Bowdoin offers two optional essays of up to 250 words each in the Bowdoin Supplement: one on which line of "The Offer of the College" (written in 1906 by President William DeWitt Hyde) resonates most with you, and one on navigating through differences, the experiences and perspectives you would bring to Bowdoin.
Both are optional. Bowdoin says the strongest applications are personal and genuine, so write one when you have something real to add.
Bowdoin's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Offer of the College | 250 words | Optional | Why this college |
| Navigating through differences | 250 words | Optional | Background and identity |
How to plan the Bowdoin supplement
- 1If you write only one, choose the Offer essay when your story is about what you want from college, and the differences essay when it is about what you bring.
- 2Quote the line of the Offer exactly, then make the essay about you.
Both essays are optional (max 250 words each).
1. The Offer of the College
Bowdoin's wording · 250 words · OptionalGenerations of students have found connection and meaning in Bowdoin’s “The Offer of the College,” written in 1906 by Bowdoin President William DeWitt Hyde. To be at home in all lands and all ages; To count Nature a familiar acquaintance, and Art an intimate friend; To gain a standard for the appreciation of others' work And the criticism of your own; To carry the keys of the world's library in your pocket, And feel its resources behind you in whatever task you undertake; To make hosts of friends...who are to be leaders in all walks of life; To lose yourself in generous enthusiasms and cooperate with others for common ends – This is the offer of the college for the best four years of your life.“Which line from The Offer resonates most with you?”
What it is really asking. Which line of "The Offer of the College" resonates most with you, and how it has meaning for you.
How to approach it
- 1Pick the line that matches something you already do.
- 2Show that in a moment, then look forward to Bowdoin.
Mistakes to avoid
- Explaining the line in general.
- Choosing the line about friends who will be leaders as a networking pitch.
Full guide: How to Write Bowdoin's "Offer of the College" Essay
2. Navigating through differences
Bowdoin's wording · 250 words · OptionalBowdoin believes that its broadly diverse and inclusive campus community prepares graduates to be contributing and useful citizens of the world. Every graduate of this institution should be confident in their preparation to be able to navigate through differences and in all sorts of situations. A Bowdoin education does not guarantee these skills, but it does impart a set of tools necessary to bravely enter unfamiliar conditions with the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity.“If you wish, you may share anything about the unique experiences and perspectives that you would bring with you to the Bowdoin campus and community or an experience you have had that required you to navigate across or through difference.”
What it is really asking. The unique experiences and perspectives you would bring to Bowdoin, or an experience that required you to navigate across or through difference.
How to approach it
- 1Choose one experience with a clear moment of difference.
- 2Show how you navigated it.
- 3Say what you would bring to Bowdoin because of it.
Mistakes to avoid
- A list of perspectives with no experience.
Full guide: How to Write Bowdoin's "Navigating Through Differences" Essay
What our grader checks in your Bowdoin answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Bowdoin'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 | Bowdoin's own check |
|---|---|
| The Offer of the College | Names one line of The Offer of the College and what it means to the applicant. |
| Navigating through differences | Shares unique experiences or perspectives, or an experience of navigating across difference, that the applicant would bring to Bowdoin. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
Check your Bowdoin supplemental essays
Paste the answers you have, leave the rest empty. One report covers all of them: a checklist and a readiness verdict for each, a note on every sentence and a revision plan. Half a token, or your first review free. We never write a word of it.
Check your college supplemental essays
Your first full review is free. Every answer reviewed in one report.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Common App or any college.
Open the picker and search for a college to see its 2026–27 supplemental questions.
No card needed · one free full review per student · we never write your answers