Everything You Need to Know About the Supplementary Essays

Besides the Coalition App or Common App essay, universities generally request additional essays specific to that university. These additional essays are crucial for a stand-out application, and you'll want yours to be impressive.

So, what is an additional essay? Why is it important? And more importantly, how do you go about writing one? Let's delve into these questions and explore everything you need to know about additional essays!

What Is a Supplemental Essay?

A supplemental essay is an additional written response required by many colleges and universities as part of the application process, in addition to the Coalition App or Common App essay.

Generally, colleges will have their own prompts that applicants answer to create multiple short essays.

These essays are submitted in addition to the main essay with your Coalition or Common Application. The purpose of these essays is to provide the admissions committee with more insight into your personality, interests, and suitability for their student body and campus.

How To Write a Good Supplemental Essay

While different universities might have different criteria or might look for different things in your essay, there are common guidelines to follow when writing a supplemental essay.

1. Prepare Before You Write

1. Review the application requirements and prompts from every university you’re considering attending.
2. Think about each topic and how it might relate to your background or a specific experience in your life.
3. Rather than trying to fit your entire life story into the essay, consider a period, a simple event, or a piece of your childhood that gives the reader thoughtful insight into who you are as a person.

If you still can’t decide on an angle, consider asking others what they think makes you stand out or what’s unique about your personality or interests. That might spark a new idea or, at a minimum, get you thinking about the topics with a fresh perspective.

2. Start Brainstorming Your Supplemental Essay

If you’re still unsure how to start writing your university essay, just start writing. Don’t think, just write. It doesn’t even have to be the first draft. You’re just dumping ideas on a page, hoping a brilliant thought will jump off. Some of the best work starts this way!

3. Format Your Supplemental Essay

Generally, there’s no right or wrong way to format your university application essay, but there are common tried-and-true practices. Review your target university’s requirements and essay examples to see how successful applicants formatted their essays.

You’ve written plenty of papers over the years. Think about your writing process. How did you start those essays? Did you create an outline or just start writing? Did you start with a hook or write it at the end?

4. Don’t Be Afraid of a Common Topic

University essays have been around for decades. Choosing a unique topic is not only intimidating but extremely difficult. Instead of selecting a unique topic, pick one that excites you. As you read a topic, are you forming the essay in your head? Does a specific experience or hobby come to mind? Then, that’s your topic!

Many applicants who think they have to choose a unique topic will miss the opportunity to showcase how they think and what they value because they are trying to write too “outside the box.” Your essay should be thoughtful and tell the reader more about YOU.

5. Use Your Authentic Voice

Use an authentic, conversational voice in your university application essay rather than the academic voice you used on many of your high school papers.

Don’t try to impress the admissions officers with big words, and avoid derogatory words and cliché phrases. Be you. That’s what they want to read.

6. Word Count Matters, But It’s Not All That Matters

Some applicants feel like they need to use every word available. Others struggle to meet the minimum word count requirements. Most experts agree that the best university essays are about 500 words.

If you’re close to that number and satisfied with your essay, stop writing. Admissions officers can tell if you’re adding fluff to fill space or giving minimal effort to your essay.

7. Edit and Edit Again

Every word counts when you only have 250-600 words. It’s important to be concise, coherent, and honest in your writing. That doesn’t always happen in the first draft.

Once you’re confident with your essay, try to find an expert to edit it. Ask a teacher, school counsellor, or someone with an advanced degree to review the piece. Have someone check it first for content. They should make sure the essay's message is clear and its ideas don’t confuse them.

A great way to perfect your essay is by having an expert take a look at it. Former admissions officers of top universities work with Crimson to ensure our Australian students submit stand-out essays.

The Different Types of Supplemental Essay Questions

Broadly speaking, there are eight main supplemental essay types. Below we explore these types AND offer some Top Tips on how to answer them!

1. The "Why us? / Why you?" Question

For a "why us" prompt, your focus should be on

• What does the university offer?
• How does it align with your interests, passions, and values?

The university is asking you: “Why are you choosing us?” For a "why you" essay, your focus should be on:

1. Your interests, passions, and values
2. How they align with the university’s offerings. The university is asking you: “Why should we choose you?”

How To Answer This Question?

The ‘Why us’ / ‘Why you’ questions are two sides of the same coin, but the order in which you present the items and the amount of the essay you spend on them are reversed for each.

Ultimately, your goal with this essay should be to sincerely, authentically, and excitedly tell admissions committees what you will gain from attending their university in particular, and what you will contribute to their university as a student there.

Which specific opportunities will you take advantage of? How will you bring your skills and past experiences to bear as a leader and collaborator on their campus?

2. The Academic Interest Essay

These essays require you to explain your intended choice of major, or if you don’t have one, your academic interests in general. They are typically short answer questions — with universities often asking for responses in 150–250 words.

How To Answer This Question?

When responding to this prompt, you must address three questions:

• Why do you want to study your chosen future major (or if you are undecided, you’ll need to write about your primary areas of academic interest)?
• What are your goals for the future?
• How will pursuing this course of study help you to achieve them?

You don’t need to know exactly what you plan to do in the future, but it will strengthen your essay to have a few ideas and try to develop those ideas with a bit of detail!

3. Describe an Extracurricular

Tell us about an extracurricular activity you’re involved in and how it has shaped you. Once again, these questions normally ask for a 150–250 word response. In these essays, you explore one of your extracurriculars in greater depth.

How To Answer This Question?

In this essay, it’s more important to talk about something that matters to you than it is to talk about something that is impressive. With this question, admissions officers want to know:

• Which item on your activities list is most important to you, and why?
• What is something about your participation in that activity that we can’t learn elsewhere on your application?
• What have you learned through your experience doing that activity that you can take into the future?
• How does this extracurricular positively impact others and/or embody your values?

4. The Meaning of Community

Universities may word these questions somewhat like this: “Our university campus is all about community and valuing a diverse group of people. In what ways do you value community? How have you contributed to communities in the past? What would you bring to our community?”

As you can see, in this case, you need to narrow it down to what you would bring to this specific university’s community.

How To Answer This Question?

In asking this question, admissions officers are trying to find out: What in particular does our university have to offer that you’d like to get involved in as a future student? And what will you contribute or bring to the table as a student on our campus?

In answering these questions, you must show how your past experience as part of a community informs what you’ll contribute.

5. The Second Common App Essay

These essays can vary in content just like the Common App essay, and they are similar in length (500-650 words). They might ask you to write about

• A person who has inspired you
• An experience that has shaped how you approach the world
• A quote that prompts you to share your own personal interpretations and perspectives

How To Answer This Question?

This supplemental essay type typically asks you to write a 500–650 word piece using a usually broad prompt to guide your answer. Writing this essay is like writing a second Common App essay — but you must be sure to pick a new topic that explores a new area of your past, interests, personality or attributes.

6. Short Takes

Some universities ask you to provide brief descriptions of yourself or things you like in 100 words or less — sometimes without even using complete sentences. They might ask for

• What two adjectives would your friends use to describe you?
• Your favourite word?
• What is your favourite snack?
• Who (living or dead) would you like to ask a question to, and what would you ask them?
• If you were teaching a class, what would it be called?

How To Answer This Question?

These short-answer questions can be challenging to tackle! Top tips include: answer the question, but don’t repeat it, consider the underlying message you are sending, explain your answer and be specific!

7. 'Write a Letter to Your Future Roommate' Prompt

This prompt is quite self-explanatory, with the aim of it being for admissions officers to gauge what you will bring to campus as an enthusiastic, passionate, intellectual and empathetic member of the university community.

They can be creative, humorous, reflective, inspirational — whatever theme and style reflects your personality best.

How To Answer This Question?

These questions provide a great opportunity to show what you will bring to campus on a micro level. Will you be the ball of energy that exudes positivity, or the reflective listener who is always there to lend a helping hand?

This question must be handled with honesty and reflect a side of yourself that will provide a true insight into who you are beyond the classroom.

8. Miscellaneous Prompts

These are the creative or otherwise unusual prompts:

• Design a major
• Design a class
• What do you do for fun?
• Choose an image that represents you
• What gets you excited about learning?

They typically vary in length and style. While not common, they can be great fun for applicants to respond to!

How To Answer This Question?

These questions vary, but some basic tips include: be personal (go deep!), be humble (no bragging!), be intellectually curious (show your love of learning), and be genuine (no platitudes or clichés).

3 Mistakes To Avoid in Your Supplemental Essay

1. Repeating Information

You’ve already informed admissions officers about your grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and awards. Provide them with new information.

Share something they don’t already know. They want to understand what kind of student you will be and how you will contribute to their campus community.

2. Starting With a Dull Sentence

If you begin your essay by explaining what it will be about, you’ve already lost your audience. The first sentence is your best chance to capture the reader’s attention. Dive straight in! They’ll be eager to join you on the journey.

3. Being perfect

The real you isn’t perfect, so why would the person in your essay be perfect? Your essay is about a complex individual who makes mistakes and overcomes challenges. Universities want to see the authentic, flawed, hopeful, and determined YOU!

What Are the Supplemental Essays for Each University?

To learn more about each university’s Supplemental Essay prompts and how to answer them, check out our blogs, providing you with expert tips and strategies on how to tackle them!

• Brown Supplemental Essay
• U Chicago Supplemental Essay
• Columbia Supplemental Essay
• Cornell Supplemental Essay
• Dartmouth Supplemental Essay
• Duke Supplemental Essay
• Harvard Supplemental Essay
• MIT Supplemental Essay
• U Michigan Supplemental Essay
• Northwestern Supplemental Essay
• Penn Supplemental Essay
• Princeton Supplemental Essay
• Stanford Supplemental Essay
• USC Supplemental Essay
• Yale Supplemental Essay

Final Thoughts

These tips are the foundation for writing great supplementary essays that enhance your university applications. However, these essays are only one part of the package you’ll deliver when you click submit. To learn how Crimson can help you tick all the boxes for a strong university application, click the link below and schedule a free one-hour consultation with one of our academic advisors.