.  

Source: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/mit-supplemental-essay-examples  

This essay was submitted as a part of a Duke college application. The essay addresses the prompt: What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Most teachers who taught me talked a big game about wanting students to engage in debate, or “dialectic” as they called it, and to challenge their ideas. In my experience, most of this was a fabrication. The best essay grades and participation marks were found through parroting what was dictated from on high. Did the teacher think such-and-such is the “correct” interpretation of a novel? You did, too, or you lost points. None of that was true for Ms. Jackie Winters. The first essay I sent her came back with the note, “This doesn’t sound like you; it sounds like me.” I asked her about the note, and this initiated a marvelous learning environment, in which I grew faster than I ever have in any other class. Discussions were lively, and the more I presented my authentic views, the more I was respected. My grades were dependent on being backed up by rhetoric, sources, and logic, not by compliance. Due to this engagement, this was the most enjoyable English literature class I had, and I feel like my viewpoints were challenged. I learned to question my ideas and dig into a text for the best results. Best of all, I was putting in more and more effort to find good, quality sources to back up my arguments. I was held to a high standard and shown respect, and I believe that those qualities made for the best learning environment possible

This essay clearly shows a shift in perspective and the effects it had on this student’s ability to think, speak, and write critically. Structurally, this essay uses an anecdote to introduce and contextualize a topic, but the essay itself isn’t overly narrative. Rather, the student explains, in detail, how this teacher’s encouragement and guidance have influenced their willingness and ability to engage with the source material and academic discourse.

Source: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/duke-supplemental-essay-examples  

Key takeaways and moving forward

Supplemental essays are an important part of your college applications. In fact, they are a key factor in what college admissions officers look for in an applicant . Highly-selective colleges and universities use supplemental essays to further personalize the college admissions process. After all, thousands of qualified students apply to Ivy League institutions each year and only a small fraction are admitted. Supplemental essays allow you to share more about who you are as a person and as a student. Use each prompt as an opportunity to add something new to your college application. If you feel like you could benefit from professional guidance throughout this process, reach out to learn more about our services .

Frequently asked questions and answers

Still have questions about supplemental essays and the effects they have on college applications? Review the following frequently asked questions and answers for further insight on supplemental essays. 

How important are supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays are an incredibly important part of your college applications and should be properly prioritized. If a college didn’t care about your response, they wouldn’t ask you in the first place. Put plenty of time and care into your responses. Write several drafts, seek out feedback, and always proofread.

How long should supplemental essays be?

Always follow directions. Colleges will specify how long each supplemental essay should be, usually right after the prompt itself. Depending on the college, and the prompt, a supplemental essay’s word count may range anywhere from 50 to 500 words.

Do supplemental essays change every year?

It all depends on the college. Colleges often reuse past prompts, but there are no guarantees. This is why it’s important to plan ahead and make a list of supplemental essay prompts early on in the college application process.

Are supplemental essays required?

Sometimes colleges will have both required and optional supplemental essays. That said, the essay prompts are clearly labeled. In short, each college will specify whether supplemental essays are required. 

Do all colleges have supplemental essays?

No, not all colleges have supplemental essays. Highly-selective colleges, however, often require at least one additional essay.

  • December 14, 2022

Supplemental Essay Guide for 2022-23 Prompts

what to write about in a supplemental essay

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what to write about in a supplemental essay

How Important Are Supplemental Essays for College?

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by college admissions advisor Christopher Kilner in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

The function of supplemental essays, how to answer supplementals, showing vs. telling, supplementals and the common app.

In college applications, supplemental essays can become an afterthought, with some students scrambling to write them at the last minute. But supplemental essays are a crucial part of the application process and should be given plenty of time and attention.

How do supplementals fit into your application? Above all, they function as supporting characters in your story. In your main essay, you’re writing a story about yourself―you’re the main character, and you’re pitching the narrative to each school. If your main essay is a movie, the supplemental essays are spin-offs that clarify your back story. 

A common supplemental essay question will ask why you’re interested in a specific college. For example, Duke University will likely ask, “Why Duke ?” In answering this question, a common mistake that applicants make is listing all the activities and programs that they like at Duke. Unfortunately, this approach says nothing about why you belong at the university. Your essay should pitch you to the school, but if you answer a supplemental question with a list of what you like, you end up pitching the school to yourself. 

This is why it’s important to tie your supplemental answers into the main narrative of your story. Even if the subject of your main essay and the subject of a supplemental essay don’t necessarily relate to each other, you can usually find a way to connect the two ideas. For example, if you’re a math lover but also a jazz musician, you can connect those two subjects through what they have in common: finding patterns. Your personal statement should present a narrative about you, and your supplemental essays should circumscribe the story that you’re telling. 

In addition to the story that you’re telling, you also want your supplemental essays to demonstrate your skills. Your essays should be grammatically sound and well-structured, demonstrating your mastery of the English language. 

There’s a fine line between telling your story and showing your story. If you tell your story, the admissions reader will come away from your essay thinking, “Wow, that was a great summary of this person. I think I know everything about them.” But if you show your story, the admissions reader will come away thinking, “That was an interesting exposé of this person. I’d love to meet with them so we can talk more about this or that.” Ideally, your essay should give the impression that a sequel is on the way. An essay that shows rather than tells will use emotion, detail, and vivid language to paint a picture rather than rattle off facts. 

Everyone has a story to tell, and there are common ingredients in admissions essays, but it’s how you put those ingredients together that will make you stand apart from other applicants. While your main personal statement will convey who you are, your supplemental essays should add supporting details and points of interest. Since supplemental essays are tailored specifically to each school, you have a chance to show why you belong there. 

Many students think of supplemental essays and the main essay as two separate pieces, but they’re part of the same application, and they function more as one package. What you can’t fit in your Common App essay, you can explore more deeply in your supplementals, creating a fuller picture of you as a person and prospective student.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

what to write about in a supplemental essay

So Many Supplemental Essays

Early planning helps, and you can actually start writing very early. “Why me” essays can be started way, way early. Other, more unique prompts (letter to your roommate) associated with certain schools can be started early as well. With smart reuse, and planning it can be easy(ier). At some key points, students need to set priorities. There were times for our S, when it was academics, then college apps, then ECs and other. At other times, more time for ECs. It may have been that since our S had struggles writing non-technical papers, that he planned early, started early, and had great results.

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

How many colleges did she apply to?

11 that had supplementals and 5 that did not. Several had 3-4 supplements each. Her primary EC was extremely time consuming and not really possible to cut back on without quitting completely, which was never considered since it was her primary “leadership” role and something she is continuing in college. So she was just super busy anyway no matter what and there was just no way to make writing that many essays “easy”, even with reuse. She did choose to NOT write the “optional” essay at two schools. She felt she needed to apply to a lot of options because she had a specific, competitive EC goal and was looking to find a school that met all of her academic and EC interests.

Is 16 colleges typical where you live? My kids HS is still recommending 6-8. I know a few kids in the last few years who did 10-12 (divorced situations with uncertain NPC’s) but many only apply to 4. It’s still a lot, but manageable.

My kids could NEVER have done a quality job on the number of apps your D did. No way.

No. 16 is A LOT. Again it had to do with her EC. She had to get accepted to college and accepted to continue her EC. So she had to cast a wide net in hopes of making both cuts.

And I specifically sought ought schools with no supplementals to augment her list!

Yikes. That’s a lot of flow management right there…

:joy:

I’ll be honest- one of the reasons my kids were able to streamline their “application season” had nothing to do with how complicated an individual college’s process was… it was more around being happy with the rock solid safety school which we could afford.

IMHO that’s the key. Nail down the safety-- get that application out the door- and then the rest is gravy. One kid would come home every week from HS saying “I thought about it and I’m dumping XYZ college from the list”. I’d say “are you sure?” and the answer was “I don’t really see myself there”.

Ok. Maybe it was that. Maybe it was that the “frenemy” in the class told everyone it was number 1 on the list. Maybe too many supplementals. Maybe too many gargoyles on the buildings. Maybe the thought of two Greyhound buses with a two hour layover in nowheresville lost its charm. Who knows.

But once the application goes out on the rock solid safety, kid can dump as many colleges as they want to, right???

I’d be focused on finding the safeties. Makes everything easier!

I 100% agree about the safety. There was really only one school on her list that was a safety for admission and safety for EC. I’ll be honest - I found her for her and sold her on it because DID have everything she wanted from an academic and EC standpoint…but it was never going to be something she was super happy about. Fortunately, it didn’t require a supplement! And has rolling admissions so she got in in October!

But it’s tough to have a true safety when there’s a second cut involved later. She had some other academic safeties that were going to be reaches from an EC standpoint. And huge academic reaches that were safeties for EC.

So for my 2026…I know you’re supposed to let the kid take the lead but I’ve definitely done the initial research to come up with schools for her to research further. Our “big” list includes a bunch of schools with no supplements and 14 schools that have supplements. She definitely won’t apply to all of those, and I’ve already been talking to her about how much work it is to do all the supplements.

I’m hoping she chooses to limit her applications so that she “only” has to write a personal statement (Common App) an Artist Statement (she plans to study art) plus no more than a very few additional essays. And, of course, her portfolio…which is its own beast. Since one of her college choices has 7 supplements, and since it’s a huge reach, I’m going to suggest she think very hard about whether she keeps it on her list. At least we are starting early…

Fair warning. S24 and some of his peers added some extra colleges to their RD lists basically because they didn’t have supplements (or just like a academic paper option), and I believe none of those worked out. Some waitlistings (looking at you, Middlebury), some rejections, but it just didn’t seem to add options.

Now obviously those colleges do admit people. But I think you have to try to figure out how they make it work without supplementals and satisfy whatever that is instead.

Agree and I’m all over it this time. My second rodeo. I’ve got two separate safety/target/reach lists with and without supplements…all with strong art programs.

:rofl:

I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating- we made the kids find something nice to say about every single college we visited (or explored in depth online). And recorded it. It’s too easy for your kid to say “this place is ugly” or “the dorms are gross” or “the weather stinks” or whatever it is that kids say when they hate a college.

But our attitude was that there is ALWAYS something positive if you look for it (and sometimes the kids did need to dig). And that’s what saved us come list-making time. Parents put the rock solid safety which comes in well under budget on the list. Kid says “I’d never go there, I hate it”. You pull out the notes- recorded in the car as you were leaving, “The study abroad program in Ecuador and the Galapagos is really unique- I don’t think any of the other bio programs had that” or “It’s really cool that the equestrian club runs therapeutic riding programs for kids with disabilities in the community. I’d love to volunteer for that and learn how to ride at the same time”.

It’s just too easy to dismiss the entire “safety school” phenomenon. But many, many, many kids end up at their safety school for a variety of reasons, and finding something to love about it from the git-go is an important psychological tool.

Another option is to decode how schools like Northeastern and Middlebury admit without supplemental essays. Once you figure out there are no supplemental essays to write …

Seriously, there are pretty good public schools with no supplemental essays to write.

I don’t expect this is applicable in many cases and probably depends on the student’s interests and/or circumstances.

For instance, there are kids who do have a good safety they would be happy to attend but still want to try for other schools. There seems to be a fallacy on this board that if a student is applying to more than 15 schools that the student is just aiming for high reaches but there are students who have applied to more than this number of schools where only 3-5 of the schools would be in the category high reaches. Most of the schools on the lists were out of state public schools that would fall into the reach/target/likely category. The problem is that for some students applying to difficult to get into majors like computer science, normal target schools can be reaches and a student may not know their chance since the numbers can increase quite a bit from one year to the next. For other students, it’s hard to gauge their chances at any school due to a lack of guidance or a combination of both of these situations. There are also some programs for which there doesn’t seem to be a good safety such as musical theater. I think that advice is good in normal situations - for instance when the school counselor has a history of placing students interested in a given major into the schools the student would be interested in. It may be that an increasing number of applicants no longer fall within the normal circumstances.

This. My S25 is applying to a long list of schools because 1) they are kind of an unusual package and a school will have to “get” them and 2) we need financial aid/merit. They have a couple of reachy reaches but the majority of their list is made up of targets and safeties. They will be drowning in supplements over the next few weeks.

I agree with your post but wanted to respond to this small point specifically in case it helps someone…Columbia Chicago has a no-audition BA in Musical Theater and an overall acceptance rate of 94%! I hear they are having financial difficulty though so not sure what that means for the future…

Is he looking at SLACs primarily or larger schools as well? It seems to me that state schools don’t have many supplements.

It’s a combo. He wants a small to medium sized school and is geographically picky so that limited us quite a bit as far as state schools.

Thanks - good to know!

Depends on the school as some are far more work than others. Also some do not require supplemental essays for the application but have essays for the Honors College. There are also some that may require supplemental essays for certain programs.

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How to Write the Ohio State Supplemental Essay 2024–2025

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The Ohio State University (OSU) is known for its commitment to community engagement , over 200 majors and programs, and being the #1 university in producing Fulbright Scholars . With over $1 billion dedicated to research every year, an outstanding NCAA football team , and active student life , it’s no wonder over 50,000 undergraduate students enroll at OSU every year. Their accomplished alumni include R. L. Stine, Jayaprakash Narayan, Jesse Owens, and Urban Meyer. Hoping to join their ranks, with a scholarship to boot? You’ll need to nail the Ohio State supplemental essay. Let’s dive in to the Morrill Scholars Program Essay.

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Ohio State’s 2024-2025 Scholarship Prompt

Ohio State has not set a required essay prompt for applicants in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. That said, for eligible applicants, a scholarship is available. Here are the types of scholarships that are awarded by this program:

  • Distinction : Equals the value of the cost of attendance for both Ohio residents and nonresidents
  • Prominence : Equals the value of in-state tuition plus the nonresident surcharge for nonresidents
  • Excellence : Equals the value of in-state tuition for Ohio residents

Now, let’s break down the Ohio State supplemental essay prompt itself.

Morrill Scholars Program Essay

In what ways have your life experiences and/or endeavors prepared you to be an active morrill scholar who will champion osu’s shared values of “diversity and innovation” and “inclusion and equity” while investing in our culture of service reflective of our land grant mission  please answer fully, and when possible, provide specific examples. (350-500 words), we’ll review your essay.

Receive edits in as little as 24 hours

what to write about in a supplemental essay

General Tips

Ohio State’s admissions team provides some context to this scholarship program . Here’s the first part: “MSP seeks academically talented student leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, service and social justice.” From this information, it’s clear that MSP doesn’t just seek good students to fill their scholarship class. Instead, additional values, traits, and strengths are expected of the MSP students.

Therefore, demonstrating your capacity for leadership, activism, community service, and academics will help your case. Be sure to describe your experiences with those qualities in your extracurriculars list, your Common App essay, and/or your Ohio State supplemental essay.

Then, Ohio State notes that “MSP scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.” In other words, not all applicants are eligible to apply for this scholarship. In addition, if you do apply and are awarded the scholarship, you must matriculate at Ohio State without taking any gap years after graduating from high school. If you do not fit these criteria, then it won’t be worth your time to write the Ohio State supplemental essay.

This prompt expects some research from applicants before they embark upon their response. To be specific, you should read up on OSU’s Shared Values so that you can either write about them eloquently and accurately, or so that you can bear them in mind while writing your response to this prompt.

Note that Ohio State’s scholarship admissions team specifically note “diversity and innovation” and “inclusion and equity” as values. Therefore, in your essay, you should focus on the experiences you have had that have involved these values. If you have engaged in community service, share this information here. You should also share why this service work is important to you and what you learned from the experience. Be as specific as you can.

In addition, try to envision yourself as a student at Ohio State. As a Morrill Scholar, who will you be? What further activism, community service, or other contributions to society do you hope to make while in college? After researching the opportunities available to undergraduates at Ohio State, consider mentioning a specific initiative, opportunity, or other program you hope to get involved in. If the existing opportunities at OSU don’t fully meet your vision for your college experience with regard to service work, provide specific details regarding the new initiative(s) you hope to spearhead. All of this information will help the admissions team see you as a student at Ohio State!

If you need help polishing up your Ohio State supplemental essay, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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    What are the Boston University supplemental essay prompts? How to write each supplemental essay prompt for Boston University. Prompt 1: "Community"/"Social Awareness" essay. Prompt 2: "Why Us" essay. How to write the Kilachand Honors College essay. Prompt 1: "Why us" essay. Prompt 2: "Creating a new course" essay.

  26. So Many Supplemental Essays

    Early planning helps, and you can actually start writing very early. "Why me" essays can be started way, way early. Other, more unique prompts (letter to your roommate) associated with certain schools can be started early as well. With smart reuse, and planning it can be easy(ier). At some key points, students need to set priorities. There were times for our S, when it was academics, then ...

  27. How to Write the Ohio State Supplemental Essay 2024-2025

    Be sure to describe your experiences with those qualities in your extracurriculars list, your Common App essay, and/or your Ohio State supplemental essay. Then, Ohio State notes that "MSP scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to the Columbus campus for the autumn semester following high school graduation.

  28. How to Write the Columbia University Supplemental Essays: Examples

    Step #3: Decide if you 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 be at the beginning, middle, or end of your essay. Step #4: Write a draft! Here's a great example from a previous version of the prompt.