*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
Why are you interested in American University? (150 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
In addition to the main essays you must write as part of the Common Application, Coalition Application or QuestBridge Application, Amherst requires a supplementary writing sample of all applicants.
There are three options for satisfying Amherst’s supplementary writing requirement: Option A, Option B or Option C. You may select only one of these options. Before deciding, carefully read the descriptions of all three options.
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, President of Amherst College, 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.]
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Your moment has arrived. Share with us the moments or experiences that have led you to apply to Babson College (500 words maximum).
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
1-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 max)
2-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. (300 words max)
3-(Optional) Pick one woman — a 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? (300 words max --not really optional)
4-Use this space to share anything with the Admissions Committee that you feel provides additional context related to your background, experiences or identity. (300 words max)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
What are you looking for in a university, why do you want to attend Baylor, and how do you see yourself contributing to the Baylor community? (450-word limit)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the following prompts (400 word limit). Applicants to the Human-Centered Engineering major will select the 6th prompt.
Option 1
Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursue 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?
Option 2
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.
Option 3
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?
Option 4
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.
Option 5
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?
Option 6
Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare 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?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
What About Being a Student at Boston University Most Excites You? (250 Words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Essay Prompt #1
Generations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin’s “The Offer of the College,” written by William DeWitt Hyde, 7th President of Bowdoin College, 1906.
Which line from the Offer resonates most with you? (Select an option.)
- 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.
Optional:
The Offer represents Bowdoin’s values. Please reflect on the line you selected and how it has meaning to you. (250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
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. (250 words max.)
For International Students Only
What excites you the most about being an international student at Brandeis University? (250 words max.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
First Year applicants to Brown are asked to answer three supplemental essay questions, which are provided below if you would like to begin work on your essays now.
- Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)
- 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. (200-250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
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?
Why are you interested in Bryn Mawr? (250 words
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
Personal Essay
Please explain your interest in your first-choice major/undecided status and your second-choice major, should you opt to list one.(250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Required Essays:
Because of the rigorous core course curriculum, Caltech students don’t declare a major until the end of their first year. However, some students arrive knowing which academic fields and areas already most excite them, or which novel fields and areas they most want to explore. If you had to choose an area of interest or two today, what would you choose? (Select from List)
Why did you choose that area of interest? (200 words)
At Caltech, we investigate some of the most challenging, fundamental problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Identify and describe two STEM-related experiences from your high school years, either in or out of the classroom, and tell us how and why they activated your curiosity. What about them made you want to learn more and explore further?
STEM experience/activity #1* (200 words)
STEM experience/activity #2* (200 words)
The creativity, inventiveness, and innovation of Caltech’s students, faculty, and researchers have won Nobel Prizes and put rovers on Mars, but Techers also imagine smaller scale innovations every day, from new ways to design solar cells to 3D printing dorm decor. How have you been an innovator in your own life? * (250 words)
The process of discovery is best advanced when people from diverse backgrounds come together to solve the greatest challenges in their fields. How do your past experiences and present-day perspectives inform who you have become and how you navigate the world? * (250 words)
Optional Short Answers:
If there are aspects of your identity that you feel are not captured elsewhere in this application, please provide that information below. (150 words)
When not surveying the stars, peering through microscopes, or running through marathons of coding, Caltech students pursue an eclectic array of interests that range from speedcubing to participating in varsity athletics to reading romance novels. What is a favorite interest or hobby and why does it bring you joy? (100 words)
Did you have a hard time narrowing it down to just one interest or hobby? We understand – Caltech students like to stay busy, too – tell us about another hobby or interest! (50 words)
Have you had any extenuating circumstances regarding your coursework (such as limited course selection or disruptions) not described elsewhere in your application? If so, tell us about them here. (150 words)
Some Caltech applicants engage in STEM competitions locally, nationally, and internationally (such as AIME, Science Olympiad, International Science Olympiads.) If you have received any STEM honors or awards, list them here (and scores, if applicable). (200 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
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?
Carleton prepares students to “lead lives of learning that are broadly rewarding, professionally satisfying, and of service to humanity.” We rely on the individuals within our community to help carry out this mission and shape each other’s experiences. Please share your thoughts on 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)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Please answer the following three questions. (300 words each)
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?
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?
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).
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Why do you want to attend Claremont McKenna College?
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:
- Democracy and Leadership
- Women in Science
- 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:
- Art of the Personal Essay
- Blackness in American Cinema
- 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? (150-250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt only for Honors College
See Common App.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Optional Supplemental Essays
Question 1:
On Colgate’s campus, students engage with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, and perspectives during the course of their educational and social experiences. In 200-250 words, please share the benefits you see in engaging with a diverse body of students, faculty, and staff as part of your Colgate experience.
Question 2:
Colgate students immerse themselves in social and intellectual pursuits that inspire them. Tell us in 200-250 words what inspires you and why you want to pursue that at Colgate.
Question 3:
Please complete the following so we can learn a bit more about you. Each response should be no more than 13 words.
– I am fascinated by…
– My favorite book, movie, or television show is…
– My role model is…
– In the future, I hope to …
– One historical figure I would like to meet is…
– My favorite food is…
– One thing I would change is…
– I am most challenged by…
– My favorite place is…
– I am drawn to Colgate University because…
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
- List the titles of the books, essays, poetry, short stories or plays you read outside of academic courses that you enjoyed most during secondary/high school. (75 words or fewer)
- We’re interested in learning about some of the ways that you explore your interests. List some resources and outlets that you enjoy, including but not limited to websites, publications, journals, podcasts, social media accounts, lectures, museums, movies, music, or other content with which you regularly engage. (125 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. (200 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. (200 words or fewer)
- In Columbia’s admissions process, we value who you are as a unique individual, distinct from your goals and achievements. In the last words of this writing supplement, we would like you to reflect on a source of happiness. Help us get to know you further by describing the first thing that comes to mind when you consider what simply brings you joy. (35 words or fewer)
Other
For applicants to Columbia College, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)
For applicants to Columbia Engineering, please tell us what from your current and past experiences (either academic or personal) attracts you specifically to the areas of study that you previously noted in the application. (200 words or fewer)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Please see the instructions on Cornell’s Admissions website prior to completing the Cornell University Questions and Writing Supplement in the My Colleges section of the Common Application.
The primary focus of your college interest essay should be what you intend to study at Cornell.
In the online Common Application Writing Supplement, please respond to the essay question below (maximum of 650 words) that corresponds to the undergraduate college or school to which you are applying.
College Interest Essays for Fall 2023 Applicants:
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.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Required: Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have influenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals?
Optional: At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are not simply driven to master their discipline, but who are also passionate about doing so to serve the public good. Please elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you. We encourage you to think about community broadly - this could include family, school, or local and global communities (300-word limit).
Optional: The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is dedicated to the exploration of the agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with interests that span a wide variety of disciplines. Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background in agriculture or are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.
Select all that apply:
- My family owns or operates a farm
- I have experience working in agriculture
- I have interest in pursuing a career in agriculture
Please feel free to share additional details below (optional):
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
What is your "thing?" What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time? Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours?
College of Arts and Sciences
Students in Arts and Sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell’s “any person…any study” founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our College.
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 (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).
College of Engineering
Instructions: All applicants are required to write two supplemental essays. Each has a limit of 250 words. Essay 1 is required of all applicants. For Essay 2, you must choose between Question A and Question B.
Essay 1
Required response (250 word limit)
How do your interests directly connect with Cornell Engineering? If you have an intended major, what draws you to that department at Cornell Engineering? If you are unsure what specific engineering field you would like to study, describe how your general interest in engineering most directly connects with Cornell Engineering. It may be helpful to concentrate on one or two things that you are most excited about.
Essay 2
Choose either Question A and Question B. (250 word limit)
- Question A: Describe an engineering problem that impacts your local community. This could be your school, neighborhood, town, region, or a group you identify with. Describe one to three things you might do as an engineer to solve the problem.
- Question B: Diversity in all forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Engineering the best solutions to complex problems is often achieved by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity and/or the inclusion of the Cornell Engineering community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?
College of Human Ecology
How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology been influenced by your related experiences? How will your choice of major impact your goals and plans for the future?
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.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer:
Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2027, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, or campus environment attract your interest? In short, Why Dartmouth?
2. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 200-250 words:
"Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken."
3. Required of all applicants. Please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 250-300 words:
A. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you making—an impact?
B. What excites you?
C. In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba '14 reflects on constructing a windmill from recycled materials to power electrical appliances in his family's Malawian house: "If you want to make it, all you have to do is try." What drives you to create and what do you hope to make or have you made?
D. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." What do you wonder and think about?
E. "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced," wrote James Baldwin. How does this quote apply to your life experiences?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
1. There are just under 4,000 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Being as specific as possible, what interests you most about Davidson College (250-300 words)
2. Davidson encourages students to explore curiosities in and out of the classroom. What is a topic, activity or idea that excites you? Tell us why. Examples may include hobbies, books, interactions, music, podcasts, movies, etc. (250-300 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 word limit)
Optional
We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. Feel free to answer them if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already shared elsewhere in your application. Four optional questions are available – a maximum of 2 can be selected. (250 word limit per essay)
- We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.
- We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?
- What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?
- Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
THINK FAST
Answers to these questions are meant to be brief – 3 sentences or less. Be inventive and thoughtful. Most importantly, be yourself. This is a chance to tell us more about who you really are in a fun, concise manner. We’re excited to get to know you!
Name three songs from your perfect playlist.
We look forward to creating a Spotify playlist from the submissions of our first-year class.
We’re in your hometown. Where should we go and what should we do?
Tell us about your hometown. Our admissions counselors may even take your suggestions when they are in the area! (50 words max.)
What three emojis/GIFs do you use most often? Why?
OK, we know not everyone uses emojis or GIFs – so if you don’t, tell us which three you would choose if you did! (30 words max.)
You are a superhero. What are your powers?
Be imaginative. What would you do with the powers you choose? (30 words max.)
Tell us your top 5.
Take this opportunity to let the admissions committee know more about you. Your top 5 should be something unique to you and give us a glimpse of who you are. Be creative! You may choose any theme for your top 5. Do you love cooking? List your top 5 recipes. Are you enthusiastic about anime? Who are your top 5 characters? Do you watch or participate in a lot of athletic events? Name your top 5 moments. Love to stream; what are you watching? You could even list your top five college tours – as long as Elon is #1!
Explain why these are your top 5: (250 words max.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
In addition to your Personal Statement, please answer two additional short answer questions, one about your academic interests and one to help us get to know you better. We encourage you to be thoughtful in your responses and not stress about what the “right answer” might be, as there really isn’t one.
Academic Interests
This question is required. Your response should be no more than 200 words.
- What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college?
Getting to Know You
In addition, answer one of the following questions. Your response should be no more than 150 words.
- Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
- When was the last time you questioned something you had thought to be true?
- If you could witness a historic event (past, present or future) first-hand, what would it be, and why?
- Share about a time when you were awestruck.
- Which book, character, song, monologue, or piece of work (fiction or non-fiction) seems made for you? Why?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
You may choose to respond to the optional question below.
At Fordham, we expect students to care for and engage with their communities. Please share a specific instance in which you challenged yourself or stepped out of your comfort zone in order to be an advocate for your community (for example, your family, friend group, high school, or town). Please provide an example that illustrates a facet of yourself that we would not find anywhere else in your application. (150 words max.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Optional:
What is your motivation for pursuing higher education? Why do you believe George Mason University is the right institution for you? (400 word limit)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Supplemental (Optional) Essay
Every applicant can choose from one of the following two essay prompts to submit.
Essay Prompt 1
At the George Washington University, our students frequently interact with policymakers and world leaders. These experiences and those of our alumni can shape the future of global affairs. If you had the power to change the course of history in your community or the world, what would you do and why?
Essay Prompt 2
The George Washington University encourages students to think critically and to challenge the status quo. Thus, civil discourse is a key characteristic of our community. Describe a time when you engaged others in meaningful dialogue around an issue that was important to you. Did this exchange create change, new perspectives, or deeper relationships?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
All Applicants
Prompt 1: Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (1/2 page, single-spaced)
Prompt 2: As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you. (1 page, single-spaced)
School-Specific Prompts (Each essay should be approximately one page, single-spaced)
Georgetown College: What does it mean to you to be educated? How might Georgetown College help you achieve this aim? (Applicants to the Sciences and Mathematics or the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics should address their chosen course of study).
School of Health: Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying health care. Please specifically address your intended major (Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science).
School of Nursing: Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying health care. Please specifically address your intended major Nursing.
Walsh School of Foreign Service: The Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders to solve global problems. What is motivating you to dedicate your undergraduate studies to a future in service to the world?
McDonough School of Business: The McDonough School of Business is a national and global leader in providing graduates with essential ethical, analytical, financial and global perspectives. Please discuss your motivations for studying business at Georgetown.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Essay Prompt 1
Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments. You may write on a topic of your choice, or you may choose from one of the following topics:
– Unusual circumstances in your life
– Travel, living, or working experiences in your own or other communities
– What you would want your future college roommate to know about you
– An intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you
– How you hope to use your college education
– A list of books you have read during the past twelve months
– The Harvard College Honor code declares that we “hold honesty as the foundation of our community.” As you consider entering this community that is committed to honesty, please reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty.
– The mission of Harvard College is to educate our students to be citizens and citizen-leaders for society. What would you do to contribute to the lives of your classmates in advancing this mission?
– Each year a substantial number of students admitted to Harvard defer their admission for one year or take time off during college. If you decided in the future to choose either option, what would you like to do?
– Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
- “Scientific research is a human endeavor. The choices of topics that we research are based on our biases, our beliefs, and what we bring: our cultures and our families. The kinds of problems that people put their talents to solving depends on their values.” – Dr. Clifton Poodry
How has your own background influenced the types of problems you want to solve, the people you want to work with, and the impact you hope your work can have? (500 words max.)
- Many students choose Harvey Mudd because they don’t want to give up their interests in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts – or HSA as we call it at HMC. Briefly (in 100 words or less) describe what you’d like to learn about in your dream HSA class.
Optional: You may include examples of mathematical or scientific endeavors or research abstracts if relevant. Please limit your submission to two pages.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
A Haverford education is distinguished by the extraordinary trust placed in students, the emphasis on student agency in all facets of the academic and community experience, and the cultivation of ethical leadership. All of this is embodied in our student-run Honor Code. The Haverford Honor Code is not a set of rules, but rather a statement of shared values centered on the concepts of trust, concern, and respect. It serves as an educational tool in and of itself and provides a powerful framework for our community, emphasizing and supporting qualities we see as essential to a Haverford education. Among other things, the Honor Code at Haverford shapes:
Academic Freedom: The Honor Code fosters an atmosphere emphasizing academic integrity, collaboration over competition, and the cultivation of intellectual curiosity. Differences and disagreement are respected, valued, and embraced, and open discourse is seen as fundamental to the academic endeavor.
Student Agency: The Honor Code upholds a culture in which students are deeply trusted to take substantial ownership of their education and to profoundly shape and define the Haverford community. Student ownership is reflected in self-scheduled exams, in the fact that every student completes a Senior Thesis, in shared responsibility for the residential experience, and of course in oversight of the Honor Code itself.
Community: The Honor Code establishes a supportive environment for living and learning, where the community experience plays a central role in one’s education. The inherent value of every community member is recognized, and diversity in all respects – including diversity of background, experience, and perspective – is nurtured, celebrated, and embraced.
Leadership and Engagement: The Honor Code allows every student to find and develop their own voice, to practice ways of improving community and acting on issues of importance, to learn methods of problem solving and conflict resolution, and to examine the ways they can and will impact the world beyond Haverford.
Please give us a better sense of what you are looking for in your college experience by answering the following questions:
Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you think the environment at Haverford, including the framework of the Honor Code, would foster your continued intellectual growth? Please limit your response to 250 words.
Please tell us what motivated you to apply to Haverford and what excites you most as you imagine your Haverford experience. Please limit your response to 150 words.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Honors College
Answer one of four essay prompts. The essay word limit is 250 words.
- Critically discuss why you believe what you believe about social justice. Using one specific example from your life, how do you anticipate that your future will be connected to social justice issues?
- Which is the better approach - focusing on what is going right or focusing on what is going wrong? Justify your answer with one specific example from your life.
- Think of your personal and career aspirations. Using a specific example from your life, discuss the implications of changing demographics for your future.
- Choose one specific example from your life to explain how science AND literature can be used to address a current problem.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
Applicants to Hopkins are asked to answer our supplemental essay question.
Founded on a spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity or your community) and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (300-400 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Students identify Lafayette as an excellent fit for countless reasons. In your response, be deliberate and specific about your motivation for applying to Lafayette.
1. Why Lafayette? (Required. Length: 20-200 words.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
In 250-600 words, please write an essay in which you answer one of the three prompts below. Please be sure to select the prompt you would like to respond to.
1. Describe an instance when a belief or idea you held was challenged. Explain why you either changed your mind or not and the effect(s) it had or could have moving forward.
2. Lake Forest College is a setting where students from many different types of communities intersect. Choose one community that you identify with and describe the role it has played in your life so far.
3. You enter a room with everyone you've ever met in your life. Who do you look for and why?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
- How did you first learn about Lehigh University and what motivated you to apply? (150-word limit)
- A compelling characteristic of Lehigh’s community is that our students want to be actively engaged in their learning, their community, and the world. Our students look to make a difference and have a real-world impact. We expect our community to challenge your viewpoint, your naturalized assumptions, and the way that you see the world around you. Lehigh University is committed to being an anti-racist institution. By this, we mean actively speaking out and addressing acts of racism, racist comments, racist practices, policies, and procedures. What would you want to be different in your own country or community to further principles of equality, equity, or social justice? (300-word limit)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Please briefly state your reason for wishing to attend LMU and/or how you came to select your major. (500 words)
As part of our holistic review process, it is critical that we understand the comprehensive experience of all applicants. Please provide a detailed explanation, in 250 words or less, regarding any break or interruption in your academic history throughout high school (secondary school) and beyond.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
We fully acknowledge application forms like this often require people to categorize their race, ethnicity, gender, and/or other identities by checking boxes. Two of Macalester’s four values are Multiculturalism and Internationalism and one way we try to live these values is providing students space to express their identities “beyond a check box.” You may use this space to help us better understand the importance of one or more identities in your life and how they might shape your worldview.
Has there been a significant change in your grades at any point in your high school experience? Please use this space to provide relevant context we should consider when reviewing your academic record.
Macalester is one of few highly selective liberal arts colleges located in the middle of a metropolitan area. Students benefit from the strong sense of community on campus and opportunities to engage in academic, social, and civic engagement options in the Twin Cities. Have you thought about how Macalester’s location might impact your experience? If so, in what ways?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Rather than asking you to write one long essay, the MIT application consists of several short response questions and essays designed to help us get to know you. Remember that this is not a writing test. Be honest, be open, be authentic—this is your opportunity to connect with us.
You should certainly be thoughtful about your essays, but if you’re thinking too much—spending a lot of time stressing or strategizing about what makes you “look best,” as opposed to the answers that are honest and easy—you’re doing it wrong.
We’re looking for responses of approximately 200 words each. There is also one final, open-ended, additional-information text box where you can tell us anything else you think we really ought to know.
For the 2022–2023 application, we’re asking these short answer essay questions:
We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.
Describe the world you come from (for example, your family, school, community, city, or town). How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?
MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds and experiences together to better the lives of others. Our students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way you have collaborated with people who are different from you to contribute to your community.
Tell us about a significant challenge you’ve faced (that you feel comfortable sharing) or something that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?
Pick what field of study at MIT appeals to you the most right now, and tell us more about why this field of study appeals to you. (100 words or fewer)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience. (250 word max.)
We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community.
Music Business Supplement
Write two essays:
Essay topic 1 (350 words minimum, 400 words maximum)
Below is a typical course list for your first year as a Music Business student at NYU. This first-year foundations curriculum will prepare you for success in the rest of your time at NYU. Please write about ways you foresee that these foundation courses will connect with each other and with the future music industry. In your answer, consider career areas that you are specifically interested in.
| Course Area | Number of Courses |
| Music Theory and Aural (Listening) Skills | 2 |
| Algebra and Calculus or Calculus I (Liberal Arts) | 1 or 2 |
| Keyboard Training | 2 |
| Business Structure of the Music Industry + Music Business | 2 |
| Writing the Essay (Liberal Arts) | 2 |
| Private music lesson or music technology class | 1 |
| Economics (Liberal Arts) | 1 or 2 |
Essay topic 2 (350 words minimum, 400 words maximum): Considering the new health and safety regulations put in place to control infectious diseases such as COVID-19, in your opinion, what are the challenges for concerts and festivals, and what do you think are the most promising innovations in the live music sector?
*2022-2023 No Supplemental Essays
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Required Question:
Notre Dame is a Catholic university, founded by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, with a mission to educate the hearts and minds of students. What excites you about attending Notre Dame?
Additional Prompts (You choose 1):
- People in the Notre Dame community come from many different places, backgrounds, and walks of life. How is where you’re from a part of who you are?
- Tell us about a time when you advocated for something you believe in.
- If you were given unlimited resources to help solve one problem in your community, what would it be and how would you accomplish it?
- What is the greatest compliment you have ever been given? Why was it meaningful to you?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Why are you applying to Occidental? What are your intellectual curiosities and why do you think Occidental is the right place for you to pursue them? (200 words maximum length)
Please answer one of the following questions (300 words max):
1. Research is an integral part of an Oxy education. Completing a senior comprehensive is a requirement of every Oxy student. Additionally, there are opportunities with the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles, the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, the International Richter Grant, the Summer Undergraduate Research Center, and other departments to conduct research. What is something you would like to research and why?
2. Briefly describe a current event or social movement that is affecting a city, town, or place that is important to you. Describe its significance to the community as well as its future implications for that community.
3. Oxy’s central mission emphasizes the value of community amidst diversity. What do you value in a community and how do you see your perspectives and life experiences enhancing it? (200 words maximum length)
What is the first song you would play for your Oxy roommate on move-in day
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State. This is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. We suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer. (Optional question)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Pepperdine is a Christian university where all are welcomed and encouraged to challenge each other in the pursuit of truth. Students, faculty, and staff members from all backgrounds participate in conversations of faith inside and outside of the classroom. Considering that Pepperdine is a Christian university, why are you interested in attending and how would you contribute to conversations of faith on campus?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
The Pomona-specific essay prompts for those applying for Fall 2023 admission include an academic interest statement (max. 150 words); a short-response essay (max. 150 words); and a longer-response essay (max. 250 words).
(1) Academic Interest Statement: What do you love about the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions.
(2) Short-Response Essay: choose to respond to one of the following three prompts in 150 words or less:
– At Pomona, we celebrate and identify with the number 47. Share with us one of your quirky personal, family, or community traditions and why you hold on to it.
– What item are you excited to bring with you to college?
– Describe a time when you felt empowered or on top of the world?
(3) Longer-Response Essay: choose to respond to one of the following three prompts in 250 words or less:
– In the past few years, is there something you have changed your mind about? Why?
– Reflecting on a community that you are part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?
– What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
The essay is part of the application. Write about a piece of work (visual art, musical performance, piece of writing, architecture, or design) that has influenced you and describe the impact it has had on your perspective OR write about a piece of your own work and the impact that creating it has had on you. The essay must be 250–500 words.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Extracurricular Activity and Work Experience
Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in 150 words or fewer)
Your Voice
Please respond to each question in 250 words or fewer.
– At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?
– Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.
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?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Optional Providence College Essay
Found under the “Additional Questions” section of the Providence College Member Page (within the Common Application), the Optional Providence College essay provides applicants with the opportunity to speak to their specific interest in PC. While completing this statement is optional, we encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunity to explain why they see Providence College as an appropriate match and fit. Should a student choose to complete an optional essay, they select one of the flowing prompts and limit their response to 250-500 words.
The prompts for the Class of 2027 are:
As a liberal arts school, Providence College provides students with the opportunity to explore several different academic areas. While you may not be ready to declare a major, what have you experienced, inside or outside of the classroom, that has led you to an interest in a particular field of study?
OR
Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy is a program on campus whose mission is to create a safe space that supports the development of well-informed and engaged students through civil discourse. There are several spaces on campus where students, faculty and staff can pose questions to the PC community and dialogue forms from there. One of the questions posted recently was “Name a time where you’ve felt empowered or represented by an educator.” What question would you like to pose to the PC community and why?
OR
If you could have a theme song, what would it be and why?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
All Applicants
Prompt 1: How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (100 words)
Prompt 2: Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Why are you interested in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? (250 words)
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (300 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
- Please explain why you wish to study in the academic areas you selected. 150 word limit.
- Based upon your exploration of Rice University, what elements of the Rice experience appeal to you? 150 word limit.
- Rice is lauded for creating a collaborative atmosphere that enhances the quality of life for all members of our campus community. The Residential College System and undergraduate life is heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural tradition each student brings. What life perspectives would you contribute to the Rice community? 500 word limit.
Rice Box
One of Rice's long-standing traditions is “The Box,” a question on our application where we ask all of our applicants to share an image of something that appeals to them. The Box gives you the opportunity to present us with an image that shares something about yourself, your interests or what is meaningful to you. This image is not used for evaluative purposes in the application, but allows you to put your stamp on the application about who you are aside from what you have achieved. Be sure to choose an image that speaks for itself and does not need an explanation.
Architecture Essay Prompts
Why are you determined to study architecture? Could you please elaborate on your past experiences and how they have motivated you to apply to Rice University and the School of Architecture in particular? 250 words.
Please expand on relevant experiences and motivations outside of your academic trajectory that have inspired you to study architecture, focusing on aspects that are not accommodated by other prompts in the application. 250 words.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Briefly describe what prompted you to apply to Santa Clara University. Based on what you know about SCU and our Jesuit mission to educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion, how do you envision your life at SCU and beyond? (200 words)
At SCU, we push our students to be creative, be challenged, and be the solution. Think about an ethical dilemma that you care about that our society is currently facing. This can be something happening in your local community or more globally. How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge? (150-300 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Optional: We invite you to respond to one of the following four essay prompts:
- Sarah Lawrence students are often described as hyphenates: director-playwright-sound designer, environmentalist-photographer, journalist-linguist, economist-poet. In 250-500 words, tell us about seemingly disparate interests you’ve brought together, or hope to bring together at Sarah Lawrence.
2. Students at Sarah Lawrence are asked to design their own research questions and answer them during semester-long projects. In 250-500 words, thoughtfully respond to a prompt of your own creation.
3. Sarah Lawrence College’s community places strong value in inclusion and diversity. In 250-500 words, tell us about what you value in a community and how your perspective, lived experiences, or beliefs might contribute to your College community.
4. In her 2019 commencement address, journalist Maggie Haberman ’96 told the graduating class: “My time at Sarah Lawrence helped me understand the importance of patience, of assuming good faith in others, and of finding truth.” In 250-500 words, tell us about a time you spoke your own truth or found the importance in one of the values Maggie describes.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Why have you chosen to apply to Scripps College? (200 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
- SMU appeals to students for a variety of reasons. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending SMU and what specific factors have led you to apply. (250-word limit)
- SMU is a diverse learning environment shaped by the convergence of ideas and cultures. How will your unique experiences or background enhance the University, and how will you benefit from this community? (250-word limit)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Answer several short questions (limit 50 words each), and write a short essay on each of the three topics below.
Short Essay Questions
There is a 100-word minimum and a 250-word maximum for each essay.
- The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
- Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better.
- Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Swarthmore students’ worldviews are often forged by their prior experiences and exposure to ideas and values. Our students are often mentored, supported, and developed by their immediate context—in their neighborhoods, communities of faith, families, and classrooms. Reflect on what elements of your home, school, or community have shaped you or positively impacted you. How have you grown or changed because of the influence of your community?
We are inspired by students who are flexible in their approach to learning, who are comfortable with experimentation, and who are willing to take intellectual risks that move them out of their comfort zone. Reflect on a time that you were intellectually challenged, inspired, or took an intellectual risk—inside or outside of the classroom. How has that experience shaped you, and what questions still linger?
Why are you interested in applying to and attending Swarthmore?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Texas A&M University believes that diversity, diversity.tamu.edu, is an important part of academic excellence and that it is essential to living our core values. Describe the benefits of diversity and inclusion for you and for the Texas A&M campus community. Please share any personal experiences that have shaped your views. (No word count provided)
Describe a life event which you feel has prepared you to be successful in college. (500 words)
Tell us about the person who has most impacted your life and why. (500 words)
If there are additional personal challenges, hardships, or opportunities (including COVID related experiences) that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, which you have not already written about, please note them in the space below. (250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
At TCU, it is our vision to be a world-class, values-centered university. We value academics, intellectual inquiry, creative expression, leadership, service, diversity, and the appreciation of the human experience. With which one of TCU’s core values do you most align and why? (Maximum length: 200 words)
TCU is committed to creating an inclusive campus culture for all people. We have a shared responsibility to enhance our community by encouraging inclusive environments through learning opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Describe how you have already contributed to creating an inclusive environment in your community or how you plan to contribute to an inclusive college environment in the future. (Maximum length: 200 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Please consider writing an additional optional essay that focuses on your specific interest in Trinity College. In 300 words or less, please write an essay about the following prompt. You may type directly into the box or you can paste text from another source.
The Trinity College community is characterized by engagement, inclusion, and collaborative partnerships. Based on the different communities that you are a member of, how will you engage with and leave an impact on the Trinity College community?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Short Responses
Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and 5-Year Tufts/NEC Combined Degree:
Prompt 1: Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, “Why Tufts?” (100-150 words)
Prompt 2: Now we’d like to know a little more about you. Please respond to one of the following three questions. (200-250 words)
- Option A: It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity?
- Option B: How have the environments or experiences of your upbringing – your family, home, neighborhood, or community – shaped the person you are today?
- Option C: Where are you on your journey of engaging with or fighting for social justice?
Applicants to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (BFA or 5-Year BFA+BA/BS Combined Degree)
Prompt 1: Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? Why SMFA at Tufts? (100-150 words)
Prompt 2: Art has the power to disrupt our preconceptions, shape public discourse, and imagine new ways of being in the world. What are the ideas you’d like to explore in your work? (200-250 words)
Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and 5-Year Tufts/NEC Combined Degree
Prompt 1: Which aspects of the Tufts undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short, ‘Why Tufts?’ (100-150 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
- Please briefly describe why you are interested in attending Tulane University.
This statement should be 500 words at most; however, it is neither necessary nor expected that you reach this maximum length. We strongly encourage you to focus on content and efficiency rather than word count. While submitting this prompt is optional, we recommend that all applicants do so. - Tulane values the lessons gained from pursuing an education alongside a student body that represents a wide range of experiences and perspectives and is reflective of our multicultural world. If you would like to share a perspective related to your family, cultural group, sexual or gender identity, religious group, or some other aspect that has shaped your identity, please do so here.
This statement should be 500 words at most; however, it is neither necessary nor expected that you reach this maximum length. If you choose to answer this prompt, we strongly encourage you to focus on content and efficiency rather than word count. Keep in mind this prompt will not apply to all applicants, and it is completely optional.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Personal Insight Questions
You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
- Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?
Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?
How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career?
- What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Things to consider: If there’s a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?
Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule?
- Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that’s geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you — just to name a few.
If you choose to write about educational barriers you’ve faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who are you today?
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?
If you’re currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, “How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family?”
- Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
Things to consider: Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can’t get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom — such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs — and what you have gained from your involvement.
Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?
- What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place — like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?
Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community?
- Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Things to consider: If there’s anything you want us to know about you, but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
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)
- Option 1: Was it a cat I saw? Yo-no-na-ka, ho-ka-ho-ka na-no-yo (Japanese for “the world is a warm place”). Może jutro ta dama da tortu jeżom (Polish for “maybe tomorrow that lady will give a cake to the hedgehogs”). Share a palindrome in any language, and give it a backstory.
– Inspired by Leah Beach, Class of 2026, Lib Gray SB ’12, and Agnes Mazur AB ‘09
Option 2: What advice would a wisdom tooth have?
–Inspired by Melody Dias, Class of 2025
Option 3: 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
Option 4: UChicago has been affiliated with over 90 Nobel laureates. But, why should economics, physics, and peace get all the glory? You are tasked with creating a new category for the Nobel Prize. Explain what it would be, why you chose your specific category, and the criteria necessary to achieve this accomplishment.
—Inspired by Isabel Alvarez, Class of 2026
Option 5: Genghis Khan with an F1 racecar. George Washington with a SuperSoaker. Emperor Nero with a toaster. Leonardo da Vinci with a Furby. If you could give any historical figure any piece of technology, who and what would it be, and why do you think they’d work so well together?
-Inspired by Braden Hajer, Class of 2025
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!
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Short Answer Questions: (These short answers must be different written responses than what you provided for the Common Application essay)
Required question #1 (250 word limit) - At the University of Colorado Boulder, no two Buffs are alike. We value difference and support equity and inclusion of all students and their many intersecting identities. Pick one of your unique identities and describe its significance.
Required question #2 (250 word limit) – Please share a bit more about your academic interests. What do you hope to study at CU Boulder? What has inspired your interests in this area? Or if you are undecided, what area(s) of study are you considering? Think about your prior/current coursework, extracurricular activities, work/volunteer experiences, future goals, or anything else that has shaped your interests.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Do you have any employment or family obligations that limit your participation in extracurricular activities. If so, please describe. (250 word limit)
– Have you participated in or been assisted in your college preparation and search by programs outside of classroom, such as Educational Talent Search, Take Stock in Children, Upward Bound, Boys and Girls Club, etc.?
If yes, please provide the name of the program, details/benefits of your involvement, and how long your experiences continued. (250 word limit)
– Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 word limit)
– Is there any other information or extenuating circumstances the Admission Committee should know when reviewing your application? (250 word limit)
Honors Program Essay Prompt
1. Why is applying for the UF Honors Program important to you? Which aspects of the program's three pillars of opportunity, community, and challenge pique your interests? How would you engage with the program to exemplify these pillars yourself? How does the program factor into your long-term goals? (400 word max.)
2. Identify two topics you have previously studied that do not traditionally overlap. How do you envision you might bring these topics together during your time in Honors to engage a pressing societal, medical or technological concern? The concern you wish to engage could be of local, national or global scope, but you should be clear about the issue you want to address. For the purposes of this essay, the topics you identify need not have been formally studied in high school, but you should have studied them since beginning in high school. (300 word max.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
The college admissions process can create anxiety. In an attempt to make it less stressful, please tell us an interesting or amusing story about yourself from your high school years that you have not already shared in your application.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
You'll answer two to three short-answer prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program, and if you've selected a second choice. Short answers should be no more than 150 words each.
If You're Applying to a Major:
- In the past 3 to 4 years, what experience(s) have you had (inside or outside of the classroom) related to your selected first-choice major or academic interest?
- How does your selected first-choice major relate to your future career goals?
If You're Applying to Our Undeclared Program:
- What are your academic interests and strengths? You may also include any majors you are considering.
- What are your future academic or career goals?
If You've Selected a Second-Choice Major (Including Undeclared):
You have selected a second-choice major. Please explain your interest in that major or your overall academic or career goals.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Please complete the following sentences (160 characters).
- If I could travel anywhere, I would go to...
- The most interesting fact I ever learned from research was...
- In addition to my major, my academic interests include...
- My favorite thing about last Tuesday was...
- Something you might not know about me is...
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
- Please tell us why you want to attend UMass Amherst? (100 word count)
- Please tell us why you chose the Majors you did? (100 word count)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Considering your ability to control your own motivation and behavior, how have past experiences helped build your courage and resilience to persist in the face of academic and life challenges so that, once these storms pass, you can emerge in continued pursuit of your goals? (250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
- Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (Required for all applicants)
- Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (Required for all applicants)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
You’ll choose two of the following prompts to respond to in 200-250 words:
- Describe an aspect of your identity and how this has shaped your life experiences or impacted your daily interactions with others?
- Describe a peer who is making a difference in your school or community. What actions has that peer taken? How has their work made a difference in your life?
- If you could change one thing to better your community, what would it be? Please explain.
- Former UNC-Chapel Hill employee, community service member, and civil rights activist Esphur Foster once said “We are nothing without our history.” Her words are memorialized on the Northside Neighborhood Freedom Fighters monument. How does history shape who you are?
You’ll complete all of the following fill-in-the-blank responses in 25 words each:
- One family, friend, or school tradition I cherish:
- If I had an extra hour in every day, I would spend it:
- If I could travel anywhere, near or far, past, present or future, I would go:
- The last time I stepped outside my comfort zone, I:
- People who meet me are most likely to notice, and least likely to notice:
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
The University of Notre Dame Writing Section consists of one (1) essay response to a required question and one (1) essay response to a question you select from the options provided. In total, you will write two (2) essay responses. The word count is a maximum of 200 words per essay.
Please provide a response to the following question:
Notre Dame is a Catholic university, founded by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, with a mission to educate the hearts and minds of students. What excites you about attending Notre Dame?
Please provide a response to ONE (1) of the following questions:
- People in the Notre Dame community come from many different places, backgrounds, and walks of life. How is where you’re from a part of who you are?
- Tell us about a time when you advocated for something you believe in.
- If you were given unlimited resources to help solve one problem in your community, what would it be and how would you accomplish it?
- What is the greatest compliment you have ever been given? Why was it meaningful to you?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
1) Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)
2) How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)
3) Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, describe how you intend to explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania. (150-200 words)
For students applying to the coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer these questions in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay.
Transfer Essay (required for all transfer applicants): Please explain your reasons for transferring from your current institution and what you hope to gain by transferring to another institution. (4150 characters)
DMD: Digital Media Design Program
Why are you interested in the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at the University of Pennsylvania? (400-650 words)
Huntsman: The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business
The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally-minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and internationally. What draws you to a dual-degree program in business and international studies, and how would you use what you learn to make a contribution to a global issue where business and international affairs intersect? (400-650 words)
LSM: The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management
The LSM program aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the life sciences and their management with an eye to identifying, advancing and implementing innovations. What issues would you want to address using the understanding gained from such a program? Note that this essay should be distinct from your single degree essay. (400-650 words)
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts” (attributed to Winston Churchill). Tell us about the failure from which you’ve learned the most. (200-250 words)
M&T: The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology
Explain how you will use the M&T program to explore your interest in business, engineering, and the intersection of the two. (400-650 words)
Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words)
NETS: The Rajendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering
Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words)
NHCM: Nursing and Healthcare Management
Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words)
Seven-Year Bio-Dental Program
- Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry.
- List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands.
- What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people?
- Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least.
- Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended.
VIPER: The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research
Describe your interests in energy science and technology drawing on your previous academic, research, and extracurricular experiences that allow you to appreciate the scientific or engineering challenges related to energy and sustainability. If you have previous experience with research, describe your research project (outlining the goals, hypotheses, approach, results, and conclusions). Describe how your experiences have shaped your research and interests, and identify how the VIPER program will help you achieve your goals. Also, please indicate which VIPER majors in both science and engineering are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
In lieu of an essay or personal statement, we ask interested applicants to answer a short answer question. The Admissions Committee reviews responses for quality rather than length. However, the most effective responses typically range from 200-300 words per question. Responses that are longer or shorter are acceptable. The question is required for Pitt Honors consideration.
1. If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? Explain why and how you would change it?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Choose from the following prompts (350-650 words):
-
Option 1
Tell us about the most unusual talent you have, and how you have made it useful.
Option 2
Spiders are essential to the ecosystem. How are you essential to your community or will you be essential in your university community?
Option 3
Please share one idea for actions or policies that you think would begin to address an issue of racial or social injustice.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
The University of Rochester motto of Meliora – or “ever better” - deeply integrates critical core values into all that we do. These core values of equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect and accountability define not only who we are, but also who we hope to become. Please use the space below to highlight a time, creative idea or research experience when you put into action one or more of these characteristics in order to make yourself, your community or the world ever better. (250 word limit)
You may answer one of three ways:
Prompt 1 Essay Response Option: Write an analytical or creative response of 200 words or less.
Prompt 1 Creative Response Option: Upload up to three works of your own art (e.g. pictures, video, performances, literary) and use the space below to provide a brief explanation as to how the art is tied to making the world, your community, and those around you “ever better.”
Prompt 1 Research Response Option: Upload an abstract describing your own related research and use the space below to provide a brief explanation as to how the research is tied to making the world, your community and those around you “ever better.”
Please select one of the following prompts to respond to in 200 words or less.
American social reformer, abolitionist, writer and statesman Frederick Douglass said, “Some know the value of education by having it. I knew its value by not having it.” Explain ways in which education has directly influenced you and your ability to do good in the world. How will you use the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities of the University of Rochester experience to grow and to promote positive change for yourself, your community and the world?
Dr. Donna Strickland, University of Rochester alum and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Physics said, “There’s no point in me being anything other than me.” The University of Rochester encourages each student to embrace who they are and create their own individual curricular path and experience. How will you use the opportunities here to fully be who you are? What unique perspectives will you bring to our community?
The University of Rochester benefactor entrepreneur, photography pioneer and philanthropist George Eastman said, “What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.” Looking forward towards your college experience, what do you hope to do outside of the classroom at the University of Rochester that will enhance who you are as a person? How will specific academic and social opportunities here help you grow?
Susan B. Anthony, champion of abolition and women’s rights, once said “Organize, agitate, educate must be our war cry.” As you look to join our community of doers and disruptors, in what ways do you envision using both the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to invoke change for marginalized groups?
Research
Are you interested in pursuing research while enrolled at the University of Rochester? If Yes, what field/area of study are you interested in researching? (20 words)
Combined Degree Program Applicants
What relevant experiences or insight have led to your interest in this particular program? Describe how Rochester’s resources: facilities, faculty, peers and research will meet your academic and personal ambitions. Describe how you see yourself contributing to the challenging field you want to enter as a Rochester graduate. (500 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Main Essay (500-700 words)
Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?
Required Short Answer 1:
Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?
Required Short Answer 2:
Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.
Required Short Answer 3:
The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, "To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society." Please share how you believe your experience at UT-Austin will prepare you to “Change the World” after you graduate.
Optional Short Answer Question (250-300 words)
Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Essay Prompts
Optional Essay: Please answer one of the five questions:
1.Why UVM?
2.Established in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington, VT, Ben and Jerry’s is synonymous with the ice cream business. The company’s success and unique brand identity are due in part to their one-of-a-kind flavors. Which Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor (real or imagined) best describes you?
3.Whether they are constructing a robot, a stronger sense of community or an identity, UVM students are builders. What would you like to build?
4.At UVM, learning extends far beyond the walls of our classrooms. From student-led organizations, to internships and study abroad experiences, UVM students are encouraged to pursue knowledge in all environments. Describe a time when you’ve learned in a non-traditional setting.
5.Communities and organizations are stronger when they value diversity of thought. How do you create meaningful connections or conversations with others when they express opinions that differ from your own?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
1. We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school/program to which you are applying in roughly 100 words.
- College of Arts & Sciences: If you could create a college course that all UVA students would take, what would it be about and why?
- School of Engineering: How will you use an engineering degree to change the world for the better?
- School of Architecture: Describe a significant experience that deepened your interest in studying in the School of Architecture.
- School of Nursing: Describe a health care-related experience or another significant interaction that deepened your interest in studying Nursing.
- Kinesiology Program: Describe an experience that has deepened your interest in studying kinesiology.
2. Answer two of the following questions in 50 words each.
1. What’s your favorite word and why?
2. We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions. What is one of your quirks?
3. About what topic could you speak for an hour?
4. Take us to your happy place.
5. You can wake up tomorrow and a skill you already have will become expert-level. What skill is that?
6. What is the last gift you gave something that wasn’t bought with money?
7. What website is the internet missing?
8. After a challenging experience, how do you recharge?
9. Tell us about a place you’d like to share with everyone, but also keep to yourself.
10. UVA students paint messages on Beta Bridge when they want to share information with our community. What would you paint on Beta Bridge and why is this your message?
11. Tell us about a time when, faced with an opinion or perspective that differed from your own, you responded as an empathetic speaker or generous listener.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
At the UW, we consider the college essay as our opportunity to see the person behind the transcripts and the numbers. Some of the best statements are written as personal stories. In general, concise, straightforward writing is best, and good essays are often 300-400 words in length.
Please note: You must submit your essay and short response within the UW application questions. We are not able to retrieve your essays from the Coalition Essay section of your Profile. If you only submit your essays through the Coalition Essay section of your Profile, we will not receive them, and your application will be incomplete.
REQUIRED
- Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. (500 words)
- Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words)Additional information about yourself or your circumstances [optional] (200 words)
You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:– You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education
– Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations
– You have experienced unusual limitations or opportunities unique to the schools you attended
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
All Campuses: This part is all about you. Tell us about something you’ve done—academically or personally—and what you’ve learned from it. Was it a success or a challenge? Did it represent a turning point in your life? How did this particular moment in your life influence you, and how will it continue to influence you as you pursue your college education?
UW-La Crosse
Please respond to ONE of the following: (1) How will your life experiences, commitments, and/or characteristics enrich the UW-La Crosse campus community? OR (2) Tell us why you are interested in attending UW-La Crosse and what aspects of the campus are especially important to you.
UW-MADISON
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Question 1: Describe a setback or ethical dilemma that you have faced. How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? Most importantly, what did you learn about yourself and how would you handle a similar situation in the future? (400 to 500 words, 3,000 characters max)
Question 2: What attributes, life experiences, unique perspectives, and/or special talents do you possess that would contribute to the classroom, student body, and/or Air Force Academy? (400 to 500 words, 3000 characters)
Question 3: Please provide any additional information or background you believe will be of assistance in evaluating your application. (400 to 500 words, 3000 characters max) (Optional)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Essays are available online as part of the online application.
*2021-2022 Essay Prompt
Biographical Essay (min 200 words): You must include your reasons for wanting to attend the Academy, a discussion of curriculum preference, the development of your career interest based on your high school classes, hobbies and activities, any sailing, seamen's or military experience. You must also state your understanding and willingness to accept the service obligation upon graduation (U.S. applicants).
*2021-2022 Essay Prompts
1. Explain why you want to attend the United States Military Academy and serve on active duty as an Army officer.
2. What are the most important qualities in becoming a successful USMA cadet and a successful Army officer?
3. West Point and the Army are committed to the idea that respect for others and an understanding of diversity are important leadership traits. Why will you be successful in working with leaders, peers, and subordinates of a gender, color, ethnicity, and/or religion different from your own?
*2021-2022 Essay Prompt
In a well-organized essay of a total of 300 to 500 words, please discuss both of the following:
(1) Describe what led to your initial interest in the naval service and how the Naval Academy will help you achieve your long-range goals, and
(2) Describe a personal experience you have had which you feel has contributed to your own character development and integrity.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt (Under Activity Section of Common App)
No Change from 2021-2022
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200-400 words)*
*2023-2024 Essay Prompts
Villanova requires applicants to submit both their Common Application essay and two short Villanova Essays. The two supplemental responses must be different from the response shared in the Common Application essay section.
Writing Supplement #1: Villanova Free Choice
For the first Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.
Prompt One:
St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?
Prompt Two:
What is the truest thing that you know?
Prompt Three:
One of the themes in St. Augustine’s book, Confessions, is the idea of redemption. Tell us your story of being given a second chance.
Prompt Four:
In the Villanova community, we believe that we all learn from one another. What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others?
Prompt Five:
Augustine’s “Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature.” Tell us about a societal issue that you believe the wonder of technology is well-poised to help solve.
Writing Supplement #2: Why Villanova? (2023-24)
Prompt: Why do you want to call Villanova your new home and how will you become part of our community?
Please submit a written response of about 150 words.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
The Ut Prosim Profile is required for all degree-seeking applicants. Each question has a word limit of 120 words for your response.
1. Virginia Tech's motto is "Ut Prosim" which means 'That I May Serve'. Share how you contribute to a community that is important to you. How long have you been involved? What have you learned and how would you like to share that with others at Virginia Tech?
2. Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt and learn from a difficulty. Reflect on a time that you have exhibited resilience. What growth did you see in yourself after this experience?
3. Share a time when you were most proud of yourself either as a role model or when you displayed your leadership. What specific skills did you contribute to the experience? How did others rely on you for guidance? What did you learn about yourself during this time?
4.Describe a goal that you have set and the steps you will take to achieve it. What made you set this goal for yourself? What is your timeline to achieve this goal? Who do you seek encouragement or guidance from and how do they support your progress as you work on this goal?
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Respond to each:
– List five books you’ve read that have intrigued you.
– Explain how a text you’ve read – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or literature of any kind – has helped you to understand the world’s complexity (limit: 150 words).
– What piques your intellectual curiosity, and why (limit: 150 words)?
– Give us your Top Ten list. (The choice of theme is yours.) (limit: 100 characters per line)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Please describe how you have familiarized yourself with Washington and Lee University and what aspects of W&L’s community are most exciting to you. (250 words)
Please describe an aspect of your life outside of school that is important to you, such as an extracurricular activity, a job or a family responsibility. How does your involvement impact you and those around you? (250 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
Please tell us what you are interested in studying at WashU and why.”
If you indicate an interest in the Beyond Boundaries program on your application for admission, you will be asked to respond to a different prompt.
Many of our students broadly explore the connections across WashU’s five undergraduate divisions and three graduate schools and engage with the community before declaring a major. The Beyond Boundaries Program equips students with a set of tools to critically understand and make a difference in a complicated world where challenges do not come pre-packaged as territory of a single discipline. In about 250 words, tell us what great challenge you might want to understand and tackle leveraging two or more of WashU’s schools and how you would pursue an interdisciplinary path of study that explores that challenge or an aspect of that challenge in a unique and innovative way.
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
No Change from 2021-2022
When choosing a college community, you are choosing a place where you believe that you can live, learn, and flourish. Generations of inspiring women have thrived in the Wellesley community, and we want to know what aspects of this community inspire you to consider Wellesley. We know that there are more than 100 reasons to choose Wellesley, but the “Wellesley 100” is a good place to start. Visit The Wellesley 100 and let us know, in two well-developed paragraphs, which two items most attract, inspire, or energize you and why. (Not-so-secret tip: The “why” matters to us.)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts (Common App)
No Change from 2021-2022
Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extracurricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? We know nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are. Anything goes! Inspire us, impress us, or just make us laugh. Think of this optional opportunity as show and tell by proxy and with an attitude.
*2022-2023 No Essay
Fall 2023 Applicants
Williams does not require a writing supplement. However, students who are interested in submitting an example of their written work have the option of sharing an academic paper completed within the last year, ideally 3-5 pages in length. The paper does not need to be graded, and can be creative or analytical. Please do not submit lab reports. If submitting this optional paper, please include a description of the assignment or prompt.
*Added Writing Question
As a residential learning community, Williams believes that some of the most important experiences happen while living and learning alongside those different from oneself. Please describe a time when you learned or grew through the process of interacting with someone whose background, identity, lived experience, or perspective differs from your own. (150-300 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompt
Worcester Polytechnic Institute seeks students who are the right fit for its academic and campus community. In what ways are you the right fit for the distinctive educational and campus experience that Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers? (500 words)
*2022-2023 Essay Prompts
No Change from 2021-2022
Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
Why do these areas appeal to you? (125 words or fewer)
What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)
Short Takes
Please respond in no more than 300 characters (approximately 35 words), to each of the following questions:
What inspires you?
Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask?
You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called?
What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?
Yale Essays
Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application: use the two short essays (250 words or fewer) below to reflect on topics and personal experiences that will help the Admissions Committee learn more about you.
1. Yale carries out its mission “through the free exchange of ideas in an ethical, interdependent, and diverse community.” Reflect on a time when you exchanged ideas about an important issue with someone holding an opposing view. How did the experience lead you either to change your opinion or to sharpen your reasons for holding onto it?
2. Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
- Yale Supplemental Essays 2026-2027 - September 4, 2026
- Inside Personal Application Boot Camp®: A Q&A with Senior Private Counselor Dr. Eliza Fox - August 26, 2026
- The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges for 2027: Why the “Best” College Depends on the Student - August 19, 2026
