US Universities: Admission Essays
Do I need to write a college essay for admissions?
The answer to this question is yes. The Common Application has a required essay that must be completed by all students applying to a university. You will have the option to choose from a list of several prompts in which to begin your essay and it will be sent to every university to which you apply.
Universities may also require their own supplemental essay for you to submit. The supplemental essay give admissions officers the chance to get to know students. Often these essays have prompts tailored to the school or academic program to which the student is applying and are a great way for applicants to demonstrate their knowledge of the institution, how they feel they will make an impact on campus, and why they think the school is a great fit for them. While the supplement isn’t the sole factor in determining if a student will be admitted, it does have a big impact on the application.
Below are the list of Ivy league schools that require a supplemental essay.
Yale University
Yale applicants are asked to respond to the following short answer questions:
Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Why do these areas appeal to you? (100 words or fewer)
What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)
What inspires you? (35 words or fewer)
Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? (35 words or fewer)
You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? (35 words or fewer)
Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six people. What do you hope to add to your suite mates’ experience? What do you hope they will add to yours? (35 words or fewer)
Harvard University
Harvard applicants are asked to choose from one of the following topics, or write on a topic of their choice.
Unusual circumstances in your life.
Travel or living experiences in other countries.
A list of books you have read during the past twelve months.
How you hope to use your college education.
The Harvard College Honor code declares that we "hold honesty as the foundation of our community." As you consider entering this community that is committed to honesty, please reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty.
An intellectual experience (course, project, book, discussion, paper, poetry, or research topic in engineering, mathematics, science, or other modes of inquiry) that has meant the most to you.
What you would want your future college roommate to know about you.
The mission of Harvard College is to educate our students to be citizens and citizen-leaders for society. What would you do to contribute to the lives of your classmates in advancing this mission?
Princeton University
Below is a list of topics that applicants can choose from:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (Response required in about 150 words.)
Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (Response required in about 150 words.)
Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.
Using a favourite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay.
Brown University
Brown’s supplementary questions all come with strict word limits of 100 or 150 words. Below are some sample essay prompts:
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)
Tell us where you have lived — and for how long — since you were born; whether you’ve always lived in the same place, or perhaps in a variety of places. (100 words)
We all exist within communities or groups of various sizes, origins, and purposes; pick one and tell us why it is important to you, and how it has shaped you. (100 words)
Why are you drawn to the area(s) of study you indicated earlier in this application? If you are ‘undecided’ or not sure which Brown concentrations match your interests, consider describing more generally the academic topics or modes of thought that engage you currently. (150 words)
University of Pennsylvania
Below is a sample of the type of question applicants are expected to answer. Please be mindful that each individual degree area may also require a specific supplemental essay such as Nursing and Health Care Management, 7 Year Bio Dental, Networked and Social Systems Engineering, and Management & Technology.
How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words)
Columbia University
Columbia’s supplementary essays can be broken into two groups:
The first group of essays is unique to Columbia.They asks for lists of qualities you look for in a college community, of books you’ve read, of periodicals you peruse.
The second group of essays will ask you why you want to attend Columbia University in particular and what you’ve done to prepare yourself for your given field of study.
Cornell University
At Cornell, the supplementary essays are very specific to the individual degree area. These areas include but are not limited to:
College of Human Ecology
School of Hotel Administration
College of Engineering
College of Arts and Sciences.
Dartmouth College
Students are required to submit 2 supplemental essays in conjunction with their common application. Below is a list of sample questions:
Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams,’ television producer Shonda Rhimes ’91 told graduating seniors during her 2014 Commencement address. ‘It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.’ What inspires your hard work? What matters to you, and how do you ‘make things happen’ to create change?
Twenty years ago, the world met Harry Potter and his companions. One of the more memorable lines from the J.K. Rowling series was spoken by Albus Dumbledore: ‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’ What ideas or experiences bring you joy?
During the 2016 Olympic Games, American runner Abbey D’Agostino ’14 collided with another athlete in the first round of the 5,000-meter event. Both fell to the track. Although injured, Abbey’s first instinct was to help the other fallen athlete so they could continue the race together. Their selflessness was widely praised as the embodiment of the Olympic ideal of sportsmanship. Share a moment when kindness guided your actions.
The Ivy Leagues are tough schools to get into, period. However, with help from Doxa, you will be able to better brainstorm your essay, and eventually craft a finished piece of writing you’re proud of. Answering these prompts is difficult, but ultimately very rewarding, and Doxa is committed to helping you along that journey.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article.
