University of San Francisco 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

University of San Francisco 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 200 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why

We are interested in learning more about you. Please respond to the prompt below with a response of no more than 200 words. This response should be different and distinct from the one used for your main Common Application essay.

The University of San Francisco’s Jesuit tradition emphasizes community engagement and education for social justice, inspiring our students to become passionate agents for others. How do you see yourself becoming a part of this mission?

This is quite a loaded prompt. In these two sentences, admissions gives you two points of entry into USF’s service-oriented mission: religion and social justice. You can choose to cover both or just one, but either way, you should be thinking about the relationship between your values and those of USF. Has your upbringing in a multi-faith household opened your eyes to the importance of religious pluralism? Or has your blooming interest in the criminal justice system inspired you to study law as a way to advocate for others? Start with the personal, and connect it to the opportunities available at USF. The prompt asks how “you see yourself becoming a part of this mission,” so think deeply about how you would embed yourself on campus. As you do your research, think about how the kinds of classes, clubs, research, and study abroad opportunities (among others) would help you achieve your goals – and also how they connect to USF’s mission. Since you only have 200 words, our recommendation is to focus on one particular interest or theme related to service or social justice and use it as a way to trace a potential path for your four years at USF. Your essay doesn’t need to be comprehensive, but it should be authentic and say something about what you value.