Do Your Colleges Require Supplemental Essays?

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Supplemental Essay Prompts by College

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Supplemental Essay Prompts by College (2022-2023)

In addition to the Personal Statement, many colleges require applicants to submit supplemental essays. These supplemental essays ask students to respond to a wide variety of topics: their most meaningful activity, their interest in a particular college or major, an important community they belong to, etc. Essays range in length from just a few sentences to 650+ words.

The essay prompts below are from the 2022-23 application cycle. We plan to update this page with updated information for Fall 2023 when application questions are released (typically by August 1st). Always be sure to confirm essay prompts on the official college websites or Common App.

Looking for help with college essays? Check out our essay coaching options.

A

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa)	Allegheny College	American University	Amherst College	Arcadia University
Arizona State University	University of Arizona	University of Arkansas	Auburn University

B

Bard College	Barnard College	Bates College	Bennington College	Bentley University
Binghamton University	Bloomsburg University	Boston College	Boston University	Bowdoin College
Brandeis University	Brown University	Bryn Mawr College	Bucknell University

C

University of California (all campuses)	CalTech	Carleton College	Carnegie Mellon University	Case Western Reserve University
Chatham University	Chestnut Hill College	University of Chicago	Claremont McKenna College	Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University	Colby College	Colgate University	College of Charleston	College of New Jersey
College of William and Mary	Colorado State University	Columbia University	University of Connecticut	Cornell University

D

Dartmouth College	Davidson College	University of Delaware	DePaul University	Dickinson College
Drew University	Drexel University	Duke University	Duquesne University

E

Eastern University

Elon University

Emerson College

Emory University

F

Fairfield University	Fairleigh Dickinson University	Florida Southern College	Florida State University	University of Florida
Fordham University	Franklin and Marshall College

G

George Mason University	George Washington University	Georgetown University	Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia State University
University of Georgia	Gettysburg College	Gwynedd Mercy University

H

Hamilton College	Harvard University	Harvey Mudd College	Haverford College	High Point University
Hofstra University	Hollins University	Howard University

I

University of Illinois (Chicago)

University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)

Indiana University (Bloomington)

Iowa State University

Ithaca College

J

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

K

Kansas State University

Kenyon College

King's College of PA

Kutztown University

L

La Salle University	Lafayette College	Lebanon Valley College	Lehigh University	Lock Haven University
Lousiana State University (Baton Rouge)	Loyola University of Maryland

M

University of Maine	University of Maryland (College Park)	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	University of Massachusetts (Amherst)	Miami University (Ohio)
University of Miami	Michigan State University	University of Michigan	Middlebury College	Millersville University
University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)	Mississippi State University	University of Mississippi	Missouri State University	University of Missouri
Monmouth University	University of Montana	Muhlenberg College

N

University of Nevada (Las Vegas)	Neumann University	University of New Hampshire	University of New Haven	University of New Mexico
University of New Orleans	New York University	The New School	North Carolina State University	University of North Carolina
Northeastern University	Northwestern University	University of Notre Dame

O

Oberlin College

Ohio State University

Ohio University

Oklahoma City University

Oregon State University

P

Penn State University	University of Pennsylvania	Pepperdine University	Pfeiffer University	University of Pittsburgh
Pomona College	Princeton University	Providence College	Purdue University

Q

Quinnipiac University

R

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	University of Rhode Island	Rice University	University of Richmond	Rider University
Rochester Institute of Technology	University of Rochester	Rollins University	Rowan University	Rutgers University (all campuses)

S

St. Joseph's University	St. Mary's University	Sarah Lawrence College	University of Scranton	Scripps College
Seton Hall University	Shippensburg University	Skidmore College	Smith College	University of South Carolina
University of South Florida	University of Southern California	Stanford University	Stevens Institute of Technology	Stockton University
Swarthmore College	Syracuse University

T

University of Tampa	Temple University	University of Tennessee	Texas A&M University	Texas State University
University of Texas (Austin)	Thomas Jefferson University	Towson University	Tufts University	Tulane University

U

US Military Academy

US Naval Academy

Ursinus College

V

Vanderbilt University	Vassar College	University of Vermont	Villanova University	Virginia Tech
University of Virginia

W

Wake Forest University	Washington and Lee University	Washington University in St. Louis	University of Washington (Bothell)	University of Washington (Seattle)
Wellesley College	Wesleyan University	West Chester University	West Virginia University	Widener University
Williams College	University of Wisconsin (Madison)	Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Y

Yale University

York College of Pennsylvania

Allegheny College

Back to Top Accepts the Common App: Yes Common App Essay Required? Yes Does Allegheny College have supplemental essays? Yes

• (Optional) 75 words- Why do you do what you do? Briefly describe your varied interests and talents and how they will fit at Allegheny in two or three sentences.

American University

Back to Top Accepts Common App: Yes Common App Essay required? Yes Does American University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 150 words- Why are you interested in American University?

Amherst College

Back to Top Accepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Amherst College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• Option A: Please respond to one of the following quotations in an essay of not more than 300 words. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.
  • Prompt 1: "Rigorous reasoning is crucial in mathematics, and insight plays an important secondary role these days. In the natural sciences, I would say that the order of these two virtues is reversed. Rigor is, of course, very important. But the most important value is insight—insight into the workings of the world. It may be because there is another guarantor of correctness in the sciences, namely, the empirical evidence from observation and experiments." Kannan Jagannathan, Professor of Physics, Amherst College
  • Prompt 2: "Translation is the art of bridging cultures. It's about interpreting the essence of a text, transporting its rhythms and becoming intimate with its meaning… Translation, however, doesn't only occur across languages: mentally putting any idea into words is an act of translation; so is composing a symphony, doing business in the global market, understanding the roots of terrorism. No citizen, especially today, can exist in isolation—that is, untranslated." Ilan Stavans, Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture, Amherst College, Robert Croll '16 and Cedric Duquene '15, from "Interpreting Terras Irradient," Amherst Magazine, Spring 2015.
  • Prompt 3: "Creating an environment that allows students to build lasting friendships, including those that cut across seemingly entrenched societal and political boundaries… requires candor about the inevitable tensions, as well as about the wonderful opportunities, that diversity and inclusiveness create." Carolyn "Biddy" Martin, 19th President of Amherst College, from Letter to Amherst College Alumni and Families, December 28, 2015.
  • Prompt 4: "Difficulty need not foreshadow despair or defeat. Rather achievement can be all the more satisfying because of obstacles surmounted." Attributed to William Hastie, Amherst Class of 1925, the first African-American to serve as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals
• Option B: Please submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. If you have submitted an analytical essay in response to the "essay topic of your choice" prompt in the Common Application writing section, you should NOT select Option B. Instead, you should respond to one of the four quotation prompts in Option A.
• Option C: If you are/were an applicant to Amherst's Access to Amherst (A2A) program, you may use your A2A application essay in satisfaction of our Writing Supplement requirement. If you would like to do so, please select Option C. However, if you would prefer not to use your A2A essay for this purpose and you want to submit a different writing supplement, select either Option A or Option B. Please note that Option C is available only to applicants to Amherst's A2A program. Non-A2A applicants must choose either Option A or Option B.

Arcadia University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? No Does Arcadia University have Supplemental Essays? None

Arizona State University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes Arizona State University have Supplemental Essays? None

Auburn University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes Auburn University have Supplemental Essays? None

Bard College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Bard College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Why Bard?

Barnard College

Back to TopAccepts Common App:Common App Essay required? Does Barnard College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 300 words- What factors encouraged your decision to apply to Barnard College and why do you think the college would be a good match for you?
• 300 words- At Barnard, academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What are some of the bold questions you have pondered that get you excited and why do they interest you? Tell us how you would explore these questions at Barnard.
• (Optional) Pick one woman — an historical figure, fictitious character, or modern individual — to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. Why does this person intrigue you? What would you talk about? What questions would you ask them?
• (Optional) Use this space to share anything with the Admissions Committee that you feel provides additional context related to your background, experiences or identity.

Bates College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Bates College have Supplemental Essays? None

Bennington College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Bennington College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Respond to one of the following prompts.
• At Bennington, students don't just study; they're makers and doers who create original work on their own and in collaboration with others. Tell us about something you've created that you're proud of. Why is it important to you? Alternatively, tell us something you look forward to creating when you get to college. (Optional: We'd love to see your work if you'd like to share it with us. You'll receive instructions for submitting your work after we process your application.)
• What piece of media do you think we should all know about and what makes it interesting to you? Your recommendation can be a book, music, TV show, movie, game, magazine, podcast, or social media channel--any form of media, really, but don't forget to let us know why you recommend it.
• Each year, Bennington students spend six weeks participating in Field Work Term at sites around the world. What would you like to do during FWT? Describe an organization, business, individual, career field, or type of work that interests you and tell us what excites you about it.

Bentley University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Bentley University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• (Optional) 250 words-- We invite you to share any additional information about why you would like to attend Bently.

Binghamton University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Binghamton University have Supplemental Essays? None

Bloomsburg University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: No, apply on Bloomsburg website Common App Essay required? NoDoes Bloomsburg University have Supplemental Essays? None

Boston College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Boston College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 400 words- Respond to one of the following prompts. Applicants to the Human-Centered Engineering major will respond to the 6th.
• Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursuee lives of meaning and purpose. What is a question that matters to you and how do you hope Boston College will help you answer it?
• In 2020, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America-- a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.
• At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner? What do you discuss with that person?
• Socrates stated that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Discuss a time when reflection, prayer, or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.
• Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together-- and why?
• Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants: One goal of a Jesuit education is to preapre students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Boston University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Boston University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- What about being a student at Boston University most excites you?

Bowdoin College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? Yes Does Bowdoin College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Generations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin's “The Offer of the College,” written in 1906 by Bowdoin President William DeWitt Hyde. To be at home in all lands and all ages; to count Nature a familiar acquaintance, and Art an intimate friend; to gain a standard for the appreciation of others' work and the criticism of your own; to carry the keys of the world's library in your pocket, and feel its resources behind you in whatever task you undertake; to make hosts of friends...who are to be leaders in all walks of life; to lose yourself in generous enthusiasms and cooperate with others for common ends – this is the offer of the college for the best four years of your life. Which line from the Offer resonates most with you?

Brandeis University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Brandeis University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Brandeis attracts students from many parts of the world. As an international student at Brandeis, how would you enrich the campus community?. (International Students Only)
• 250 Words- The Brandeis community is a diverse group of critical thinkers defined by their ability to dive deeper into their learning by questioning, analyzing, evaluating, creating, critiquing and seeking other perspectives. Share an example of how you have used your own critical thinking skills on a specific subject, project, idea or interest. (Required)

Brown University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Brown University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 200-250 words- Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about an academic interest (or interests) that excites you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue it.
• 200-250 Words- Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond?
• 200-250 words- Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.

Bryn Mawr College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Bryn Mawr College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• No word count listed- As you prepare to join a new college community, reflect on your role as a community member throughout the past four years. What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

Bucknell University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Bucknell University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Please explain your interest in your first-choice major/undecided status and your second-choice major, should you opt to list one and why you would choose Bucknell University to pursue your interest(s).

Butler University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Butler University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 100 Words: Briefly describe your reasons for selecting your chosen academic major(s) and how you believe Butler will help you achieve your related career goals upon graduation.

California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes CalTech have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Tell us about a time or experience in which you encountered failure. We would like to know more about your potential to persist through challenges and problems that you will face in the future. Qualities such as resilience and persistence can be key to solving the many problems and responding to the frequent failures that can be encountered in academics or research. In an essay about research and discovery at Caltech, "The Transformative Power of Failure", several current and past members of our community share their anecdotes about, and perspectives on, various forms of failure. Here are questions that may help guide your response: How do you define failure? What was the problem you were trying to solve? What did you learn from the experience? Did you seek advice or help from others? If so, did you receive any, or did you move forward without? What contributed to your resilience as you struggled, and what motivated your persistence?
• 250 words- Tell us about a life situation, media story, or topic – beyond or outside of a classroom or formal assignment – that has captivated you, inspired your curiosity, and lead you to delve more deeply into learning about a subject on your own. We would like to learn about the nature of your own curiosity and drive to learn independently. Here are questions that may help guide your response: What was the situation, story, or topic? In which ways did it spike your curiosity? Down what path did this newfound interest lead you? How did the pursuit of a deeper, more focused understanding of this prove valuable or satisfying to you?
• 250 Words- Tell us about how you have collaborated with and worked together within a small group of your peers on some task or endeavor in the past, or about how you imagine you will work with your Caltech peers in the future. We would like to know more about your potential to collaborate and work together with others as you reach your own understanding of the problem and solution, whether it be an academic assignment or a research project. At Caltech, it is often the case that problem sets assigned during the first year can be challenging enough that any one student is unable to come up with the solutions in isolation. This has fostered a tradition of small groups of students forming to work together to solve these problems, such that each team member also reaches a deep understanding, both of the solution and the path taken to get there as a collaborative group. Here are questions that may help guide your response: What have your peers told you about the ways you contribute to working in groups? How do you approach problem solving in groups? What would your peers tell us about how you collaborate and work together with them?

Carleton College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Carleton College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• How did you learn about Carleton, either in-person or virtually? (Indicate up to the three most influential factors.)
  • Carleton representative visited my school
  • Carleton sent me information by mail/email
  • Visit to campus
  • Website/web search
  • Social Media
  • College fair
  • I know someone who currently attends Carleton
  • Parent(s) or other relative(s)
  • Carleton alumni
  • Carleton athletic coach
  • High school counselor
  • High school teacher
  • Friend(s)
  • College guidebook
  • College rankings
  • Posse
  • QuestBridge
  • Community based organization/college support program
  • Always known about Carleton
  • Other
• Please share your thoughts on one (1) of the following prompts, in no more than 300 words.
  1. Carleton’s community plan for inclusion, diversity, and equity aims to nurture and develop an even stronger community where students, faculty, and staff belong and thrive. How might you contribute to a sense of belonging at Carleton?
  2. Before graduation, every Carleton student completes a senior project, known as “comps.” Comps projects take many different forms: a few recent examples are formal research papers, public presentations, and even a live staging of a theater production. Based on your current academic interests, what type of comps project or topic would you explore, and why? (No pressure, we won’t hold you to this!)
  3. Traditions at Carleton center around building and appreciating community. Some examples include the new student frisbee toss, Friday flowers, and baking cookies at Dacie Moses House. If you were tasked with creating a new Carleton tradition, what would you propose and how would you emphasize community within your idea?
• Anything missing? Do you want to share more with us? If so, use this space to fill any gaps you think would assist us in reviewing your application. (Optional, no more than 250 words)

Carnegie Mellon University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Carnegie Mellon University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 300 words- Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study?
• 300 words- Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience?
• 300 words- Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please).

Case Western Reserve University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Case Western Reserve University have Supplemental Essays? No

Chatham University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes Chatham University have Supplemental Essays? None

Chestnut Hill College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Chestnut Hill College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Why are you interested in Chestnut Hill College?
• 250 words- Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. 250 Words: Why are you interested in Chestnut Hill College?
• 250 words- Discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you selected above.

Claremont McKenna College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Claremont McKenna College have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• Why do you want to attend CMC? 150-250 words
• One of the hallmarks of a CMC education is the first-year humanities program that all students take in their first year at the College. The program has two components: the Freshman Humanities Seminar (FHS) and the Freshman Writing Seminar (FWS). While each FHS and FWS seminar has a distinctive approach in terms of texts and topics, their pairing gives first-year students a shared academic experience in small, writing-intensive courses that foster critical thinking about a wide range of important issues. FHS introduces first-year students to some of the crucial questions that human beings face with relation to society and the world. Individual sections are taught by faculty from a range of departments. Past and current topics include: 1. Democracy and Leadership 2. Women in Science 3. Unconventional Thinking FWS, taught by faculty from the literature department, develops students’ abilities in written and oral communication at the college level. Past and current topics include: 1. Art of the Personal Essay 2. Blackness in American Cinema 3. Post-Apocalyptic Humanity For the purpose of this essay prompt, pick one FHS or FWS seminar to study at CMC. What part of your personal experience—or your desire to know more about an area outside of your experience—best explains your seminar choice? View the full list of FHS and FWS seminar topics here.

Clemson University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes Clemson University have Supplemental Essays? None

Coastal Carolina University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes Coastal Carolina University have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 250 words- Why are you interested in Coastal Carolina University?

Colby College

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Colby College have Supplemental Essays? None

Colgate University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Colgate University have Supplemental Essays? None

College of Charleston

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? NoDoes College of Charleston have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• (Optional) 750 words- Many students apply to the College of Charleston based on our location, size, reputation and the beauty of our campus (temperate year-round weather also comes up frequently). While these are all important considerations in choosing a college, why is the College of Charleston a particularly good match for you?
• (Required for gap year applicants) 750 words- If you have graduated early, taken a GAP semester/year or you are completing a post-graduate year, we require that you complete this essay so that you can explain your activities over that period. For everyone else, this essay is optional and should be used to make us aware of any anomalies or extenuating circumstances that you’d like us to consider when we review your application.

College of New Jersey

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes College of New Jersey have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• 500 words- Why are you interested in The College of New Jersey?

College of William and Mary

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes College of William and Mary have Supplemental Essays? Yes

• (Optional) 650 words max- Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extracurricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? What aren’t we seeing elsewhere in your application? We know nobody fits neatly into approximately 500 words, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are. Think of this optional opportunity as show and tell by proxy.

Colorado State University

Back to TopAccepts Common App:Common App Essay required? Does Colorado State University have Supplemental Essays? No

Columbia University

Back to TopAccepts Common App: YesCommon App Essay required? YesDoes Columbia University have Supplemental Essays? Yes