A popular format for supplement questions is short answers. Don’t confuse these with the why, activity, community, or oddball essays. These are an entirely different beast. These little critters provide a different kind of creative challenge for aspiring college-goers. Take this set of short answer questions from the 2014 Yale application: “What excites you intellectually, […]
There are certain schools, like the University of Chicago, who have always taken special pride in developing craft questions for their applicants to answer. In recent years, more schools are jumping on the bandwagon, luring students to their applications with questions like “What does #YOLO mean to you” (Tufts, 2013). This is both fun and […]
The community essay is a standard supplemental rascal that mines for information about your social habits and favorite causes. Prompts that ask about a “community you belong to” often leave themselves open to interpretation: Are you part of a community of sports fans around the world who can connect with other strangers over the amazing […]
At one time, not so long ago, the Common App asked all applicants for a brief description of their most important extracurricular experiences. When that requirement became optional in 2013, many individual colleges took it upon themselves to issue a similar prompt as a replacement. The activity essay is an excellent opportunity to expand beyond […]
October is over, early deadlines have passed, but terror still lurks around every corner. Boo! Surprise! You’re not done with your college applications yet. You’ve passed a major hurdle, and you should be proud, but the bulk of your applications have yet to be submitted. You’ve got two months left to power through the rest […]
It’s mid-September and the school year is fully underway. You’ve been working steadily on your college applications, powering through the personal statement and filling in your Common App and Coalition profiles. Things are going well, but you’re starting to feel this flickering sense of blah-ness. Or maybe you haven’t started yet, and you’re watching essays […]
Stanford University is consistently ranked as one of the hardest schools to gain acceptance to in the United States, but that doesn’t seem to stop students from applying in hordes every year. In this ridiculously competitive environment, distinguishing yourself from other applicants is tough, which is why Stanford’s sprawling supplement is your ally, not your […]
“The College on The Hill” aka Dartmouth College has just released its essay prompts for Fall 2017. This private liberal arts college in Hanover, New Hampshire is, as we’re sure you’re aware, one of the eight schools in the Ivy League system. But is Dartmouth right for you? We assess this school’s offerings in our “College […]
The University of Virginia has become an increasingly respected and popular academic institution over the past decade, and it’s easy to see why. This distinguished public university, located in Charlottesville, Virginia was founded by none other than United States president Thomas Jefferson. The Jeffersonian architectural influence is especially evident when visiting The UVa campus and […]
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new weekend course at the School of the New York Times, “Supplemental Essay Writing: A College Essay Toolkit.” Every year, college applicants across the country find themselves buried by an unexpected avalanche of supplemental essays. Most students only write one personal statement, but they must answer anywhere […]
We thought so.
