The project of addressing college-specific essay prompts can feel daunting, but your responses really are a great opportunity to share more of your story with admissions officers. In the spirit of sharing, here are some of our favorite resources:
- Yale’s excellent “Inside the Admissions Office” podcast devoted an episode to college-specific essays. It’s fascinating to hear three admissions officers discuss why they ask these additional questions (turns out it’s not to annoy applicants). As one says, “We want to provide as many chances as we can for the student to help us meet them.” We think students applying to any college that has supplemental essays will find listening to be a reassuring and informative use of 27 minutes.
- In “Deconstructing the ‘Why Tufts’ Essay,” a Tufts admissions officer shares why this essay plays a critical role in their evaluation process and walks readers through an example of how to move from a common and forgettable response to one that goes much deeper.
- Tulane University’s Director of Admissions also has great advice about the “Why College X”? Statement. Answering the question is optional at Tulane, but it’s a really good idea to answer it, and his points and suggestions for answering it well apply broadly.
- The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling restricting the use of “race-conscious admissions” affected supplement essay prompts. An article from the Brown Daily Herald includes discussion of the prompt they added, the intent behind it, and the many ways students can respond effectively.
The Supplements Launch is our strategic program for the college applicant who is ready to identify topics for college-specific essays and to begin drafting. We also work with students on supplement essays through Feedback Sessions and E-Feedback.
