7/19/23- An unofficial summary of some additional questions asked by colleges. In most, if not all cases, these questions are in addition to the general Common Application essay. Sensible College Counseling is not responsible for any errors or omissions. Students must check directly with the college website to confirm accuracy.
Boston College
The Boston College Writing Supplement must be submitted along with your application to Boston College at www.commonapp.org. Please do not mail or email your essay response.
We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the following prompts (400 word limit).
1. Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?
2. At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.
3. In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
4. Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?
5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?
Cornell University
(Depends on the school you are applying to at Cornell. Check the website to confirm the prompts are for 23-24)
Dartmouth
Dartmouth's writing supplement requires that applicants write brief responses to three supplemental essay prompts as follows:
1. Required of all applicants. Please respond in 100 words or fewer:
Dartmouth celebrates the ways in which its profound sense of place informs its profound sense of purpose. As you seek admission to Dartmouth's Class of 2028, what aspects of the College's academic program, community, and/or campus environment attract your interest? In short, why Dartmouth?
2. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:
A. There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.
B. "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself.
3. Required of all applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:
A. What excites you?
B. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?
C. Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." As you wonder and think, what's on your mind?
D. Celebrate your nerdy side.
E. "It's not easy being green…" was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?
F. As noted in the College's mission statement, "Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…" Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?
Duke
(Although it says 2022-2023) it is listed under essay prompts on their website for 23-24. So double check their website.
Fordham
This short response question (150 words max) is meant to help you reflect on your personal growth and consider how you might continue to grow at Fordham
At Fordham, we expect students to care for and engage with their communities. Please share a specific instance in which you challenged yourself or stepped out of your comfort zone in order to be an advocate for your community (for example, your family, friend group, high school, or town). Please provide an example that illustrates a facet of yourself that we would not find anywhere else in your application.
Georgia Tech
(300 Words)
Why do you want to study your chosen major specifically at Georgia Tech?
PURDUE
Respond in 100 words or fewer.
University of Chicago
How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.
Exponents and square roots, pencils and erasers, beta decay and electron capture. Name two things that undo each other and explain why both are necessary.
– Inspired by Emmett Cho, Class of 2027
“Where have all the flowers gone?” – Pete Seeger. Pick a question from a song title or lyric and give it your best answer.
– Inspired by Ryan Murphy, AB’21
“Vlog,” “Labradoodle,” and “Fauxmage.” Language is filled with portmanteaus. Create a new portmanteau and explain why those two things are a “patch” (perfect match).
– Inspired by Garrett Chalfin, Class of 2027
A jellyfish is not a fish. Cat burglars don’t burgle cats. Rhode Island is not an island. Write an essay about some other misnomer, and either come up with and defend a new name for it or explain why its inaccurate name should be kept.
– Inspired by Sonia Chang, Class of 2025, and Mirabella Blair, Class of 2027
Despite their origins in the Gupta Empire of India or Ancient Egypt, games like chess or bowling remain widely enjoyed today. What modern game do you believe will withstand the test of time, and why?
– Inspired by Adam Heiba, Class of 2027
There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. But of course, some rules should be broken or updated. What is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist? (Our custom is to have five new prompts each year, but this year we decided to break with tradition. Enjoy!)
– Inspired by Maryam Abdella, Class of 2026
And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!
University of Colorado
Short Answer Questions: (These short answers must be different written responses than what you provided for the Common Application essay)
University of Georgia
200-300 words
The transition from middle to high school is a key time for students as they reach new levels of both academic and personal discovery. Please share a book (novel, non-fiction, etc.) that had a serious impact on you during this time. Please focus more on why this book made an impact on you and less on the plot/theme of the book itself (we are not looking for a book report).”
University of Miami
If applying for Spring or Fall 2024, you will be required to submit a supplemental essay of 250 words.
Supplemental essay prompt:
Located within one of the most dynamic cities in the world, the University of Miami is a distinctive community with a variety of cultures, traditions, histories, languages, and backgrounds. The University of Miami is a values-based and purpose-driven postsecondary institution that embraces diversity and inclusivity in all its forms and strives to create a culture of belonging, where every person feels valued and has an opportunity to contribute.
Please describe how your unique experiences, challenges overcome, or skills acquired would contribute to our distinctive University community.
University of Richmond
The following essay prompts will appear on the 2023-24 application.
One essay response is required. Choose from the following prompts:
Word Limit: Minimum 350. Maximum 650 words.
How to Submit: The Richmond Essay is included in the Common Application and Coalition Application, or it may be submitted in your Spider Portal prior to the credential deadline for your application plan.
University of Texas
Refer directly to their website. Information is updated
https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/application-materials/essays-and-short-answers/
University of Vermont
The optional essay is a chance for us to get to know you better — a wonderful way to share your interests while demonstrating your creativity. Applicants can submit their optional essay through the Common Application or the Coalition Application; you can also submit the essay after the application deadline by uploading through the application status page.
Please answer one of the five questions:
Villanova
Writing Supplement #1: Villanova Free Choice (2023-24)
For the first Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the four topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.
Prompt One:
St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?
Prompt Two:
As an Augustinian community, we believe that you should see people for who they are. Please share with us a time when you were misjudged based on your identity or background.
Prompt Three:
In the Villanova community, we learn from one another. What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others?
Prompt Four:
At Villanova, we often say "each of us strengthens all of us." In a time of personal challenges, how do you borrow from the strength of others?
Writing Supplement #2: Why Villanova? (2023-24)
Prompt: Why do you want to call Villanova your new home and how will you become part of our community?
Please submit a written response of about 150 words.
University of Wisconsin
All applicants will also need to respond to this prompt: 300-650 words
Wake Forest
These are the optional supplemental questions we’ll be offering in our application (available early August, so you may start drafting your responses right now, if you wish!)
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