Barnard asks two required questions for 2026-27: one bold question on your mind and what piques your curiosity about it (50 words), and a 200-250 word essay about a woman, historical, fictional, contemporary or personal, whose views or approach differ from yours but who excels at bringing people together, and what lesson from her approach would shape how you show up at Barnard.
Both questions are about how you think: one about curiosity, one about learning from someone you do not agree with.
Barnard's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| One bold question on your mind | 50 words | Required | Intellectual curiosity |
| A woman who brings people together | 200-250 words | Required | Disagreement and dialogue |
How to plan the Barnard supplement
- 1Write the 50-word bold question first. A sharp question is easier to find than to explain.
- 2For the 200-250 word essay, choose a woman whose difference from you is real; the lesson is only interesting if it cost you something to learn.
1. One bold question on your mind
Barnard's wording · 50 words · Required“At Barnard, inquiry starts with asking bold questions about the world. What is one bold question on your mind and what about it piques your curiosity?”
What it is really asking. One bold question about the world and what about it piques your curiosity, in 50 words.
How to approach it
- 1Ask a question you cannot answer yet, specific enough to be yours.
- 2Use the rest of the words for why it grips you.
Mistakes to avoid
- A question with a known answer.
- A grand question with no personal hook.
More on this kind of question: Writing about a topic that captivates you
2. A woman who brings people together
Barnard's wording · 200-250 words · Required“Barnard College is shaped by trailblazing women with a multitude of perspectives. Think of a woman - historical, fictional, contemporary, or personally significant - whose views or approach to problem-solving differ from your own, but who excels at bringing people together. What lesson from her approach would shape how you show up at Barnard both inside and outside of the classroom?”
What it is really asking. A woman whose views or way of solving problems differ from yours but who brings people together, and the lesson from her approach that would shape how you show up at Barnard, in and outside the classroom.
How to approach it
- 1Choose someone you have watched closely, or studied deeply.
- 2Name the difference between you honestly.
- 3Show how she brings people together in one scene.
- 4End on the lesson and how it would show up at Barnard, in class and beyond.
Mistakes to avoid
- A famous name chosen to impress, with no real difference from you.
- Only praise, with no lesson for you.
Full guide: How to Write Barnard's "Woman Who Brings People Together" Essay
What our grader checks in your Barnard answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Barnard's own wording. Each area comes back Met, Partly or Missing, and those verdicts (with the word limit) set the answer's readiness: Ready, Nearly there or Needs work. There is no score out of 100.
| Question | Barnard's own check |
|---|---|
| One bold question on your mind | Asks one bold question and says what about it piques the applicant's curiosity, in 50 words. |
| A woman who brings people together | Names a woman whose views differ from the applicant's but who brings people together, and the lesson for how they will show up at Barnard. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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