Supplemental Essays

Why _______ University?

One of the most common college application supplemental essays is the Why ____ University? prompt. Often much shorter in length, this type of prompt aims to find out exactly why a student wishes to attend this specific university.  

Your mentee needs to give the university specific and personal reasons why they want to attend. For example, they might talk about why they are interested in this specific university or program and how it aligns with their personal ‘fit’ or moral outlook. They should detail why a particular class, major, or research or study abroad opportunity makes them excited to study at that particular school. Talking about learning with a specific faculty member or taking part in an extracurricular club demonstrates what the university can offer them as well as what they can offer the university. It will not be enough for the student to say something like “because it’s the best school in the world” or “it’s very prestigious.”

Students can look at a school’s mission statement, blogs, virtual campus visits, department pages, etc. to help with this. College websites can be really daunting places, especially when you are trying to navigate them in your non-native language. Helping your mentee develop their research skills through the university webpages will be a beneficial way for them to learn more about the universities that require this type of supplemental essay. 

Why do you want to study ______________?

Like the Why ________ University? prompt, this supplemental essay prompt seeks to find out more about the student’s interest in their chosen field(s) of study. An essay like this may be used to determine not just admission to an institution, but admission to a particular department or program.

Your mentee could discuss their intrinsic or personal interest in this field. They could talk about particular experiences, classes or circumstances that lead them to this field. They could also talk about a specific school’s program of study in that field, explaining how the classes, professors or research initiatives get them excited to pursue their degree. Either way, the student needs to show that they are motivated and have given serious thought to their chosen major(s).

Helping your mentee brainstorm when they became interested in their chosen field(s) of study, what specific part of the field they like or even how they study this subject in school already might be a good place to start. Make sure that this essay is unique to the student and their field; it should not be so generic that it would still make sense if the student’s name or field of study was changed to another.

Tell us about a community you are a part of/elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities.

The goal of this prompt is to allow the student to provide more detail about an important community in their lives/one of their extracurricular activities, which they only have 150 characters to describe in their extracurricular activities list. This supplemental essay will allow the institution the ability to not only understand the community or activity more clearly (especially if it is a cultural activity), but also how it is an important aspect of the student’s life and identity. 

Have your mentee think about what their involvement in the community or activity that they select for this essay will say about them. Your mentee should select a community or activity that is meaningful to them. When talking about their lives outside of school, what does your mentee get the most excited to talk about? Further, ask your mentee if they plan to continue this involvement while on campus–institutions will want to hear about it if so! 

How will you get involved in the community at _________ University?

Like the others above, this essay prompt seeks to learn about the student’s personality and extracurricular interests, but also about their own initiative to take part in campus life. Institutions want to know that they are investing in students who will not only perform well academically, but will be an integral part of the unique campus community. 

You may be able to help your mentee with this essay by assisting in their research of what activities, sports, clubs or groups are available at this particular university. From there, your mentee might want to talk about how they plan to continue activities that they already do now, such as a sport. They might talk about trying something new, or even making a club or group that they are interested in, but don’t see available on campus. Your mentee could even talk about the community outside of the institution’s campus, such as a local community organization or religious group. 

Unpredictable Prompts

Unpredictable prompts are often short, but can be difficult to answer! These prompts are opportunities for your mentee to express their creativity and showcase their unique personality. How can you stand out to admissions officers?

Remind your mentee that writing multiple drafts is okay; these questions can be tough. Try talking through them together in order to brainstorm first! 

Here is one example of an unpredictable prompt used by Occidental College: “Quirks, idiosyncrasies, peculiarities. They help differentiate us. What is one of yours? (133 words max).