Command Education
2024-2025 College Application
Supplemental Essay Guides
Do you have a special talent, a defining quirk, or a core trait that isn’t reflected on your college application? Is there something about you that makes you a perfect fit for your dream school?
If you are applying to a prestigious college or university, the Common App Essay is not the only piece of writing you have to complete. Top schools require students to submit one or more essays in response to prompts that they provide. These essays offer applicants the opportunity to articulate their interest in a specific school, showcase their unique qualifications for admission, and demonstrate the ways in which they will enrich their future campus community.
Supplemental essay prompts often fall into discrete categories, which Command Education has dubbed “Why this school?’ “The Diversity and Community Question,” and “The Rapid-Fire List,” among others. Learning how to recognize different types of prompts is key to optimizing limited word counts and decoding what admissions officers are truly seeking to learn about you with each prompt.
Want to learn more about supplemental essay types and tips?
Regardless of the type of prompt you’re tackling, remember that these prompts are a critical opportunity to show admissions officers your personality, values, and guiding passions. As such, your supplemental essays should be:
Thorough
Essays are evaluated both for their content and for their grammar, so make sure that you take the time to read your essay out loud, meticulously proofread it at least twice, and even have a trusted, experienced adult (like an English teacher) review your essay before you click submit. Don’t lose points because of basic grammar mistakes.
Thoughtful and Original
Think deeply about each topic you write about. Avoid writing platitudes. Strive to find ideas that feel new and don’t fall into typical high school tropes. Show off your personality and what makes you unique!
Mature
Aim to be self-aware with everything you write, and avoid coming across as overconfident, entitled, or too pessimistic.
Below, you’ll find guides for how to answer every top school’s supplemental essay question(s), complete with examples!
SCHOOL-SPECIFIC GUIDES
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