University of Pennsylvania's wording, checked October 26, 2026“Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science. Why are you applying to Nursing, where do you see yourself professionally in the future, and how will you contribute to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare?”
How to approach it
- 1Plan one part per question so none is skipped.
- 2Ground "why nursing" in an experience with care.
- 3Make the equity part concrete: a gap you have seen and what you would do.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1Why nursing, through one experience.
- 2Where you see yourself professionally.
- 3How you would contribute to equity in healthcare.
Where the 200 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| Where the interest comes from | about 70 |
| How you think about the subject | about 60 |
| Your path at this college | about 70 |
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the equity question.
- A family-member story with no reflection on nursing itself.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Penn answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 50-200 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| Where the interest comes from | A specific, preferably recent experience (a class, project, job, reading, problem) shows the interest is real, not a stated passion. |
| How you think about it | The reader sees the applicant's own thinking: a question they pursue, a connection they made, a view of the field. |
| Your path at this college | It names how this school's curriculum, structure or opportunities fit the plan, specifically enough that it would not fit another school unchanged. |
| Penn's ask | Answers all three: why nursing, where they see themselves professionally, and how they will contribute to equity in healthcare. |
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Questions
More on Penn and this kind of question
- Princeton: Academic interests (A.B.) · 250 words
- Princeton: Why engineering at Princeton (B.S.E.) · 250 words
- Columbia: Your preferred areas of study · 150 words
- Cornell: Arts and Sciences: an intellectual passion · 650 words
- Cornell: CALS: why your major · 350 words
- Cornell: Engineering: why engineering · 200 words