What would you do with this assignment from a college? 

Fill in the blanks with 45 words: The last thing I ate was ___________ and I ate it because ____________. (This is not an actual supplemental essay; we were just having fun with it.)

But it also begs the question: How do you write supplemental essays, especially when they are supposed to be short and sweet but convey information about you that makes admissions committees say, “Oh yes! I want this student to attend our school!”

It is a great question, because, yes, there is some strategy with supplemental essays, and admissions readers actually do read them — they are not “throwaway” essays. This means you actually should put time and effort into them. Let’s unpack how to write supplemental essays and make them stand out.

What is a Supplemental Essay?

What is a supplemental essay, exactly, and how does it fit into your approach to applying to college and in the broader admissions cycle?

Supplemental essays are those that are school specific. They are designed to help admissions committees get an even better understanding of you and how you will fit in on campus. They’re different from the Common Application and the Coalition Application, because those have a required essay of up to 650 words. Supplemental essays will vary in type and length. 

Here’s an example of a Cornell University supplemental essay (350 words): 

We all contribute to, and are influenced by, the communities that are meaningful to us. Share how you’ve been shaped by one of the communities you belong to.

Define community in the way that is most meaningful to you. This community example can be drawn from your family, school, workplace, activities or interests, or any other group you belong to.

Supplemental essays are an important part of the admissions cycle for one main reason: Admissions committees are getting to know you better and determine whether you willl be an asset to the campus community (or not).

Learn more: Early Action vs Early Decision and What is a College Search?

How to Write Supplemental Essays for Colleges

Now, how do you actually write them? We will walk through several tips so you can write your supplemental essays like a pro. Do not forget to read through and understand what college admissions officers really look for.

Tell Admissions Officers Something They Do Not Already Know

Here is one of the most important things to understand about supplemental essays: You need to make them different from anything else that is already on your application. In other words, tell admissions officers something they do not already know about you. If they already know you intend to be a premed major, do not go on and on about it in your supplemental essays. If you wrote about how you overcame your stutter in your Common App essay, do not write about it again in your supplementals. You get the idea. 

When you write something about yourself, try to dig deeper to share more. How to write supplemental essays involves a personalized approach. You are a many-layered individual, so demonstrate that in your supplementals. 

Handle Short and “Quirky” Essay Prompts Well

Do not be daunted by the short-answer essays or essays that might seem a little quirkier. What do we mean by this? Here are supplemental essay examples from Princeton’s website:

Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

• What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
• What brings you joy?
• What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

Like the instructions said, there is no right or wrong answer, and you really should be yourself. However, steer clear of polarizing answers here or answers that might cast you in a bad light.

For example, here is how you might answer these short questions: 

• What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
  I’d love to learn digital photography—I like the idea of capturing everyday moments creatively, and I want to explore editing and storytelling through images.

• What brings you joy?
  Spending time outdoors with friends, hiking, or just lying on the grass in a field of dandelions always lifts my spirits.
• What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
  “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. The song feels hopeful and perfectly captures the start of a new chapter, similar to going to college.

See? There is nothing here that suggests you are divulging the secrets of the universe — you are just expressing yourself. (Again, there are no right or wrong answers, and you are also not offending anyone.)

Learn more: How college summer programs and college planning benefit your student

Tackle the Common “Why This College?” Essay Well

One of the most common supplemental questions is the “Why do you want to attend this college?” question. I will tell you why this is difficult for students sometimes: They do not know what lies ahead with their amazing college experience, so it is difficult to explain why on the backend. 

However, I suggest avoiding the following topics:

• Prestige or rankings: Skip the idea that you should convey a love for a school based on prestige or rankings alone. This sounds generic and could apply anywhere. There must be a definite purpose behind your decision to want to attend a particular institution.
• Location alone: Never say, “I want to go to this university because it’s close to the beach,” or “I like this school because it is near home.” This is a huge college application mistake. Location alone does not show a personal academic fit. Furthermore, warm winters or “pretty fall leaves” do not convey your overall purpose.
• Campus beauty or buildings: Remember, buildings are assets for the campus, not the ultimate reason for deciding on a college. You cannot make friends or learn from a building.
• Sports: “I have always loved watching the football team” does not communicate points about your education or growth.
• Social life: If you communicate that your priorities involve parties or sorority life on campus, you are not showing your seriousness as a student. Steer clear of this topic.
• Vague accolades: Saying things like “great professors” or “lots of clubs” without naming specifics does not show how you plan to grow within a particular program.
• Financial aid: While affordability matters, framing it as the sole reason for wanting to attend a college does not help you focus on the academic connection.
• Following friends or family: “My best friend goes there” or “my parents are alumni” can sound like you are not making an independent choice.

Instead, highlight specific academic programs, unique learning opportunities, or values that align with their interests and goals.

Take Care of the Community Essay

Some colleges require a community essay. For example, among sample supplemental essays for first-year applicants to Duke University during the 2025-26 application cycle must answer this question, with a 250-word limit: 

What is your impression of Duke as a university and community, and why do you believe it is a good match for your goals, values, and interests? If there is something specific that attracts you to our academic offerings in Trinity College of Arts and Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering, or to our co-curricular opportunities, feel free to include that, too.

This is a brilliant question because it gets to the heart of how you will value a community when you attend the institution. It also helps admissions readers identify whether or not you deeply understand Duke’s existing community, all the while connecting the school to your goals, values, and interests. In this case, you must illustrate your impression of Duke’s community, outline your values, and how the two intertwine.

Other schools may have you answer a different community essay. For example, some schools might ask you to describe your involvement in an existing community, whether that be in a family, school group, religious organization, etc. In community essays, it is important to describe how you impact the community and how the community impacts you in turn.

Hit a Home Run with the Extracurricular Activity Essay

The extracurricular activity essay might be one of the most straightforward topics because it allows you to describe your involvement in an activity in which you currently participate and shows how it has helped you grow. However, it is not enough to just list your AP classes. 

Similar to the community essay, you want to communicate how you impact that particular extracurricular and how the people in your community impact you. For example, you could take the following approach:

• Identify the extracurricular. Describe the activity, choosing the right type of extracurricular. Try to pick one that is truly unique, such as a club you created because you noticed it was missing at your high school.
• Show why you chose it. Why did you choose this particular extracurricular? Why is it important to you?
• Describe your role. Why is it impossible to overlook your role? Why are you so crucial to the operations of this club or extracurricular? How do you make everything move forward in this activity?
• Share your impact. What have you learned? What are the lessons you gained? How will those lessons impact your life moving forward and how will they impact your involvement in college?

Ultimately, just remember they want to understand how you will handle extracurriculars in the high school to college transition. 

Tackle the “Why This Major” Essay Like a Pro

Many schools require you to explain why you chose your major. You must convey your goals in the “why this major” essay. 

What does this mean? It means you will want to spend some time envisioning what you want to do in your career. For example, if you see yourself putting on a button-up shirt, sitting down with a young man or woman and counseling them in an office you own someday and serve them as a psychologist, convey that. In a sense, work backward from how you envision your future. Putting yourself in that future setting evokes powerful imagery for both you and your reader. 

Here is how you can frame the essay:

• Imagine your future as if you are an adult. What are you doing professionally? How do you handle yourself? What do you wear? How are you working with others? What does a normal day look like? This might be difficult to envision completely because you have not experienced it yet, but try to cast that vision.
• Explain what you want to study and why. Use your description of your future to identify how your vision for your major will work together. Talk about what you’re looking forward to most in your future program.
• Return to the beginning. All good essays end by nodding toward the opening. Touch on that again because you want to show, not tell the people reading your essay to evoke that powerful imagery. 

Pro tip: Steer clear of focusing too much on how much you loved playing teacher with your dolls or excavating your backyard as a kid. You want to focus on the future — you are not five years old anymore.

Learn more: How to Pick a Major in College

Write the Best Essays with Campus to Career Crossroads

Just like the entirety of your college search and college decision, including narrowing down your college list, admission interview tips, how to tour colleges, and more, Campus to Career Crossroads wants to help you with your supplemental essays. 

We will help you frame your answers, give you direction on how to write it, and cheer you on along the way. Let us know if you need help with how to write supplemental essays. Reach out to Campus to Career Crossroads today.

FAQs

Still have questions about how to write a supplemental essay? Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions.

What are colleges looking for in supplemental essays?

Colleges are looking for unique, memorable, accomplished essays that answer the question. Do not forget that very important part: answer the question. One of the ways students commonly make mistakes is not adequately answering the question. At Campus to Career Crossroads, we always ensure students answer the questions the right and most strategic way.

How long should it take to write a supplemental essay?

If you take an entire week to write a supplemental essay, you might be overthinking it. Spend a few hours organizing, writing, and self-editing, and you should be in good shape. We offer essay editing services to help you optimize your supplemental essays if you are not sure you have the best editing skills. In short, do not spend hours and hours on end. Your first instincts are usually correct.

How many colleges require supplemental essays?

Many colleges and universities require supplemental essays, but not all of them do. In many cases, selective institutions require supplemental essays. For example, if you are applying to an Ivy League institution, you can almost guarantee that you will need to write supplemental essays.