Swarthmore asks two short answers of up to 250 words each: the aspects of your identity or background that matter most to you and how you have grown in navigating differences or collaborating beyond your own communities, and a topic that has fascinated you recently, inside or outside the classroom.
Both questions come with a paragraph about Swarthmore's community (bridge builders, intellectual experimentation across fields). Reading those paragraphs tells you what the answers should show.
Swarthmore's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-identity and navigating differences | 250 words | Required | Background and identity |
| A topic that has fascinated you recently | 250 words | Required | Intellectual curiosity |
How to plan the Swarthmore supplement
- 1Use the first answer for people and the second for ideas; together they show how you live and how you think.
- 2In the second, show connections across fields; Swarthmore's preamble values them.
1. Self-identity and navigating differences
Swarthmore's wording · 250 words · RequiredSwarthmore College maintains an ongoing commitment of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry. All who engage in our community are empowered through the open exchange of ideas guided by equity and social responsibility to thrive and contribute as bridge builders within global communities. Our identities and perspectives are supported and developed by our immediate contexts and lived experiences – in our neighborhoods, families, classrooms, communities of faith, and more.“What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.”
What it is really asking. Which aspects of your identity or background matter most to you, and how you have grown in navigating differences with others, or collaborated in communities other than your own.
How to approach it
- 1Name one or two aspects that matter most.
- 2Show one moment of navigating difference or working in an unfamiliar community.
- 3Say how you have grown.
Mistakes to avoid
- Answering only the first half.
Full guide: How to Write Swarthmore's Identity and Navigating Differences Essay
2. A topic that has fascinated you recently
Swarthmore's wording · 250 words · RequiredSwarthmore’s community of learners inspire one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education.“Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?”
What it is really asking. A topic that has fascinated you recently, what made you curious, how it connects to your other interests, and what keeps you exploring.
How to approach it
- 1Choose something recent and specific.
- 2Show the connections to other interests explicitly.
- 3End on what pulls you forward.
Mistakes to avoid
- A whole field.
- No connections, when the question asks for them.
Full guide: How to Write Swarthmore's "Topic That Fascinated You" Essay
What our grader checks in your Swarthmore answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Swarthmore'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 | Swarthmore's own check |
|---|---|
| Self-identity and navigating differences | Names the aspects of identity or background that matter most and how the applicant navigates differences or collaborates beyond their own communities. |
| A topic that has fascinated you recently | Covers the topic, what made the applicant curious, connections to other interests, and what keeps them exploring. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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