supplemental essay questions

Published September 23, 2024

Your Guide to the 2024-25 NYU Supplemental Essay Question

Katie Hindman

Senior Assistant Director of Admissions

The NYU supplemental essay, an optional component of the first-year Common Application application, gives you a succinct and creative opportunity to share a little bit more about who you are with the admissions committee. 

This year’s question is designed to spark the type of connections and critical thinking skills you’ll use daily as an NYU student:

“In a world where disconnection seems to often prevail, we are looking for students who embody the qualities of bridge builders—students who can connect people, groups, and ideas to span divides, foster understanding, and promote collaboration within a dynamic, interconnected, and vibrant global academic community. We are eager to understand how your experiences have prepared you to build the bridges of the future. Please consider one or more of the following  questions  in your  essay :

What personal experiences or challenges have shaped you as a bridge builder?

How have you been a bridge builder in your school, community, or personal life?

What specific actions have you taken to build bridges between diverse groups, ideas, or cultures?

How do you envision being a bridge builder during your time at our university and beyond?”

It’s true – we love a good bridge at NYU, whether it be one of the iconic physical ones connecting our global cities or one of the many metaphorical ones connecting our diverse and international student body. These connections are vital at our university. Joining NYU’s vibrant community starts with conceptualizing bridge building in your current life.

To bridge the distance (ha!) between our brand-new question and your unique answer, here are some tips and tricks for writing the NYU supplemental essay (from a real person reading it on the other side of the screen)!

HOW DO I START?

Think of the NYU supplemental question as an exercise in the types of creative thinking you will use as a college student and global citizen. Try to approach it with a sense of curiosity and excitement rather than apprehension or perfectionism.

Everyone’s writing process is distinct. Don’t judge your writing before it’s time to edit! Sometimes the best work starts out as a series of fragmented, unfinished thoughts. Writing a single sentence, jotting down word associations, taking a walk, or journaling may get ideas flowing just as well as a structured outline does.

Remember – the supplemental question is meant to be concise! When you get to the editing stage, make sure your writing is direct. We’re confident you can communicate your thoughts in 250 words or less.

WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?

Don’t limit yourself by contemplating only the grand metaphorical London or Golden Gate Bridges of your life – a subtle piece of wood laid strategically across a creek can be just as significant in its own context. Consider the big and small ways you’ve challenged yourself to unite a community around something important to you. Or, think about how you’re eager and willing to learn this essential skill at NYU. 

Regardless of where or how you grew up, and regardless of the perspective you bring with you to college, you’re guaranteed to come across a person or idea that challenges your perceptions of the world and pushes you outside your comfort zone while you’re here. NYU students enter college eager to use these experiences to hone their bridge building skills. They will then graduate with the confidence to put those skills to world-changing use. 

Use this question to show us you’re ready.

THE BOTTOM LINE…

The answers to this question will be as diverse as the students writing them! Your background is valuable, and every applicant has something worth sharing.

Remember that those of us on the other side of the application are interested in and inspired by you, rather than judgmental of what you choose to share with us. We’re grateful for the time, energy, and vulnerability you put into your application.

The admissions committee wishes you the very best of luck with your final year of high school. Keep being unique, driven, bridge-building members of your communities. We’re excited to read all about it!

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing College Supplemental Essays

What are supplemental essays? Our top tips for writing supplemental essays that move the needle on your admissions decisions.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Supplemental essays are a key component of any good college admissions strategy. These small but powerful essays are a great way to differentiate yourself, particularly at competitive schools. This blog dives into what they are, how they differ from your personal essay, and how to write them well.

What is a supplemental essay?

A supplemental essay is an additional essay that colleges ask applicants to write alongside their personal statement. These essays usually respond to specific prompts that reflect a school's values, interests, or expectations. Colleges use supplemental essays to gather more personalized information about an applicant beyond grades and test scores, allowing students to showcase how they align with the institution’s academic programs, culture, and community.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

What is the difference between a personal essay and a supplemental essay?

A personal essay and a supplemental essay have different purposes in the college admissions process and each have a unique focus. The personal essay is not tied to any specific school and the topics are often decided by the Common Application or its alternative, the Coalition application.  Supplemental essays, on the other hand, are school-specific, often asking applicants to answer targeted questions or prompts related to that particular institution.

The primary purpose of the personal essay is to allow the applicant to share something significant about themselves, their experiences, and their personal or intellectual journey. It is more general and focuses on who you are as a person. Typically, this essay provides an opportunity to communicate your character, values, and how past experiences have shaped you. It can touch on personal growth, challenges, aspirations, and passions.

Conversely, supplemental essays help admissions officers understand why you want to attend that school, how your academic and personal goals align with what the institution offers, and how you will contribute to their campus community​​. For example, many schools ask "Why this college?", where you are expected to demonstrate knowledge about the school and how it fits into your academic goals​​. Supplemental essays can also explore your academic interests, potential majors, or specific aspects of your identity​.

What should I write my supplemental essay about?

Your supplemental essay should effectively address the prompt provided by the school and tie into the overall ethos, or theme, of your application. You should use the supplemental essay strategically and tailor your response to each school and program. It should reflect your genuine interest in the college, and highlight how you fit with their programs, culture, and values.

How long does it take to finish a supplemental essay?

How long it takes to finish a supplemental essay varies widely. How confident you are in what you are writing, how easy it is for you to write, and how long you want to give yourself to proofread and make edits all determine how long it takes to write a supplemental essay. That being said, supplemental essays are generally short (250 words or less) and a first draft can typically be written in 20-30 minutes. It is the refining process that makes the process longer, as well as the total number of supplemental essays you need to write.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

What Are the Different Types of Supplemental Essays?

There are many different topics - and even formats - of supplemental essays: far too many to list them all! Below we cover a few of the most common and what colleges are looking to see in each.

1. "Why Us?" Essays

• Purpose : Schools like Cornell and Penn use these essays to assess applicants’ knowledge of the institution’s unique resources and culture. This prompts students to demonstrate genuine interest in the school’s specific programs and values.
• What Colleges Seek : Admissions readers look for evidence that the applicant has researched their institution and can articulate a specific fit, including majors, faculty, clubs, and research opportunities. Authenticity, specificity, and alignment with the institution's ethos are key​​.

2. Intellectual Curiosity or Academic Passion Essays

• Purpose : Universities often request essays that reveal a student’s passion for a subject area, like public health, environmental science, or data science.
• What Colleges Seek : Schools like UChicago encourage unique, thought-provoking approaches, pushing students to demonstrate an inquisitive, critical-thinking mindset. Admissions officers assess how the student's curiosity translates into research, community projects, or in-depth self-study, seeing it as a precursor to academic contributions on campus​​​.

3. Community Impact or Service Essays

• Purpose : Prompts related to community service and impact ask students to detail their contributions to their local or school communities, illustrating their awareness and proactive involvement in societal issues.
• What Colleges Seek : Colleges value stories that highlight students’ proactive problem-solving, empathy, and long-term commitment. This demonstrates a capacity for leadership and a civic-minded approach to challenges that will benefit the campus community​​.

4. Identity and Perspective Essays

• Purpose : Many top schools ask about applicants' personal backgrounds, often phrased as questions about their identities or unique viewpoints.
• What Colleges Seek : Admissions committees evaluate how students’ identities inform their values and perspectives. For example, writing on “identity” at a reach school like Penn might require an introspective, nuanced answer that showcases critical thought rather than a straightforward description of heritage​.

5. Video Supplements

• Purpose : Video essays or supplements are a newer trend where students are asked to answer a prompt via a short, recorded video. These formats offer admissions committees a chance to observe a student’s personality, passion, and communication skills directly. Brown University has become particularly known for its requirement of a video supplement.
• What Colleges Seek : Schools use video supplements to assess applicants’ engagement and authenticity, giving them insight into their character and enthusiasm in a way that written essays can’t always capture. The videos also allow students to add a new dimension to their application narrative, such as creative flair or humor, as well as real-time responses to potentially unrehearsed questions​.

Do colleges really look at supplemental essays?

Colleges definitely look at supplemental essays. Since the personal essay is a multipurpose essay often used for all or most of the schools to which a student is applying, the supplemental essay(s) gives admissions officers the chance to really understand why a student is interested in a specific program or school. They are particularly important as a differentiator for highly selective schools and programs, since many applicants will have strong grades and test scores. The supplemental essay is where you can emphasize unique experiences, perspectives, and academic interests that align with the college’s programs​.

Supplemental Essays in 2024

When will the supplemental essay prompts for 2024-2025 be released.

The 2024-2025 supplemental essay prompts were released over the summer of 2024 and can be found in the Common Application portal under the “Writing Supplement” Section (sometimes called “Other” or “Additional Essay”) for each school to which you are applying.

When Do Schools Release Supplemental Essays?

Supplemental Essay prompts are officially released on Aug 1 each year for the Common Application. Individual schools may choose to release their supplemental essays slightly earlier in July or later in August. Schools change their supplemental essays frequently so make sure you are using the correct prompts for your admissions cycle before beginning.

Colleges Without Supplemental Essays

Not all colleges choose to use supplemental essays ( here’s a nice list) . In some cases the supplemental essays are optional. If your school does not require supplemental essays but offers them, it is definitely advantageous to complete them.

How To Write A Supplemental Essay: 7 Tips For A Good Essay

To write a strong supplemental essay, our Director of College Admissions, John Morgenelli, Jr., shares his top tips based on the BluePrint Method he developed and his insights from years in the college admissions space.

• Understand the Ethos of the Essay. The ethos is the core message or character of your essay. It should align with the prompt and strategically reflect your application narrative​​. Before writing, ask yourself: What message am I trying to convey through this essay? Your ethos should make clear your values, interests, and the role you would play at the university. Each supplemental essay should contribute to your overall narrative, complementing other parts of your application.
• Tailor Your Response to Each School. Each college has its own unique culture and expectations, so it’s crucial to tailor your responses accordingly​​. Schools often ask for essays about why you want to attend or how you would contribute to their community. Research the specific programs, faculty, and opportunities that align with your goals, and reflect those details in your essay. Show that you’ve done your homework and understand how you fit into the school’s environment.
• Be Specific and Personal. Avoid vague or overly general answers. Use concrete examples from your experiences to illustrate your points​. If you’re discussing a future academic interest, describe specific engagements or research projects you've been involved with that align with the program you’re applying to​. Personalizing your response by connecting it to your own narrative makes your essay more authentic and engaging​.
• Be Creative and Thought-Provoking. Especially for reach schools, it’s important to stand out with creativity and originality​. When choosing prompts or topics, consider those that allow you to showcase your unique perspective. Approach the essay in an unexpected way—avoid clichés and predictable answers. Think of creative ways to address the prompt, like challenging an assumption or posing an intriguing question​.
• Use an Intellectual and Strategic Tone. Admissions committees are looking for critical thinkers. Even in personal essays, demonstrate depth of thought by explaining why your experiences or interests matter in the broader context of your future goals​​. Don’t just state facts—reflect on them and discuss how they have shaped your intellectual journey and potential contributions to the college.
• Create a Coherent Narrative Across Essays. Each supplemental essay should serve a purpose within your overall application, contributing to a cohesive narrative​. If one essay focuses on your academic interests, another might highlight your leadership or community involvement. Together, they should paint a full picture of who you are and what you will bring to the school.
• Be Honest, but Strategic. While authenticity is important, your essays should also be strategic​. Focus on the aspects of your personality and experience that best align with the program and the ethos of the school. If you’re not sure which qualities to highlight, consider what the school values most (e.g., intellectual curiosity, leadership, collaboration) and emphasize those traits in your essays.

By following these strategies, you can craft supplemental essays that not only stand out but also complement your overall application narrative, making you a more compelling candidate.

If you’re concerned about the strength of your supplemental essays, or have yet to craft an overall application strategy, consider working with Ivy Tutors Network. We offer college essay coaching , college admissions coaching , and our trademarked BluePrint plan to help you achieve your college admissions goals.

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UChicago Supplemental Essay Questions

The University of Chicago has long been renowned for our provocative essay questions. We think of them as an opportunity for students to tell us about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions. They can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between.

Each year we email newly admitted and current College students and ask them for essay topics. We receive several hundred responses, many of which are eloquent, intriguing, or downright wacky.

As you can see from the attributions, the questions below were inspired by submissions from UChicago students and alumni.

2024-25 UChicago Supplement

Question 1 (required).

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

Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)

Essay option 1.

We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

Essay Option 2

"Ah, but I was so much older then / I'm younger than that now” – Bob Dylan. In what ways do we become younger as we get older? – Inspired by Joshua Harris, Class of 2016

Essay Option 3

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

Essay Option 4

"Daddy-o", "Far Out", "Gnarly": the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so "fly" anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you'd bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.” – Inspired by Napat Sakdibhornssup, Class of 2028

Essay Option 5

How many piano tuners are there in Chicago? What is the total length of chalk used by UChicago professors in a year? How many pages of books are in the Regenstein Library? These questions are among a class of estimation problems named after University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi. Create your own Fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there. – Inspired by Malhar Manek, Class of 2028

Essay Option 6

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

Some classic questions from previous years…

Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary. – Inspired by Emmett Cho, Class of 2027

“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer. – Inspired by Ryan Murphy, AB’21

“Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match). – Inspired by Garrett Chalfin, Class of 2027

Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History... a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available here . —Inspired by Josh Kaufman, AB'18

You are on an expedition to found a colony on Mars, when from a nearby crater, a group of Martians suddenly emerges. They seem eager to communicate, but they're the impatient kind and demand you represent the human race in one song, image, memory, proof, or other idea. What do you share with them to show that humanity is worth their time? —Inspired by Alexander Hastings, Class of 2023, and Olivia Okun-Dubitsky, Class of 2026

Who does Sally sell her seashells to? How much wood can a woodchuck really chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Pick a favorite tongue twister (either originally in English or translated from another language) and consider a resolution to its conundrum using the method of your choice. Math, philosophy, linguistics... it's all up to you (or your woodchuck). —Inspired by Blessing Nnate, Class of 2024

What can actually be divided by zero? —Inspired by Mai Vu, Class of 2024

The seven liberal arts in antiquity consisted of the Quadrivium — astronomy, mathematics, geometry, and music — and the Trivium — rhetoric, grammar, and logic. Describe your own take on the Quadrivium or the Trivium. What do you think is essential for everyone to know? —Inspired by Peter Wang, Class of 2022

Subway maps, evolutionary trees, Lewis diagrams. Each of these schematics tells the relationships and stories of their component parts. Reimagine a map, diagram, or chart. If your work is largely or exclusively visual, please include a cartographer's key of at least 300 words to help us best understand your creation. —Inspired by Maximilian Site, Class of 2020

"Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" - Eleanor Roosevelt. Misattribute a famous quote and explore the implications of doing so. —Inspired by Chris Davey, AB’13

Engineer George de Mestral got frustrated with burrs stuck to his dog’s fur and applied the same mechanic to create Velcro. Scientist Percy Lebaron Spencer found a melted chocolate bar in his magnetron lab and discovered microwave cooking. Dye-works owner Jean Baptiste Jolly found his tablecloth clean after a kerosene lamp was knocked over on it, consequently shaping the future of dry cleaning. Describe a creative or interesting solution, and then find the problem that it solves. —Inspired by Steve Berkowitz, AB’19, and Neeharika Venuturupalli, Class of 2024

Joan of Arkansas. Queen Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Babe Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mash up a historical figure with a new time period, environment, location, or occupation, and tell us their story. —Inspired by Drew Donaldson, AB’16

Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Milo drives through the tollbooth. Dorothy is swept up in the tornado. Neo takes the red pill. Don’t tell us about another world you’ve imagined, heard about, or created. Rather, tell us about its portal. Sure, some people think of the University of Chicago as a portal to their future, but please choose another portal to write about. —Inspired by Raphael Hallerman, Class of 2020

What’s so odd about odd numbers? —Inspired by Mario Rosasco, AB’09

Vestigiality refers to genetically determined structures or attributes that have apparently lost most or all of their ancestral function, but have been retained during the process of evolution. In humans, for instance, the appendix is thought to be a vestigial structure. Describe something vestigial (real or imagined) and provide an explanation for its existence. —Inspired by Tiffany Kim, Class of 2020

In French, there is no difference between “conscience” and “consciousness.” In Japanese, there is a word that specifically refers to the splittable wooden chopsticks you get at restaurants. The German word “fremdschämen” encapsulates the feeling you get when you’re embarrassed on behalf of someone else. All of these require explanation in order to properly communicate their meaning, and are, to varying degrees, untranslatable. Choose a word, tell us what it means, and then explain why it cannot (or should not) be translated from its original language. —Inspired by Emily Driscoll, Class of 2018

Little pigs, French hens, a family of bears. Blind mice, musketeers, the Fates. Parts of an atom, laws of thought, a guideline for composition. Omne trium perfectum? Create your own group of threes, and describe why and how they fit together. —Inspired by Zilin Cui, Class of 2018

The mantis shrimp can perceive both polarized light and multispectral images; they have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Human eyes have color receptors for three colors (red, green, and blue); the mantis shrimp has receptors for sixteen types of color, enabling them to see a spectrum far beyond the capacity of the human brain. Seriously, how cool is the mantis shrimp: mantisshrimp.uchicago.edu What might they be able to see that we cannot? What are we missing? —Inspired by Tess Moran, AB’16

How are apples and oranges supposed to be compared? Possible answers involve, but are not limited to, statistics, chemistry, physics, linguistics, and philosophy. —Inspired by Florence Chan, AB’15

The ball is in your court—a penny for your thoughts, but say it, don’t spray it. So long as you don’t bite off more than you can chew, beat around the bush, or cut corners, writing this essay should be a piece of cake. Create your own idiom, and tell us its origin—you know, the whole nine yards. PS: A picture is worth a thousand words. —Inspired by April Bell, AB'17, and Maya Shaked, Class of 2018 (It takes two to tango.)

“A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.” –Oscar Wilde. Othello and Iago. Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. Autobots and Decepticons. History and art are full of heroes and their enemies. Tell us about the relationship between you and your arch-nemesis (either real or imagined). —Inspired by Martin Krzywy, AB’16

Heisenberg claims that you cannot know both the position and momentum of an electron with total certainty. Choose two other concepts that cannot be known simultaneously and discuss the implications. (Do not consider yourself limited to the field of physics). —Inspired by Doran Bennett, AB’07

Susan Sontag, AB’51, wrote that “[s]ilence remains, inescapably, a form of speech.” Write about an issue or a situation when you remained silent, and explain how silence may speak in ways that you did or did not intend. The Aesthetics of Silence, 1967. —Anonymous Suggestion

“…I [was] eager to escape backward again, to be off to invent a past for the present.” —The Rose Rabbi by Daniel Stern Present: pres·ent 1. Something that is offered, presented, or given as a gift. Let’s stick with this definition. Unusual presents, accidental presents, metaphorical presents, re-gifted presents, etc.—pick any present you have ever received and invent a past for it. —Inspired by Jennifer Qin, AB’16

So where is Waldo, really? —Inspired by Robin Ye, AB’16

Find x. —Inspired by Benjamin Nuzzo, an admitted student from Eton College, UK

Dog and Cat. Coffee and Tea. Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. Everyone knows there are two types of people in the world. What are they? —Inspired by an anonymous alumna, AB'06

How did you get caught? (Or not caught, as the case may be.) —Inspired by Kelly Kennedy, AB’10

Chicago author Nelson Algren said, “A writer does well if in his whole life he can tell the story of one street.” Chicagoans, but not just Chicagoans, have always found something instructive, and pleasing, and profound in the stories of their block, of Main Street, of Highway 61, of a farm lane, of the Celestial Highway. Tell us the story of a street, path, road—real or imagined or metaphorical. —Anonymous Suggestion

UChicago professor W. J. T. Mitchell entitled his 2005 book What Do Pictures Want? Describe a picture, and explore what it wants. —Inspired by Anna Andel

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.“—Miles Davis (1926–91) —Inspired by Jack Reeves

University of Chicago alumna and renowned author/critic Susan Sontag said, “The only interesting answers are those that destroy the questions.” We all have heard serious questions, absurd questions, and seriously absurd questions, some of which cannot be answered without obliterating the very question. Destroy a question with your answer. —Inspired by Aleksandra Ciric

“Mind that does not stick.” —Zen Master Shoitsu (1202–80)

Superstring theory has revolutionized speculation about the physical world by suggesting that strings play a pivotal role in the universe. Strings, however, always have explained or enriched our lives, from Theseus’s escape route from the Labyrinth, to kittens playing with balls of yarn, to the single hair that held the sword above Damocles, to the Old Norse tradition that one’s life is a thread woven into a tapestry of fate, to the beautiful sounds of the finely tuned string of a violin, to the children’s game of cat’s cradle, to the concept of stringing someone along. Use the power of string to explain the biggest or the smallest phenomenon. —Inspired by Adam Sobolweski

Have you ever walked through the aisles of a warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s Club and wondered who would buy a jar of mustard a foot and a half tall? We’ve bought it, but it didn’t stop us from wondering about other things, like absurd eating contests, impulse buys, excess, unimagined uses for mustard, storage, preservatives, notions of bigness…and dozens of other ideas both silly and serious. Write an essay somehow inspired by super-huge mustard. —Inspired by Katherine Gold

People often think of language as a connector, something that brings people together by helping them share experiences, feelings, ideas, etc. We, however, are interested in how language sets people apart. Start with the peculiarities of your own personal language—the voice you use when speaking most intimately to yourself, the vocabulary that spills out when you’re startled, or special phrases and gestures that no one else seems to use or even understand—and tell us how your language makes you unique. You may want to think about subtle riffs or idiosyncrasies based on cadence, rhythm, rhyme, or (mis)pronunciation. —Inspired by Kimberly Traube

In 2015, the city of Melbourne, Australia created a "tree-mail" service, in which all of the trees in the city received an email address so that residents could report any tree-related issues. As an unexpected result, people began to email their favorite trees sweet and occasionally humorous letters. Imagine this has been expanded to any object (tree or otherwise) in the world, and share with us the letter you’d send to your favorite. -Inspired by Hannah Lu, Class of 2020 

You’re on a voyage in the thirteenth century, sailing across the tempestuous seas. What if, suddenly, you fell off the edge of the Earth? -Inspired by Chandani Latey, AB'93 

The word floccinaucinihilipilification is the act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant or of having no value. It originated in the mid-18th century from the Latin words "floccus," "naucum," "nihilum," and "pilus"—all words meaning “of little use.” Coin your own word using parts from any language you choose, tell us its meaning, and describe the plausible (if only to you) scenarios in which it would be most appropriately used.  -Inspired by Ben Zhang, Class of 2022 

Lost your keys? Alohomora. Noisy roommate? Quietus. Feel the need to shatter windows for some reason? Finestra. Create your own spell, charm, jinx, or other means for magical mayhem. How is it enacted? Is there an incantation? Does it involve a potion or other magical object? If so, what's in it or what is it? What does it do?  -Inspired by Emma Sorkin, Class of 2021 

Imagine you’ve struck a deal with the Dean of Admissions himself, Dean Nondorf. It goes as follows: you’re guaranteed admission to the University of Chicago regardless of any circumstances that arise. This bond is grounded on the condition that you’ll obtain a blank, 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, and draw, write, sketch, shade, stencil, paint etc., anything and everything you want on it; your only limitations will be the boundaries of both sides on the single page. Now the catch… your submission, for the rest of your life, will always be the first thing anyone you meet for the first time will see. Whether it’s at a job interview, a blind date, arrival at your first Humanities class, before you even say, “hey,” they’ll already have seen your page, and formulated that first impression. Show us your page. What’s on it, and why? If your piece is largely or exclusively visual, please make sure to share a creator's accompanying statement of at least 300 words, which we will happily allow to be on its own, separate page. PS: This is a creative thought experiment, and selecting this essay prompt does not guarantee your admission to UChicago. -Inspired by Amandeep Singh Ahluwalia, Class of 2022

Cats have nine lives, Pac-Man has three lives, and radioactive isotopes have half-lives. How many lives does something else—conceptual or actual—have, and why? -Inspired by Kendrick Shin, Class of 2019

If there’s a limited amount of matter in the universe, how can Olive Garden (along with other restaurants and their concepts of food infinity) offer truly unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks? Explain this using any method of analysis you wish—physics, biology, economics, history, theology… the options, as you can tell, are endless.  -Inspired by Yoonseo Lee, Class of 2023 

A hot dog might be a sandwich, and cereal might be a soup, but is a ______ a ______? -Inspired by Arya Muralidharan, Class of 2021 (and dozens of others who, this year and in past years, have submitted the question “Is a hot dog a sandwich,” to which we reply, “maybe”)

“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” – Jessamyn West -Inspired by Elizabeth Mansfield, Class of 2020

Cornell Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Search cornell admissions, cornell first-year writing supplement prompts.

In the online Common Application Writing Supplement for those applying for Fall 2025 entry, please respond to both the Cornell University essay question and the essay prompt that corresponds to the undergraduate college or school to which you are applying.

Cornell University Essay Question

We all contribute to, and are influenced by, the communities that are meaningful to us. Share how you’ve been shaped by one of the communities you belong to. 

Remember that this essay is about you and your lived experience. Define community in the way that is most meaningful to you. Some examples of community you might choose from are: family, school, shared interest, virtual, local, global, cultural. (350 word limit)

College- and School-Specific Essay Questions

College of agriculture and life sciences.

Required: By applying to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), you are also applying for direct entry into one of our 20+ majors. From here, you would be part of a community dedicated to purpose-driven science; working within your major and across disciplines to tackle the complex challenges of our time. 

Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals influenced your choice. (500 word limit)

Optional Short-Answer Responses: The optional short-answer questions invite you to share additional information about your background, interests, and experiences as they relate to aspects of the Cornell CALS mission.

Optional Question #1: At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are passionate about serving the public good. Please elaborate on an experience where you were able to have a meaningful impact on people, a community, and/or an environment of importance to you. (100 word limit)

Optional Question #2: Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background or interest in agriculture, regardless of your intended major. An "agricultural entity" for the purpose of this question is defined as cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock (e.g., farm, ranch, greenhouse, vineyard, etc.)

Select all that apply:

• A primary source of income for my parent/guardian(s) comes from ownership of or employment by an agricultural entity.
• My extended family owns or operates an agricultural entity.
• I have experience working in an agricultural entity.
• I have interest in pursuing a career in an agricultural entity.

Please feel free to share additional details (optional). (100 word limit)                                           

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

How do your interests directly connect with your intended major at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP)? Why architecture (B.Arch), art (BFA), or urban and regional studies (URS)? B. Arch applicants, please provide an example of how a creative project or passion sparks your motivation to pursue a 5-year professional degree program. BFA applicants may want to to consider how they could integrate a range of interests and available resources at Cornell into a coherent art practice. URS students may want to emphasize their enthusiasm and depth of interest in the study of urban and regional issues. (650 word limit)

College of Arts & Sciences

At the College of Arts and Sciences, curiosity will be your guide. Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences. (650 word limit)

Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

Why are you drawn to studying public policy? Drawing on your experiences, tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School will help you achieve your life goals. (650 word limit)

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration). (650 word limit)

College of Engineering

Instructions: All engineering applicants are required to write two long essays and four short essays.

Long Essay Responses (200 word limit)

• Question 1: Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering?
• Question 2: Why do you think you would love to study at Cornell Engineering?

Short Answer Responses (100 word limit)

• Question 1: What brings you joy?
• Question 2: What do you believe you will contribute to the Cornell Engineering community beyond what you've already detailed in your application? What unique voice will you bring?
• Question 3: What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.
• Question 4: What is one award you have received or achievement you have attained that has meant the most to you? Please briefly describe its importance to you. 

College of Human Ecology

How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology (CHE) been shaped and informed by your related experiences? How will what you learn through CHE and your chosen major impact your goals and plans for the future? Your response should demonstrate how your interests and aspirations align with CHE’s programs and mission. (Refer to our essay application tips before you begin.) (650 word limit)

School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School. (650 word limit)

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How To Answer 5 Common Supplemental College Essay Prompts

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Beyond the personal statement, many top schools require applicants to submit supplemental essays answering various questions, like why they chose their intended major or why they are applying to a particular school. Supplemental essays provide a unique opportunity for applicants to showcase their personality, experiences, and suitability for a particular institution. These essays offer students a chance to stand out in the competitive applicant pools at top universities.

Below are five different types of supplemental essay prompts along with instructions on how to craft compelling responses that will leave a lasting impression on admissions committees.

1. The “Experiences” Question

Perhaps the most common supplemental essay prompts are those that ask students to explain how their experiences have uniquely prepared them for their collegiate career. This year, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Tulane all ask students to answer a version of this prompt. To effectively answer this question, students should start by selecting an experience that holds significant meaning and describe it in vivid detail, providing context and background to help the reader understand its importance. Beginning with a descriptive anecdote is a great way to catch admissions officers’ attention from the beginning of your essay. Applicants can then explain the lessons learned, the insights gained, and the ways in which the experience has influenced their outlook on life and future goals. Finally—and perhaps most importantly— students should connect the dots between this experience and their desire to attend the specific college to which they are applying. They should explain how the institution's values, programs, and campus community align with the lessons learned from their experience. Demonstrating this connection shows that students are not simply recounting a story, but instead demonstrating self-awareness and considering how their experiences have molded them into an ideal candidate for the school’s academic community.

2. The “Why This School” Question

This year’s applicants can expect to see this question on applications for the University of Chicago, Tufts, and Yale University and many other schools. When faced with a “Why This School?” essay prompt, it’s essential to start with thorough research. Applicants should dive into the institutions’ programs, culture, values, and opportunities in order to better understand the unique offerings and distinct values of the school to which they are applying. Admissions officers want to see that applicants have done their homework and genuinely understand what makes their school special. Students should be specific , highlighting aspects of the institution that resonate with them on a personal level. This could be a particular faculty member's work, a unique academic program, or the welcoming campus community. Finally, applicants should be sure to connect their aspirations and goals to what the college offers, showcasing how they envision themselves contributing to and thriving within the campus community. Passion and genuine interest are the keys to a standout response.

3. The “Diverse Perspectives” Essay

“Diverse Perspective” essays often require students to share their background, experiences, or perspectives that will positively contribute to the diversity of the school’s student body. This year, many prestigious schools including Duke and Emory ask students to reflect on some variation of this prompt. When responding, students should begin by reflecting on their life experiences and how those experiences have contributed to their unique identity and perspective. Applicants can consider experiences encountering people, cultures, or situations that challenged or broadened their perspective, then discuss how these experiences have shaped their character and values. Beyond sharing their story, they should emphasize how they will participate in the school’s diverse and inclusive campus community. Students should highlight their willingness to engage with different viewpoints and how their identity—whether their race, gender, religion, or some other aspect of their identity—will contribute to the diverse voices and perspectives represented on campus.

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of september 2023, 4. the “challenge overcome” essay.

A “Challenge Overcome” essay, notably appearing on the Columbia application this year, is one that asks students to reflect on a time in which they faced an obstacle or challenge (whether academic or otherwise) and how they responded. Students should carefully choose a significant challenge from their lives—while the challenge doesn’t have to be groundbreaking in and of itself, it should be something that meaningfully shifted the student’s perspective or profoundly impacted their personal growth and character development. Applicants should provide context for the challenge, describing the situation and its significance in their life. The key to an effective response is to demonstrate resilience, curiosity, and growth by sharing how they confronted the challenge, what they learned from it, and how it has prepared them to handle adversity in college. Admissions officers want to see that applicants have the determination, self-awareness, and teachability to view obstacles as opportunities for growth.

5. The “Unique Interest” Question

This year, schools such as UNC and Brown University ask students to reflect on their unique interests. These essay prompts allow students to showcase their passions outside of the classroom. Admissions officers at top schools want to admit students who will bring unique perspectives and vibrant and diverse interests to their campus communities. Applicants should begin by explaining their interest and why it matters to them. They should share the journey of how they discovered and cultivated this passion, highlighting the time and effort they have dedicated to pursuing it and underscoring their dedication and commitment. Students should make sure to connect their interest to their personal growth and academic or career goals. As with every strong essay, it is important that students show rather than tell—they should engage the reader by painting a vivid picture of their involvement.

With years of expertise in college admissions consulting, I have seen firsthand power of supplemental essays to make or break a student’s application. As a critical opportunity to connect your background and unique qualities with the school’s values and programs, the supplemental essays require time and thoughtful reflection. However, with strategy and self-reflection, students can use their supplemental essays to stand out to admissions officers and earn acceptance to their dream schools! For more information on how to answer each school’s prompts, check out this comprehensive guide .

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How To Answer Harvard's 2023/24 Supplemental Essays: Tips & Insights

What's New in 2023/24

What are Harvard's Essay Prompts?

How to Answer Harvard's Essay Prompts

General Guidelines

Explore the changes in Harvard's supplemental essay prompts for 2023/24, understand the nuances of each question, and gain insights on crafting compelling responses with our detailed guide, complete with expert tips and links to successful Harvard essay examples.

Harvard's 2023/24 Supplemental Essay Updates: What's Changed?

Gaining admission to Harvard is no small feat, with acceptance rates sometimes plummeting as low as 3% . In such a competitive environment, every component of your application, especially your essay, becomes a crucial tool to stand out to admissions officers.

Every year, top-tier universities like Harvard fine-tune their application process to get a deeper understanding of their applicants. For the 2023/24 admissions cycle, Harvard University has made notable modifications to its supplemental essay questions .

Last year, applicants had a mix of required and optional prompts, with varying word limits, ranging from 50 to 150 words. These prompts touched on extracurricular activities, intellectual experiences, personal backgrounds, and more.

This year, Harvard has streamlined the process, requiring all applicants to answer five questions, each with a strict 200-word limit . The questions emphasize the importance of diversity, intellectual experiences, extracurricular activities, the utilization of a Harvard education, and personal insights for potential roommates.

This shift indicates a desire for more concise, focused responses from applicants, allowing the admissions committee to gain a clearer, more uniform understanding of each student's background, aspirations, and personality.

What Are Harvard’s Supplemental Essay Prompts for 2023/24?

For the 2023/24 application cycle, Harvard University has outlined specific supplemental essay prompts to understand applicants better in addition to the Common App or Coalition App questions. These questions delve into your experiences, intellectual pursuits, and personal insights. Students are required to answer each Harvard-specific question in under 200 words. Here's a breakdown of the prompts:

• Diversity and Contribution : Harvard values a diverse student body. Reflect on your life experiences and explain how they have shaped you and how you plan to contribute to Harvard. (200 words)
• Intellectual Experience : Discuss an intellectual experience that has had a significant impact on you. (200 words)
• Personal Shaping Experiences : Elaborate on extracurricular activities, employment, travel, or family responsibilities that have played a pivotal role in defining who you are. (200 words)
• Future Aspirations : Describe how you envision utilizing your Harvard education in the future. (200 words)
• Getting to Know You : List three things your future roommates should know about you. (200 words)

These prompts offer applicants a chance to showcase their personalities, aspirations, and experiences, providing a holistic view of their candidacy.

Looking for inspiration? Dive into these Harvard essay examples to see what successful applications look like!

How to Answer Harvard’s Supplemental Essay Questions?

This guide aims to help you craft a compelling response that showcases your unique journey and potential contributions to Harvard's diverse community.

As you begin planning responses to each individual prompt, be sure to consider what experiences, reflections, and qualities you want to showcase once you’ve responded to all the prompts:

• Ensure you won’t leave out any important experiences, reflections, and qualities you want Harvard to know about.
• Be sure you’ll avoid repeating the same experiences, reflections, or qualities in the other prompts.

Answering Prompt 1

“harvard values a diverse student body. reflect on your life experiences and explain how they have shaped you and how you plan to contribute to harvard.”, - 200 words or fewer, 1. understand the question.

Harvard is not merely asking for a list of experiences. They want to understand the depth of your experiences , how they've molded your character, and how you'll use that growth to contribute to the Harvard community.

Since Harvard is telling you they value diversity, consider emphasizing unique experiences or circumstances that highlight the most personal and profound aspects of your personality, values, and perspectives.

2. Reflect on Your Unique Experiences

Consider moments in your life that have had a significant impact on your worldview:

• Have you lived in multiple countries, exposing you to various cultures?
• Did you overcome challenges that forced you to view the world differently?
• Were there pivotal moments in your upbringing that shaped your identity?
• How did interactions with diverse individuals or groups influence your perspectives?

3. Dive Deep into Personal Growth

Discuss the evolution of your perspectives, values, or aspirations.

• How did these experiences challenge your beliefs or expand your understanding?
• What lessons did you derive, and how have they influenced your subsequent actions or decisions?
• What experiences or reflections shape your deepest beliefs and values? — or, shape some deep questions or doubts you wrestle with?

4. Connect to Harvard

Consider how your unique perspective will enrich Harvard's community .

• Will you introduce new viewpoints in classroom discussions or help teams work together more successfully?
• Will you contribute to or initiate student organizations or community projects?
• Will you exemplify certain traits that enhance a vibrant, curious, and inclusive learning environment?

5. Be Concise and Authentic

With a 200-word limit, precision is key. Ensure your narrative is genuine, making your essay resonate with the reader. Avoid generic statements; instead, provide specific examples that showcase your journey.

Harvard's first supplemental essay is an opportunity to showcase the depth of your experiences and how they've shaped you . Reflecting on significant moments, emphasizing personal growth, and connecting your unique perspective to how you'll contribute to Harvard is essential. Remember to be concise, authentic, and ensure your essay is polished to perfection.

Answering Prompt 2

“discuss an intellectual experience that has had a significant impact on you.”.

This question aims to help you articulate the depth and significance of an intellectual experience and its profound impact on your academic and personal journey.

1. Define "Intellectual Experience"

Before diving in, understand that an intellectual experience isn't limited to classroom learning . It could be:

• A book that changed your perspective
• A conversation that challenged your beliefs
• An experience that triggered a profound insight or understanding
• Or even a personal project or research endeavor

2. Choose a Meaningful Experience

Reflect on experiences that genuinely transformed your thinking:

• Was there a particular course or project that ignited a passion?
• Did a specific book, article, or documentary challenge your pre-existing beliefs?
• Have you attended seminars, workshops, or lectures that introduced you to new ideas?

3. Delve into the "Why"

Discuss why this experience was transformative:

• What preconceptions or beliefs did it challenge?
• How did it expand or deepen your understanding of a particular subject or idea?
• Did it inspire further exploration or study into the topic?

4. Highlight Personal Growth

Describe how this intellectual experience influenced your academic and personal journey:

• Did it guide your academic pursuits or career aspirations?
• How did it shape your values, beliefs, or worldview?

5. Be Authentic and Reflective

Your genuine curiosity and passion should shine through. Avoid using jargon or overly complex language. Instead, focus on genuine reflection and personal growth .

Harvard's second supplemental essay seeks to understand your intellectual journey . It's an opportunity to showcase your curiosity, passion, and the transformative power of learning. By reflecting on a significant intellectual experience and its impact on you, you can demonstrate your academic depth, your own intellectual processes and aptitudes, and intellectual growth.

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Answering Prompt 3

“elaborate on extracurricular activities, employment, travel, or family responsibilities that have played a pivotal role in defining who you are.”.

This question is designed to help you articulate the significance of experiences outside the classroom and their profound impact on your personal journey.

1. Prioritize Depth Over Quantity

While you might have multiple experiences, focus on one or two that have had the most profound impact on you . This allows you to delve deeper and provide a more insightful reflection.

2. Choose a Defining Experience

Reflect on moments that genuinely shaped your character:

• Was there an extracurricular activity that taught you leadership, teamwork, or dedication?
• Did a job teach you responsibility, time management, or the value of hard work?
• Has travel exposed you to diverse cultures, broadening your perspectives?
• Were there family responsibilities that instilled in you a sense of maturity, empathy, or resilience?

3. Describe the Experience

Briefly set the scene. Whether it's the bustling environment of a part-time job, the challenges of a leadership role in a club, or the nuances of a family responsibility, paint a picture for the reader.

4. Reflect on the Impact

Discuss how this experience influenced your personal growth:

• What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
• What skills or values did you acquire or strengthen?
• How did this experience shape your aspirations, perspectives, or values?

5. Connect to the Present

Highlight how this experience continues to influence you:

• How do the lessons you learned guide your current decisions or actions?
• How has it influenced your academic interests or future aspirations?

Harvard's third supplemental essay is an opportunity to showcase experiences outside the classroom that have significantly influenced your personal growth . Reflecting on these pivotal moments and their lasting impact can provide a holistic picture of your character, values, and aspirations.

Answering Prompt 4

“describe how you envision utilizing your harvard education in the future.”.

This question aims to help you articulate how a Harvard education aligns with your future goals and the impact you aim to make in your chosen field or community.

1. Reflect on Your Goals

Begin by identifying your long-term aspirations . Have a clear vision in mind, whether it's a specific career, a desire to address a global challenge, or a passion you wish to pursue further.

2. Highlight Harvard's Unique Offerings

Research specific programs, courses, or opportunities at Harvard that align with your goals. This could be a particular academic program, research opportunities, or extracurricular activities.

3. Draw a Connection

Discuss how these unique offerings will equip you with the skills, knowledge, or experiences needed to achieve your future aspirations . Make it evident that Harvard is the ideal place for you to realize these goals.

4. Go Beyond the Obvious

While Harvard's academic excellence is a given, delve into the broader Harvard experience. Consider the influence of its diverse community, its culture of innovation, or its commitment to leadership and service.

5. Discuss the Broader Impact

Expand on how you plan to use your Harvard education to make a difference . Whether it's in your community, in a particular field, or on a global scale, showcase your commitment to creating positive change.

6. Stay Authentic

Ensure your response is genuine and reflects your true aspirations. Admissions officers can discern genuine passion and commitment from generic responses.

Harvard's fourth supplemental essay is an opportunity to showcase your forward-thinking approach and how you plan to leverage Harvard's resources to achieve your future goals. By drawing a clear connection between what Harvard offers and your aspirations, you demonstrate a purposeful approach to your education.

Answering Prompt 5

“list three things your future roommates should know about you.”.

This question aims to help you present a genuine and well-rounded picture of yourself, offering insights into your personality, habits, and values.

1. Reflect on Your Personality

This prompt is an invitation to share more about your personal side. Think about the quirks, habits, or values that define you. What are the things that make you, well, you?

2. Balance Seriousness with Lightness

While one point could be a deep reflection of your values or beliefs, another could be a fun fact or a unique hobby. This mix gives a rounded picture of who you are.

3. Be Genuine

Avoid coming up with things you believe the admissions committee wants to hear. This is your chance to let your true self shine through.

4. Consider Your Daily Life

Think about your habits or routines, the music you listen to, or the books you read. These can offer insights into your personality and preferences.

5. Reflect on Past Living Experiences

Have you shared a space with someone before — roommate, sibling, family members, fellow campers?… Think about what made the experience harmonious. Were there particular habits, routines, or guiding principles you followed that were appreciated by those you were sharing space with?

Harvard's fifth supplemental essay is a chance to showcase your personality beyond academics and extracurriculars . By sharing genuine aspects of yourself related to day-to-day living and the many small ways you interact with those around you in more personal spaces, you give a glimpse into your life outside the classroom and what it might be like to share a living space with you.

5 Tips for the "Why This School?" Essay

General Guidelines for Crafting Stellar Harvard Supplemental Essays

1. Understand the Question: Before you start writing, ensure you fully understand what the prompt is asking. Break it down and consider its nuances. This will help you stay on track and address all aspects of the question.

2. Be Authentic: Harvard isn't just looking for high achievers; they're looking for genuine individuals. Your essay should reflect your true self, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.

3. Show, Don't Tell: Instead of just stating facts or beliefs, use anecdotes, experiences, or stories to convey your points. This makes your essay more engaging and paints a clearer picture of who you are.

4. Stay Within the Word Limit: While it might be tempting to write more, respect the word limits. It shows that you can convey your thoughts concisely and respect guidelines.

5. Proofread and Edit: Always review your essay multiple times for clarity, coherence, and grammar. Consider also asking a teacher, mentor, or friend to review it.

6. Connect to Harvard: While the prompts might not explicitly ask for it, subtly showing why your experiences, values, or aspirations align with Harvard's culture or offerings can be a plus.

7. Reflect on Growth: Colleges love to see personal growth. Reflect on how experiences have shaped you, lessons learned, and how you've evolved.

8. Avoid Repetition: Ensure that your supplemental essays present new information and don't repeat what's already in your Common App essay or other parts of your application.

9. Be Forward-Looking: While it's essential to reflect on past experiences, also touch on how these experiences prepare you for future endeavors, especially at Harvard.

10. Start Early: Give yourself ample time to brainstorm, draft, and revise. Starting early reduces stress and allows you to approach the essay with a clear mind.

Remember, the supplemental essays are an opportunity to showcase aspects of yourself that aren't evident in other parts of your application . Use them wisely to provide a holistic picture of yourself and why you'd be a great fit for Harvard.

Final Thoughts

The journey to Harvard is more than just academic prowess; it's about crafting a narrative that resonates deeply with the admissions committee. Your supplemental essays provide a unique window into your personality, aspirations, and the distinct perspectives you'll bring to the Harvard community.

Every Harvard aspirant has a story waiting to be told. This is your moment to share yours. Approach your essays with authenticity, introspection, and a genuine passion for your narrative.

If you're wondering whether your essay truly captures your essence or if it stands out from the multitude of applications, our essay review service is here to help. Our team of experts will meticulously review and provide feedback to refine your essay, ensuring it resonates with admissions officers. For further inspiration, delve into our ebook , which showcases essays from students who clinched spots at top universities. And if Harvard is your dream, these successful Harvard essay examples will provide invaluable insights.

For those just starting their college application journey, consider booking a free consultation with our seasoned college counselors. We're dedicated to guiding you in creating an application that significantly enhances your chances of donning the Crimson colors. Harvard is within reach, and we're here to help you every step of the way.

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Key Resources & Further Reading

• Everything you need to know about US Application Supplemental Essays
• Acing your College Application Essay: 5 Expert Tips to Make it Stand Out from the Rest
• How to Tackle Every Type of Supplemental Essay
• 2023-24 Common App Essay Prompts
• What are the Most Unusual US College Supplemental Essay Prompts?

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How to Write a Supplemental Essay for College Applications

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

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

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

Avoid These College Application Mistakes

Courtney Rubin and Cole Claybourn July 26, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer the Question

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

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

Start With an Outline

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

Don't Repeat Yourself

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

Narrow Your Focus

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

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

Maintain Your Voice

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

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

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Columbia-Specific Application Questions

Columbia-specific questions, also known as the writing supplement, tell the Committee on Admissions more about your academic, extracurricular and intellectual interests. These questions provide insight to your intellectual curiosity, habits of mind, love of learning and sense of self. They also allow the Committee on Admissions to learn more about you in your current community and why you feel Columbia’s distinctive experiences in and out of the classroom would be a good fit for your undergraduate education. We review your responses to these questions as an essential part of our holistic and contextual review , in order to get a fuller sense of you as a unique individual beyond the standard parts of the application.

A Columbia admissions officer talks about the Columbia-specific application questions, also known as the writing supplement.

2024-2025 Columbia-Specific Questions

Instructions.

For the list question that follows, there is a 100 word maximum. Please refer to the below guidance when answering this question:

• Your response should be a list of items separated by commas or semicolons.
• Items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order.
• It is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications.
• No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.

 For the four short answer questions, please respond in 150 words or fewer.

• List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy.  ( 100 words or fewer)  
• A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia's diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer)
• In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant's ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words or fewer)
• Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words or fewer)
• What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? (150 words or fewer)

What are your chances of acceptance?

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How to Write the University of Chicago Essays 2024-2025

The University of Chicago is famous for its unconventional supplemental essay prompts, and this year is no exception. While there is one traditional prompt that asks you to write about your interest in UChicago, the star of your essay package will be your response to one of six incredibly outside-the-box prompts (with the sixth being a choose your own adventure).

Because the brainstorming you’ve done for all your other college essays is unlikely to help much here, you want to make sure you leave yourself extra time to really give these prompts the attention they require. One thing you’ll quickly realize is there’s no way to “brute force” your answer—you just need to be patient and let your ideas develop.

In this post, we’ll break down each prompt for you, so that, while you’ll still have to harness your own creativity, you can be confident in your overall approach.

Read these UChicago essay examples written by real students to inspire your own writing!

Before You Begin Writing 

The University of Chicago’s prompts are famous (infamous? both?) for being different, quirky, and sometimes downright weird. Have you ever seen the word cheese or pie in a college essay prompt before? I’m guessing not. But don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed—the weirdness of the UChicago prompts makes them ripe with opportunity to explore your passions, interests, and personal oddities. 

You know that subject you avoid in casual conversation, because it turns you into a gushing ball of enthusiasm that could talk for hours ? UChicago wants to hear about it. Whether it’s feminist literature of Southeast Asia, modern perception of African art, or your job at Colonial Williamsburg, UChicago has happily passed you the mic. 

While your creative opportunity has few bounds, there are some key strategies to conquering the UChicago essays. Keep this checklist of things in mind as you write: 

Unconventional topics often require unconventional styles. 

UChicago essays should definitely be viewed as a piece of creative writing, rather than a dry analysis. When you are in college, you will be asked to write thesis-driven essays, but that’s not what the UChicago essays are asking for. You need to have a clear focus, but you should be comfortable disrupting the familiar rhythms of essay prose.

Strategies can include vivid (and we mean vivid ) imagery, addressing the reader directly, sentence fragments, CAPS, lists, and anything else! Toss in some wild jargon from your field, phrases from another language, anything you’ve got—as long as you explain them. You should try to be imaginative, engaging, and colorful while maintaining an authentic voice and staying focused with your subject matter.

Communicate who you are as an academic.

The point of your essay is still to tell admissions officers about yourself. Give them an image of how you will perform in and contribute to an academic environment. You can’t just gush about your topic—you have to prove that you can engage with it at a highly intellectual level. Explain research protocol, cite specific books you’ve read, mention your AP and IB classes, or give examples of how you’ve collaborated with others to produce results. 

UChicago admissions don’t want a student who says “I love physics”; they want a student who says “I love physics so much that I stayed up until 4 am reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan, and I use meatballs to diagram the moons of Jupiter to my friends, and I took Calc III because I plan on studying mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace materials.” Be detailed about your studies; be explicit in your interests. 

Marry yourself to your topic.

Be sure to include the first person; you are the main character here, not whatever subject you’re writing about. The subject is an avenue to tell admissions officers about you. You aren’t trying to get your latest film, your famous lasagna, or your community service project into the university— you are trying to get in . Don’t be afraid to center yourself. How do these objects from your past illuminate facets of your personality? What do your interests say about you ?

And, as always, answer the prompt!

Print out the prompt, circle key words, hang it on your mirror. Read it, then read it again, and again . Sit with the prompt, get some (probably crazy!) ideas, then repeat the process! Many UChicago prompts are dense in their weirdness. Some of them take time to even understand. Many prompts will reveal themselves to you in your everyday life (after you’ve read them over and over again). Some of them just take deep thought. The key is to keep thinking and focus on what the prompt is asking. You’ve got this!

UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

Prompt 2:  Choose one of the six extended essay options below and upload a one- or two-page response. Please include the prompt at the top of the page. Past extended essay prompts can be found on our website .

Option A: We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed”? Or “tickled orange”? Give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – Inspired by Ramsey Bottorff, Class of 2026

Option B: “Ah, but I was so much older then / I’m younger than that now” – Bob Dylan. In what ways do we become younger as we get older? – Inspired by Joshua Harris, Class of 2016

Option C: 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

Option D: “Daddy-o”, “Far Out”, “Gnarly”: the list of slang terms goes on and on. Sadly, most of these aren’t so “fly” anymore – “as if!” Name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you’d bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.” – Inspired by Napat Sakdibhornssup, Class of 2028

Option E: How many piano tuners are there in Chicago? What is the total length of chalk used by UChicago professors in a year? How many pages of books are in the Regenstein Library? These questions are among a class of estimation problems named after University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi. Create your own Fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there. – Inspired by Malhar Manek, Class of 2028

Option F: And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!

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

The pressure’s on to be unique here, since EVERY SINGLE APPLICANT to UChicago will be answering this required “Why School?” question. Here’s what you need to do:

Provide a tangible connection to UChicago. 

This is composed of specific elements of the university that appeal to you, and UChicago’s website is a great place to delve into these. Be sure to be “particular,” as they stipulate, and give them the “specificity” they’re asking for. Examples include research opportunities at Argonne Labs, the marketing classes in the Business School, or an internship offered through the Creative Writing program. 

Don’t write about UChicago’s general attributes, like fame, prestige, or “intellectual rigor.” And please don’t try to be clever and refute the old canard that UChicago is the place “Where Fun Goes to Die.” Application readers have seen this hundreds, if not thousands of times. And besides, why talk about a tired UChicago stereotype when you can talk about something cool? 

Describe your intangible connection as well. 

How is UChicago a place that aligns with your values, dreams, and goals? How do you vibe with it? For example, if I wanted to write about the Creative Writing internship, I would state explicitly how it draws me in: 

“ I want to attend a college that values the innovative nature of indie comics publishing as much as I do. So, I’m impressed by UChicago’s commitment to providing internships in comics writing through Bult Publishing and The Artifice magazine. One of my goals as a writer is to gain firsthand experience in comics publishing, specifically small houses, and the Creative Writing program at UChicago hits the mark, resoundingly. ”

Engage with faculty and students, if possible. 

This is a perfect place to talk about specific interactions, like sitting in on an inspiring seminar during a campus visit, hearing a professor speak, or seeing how UChicago has prepared a friend for his career. 

However, always be sure to tie these experiences into your own goals and interests! For example, don’t just name-drop a certain Professor Smith. Instead, take the opportunity to find a personal connection to Smith’s research and how great UChicago is for supporting people like her. Your format should be

        Program/Individual/Major – UChicago’s Values – My values

If you want to learn more about a specific professor or their subject, don’t be afraid to politely email them or contact their department. Many love to talk about their work and their interests, or would love to put you in touch with current students. This will better inform you about the school and give you a great edge for this prompt. And, more importantly, you’ll probably get great advice for your higher education journey. Note: the earlier you prepare for this, the better!

It’s worth noting that there is no recommended essay length, but sticking to around 500 words should do the trick. It’s long enough to share the reasons you’ll thrive at UChicago, but not too long that the admissions officers will start to get bored.

Prompt 2, Option A

We’re all familiar with green-eyed envy or feeling blue, but what about being “caught purple-handed” or “tickled orange” give an old color-infused expression a new hue and tell us what it represents. – inspired by ramsey bottorff, class of 2026 .

Brainstorming Your Topic

Like many of UChicago’s prompts, while the topic here is incredibly quirky, you actually do have a clear anchor for your brainstorming: expressions that include a color. To start your brainstorming, you’ll want to generate a list of such expressions, but to do so, we’d advise against just sitting there and wracking your brain.

Instead, you’ll likely find that trying to think of these expressions using context will be more productive. For example, think about whether there are any phrases you use often that could work. Maybe you’ve described yourself as a black sheep before, or when you talk about your best friend, you say they have a heart of gold.

Or, just glance around wherever you’re sitting, and see if anything inspires you. Maybe your mom’s Halloween decorations remind you of “white as a ghost.” Or the nice china that’s out for your dad’s birthday makes you think of being “born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

The main thing is to just give yourself time, and jot down any potential options as they come to you. If you think of something during soccer practice, make a note to yourself on your phone during your next water break, and add it to your running list later. Don’t count on remembering something the next day–there’s no guarantee it’ll stick in your brain, no matter how brilliant it is!

Try to come up with 5-10 possibilities. You can have more if you want (although at a certain point continuing to brainstorm likely won’t be particularly productive), but you don’t want to have fewer. If you only have two to choose from, you might find that neither is strong enough to support a whole essay.

Once you have those possibilities, think about which ones speak to you the most, and then think of how you’d want to revise them, and which revised versions are most compelling. Which new color you choose, and why, is entirely up to you–maybe you just want to swap in your favorite color, or maybe you think first of what you want your new expression to mean, and work from there. 

Either way, remember that you shouldn’t be afraid to get creative! If you want to talk about being a periwinkle sheep, or having a heart of vermillion, you can do so. Just make sure you’ll be able to show that you have a reason for choosing such an unusual, specific color–you don’t want to seem like you just cracked open the thesaurus for fun.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

Once you’ve chosen your “new hue,” your focus should shift to the second half of the prompt: what it represents, as that’s what you’re going to spend your essay explaining. There are two main things you want to keep in mind as you write:

Creativity 

You’re probably already sick of hearing this tip, but UChicago wouldn’t ask such unusual questions if they wanted ordinary responses. So, don’t have your new hue represent the same thing but with a different color swapped in. For example, being a periwinkle sheep shouldn’t just mean you’re the most whimsical person in a group. 

Rather, try to show off your ability to put your own spin on something. Being a periwinkle sheep could instead mean that you have a lot of friends, but also a strong sense of your own identity–periwinkle is close enough to white that such a sheep could fit in, but also distinct enough that it will be noticeably different from the rest of the flock.

Your Own Personality

As unconventional as UChicago’s prompts are, ultimately your goal is the same as in any other college essay–you want to teach admissions officers about who you are, and why you’d be an asset to their campus community. So, your explanation of your new hue should connect to your own life, not just talk about the expression you’ve created in an academic sense.

For example, maybe you use the idea of a periwinkle sheep to explain how you’ve struggled to find your own identity in high school, and often latched on to different hobbies or friend groups, but since you discovered how much you love cooking, you feel much more grounded.

The connection doesn’t have to be this direct–you can still demonstrate who you are even if you wouldn’t use your new expression to describe yourself. As an alternative, you could draw a comparison between being a periwinkle sheep and doing puzzles, one of your favorite hobbies, by explaining how in a periwinkle sheep, like in a puzzle, you can simultaneously see all the different pieces of who they are and the full picture. You could then talk about some of your favorite puzzles over the years, and what you learned about yourself from assembling them.

However direct or indirect your approach is, make sure that you incorporate plenty of specific anecdotes and experiences from your own life. In other words, show, don’t tell. Just stating that you struggled to find your identity doesn’t teach admissions officers much, because that’s true of many people in high school. Instead, describe some of the specific things you latched onto while trying to find yourself, and reflect on how you felt about them at the time, whether positive or negative, and how you’ve grown since then.

Prompt 2, Option B

“ah, but i was so much older then / i’m younger than that now” – bob dylan. in what ways do we become younger as we get older – inspired by joshua harris, class of 2016 .

This is the most open-ended of UChicago’s prompts this year, so if you’re a philosopher at heart, this could be the prompt for you! If, however, you want a little more structure to guide your thinking, you’ll likely want to choose one of the other options, which do more to provide you with a specific (if unconventional) topic.

If you do decide to tackle this one, you’ll want to start your brainstorming by asking yourself some broad questions, which will hopefully eventually lead you to a more focused idea that you can structure your essay around. For example:

• What do you associate with youth?
• What do you associate with growing older?
• Reflect on your own life: when you compare your childhood to today, how has the way you view the world changed or stayed the same?
• What are your goals for the future, and how do you see lessons from your past helping you achieve them?

Once you’re thinking generally about youth and aging, start trying to generate a list of memories or experiences you’ve had that reflect your thoughts about this topic. Grounding your ideas in specific examples will ensure that admissions officers can easily understand what you’re trying to say. 

Remember, they aren’t reading this essay by the fire at home–they’re reading dozens of essays a day. If there are any points they don’t immediately understand, they don’t have time to reflect on them, even if they’d like to, because they have so many applications to get through. So, clarity is absolutely essential.

For example, maybe you want to write about living in the moment. You might reflect on the happy summer afternoons you spent at your local playground as a kid, and how you could always find something to do. You could then think about how that connects to recent efforts you’ve made to spend less time on your phone, to encourage yourself to instead do things like play with your family dog, or help your parents with cooking dinner, that you won’t be able to do once you go to college.

This is the kind of prompt where brainstorming is more than half the battle. Before you actually start writing, make sure you have a comprehensive outline that includes your overarching point, examples that illustrate that point, and the connections between these examples.

The connections in particular are key. Since the topic of this essay is so abstract, you want to make sure that you concretely connect each anecdote to the next. If you leave the connections up to your reader, they might not have time to make them on their own, and even if they do, there’s no guarantee they fit the different pieces together correctly.

Additionally, do keep in mind that this is still a college essay, which should demonstrate who you are, and in particular your readiness for this next step in your educational journey. Since this prompt is centered around your thoughts on quite a personal topic, making the connection between your ideas on that topic and your identity as a whole should be easier than with some of the other options. 

Still, you want to make sure that your readers–who, remember, are complete strangers with only a small amount of background context on you from your common app info session–will be able to identify key personality traits from your essay that will help distinguish you from other applicants. You don’t want to just seem reflective, as all applicants who respond to this prompt will likely come across as reflective.

Instead, think of more distinctive traits that you pride yourself on in general, like your sense of humor, your love of giving thoughtful gifts, or your passion for ancient history. Choose 2-4–you don’t want to go overboard, as then your essay will be difficult to follow–and think about how you can incorporate those details into your essay. 

You can do so in big ways, by choosing anecdotes that clearly illustrate them, or small ones, like a quick line comparing something in your life to the Egyptian Empire. The key is just that, after finishing your essay, UChicago admissions officers will understand what makes you, you, not just what you think about aging.

Mistakes to Avoid

Again, this is the most philosophical prompt, so you’ll want to take care that your essay doesn’t accidentally become too academic. Your goal isn’t to provide a template for how people should live their lives, but to explain how your thoughts on aging reflect your intellect, curiosity, and overall potential as a UChicago student. 

If you’re unsure whether your essay is striking the right tone, asking friends, teachers, or family members to take a look is a great idea. Someone who doesn’t already know what you’re trying to say can usually give you a more objective sense of whether what you’re trying to communicate about yourself is coming across clearly.

Prompt 2, Option C

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 .

Like the first prompt, and unlike Option B, this option gives you narrow parameters for your brainstorming, which is both helpful, as you know what to focus on, and difficult, since those parameters are around a topic that you’ve likely never spent much time thinking about.

You’ll likely find that trying to think of unofficial members right off the bat will be challenging. Instead, start a step further back, with just groups. These could be sports teams, musical bands, groups of fictional characters, categories like the colors of the rainbow, or just about anything you can think of that refers to a well-defined set. 

Ideally, you’ll also have some personal interest in the groups you consider. If you think of the Rolling Stones because they’re your dad’s favorite band, but you don’t know anything about them, you’ll likely struggle to write an effective essay.

As you consider different groups, think about whether there’s an unofficial member. For a lot of groups, there might not be. But, as always with a UChicago essay, being creative is the whole point, so don’t discard any of your options without first thinking a little more deeply about them.

For example, maybe you’re thinking about ingredients, and your mind goes to s’mores. Even though most people probably wouldn’t think beyond the classic marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker, maybe your family has always included bananas, so that’s the “unofficial member” you want to write about. That totally works! If anything, other people not thinking of this idea is a positive–this is your essay, after all.

Your unofficial member can also be more obvious. Maybe you’re a huge Star Wars fan, and have always thought the main trio of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia should in fact be a main quartet, and include Chewbacca. This being a more widespread inclusion/exclusion debate shouldn’t scare you off. So long as you feel a genuine personal investment in Chewbacca’s inclusion in the group, you’ll be able to write an excellent essay on this topic.

One last thing to note is that the group, and unofficial member, you choose doesn’t have to be famous. UChicago says explicitly that they want you to tell them about the group, so it’s okay if they don’t have prior knowledge of it. You could even choose one from your personal life–for example, maybe one of your cats is a dog at heart, and always joins your two dogs on their romps in the backyard. 

While that kind of topic might seem mundane or silly, in reality extremely personal topics can often stand out the most, as there’s a much lower chance of anyone writing about something similar. Plus, the whole point of college essays is to give admissions officers a sense of who you are on a daily basis, beyond the numbers in your transcript and activities list, and an “ordinary” topic is often a natural way to provide that information.

Of course, there are countless ways to write a strong essay, so if you can’t think of a highly personal topic, don’t panic! Our point is just to not rule out such topics as you brainstorm, as they can often be highly effective.

Like with many UChicago prompts, there are two prongs here: laying out an unusual topic for you, and then telling you what to do with that topic. Here, your task is to explain whether or not your unofficial member should be included, and why. Do remember, though, that your overarching goal is, as always, to use your justification to demonstrate something about who you are, and why you would be an asset to the UChicago community.

If, say, you’re using the s’mores example above, your argument for inclusion shouldn’t be based on the natural flavor of the banana balancing the other, processed ingredients. Instead, think about how your opinion connects to your values, or other key features of your identity.

For example, maybe you compare each ingredient to one of your core personality traits. The graham cracker could be your resilience, the chocolate your empathy, the marshmallow your love of daydreaming, and the banana your love of the outdoors. You could then justify your position by explaining how all four things are necessary to create a full picture of who you are.

Alternatively, for the Star Wars example, maybe you write about how, as a kid, you had a hard time making friends, and seeing a band of heroes which included a creature of another species was inspiring for you. You could talk about how Chewbacca gave you confidence that you could find belonging without changing who you are, and then describe how you carved out a key role for yourself on your high school volleyball team, despite not being tall.

If these justifications seem too personal, that’s actually a good sign! The point of this essay isn’t to convince the whole world to put bananas on their s’mores–the point is to convince UChicago admissions officers to accept you. So, the more personal, the better.

Along those same lines, you want to make sure to incorporate plenty of specific anecdotes. Don’t just say “I found belonging on my volleyball team.” Instead, describe how, at tryouts, you felt your familiar insecurity, until one of the coaches, who also wasn’t tall, took a personal interest in you and encouraged you to concentrate on your passing, with the goal of becoming a defensive specialist who wouldn’t need to play at the net.

The more you can let admissions officers live your experiences alongside you, and witness your thoughts and feelings firsthand, the more invested they will be in your candidacy.

The biggest potential pitfall with this essay is choosing a group that isn’t clearly defined. Since your goal is to use your opinion on this matter to showcase who you are more generally, you don’t want to have to spend a whole bunch of space explaining what your group, and unofficial member, even is. Creativity is a plus, but shouldn’t come at the expense of being efficient with your words.

Prompt 2, Option D

“daddy-o”, “far out”, “gnarly”: the list of slang terms goes on and on. sadly, most of these aren’t so “fly” anymore – “as if” name an outdated slang from any decade or language that you’d bring back and explain why you totally “dig it.” – inspired by napat sakdibhornssup, class of 2028 .

For the previous prompts, we’ve encouraged you to brainstorm your topic in an indirect way, because their focus is on such unusual things. For this prompt, however, just reflecting on your favorite slang expressions that have gone out of style will likely be effective, since slang by definition is something that you’re exposed to in everyday life.

You can also consider the following questions to further inspire you:

• Are there any books or movies from past generations that you enjoy? What kind of slang do they use?
• Are there any slang terms you’ve heard your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. use that you enjoy?
• Have you ever watched or read an interview with a celebrity from the past and enjoyed a slang expression they used?

Note that, while the examples listed are mainly from the 60s-80s, UChicago is allowing you to cast a broad net, over slang expressions from “any decade or language.” So, if there’s a term you remember from your childhood, that’s fair game! You could even go further back, to terms you may have heard in movies from the 1900s, or even further back than that, to terms that you may have read in, say, Shakespeare.

If you know any other languages, you can also draw on them, but do remember that the term you choose still needs to be outdated. If you learned the non-English language in school, rather than natively, you might not know much about past slang, but resist the temptation to look up terms just to write a standout essay. You’ll need to justify your desire to bring back this term, after all, which will be difficult to do if you don’t actually know anything about it.

Choosing a compelling slang term is key, but that’s just the first step to writing a strong essay. The bulk of your response will be dedicated to explaining “why you totally ‘dig it.’”

This explanation should go beyond just talking generally about liking the sound of the word, or feeling it picks out something distinctive that other words don’t quite capture. You can start there, but you should quickly get to making a connection between this word and your own personality. After all, the point of this essay isn’t to teach UChicago about a new piece of slang–it’s to teach them about you!

For example, say you choose the term “eighty-six,” which was used in the 1950s as a verb, which meant to throw someone out of a place. Maybe your elderly neighbor taught you this expression when you were helping him weed his garden as a kid, and you continued to weed together, “eighty-sixing” the invasive plants, all the way up until he passed away last year. You could talk about how he became a mentor for you during the time you spent with him in the garden, and 

The last thing you do want to make sure to do is actually answer the question, and explain why you want to bring this term back. Even if you tell a rich, captivating story, if you leave that element out, the essay will feel incomplete. You don’t have to spend a ton of space on it, but you do want to make sure your reasoning is connected to the story you’ve told. For the above example, a quick line in the conclusion would do the trick, along the lines of:

“By bringing ‘eighty-six’ back into common lingo, I hope that others find, like I did, that throwing something out can, paradoxically, lead to treasures boomeranging back to you: wisdom, connection, and a friend who I will remember for the rest of my life.”

You don’t necessarily have to have a preexisting personal connection to the term you choose, although that will streamline your writing process. But if you’re thoughtful about meaningful experiences you’ve had that could have some relation to your term, you can definitely use the essay itself to make that link.

For example, say you instead had heard the term “eighty-six” in a movie, and had looked up the definition, but hadn’t thought much more about it, even though you thought it was a fun expression. 

In this essay, perhaps you reflect on how your affinity for the term shouldn’t be surprising, as many of your favorite activities involve eighty-sixing: as a diver, you’re always throwing yourself off the board; as an older brother, you love picking up your much younger siblings and throwing them onto the bed; and a lifelong dream of yours is to go skydiving, which you have been trying to convince your parents to let you do for your 18th birthday.

This essay might conclude with something like: “When I one day convince people to start saying eighty-six again, perhaps it will be with a new connotation: not just throwing someone out of something, but also into something new, and potentially wonderful.”

One last note: while the bulk of your essay should be explaining the significance of the term, you still do need to introduce it and provide a definition. There are a lot of different ways you can do this effectively, but one thing you definitely don’t want to do is just say “The slang term I would bring back is [x], which means [y].” Such a dry approach is unlikely to do anything to grab admissions officers’ attention.

Instead, describe the moment when you first heard this term, or an experience you’ve had that illustrates its meaning. This kind of “in medias res” (Latin for “in the middle of things”) strategy does much more to immediately get admissions officers personally invested in your story and curious about your personal perspective, compared to a literal definition that they could find in any old textbook.

As always, creativity is of the essence. While the first terms that come to mind might be ones like “groovy” that are widely known as outdated, these likely won’t make as strong of an impression on admissions officers as ones that feel more distinct to you. As noted above, your ultimate goal is to use the term to illustrate something about yourself, and that will be easier if you choose a somewhat unique term.

Prompt 2, Option E

How many piano tuners are there in chicago what is the total length of chalk used by uchicago professors in a year how many pages of books are in the regenstein library these questions are among a class of estimation problems named after university of chicago physicist enrico fermi. create your own fermi estimation problem, give it your best answer, and show us how you got there. – inspired by malhar manek, class of 2028.

Like Option D, as far as UChicago prompts go, this is one of the more straightforward ones to brainstorm for, as estimations are likely something you have occasionally wondered about in your regular life. Maybe you’ve often looked at your family’s pet parrot and wanted to know how many feathers she has, or you’re a soccer fan and you’d love to know how many miles Lionel Messi has run in games across his career.

One piece of advice that will help once you get to actually writing your essay is to brainstorm estimations that, like the examples above, have some connection to your personal life. As always, your goal is to use your quirky topic to shine light on some key aspects of your personality, and that will be much harder to do if your estimation doesn’t have anything to do with your interests or who you are. In other words, if you don’t like soccer, the Lionel Messi example probably won’t lead to a good essay.

One last thing to keep in mind: you can get creative with the actual thing you’re estimating. The examples given by the prompt include a “how long” question, not just “how many” ones. Some other things you could measure include:

• Weight: What is the total weight of all the kebab carts in New York City?
• Sound: How loud would every cat in the world purring simultaneously be?
• Speed: How fast would a cart being pulled by every horse in the world go?
• Price: How much would it cost to buy every item ever signed by Paul McCartney?

And don’t be afraid to even go beyond these suggestions!

Once you’ve chosen a Fermi estimation problem, your task is twofold: answer it, and explain how you did so. But remember (especially if you’re a STEM person), this is a college essay, not a math problem. So, your goal actually isn’t to provide an accurate estimate, but to “solve” the problem in a way that shows UChicago how you think, and proves you have ability to get creative.

Your answer doesn’t even have to be an actual number. For example, you could “answer” the cats purring question poetically, by comparing the sound to other things–quieter than dogs barking, but louder than footsteps in fresh snow. You could also take a humorous approach, and say that Lionel Messi must have run at least 3 miles in his career.

Of course, you are also welcome to take an honest stab at the estimation. The specific approach you take is not what matters–what matters is that, in providing your answer, you teach admissions officers something about yourself. They aren’t reading this essay to actually learn how many feathers a parrot is, but to learn how well you would fit into the UChicago campus community, so that is the question that should be at the forefront of your mind as you write your essay–your answer should draw on your own experiences and background, not parrot feather density and your estimate for how many square inches of skin your bird has.

For example, maybe in justifying your earnest estimate of 2,318 feathers on your parrot, you talk about the summer you spent volunteering at a local owl rescue center, where you learned owls have around 10,000 feathers. You then talk about the yearly trips you have taken to visit your family in Puerto Rico, and how the drastic difference in climate between where you’re from and the tropics, your parrot’s native home, makes you think he would have about ¼ as many feathers as an owl.

Or, for one of the unconventional approaches, maybe in talking about all the world’s cats purring simultaneously, you contrast the comfort you got from your cat purring on your chest every morning with the motivation you got from your barking dog, which was abrasive enough to jolt you out of bed. You could then talk about losing your cat one snowy winter night, and how even though you were both soaked and freezing by the time you found her, and came down with pneumonia the day after, there was a peace in your reunion unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.

The main thing you want to avoid with this prompt is forgetting to respond to some piece of it. Remember, you’ve been given three tasks:

• Create your own Fermi estimation problem
• Give it your best answer
• Show us how you got there

The thing you’re most likely to accidentally gloss over is giving your best answer to the problem. While “showing your work,” aka explaining your personal connection to this estimation problem, should absolutely be the main focus of your essay, and, as noted above, your answer doesn’t even have to be direct, you do want to make sure you provide an answer of some sort. Given how much thought UChicago puts into choosing their essay prompts, you never want to leave any element unaddressed. 

Prompt 2, Option F

And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option in the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). be original, creative, thought provoking. draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the university of chicago; take a little risk, and have fun.

Again, this prompt is, on the surface, granting you a lot of leeway. UChicago even ends it with an exclamation point! But you should always remember: they expect a disciplined, thorough, rigorous essay. Don’t let your sense of fun and frolic drown out your serious intellectual ideas.

Pick a prompt that inspires you to write, and connects with your academic interests. If a prompt jumps out at you, and you’re immediately filled with ideas, it’s probably a good fit. Just take it slowly, jot your thoughts down, and get to work. 

Involve your personal connection to that prompt. If you’re not answering any of the 6 prompts UChicago has issued this year, the onus is on you to prove that you and the archival prompt you’ve picked are a match made in heaven. This means having a lot of knowledge and personal investment in your subject matter, and an angle/perspective totally unique to you. 

If making your own question, remember this: YOUR QUESTION IS YOUR HOOK. So make sure it’s not a question that could be found on a standard-issue application, like “When did I overcome a challenge?” or “What’s a place that feels like home?” These prompts are everywhere. They won’t get the job done, and they won’t make an unforgettable first impression. But “Why did I lock myself in the basement and watch The Bee Movie for eighteen hours?” That’s a different story. 

If you look at past UChicago prompts, they tend to be fond of certain things: numbered lists, fairy tales, common phrases, and items of pop culture that can be re-contextualized. They also like hearing your answers to famous questions, and you might have a unique answer to “Et tu, Brute?” or “Do you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain?” Just remember that the novelty of the question, while the hook of your essay, is not its substance. If your biography and scholarly interests don’t involve pina coladas, or rain, you might just have to pick a different question to answer – as wonderful as that eternal question is.

UChicago essays take a lot of time and thought—but don’t overthink it. The university wants to hear what you have to say, in its full form. That’s why they give you a page limit, and not a word limit—no last minute cutting! Fully develop your ideas in a way that feels natural. If a paragraph needs to be a little thicker, or if you need to include a longer quote from your favorite author, don’t worry about it. These essays can be fun to write and extremely effective.

You can look up lots of examples of essays online, but try not to get intimidated. It’s the nature of the UChicago essays to encourage everyone to showcase their expertise—which is exactly what you should try to do! You may read sample essays and think, “Wow. I’ve never spent a month in Arizona digging up fossils. How can I ever compete?” Try to reframe the essays as a Giant Celebration of everyone’s achievements and interests not a Competition.

If you’ve written your UChicago essay and are looking for feedback, you might want to check out our free peer essay review . Since the UChicago essay prompts are weird, it’s important to get an extra set of eyes on them to make sure they are clear and engaging! You can also improve your own writing skills by editing other students’ essays.

If you need feedback even faster, you can get a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Last-Minute Supplemental Essay Tips for College Admissions: A Crunch-Time Guide

Time is ticking, and the pressure is on to complete your college applications, including the crucial supplemental essays. Students who are short on time but still want to submit strong, compelling essays, don’t worry!

*** We Have an Expert Who Can Help You! ***

If your student is feeling overwhelmed or unsure about where to begin—we’ve got you covered. Our expert essay consultant can guide you through the process, making the process of starting and finishing supplemental essays easier. Whether your student is stuck on brainstorming, structuring their responses, or refining their final drafts, our expert will provide personalized guidance, helping your student craft essays that answer the prompts and showcase their unique voice and experiences in a way that resonates with admissions committees. Take the stress out of the process by contacting Aimee at  [email protected] or by calling 954-414-9986 x4.

Want to go it alone? Follow these quick but effective supplemental essay tips to make the most of the time you have left.

1. Understand the Purpose of Supplemental Essays

Supplemental essays give students an opportunity to tell admissions officers something that isn’t covered in their Common App essay, including why they’re a good fit for the school, highlighting specific aspects of the school that align with their interests and goals, and offering more context about what they value or what motivates them.

2. Prioritize the Important

If your student has multiple supplements to write, they should start with the most important ones. Focus on the essays for the schools that are either top choices or those with the nearest deadlines. Knock those out first before tackling others.

3. Break Down the Prompts

Supplemental essay prompts vary widely. Some may ask why a student is interested in the school, while others might require discussion of community involvement, leadership experiences, or even how they deal with failure. Start by reading the prompt carefully. Identify the key question being asked and make sure the response directly addresses it.

4. Keep Responses Focused

Students should not cover too much ground in one essay. Instead of cramming in multiple ideas, choose a single topic or experience that answers the prompt and stick to it. Use specific details, but avoid long, drawn-out explanations—get straight to the point.

5. Repurpose Where Possible (But Don’t Copy-Paste)

If your student has already written essays for other schools, look for opportunities to repurpose content. For example, “Why this school?” prompts often ask similar questions, so they may be able to adapt previously written essays. Just be sure to tailor each response to the specific school—don’t just copy-paste! Each essay should reflect that they’ve done their research and understand how that school’s unique offerings match what the student wants from their college experience.

6. Demonstrate Genuine Interest in Each School

Students should not miss adding facts about the school that are relevant to their interests. Each college has its own culture, programs, and opportunities, and supplemental essays should reflect that a student has done their research. Read about the school’s academic offerings, student organizations, and special programs. Schools want to know what attracts the student to their school, what academic opportunities stand out (e.g., unique majors, research, internships) and how the school aligns with their career goals and personal values.

7. Be Specific, Authentic and Personal

A student’s voice and personality should shine through. Rather than writing what they think the admissions committee wants to hear, your child should focus on being genuine. They should highlight passions, goals, and why they’re excited about the school. Use personal stories and examples that reveal character, ambition, and dedication. Generic responses won’t do the trick, so avoid vague statements like “I love the beautiful campus,” or “I’m passionate about science.”

8. Answer All Parts of the Prompt

This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the story and forget to address all aspects of the prompt. Before submitting, double-check that the response covers every element of the question.

9. Focus on Strong, Clear Structure

A solid structure will keep students from getting overwhelmed. Follow this simple format:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce the main point.
• Body: Give 1–2 examples to support the point.
• Conclusion: Reinforce the main takeaway, tying it back to the school or future goals.

This structure will keep the essay organized and clear.

10. Be Direct and Specific

Focus on clarity and specificity. Make sure each sentence adds value to the response. For instance, instead of saying, “I’m excited about the research opportunities,” a student should say, “I’m eager to join Professor X’s lab because her research on renewable energy aligns with my goal to create sustainable technologies.”

11. Proofread Efficiently

Proofreading is crucial. Use these quick strategies:

• Read it aloud: Hearing the words helps catch awkward phrasing and errors.
• Check key details: Make sure the school’s name is correct and all parts of the prompt are answered.
• Check the grammar: Focus on common issues like subject-verb agreement, run-on sentences, and misplaced commas.

If you have time, ask a friend or family member for a last-minute read-through, but if not, trust your instincts and read it over slowly and carefully.

12. Don’t Panic!

Yes, deadlines are looming, but students can still produce high-quality essays. Staying calm and focusing on doing their best is key. Remember experiences and voice matters.

We also offer additional supplemental essay tips . Now go tackle those supplemental essays!

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS

While the college admissions process may seem daunting, you don’t have to go through it alone. The expert team at International College Counselors includes former college admission officers, high school directors and counselors, and writing professionals with a combined 250+ years of experience helping students and families successfully navigate the college application journey. For personalized guidance, contact International College Counselors at 954-414-9986 or email us.

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Princeton-specific Questions

In addition to the Coalition Application ,  Common Application  or the QuestBridge Application , Princeton University requires you to answer Princeton-specific questions. Below you will find the questions for the 2024-25 application cycle. Depending on which degree you wish to pursue at Princeton (A.B., B.S.E. or undecided), you will answer one of the two academic prompts, then there are three additional sections meant to help us get to know you even better.

First-Year Essay Questions

Please note: Princeton also requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application.

For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who Are Undecided  

As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)

For B.S.E Degree Applicants  

Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)

Your Voice  

• Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you?  (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.)
• Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)

More About You  

Please respond to each question in 50 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?

From Our Blog and Podcast

Building, birding and b.s.e.: experiences in engineering, the art of trying new things, poets should come ready to move/yell/play/discover.

Harvard University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Guide

Early Action: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 1

Harvard University 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: Five essays of 100 words or fewer

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Diversity , Activity , Oddball

How to Write Compelling Harvard Supplemental Essays

Since Harvard University asks applicants to pen five (5) essays of 100 words or fewer, the key to writing compelling responses to the prompts is threefold. First, brevity is integral to a winning response. Never use two words where one word will do. Second, give yourself plenty of time to reflect and brainstorm before drafting. Admissions is asking some serious questions about your background, aspirations, and ability to communicate with others, so it would be a mistake to miss out on an opportunity to give your responses thought. Third, think about each response as a piece of a larger puzzle. You want each response to reveal new information about you, so try to steer clear of mentioning the same club in the three different essays. Instead, think of each essay as a different angle for admissions to view from. Each essay will add depth to your application and compliment your other application materials. 

Harvard Essay Prompts Breakdown

The following required five short answer questions invite you to reflect on and share how your life experiences and academic and extracurricular activities shaped you, how you will engage with others at harvard, and your aspirations for the future. each question can be answered in about 100 words., harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. how will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to harvard .

Admissions wants to know what has made you into the person you are today and how those experiences will affect the way you engage with and contribute to the Harvard community. So, tell a story about an experience that has shaped you and connect the lessons you learned to the ways in which you will contribute to diversity on campus next fall. Start by thinking about the kinds of experiences you’ve had in the communities you’ve been a part of thus far. Then, once you’ve identified the life experience(s) that have shaped you, think ahead to how those will impact your time at Harvard. Admissions wants to know what your area of influence will look like on campus—whether that be applying the leadership skills you developed in your community theater troupe to the drama productions at Farkas Hall, celebrating intersectional identities with other members of the queer Jewish community with BAGELS , or connecting and networking with your peers through Harvard Black Students Association . Whatever you write about, make sure your response to this prompt shows that you have put some serious thought into the things that have shaped you and how you will apply those lessons and experiences to your time at Harvard next fall. 

Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?

Whether during a pregame pasta party with your teammates, a long bus ride with classmates, or your family Thanksgiving dinner, odds are you’ve disagreed with someone about an idea or an issue—and Harvard wants to hear about it. Admissions wants to know not only how you went about engaging with someone with an opposing viewpoint, but also what you took away from the experience. To make sure your response stands out from the pack, be as specific and purposeful as possible. What did you disagree on and how did you communicate? Maybe you used some deescalating tools you picked up from a friend of yours or, perhaps, you made an effort to see things from their point of view while still making a case for your perspective. If you can’t recall where you were at the time, no problem; but details are your friend here to add credibility. Whatever conversation you decide to write about, remember to address what you learned from the experience. Were you introduced to a point of view that you hadn’t considered before? Did you and your conversation partner find a middle ground or did you feel even more resolute in your viewpoint than you had before the conversation? Maybe what you took away wasn’t so much about the topic of the conversation, but the mechanics of holding a difficult conversation. Show Harvard that you can consider new ideas and engage with others about important issues.

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. 

Next up is a fun twist on the classic activity essay, which asks you to expand on an extracurricular endeavor that has shaped who you are. Our advice is to focus on one or two activities that have made the biggest impact on you. Although we usually urge students to write about items that haven’t appeared elsewhere on their application, the activity essay is an exception since it specifically asks you to address an item on your resume. The trick here is to  pick something with meat! Maybe your trip to visit your extended family members in Thailand opened your eyes to how limited your world had been in your small Midwestern town. Perhaps four years of debate club have nurtured your communication skills and ability to speak up for yourself. Whatever activity you choose to write about, be sure to pick one that has been fundamental to your understanding of who you are.

How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? 

Admissions already knows a bit about what makes you you; now they want to know why Harvard is the obvious next step in the trajectory of your life. Take some time to meditate on what you hope your life will look like after Harvard—we’re talking ten, twenty years in the future. Once you have an idea of what you hope for that person to be like or do on an average day, invite admissions into your vision and show them how a Harvard education is a pivotal step (or three) on the ladder of success to get there. Regardless of your vision, your response should cite programs, activities, and organizations that Harvard offers. Anyone can say they hope to become a renowned doctor or an attorney for the people, but not everyone is going to do their homework to show admissions that they’ve thought through exactly how they want to get there. Of course, admissions isn’t going to hold you to your blueprint, but they do want to see that you’ve given not only your decision to apply to Harvard some serious thought, but your life post-graduation as well.

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

With this prompt, admissions is hoping to see a different side of you, perhaps one that is less intellectual (unless that’s just who you are, in which case, rock on with your nerdy self) and a little more casual. Start by making a list. Write down everything that comes to mind. You can edit and revise later—no idea is too silly to jot down! Maybe you think your roommates should know that you just can’t not sing while in the shower (we’re talking Celine Dion, Adele, Whitney Houston) or that you make the meanest plate of rice and beans in your pressure cooker (and you love to share). Once you’ve narrowed your list down to three (3) things, see if you can weave together a narrative that gives admissions a little taste of what it would be like to hang out in the dorms with you. How do you connect with your peers? What most excites you about residential life? What are the quirks that make you you ? By the time admissions puts down your application, they should feel like your personality is jumping off the page.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Harvard Essays

We have been reading Harvard essays for over twenty years now, so we know a thing or two about the most common mistakes students make. The most common mistakes to avoid are repeating the prompt in your essay (don’t waste your words), trying to sound like an academic (admissions wants to hear your authentic voice!), and using cliches (they’re ineffective and—let’s face it—lazy).

Why Choose College Essay Advisors for Harvard Essays

We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for the Harvard supplements for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to these short essays, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful Harvard essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances . 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Harvard asks applicants to write five (5) supplemental essays. 

Harvard wants to learn more about the students applying. Admissions is looking to glean how your life experiences have shaped you, how you will engage with other community members on campus, your aspirations for the future, and more.

Authenticity and reflection are key. You want to both ensure that you’re submitting essays that no one else could submit—meaning they contain specific details from your life or interests that aren’t easily replicable—and show that you’ve put thought and care into your response.

The Harvard supplemental essays, aside from your personal statement, are the only opportunities you have to speak to admissions in your own voice. They offer insight into what it would be like to sit down and have a conversation with you while revealing how you interact with the world around you. They also speak to your writing skills and creativity. 

Absolutely not! The admissions committee will be reading both your Common App essay and Harvard supplements, so your essays should not overlap in content at all. Of course, it’s possible you may mention a community you belong to in your personal statement and then expand on that life experience in one of your supplements, but the story should be different and reveal new information about you that admissions couldn’t have gathered from your Common App essay alone.

Each Harvard essay should be 100 words maximum.

We always recommend reviewing the prompts and writing down everything that comes to mind (no censoring yourself!). Next, comb through your ideas to see if any topics jump out at you. And if you skipped the guide above, more brainstorming ideas and advice for writing memorable Harvard supplemental essays can be found there!

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