Have you fine-tuned your Common App? Ready to submit your main essay? Congratulations! But don’t relax just yet, because some of the most important essay components are still ahead. Most top schools use school-specific supplemental essays to find out more about each applicant and—critically for them and for you—to distinguish which applicants are truly invested in attending their institution.
By fall of senior year, many of your application elements are already set, including your high school grades, AP exam and SAT/ACT test scores, extracurricular activities and accomplishments, and the opinions of teachers and counselors who are writing your recommendations.
College essays, including the standard 650-word Personal Statement and all school-specific supplements, remain the components of your application that are still entirely within your control.
Investing time in refining only the main essay but then rushing the school-specific essays near the deadline is a surprisingly common pitfall, and one that is likely to derail even a high-achieving student’s chance of acceptance.
The school-specific essays are where colleges look to see how deeply a student has considered topics important to that institution and how well the applicant knows their specific institution. You can increase your chances of admission by being savvy about how colleges use these supplemental essays. Preparing applications that stand out requires careful attention to several characteristics of the school-specific supplements.
CONSISTENCY IS KING
Although the main essay is always central, a college’s supplementary essays can be equally or more important. A well-crafted main Personal Statement followed by a quickly produced school-specific essay can raise red flags. Admissions officers are attuned to consistency of voice and quality of writing, particularly at highly competitive schools that conduct a “holistic” application review. Some admissions officers even prioritize reading the school-specific supplements first to evaluate which applicants merit a closer look. Strong writing and well-considered answers are important for all prompts, not just the longer ones.
MOST POPULAR NEW COLLEGE ESSAY TYPE: STUDENT IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY
The school-specific essays are even more critical this year following the Supreme Court’s ruling against race-conscious admissions which resulted in many schools adding new required essays about experiences through the lens of a student’s identity or role in the community. This type of essay is now standing in for demographic information that schools are no longer allowed to consider. Regardless of background, students applying this cycle need a strong response to this popular essay type.
Essay Guidance
Get our expert guidance on your college essays.
MORE ESSAYS VS. FEWER ESSAYS
There is no clear trend in the number of supplemental essays. This year, Williams College joins other NESCAC schools such as Middlebury and Colby in dropping supplementary essays entirely as an inclusivity strategy to lower the barrier of applying. Meanwhile, essays have multiplied at other top colleges with Brown University now requiring seven individual pieces of writing. The numbers can be daunting: a student choosing to apply to all eight Ivies this cycle (despite this being an unwise strategy for other reasons) would need to submit 28 supplementary essays plus nine short answer responses.
HIDDEN ESSAYS
Even identifying how many and what essays need to be written has become an unwelcome treasure hunt. Although the Common App has a “Writing Supplement” section, few colleges actually use this dedicated area for their school-specific material. On the main “College Information” page, students will see the text “This college does not use a writing supplement for any additional writing requirements.” This misleading text does not mean that there are no supplements! Instead, to see what questions may be required, students need to check for empty essay boxes often lurking within the “Questions” section under the subcategories of “Academics,” “Activities,” “General,” or “Writing.” For example, Wake Forest’s Top Ten List, 5 Books that Intrigued You, and two other essays are found under the “Writing” category, but unexpectedly, the question “Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution,” appears under “Contacts.” Many other schools place their essay prompts in unexpected places.
Common App 911/UC App 911
Step-by-step strategic support.
Confused? You aren’t the only one! Our Common App 911 program will walk you step-by-step through each application to make sure you’re not missing any of these sneaky essays.
POP-UP ESSAYS
To make things even more complex for applicants, some schools have supplemental essays that “pop up” during the application process depending on a student’s selections regarding majors, programs, honors programs, or other choices. For example, for Cornell University, depending on your selection of the “College or School to which you are applying,” a second essay question populates in the “Writing Supplement: Questions” area, where there was previously only one. These essays are significant – Cornell’s are up to 650 words for most colleges – so you don’t want to be discovering these at the last minute as you are trying to submit your application.
STEALTH SUPPLEMENTS
Even after submitting an application, a student’s work may not be done. Several schools now “invite” students to submit “optional” essays through their portals even though the application has been declared complete and been submitted through the Common App. Holy Cross, University of Puget Sound, and Santa Clara University all have stealth essays this year, accessed through the student portal after application submission, while Colgate has three. Although the language reads that “these prompts are not meant to feel like essays,” any student facing Colgate’s questions “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,” and “Tell us in 200-250 words what inspires you and why you want to pursue that at Colgate,” will feel that they are writing yet one more college-specific essay. And indeed, that is exactly what they are.
Although sometimes described as “optional,” skipping these extras would be a big mistake. School-specific supplements have become an increasingly important index of demonstrating interest and therefore providing an indication of a student’s likelihood of “yielding” if offered a spot. Colleges know that many students are applying to large numbers of institutions, and they want to see compelling evidence that you might attend their school if you are admitted. The supplemental essays are your critical chance to stand out as someone who wants to attend that college.
PERSONALIZED GUIDANCE FOR A COMPETITIVE EDGE
To optimize your chances, take time to explore and fill out the basic information required in your applications well in advance to avoid any surprises. Recognize that these extra components are key parts of your applications rather than an afterthought. Need help creating strategic supplemental essays? Let us help you put your best foot forward.
After attending Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California, Heidi graduated cum laude with an Honors thesis from Dartmouth College as a double major in Classical Archaeology and Comparative Literature. At the University of Pennsylvania, Heidi was a Williams Fellow in the graduate program of Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. She has conducted archaeological field work in Sardinia, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey.
- 2024: A Big Year for College Waitlists - April 1, 2024
- Making the Most of Your Spring Break College Campus Visits - February 20, 2024
- Early Decision Denial? Here are Your Next Steps - December 11, 2023
