Tufts University's wording, checked October 26, 2026“Tell us about an engineering or science-related project that you have helped build, design, create, or iterate in the past two years. What was the project and what was your role?”
How to approach it
- 1Name the project and the problem it solved.
- 2Make your role exact ("I" not "we").
- 3Show one iteration: what failed and what you changed.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The project and the problem.
- 2Your role, precisely.
- 3One iteration and what it taught you.
Where the 200 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| The moment or example | about 80 |
| What it shows or changed | about 70 |
| Why it matters, or what you bring | about 50 |
Mistakes to avoid
- A team project where your part is invisible.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Tufts 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 100-200 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. |
| One activity, your role | It is about one activity, job or responsibility, and the applicant's own role in it is clear. |
| A detail beyond the list | It gives a concrete moment or detail the 150-character activities list cannot hold. |
| Why it matters | It shows what the activity means to the applicant and the difference it makes to them or others. |
| Tufts's ask | Names the project and the applicant's own role in building, designing or iterating it. |
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Questions
More on Tufts and this kind of question
- Caltech: Making: STEM as creation · 200 words
- UT Austin: The activity you are most proud of · 300 words