It’s just as important for a personal essay to tell a compelling story of its college applicant as the supplemental essay thoroughly answers the question asked. If it isn’t written as clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice, the college admissions counselor may give pause.
That means, the same effort and focus put into writing the personal statement is needed for each required supplemental essay. If it’s an optional essay, the college admissions officers we talk with suggest that students who want to “get in” should answer the optional questions as well. Now we know how painful it is to watch your kid struggle with writing another essay. We promise nothing good will come if a student skips over this part of the college application process because supplementals count too.
How to make your supplemental essay as strong as your personal statement
Write Coach wants to make it easier for you and your student. These writing tips should help to pick the best question to answer in order to add more meat to your application by sharing something new about yourself.
- Write the questions down. Research what each college you’re applying to requires for supplemental essays.
- Keep track. Put all your research in one Google or Word document. Plan to give each school 1 page of that doc.
- If it says optional, it’s really not. Unless you don’t want to show your extra effort to help the college know you better.
- Pick a topic that is different than the personal statement. Do not repeat that “all your leadership skills were the result of being team captain of your sports team” if that’s the theme of your personal essay.
- Be strategic. Many schools ask the same supplemental questions. If 3 of your top schools are asking about Community Service, copy and paste. Just remember to swap out the college name.
- Take the virtual tour. When students see what’s on the pages of the department or school they’re applying for, 9 out of 10 times the essay is stronger because it’s more relevant. Does the biological sciences department offer zoology and you’re interested in animals? It’d be a shame if an admissions counselor didn’t know that.
- Scour the website for nuggets. You’ll need to have a good idea about why you and a particular college are a good fit for each other. Even if you are undecided about your major. Every college offers more than a degree.
The time is now. Early Decision deadlines are near
500 words is generally one page. Two if you double space. Don’t let the number of words you need to write intimidate you. The key to making each word count for your supplementals is to trust yourself to edit it and keep it relevant. Since many colleges recently released the supplemental questions, the following editing tips are the ones my students most appreciate when writing under deadline:
- Outline and Draft. To quickly determine which community might be a better topic for your essay, write two different essays on different activities you’re involved with.
- Self assess. Once you’re finished writing, go through it and consider adding highlights like the colors of a stop sign. Green means you love this sentence or paragraph. Yellow means you’re not sure if the sentence is wordy or a word is spot on. Red means you are questioning whether a statement is clear and you need help making it more concise.
- Repurpose a theme. When X-University wants 400 words and Y-College wants 100, pull out those editing skills to save time and avoid writing another essay, as long as the prompt still makes sense. Make sure to stay within the word count limit.
- Read your essay aloud. Is it authentically you? Did your supportive college counselor or well-intentioned mother change a sentence that you’re not feelin’? Go ahead and make it your own.
- Demonstrated interest. If you have made decisions about a career path you want to pursue, go for it and let them know. Realize that you don’t have to be that when you grow up. It may just be a goal you’re reaching towards. And that’s 100% okay.
Think about “Supplemental Essay Topics” in terms of themes
There are often many choices and questions to answer. Admissions officers need to conclude that you are sincerely interested in attending their school. To get you thinking beyond “Why us?” and “Why you?”, here are a selection of questions Write Coach students have answered over the years:
- Describe an instance when you have critically thought about a subject and altered your original perspective. (U. Alabama)
- Given your interests, values, and goals, explain why Oberlin College will help you grow during your undergraduate years.
- List five books you have read that intrigued you. (Wake Forest)
- Why are you interested in Syracuse University and how do you see yourself contributing to a diverse, inclusive, accessible, and respectful campus?
- Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?” (UT-Austin)
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem-solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. (U. California)
- Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attract you?
- If you had the opportunity to create your own college course, what enduring question or contemporary problem would you address and why. (Boston College)
Writing an effective essay requires a lot of brainstorming, introspection, free writing, rough drafts, and revisions. Be prepared to spend ballpark 8 hours on writing over the course of more than one day. As you write, be sure to avoid these three common mistakes:
- Mistake #1: Parroting the brochures or website language.
- Mistake #2: Writing about the school’s size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking.
- Mistake #3: Messing up the names of any important people (like a mascot) or places (like a stadium) on campus.
Do you need help jumpstarting the college essay process? We got you covered and can formulate a plan to get it done by the deadlines ahead. Connect with Write Coach any time to get started.
