Supplemental essays: what they are and how to plan them

The types you will see most

• Why us: why this college, specifically. See our guide to the "Why this college?" essay.
• Why this major: what draws you to the subject and what you have already done about it.
• Community: a community you belong to and your place in it.
• Activity or extracurricular: one activity explored in more depth than the activities list allows.
• Perspective or background: how your experiences shape how you would contribute to campus.
• Intellectual curiosity: an idea, book or question you cannot stop thinking about.
• Short takes: very short answers, sometimes a single sentence or a list, such as your favorite book or a word that describes you.

How long are supplemental essays?

Each college sets its own limits, so check every prompt. Common lengths are around 50, 100, 150, 250 and 400 words, and short-answer questions can be counted in characters. Treat the limit as a target: a 250-word answer at 120 words usually looks like it was written in a hurry.

Plan them like a project

1. 1List every college and copy each prompt and word limit into one spreadsheet.
2. 2Group prompts that ask the same thing. Ten colleges may ask only four distinct questions.
3. 3Draft one strong answer for each group, then tailor it for each college.
4. 4Start with colleges whose deadlines come first, such as Early Decision and Early Action.
5. 5Keep a list of the stories you have used where, so each college sees different sides of you.

Reusing answers safely

Reusing the part of an answer that is about you is normal and sensible. What you cannot reuse is anything specific to one college. A "Why us" answer that names the wrong college, or that would make sense for any college, is one of the most common mistakes readers see.

Do not repeat the personal essay

Each piece of writing should add something new. If your personal essay is about your family's restaurant, your community supplement can be about the robotics team, and your activity essay about the job. Readers see the whole application together, so variety works in your favor.

Questions