With a vibrant Greek life and Division 1 sports teams, Syracuse is teeming with spirit and orange paraphernalia. More recently, the university has made a special point of making its campus culture more open and considerate of differing opinions, and it wants to know how its future students might contribute to these ongoing goals. If you’re interested in applying and being a part of this cultural shift but aren’t sure how to start writing the Syracuse supplemental essay, we have some tips and examples to get the (orange) ball rolling.
Want to get an even better sense of what Syracuse is looking for? You’ll find an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. For deep insights into how this private research university envisions student success (and how it wants to grow and evolve), read through its most recent self-study report—a simple way to get a strong idea of what Syracuse values.
What is the Syracuse University supplemental essay prompt?
Syracuse University Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Please be sure to respond to both parts of the following question: Syracuse University is a place that seeks to be welcoming to all – and has been since our founding. Explain why you are interested in Syracuse University and describe a personal experience in which you persevered through adversity, rejected discrimination, learned a lesson, or were inspired by the courageous actions of others and how you will apply what you learned to our community in a positive way. (250 words)
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Syracuse University
how to write Syracuse Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Syracuse University is a place that seeks to be welcoming to all – and has been since our founding. Explain why you are interested in Syracuse University and describe a personal experience in which you persevered through adversity, rejected discrimination, learned a lesson, or were inspired by the courageous actions of others and how you will apply what you learned to our community in a positive way. (250 words)
There’s a lot to try to pack into 250 words here.
Notice that Syracuse explicitly asks you to respond to both parts of the prompt:
Some “Why us?” details, and
Personal experience + “How will you contribute” details
For detail on “Why us?” essays, we recommend checking out this complete guide on how to write the “Why us?” essay—paying close attention to the “Why Cornell” and “Why Penn” examples, which are our favorites.
Here’s the short version of how to write the “Why us?” essay:
Spend 1 hr+ researching 10+ reasons why Tulane might be a great fit for you (ideally 3-5 of the reasons will be unique to Tulane and connect back to you).
Make a copy of this chart to map out your college research.
Outline how you will (concisely) use those details to show why you and Tulane belong together.
As you write, try to avoid these common mistakes:
Six Common Mistakes Students Make on “Why Us?” Essays
Mistake #1: Writing about the school's size, location, reputation, weather, or ranking
Mistake #2: Simply using emotional language to demonstrate fit
Mistake #3: Screwing up the mascot, stadium, team colors or names of any important people or places on campus
Mistake #4: Parroting the brochures or website language
Mistake #5: Describing traditions the school is well-known for
Mistake #6: Thinking of this as only a "Why them" essay
For the “How will you contribute” portion, there’s a guide + examples with analysis at that link, but here’s the short version.
Essentially, a way to think of this kind of prompt is that it’s a combo of “community/identity/background” and “why us” prompts: use some of your response to show how you’ve become who you are, and then show how those experiences shape what you will bring to the college through linking to specific opportunities/groups/details. Connect your unique upbringing, in a very broad sense of the word, with what the school offers and how you will make a great team.
STEP 1: BRAINSTORM (ALL ABOUT YOU).
Do the “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise. Yup, the same one mentioned above.
STEP 2: RESEARCH THE COLLEGE (LEARN ALL ABOUT THEM).
Make a copy of the “Why us” Essay Chart 2.0, research the school you’re writing your essay for, and fill in the first two columns. (This is the same chart mentioned above.)
Once you’ve done these exercises, you’ll have a better sense of:
YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills/identities/qualities that you’ll bring to a college campus, and
THEM: A variety of programs/courses/clubs/affinity groups that your college offers.
STEP 3: CONNECT YOU… TO THEM (I.E., THE COLLEGE YOU’RE APPLYING TO).
Make connections between what the school offers and what you’re interested in.
One last tip: The prompt is careful to emphasize that you should talk about “how you will apply what you learned to our community in a positive way.” It’s important that you don’t skip over this part in your answer. In recent years, Syracuse has been confronting ongoing student concerns about diversity/self-segregation and safety, and by including this piece in its supplemental essay prompt, school officials are demonstrating a commitment to these core principles. If Syracuse is a university you’re seriously thinking about attending, take some time to think deeply about how you’d fit into its growing mission of safety and equity.
Before you start, ask yourself what diversity or inclusion would look like for you in a college setting and maybe brainstorm some words that come to mind in relation to these guiding principles. Then, brainstorm personal experiences, values, or interests from your own life that resonate with those words or thoughts. If it’s helpful, consider what distinct communities you’re a part of and use those as a way to think through what unique experiences or perspectives you might bring to the table. Here’s a step-by-step guide that offers a short exercise to help you think through this exercise.
Here’s an essay written for an older version of this prompt, so it could use some tweaks to fit the new language, but could be adapted pretty easily. In particular, the essay would want to spend a bit more word count more directly discussing “a personal experience in which you persevered through adversity, rejected discrimination, learned a lesson, or were inspired by the courageous actions”—probably by changing the focus of the opening paragraph to discuss one of those things, which the author could then link back to when discussing how the want to contribute to and make a positive impact on the community.
Example:
One of my parents’ greatest goals while raising me was to make me as “well rounded” as possible. However, in the 21st century, students often fantasize about receiving an “A” or gaining “hours” rather than focusing on the true meaning of school and extracurricular activities: learning and personal growth. Syracuse offers an authentic and versatile education, not only scholastically from its premier curriculum and faculty, but also culturally from the diverse community and nearby international powerhouse of New York City.
Syracuse’s open curriculum offers me a true education by providing me with an environment where I can freely delve into unique history courses such as Renaissance London and Utopia, and Institution: Early Monasticism, in order to create an experience that matches my interests. I am also drawn to Syracuse’s huge emphasis on research. As someone who possesses an inquiring mind, I hope to visit Ghana through the Niemczycki Endowed Scholarship Fund so I can move towards fluency in Twi (my parents’ dialect), help preserve historical diaries at the Dubois Centre for Pan-African Culture, and conduct research on how foreign interest contributes to poverty in Ghana.
Syracuse’s dedication to a positive environment for all students delights me as I hope to join the Pride Union to fight against homophobic stigma. After having a lengthy discussion with a representative at a local college fair, I realized that Syracuse’s close-knit and supportive community filled with intellectual individuals is perfect for me, especially since I love being academically challenged. (Written by Joanne Boadi)
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Tips + Analysis
Connect to your lived experience. Remember, this essay isn’t just about what you could get from a Syracuse education but also what you as a unique applicant would add to the community. Notice how this author connects aspects of her upbringing with opportunities available at the university. Also, by getting personal, the author answers the second part of the prompt about diversity and inclusivity, highlighting how her Ghanain background would enable her to take on important political research in the Syracuse community.
Explain your impact. The author here doesn’t just reference opportunities at Syracuse in passing; she does so with intention. Every time she brings up a campus organization, she explains why she’s interested in it and what she’d do as a member of it. Writing about the contributions you see yourself making helps admission officers envision your impact on the campus environment more tangibly. It also shows that you’re thinking through your involvement in the community on a deeper level, demonstrating a commitment to Syracuse’s core values.
Cut the fluff. Let’s be real: This is a short word count, and you probably have more to say than space will allow. While it’s important to write clearly and articulately, you don’t want to sacrifice critical information for the sake of poetic prose. If you can’t think of a clever pun or a witty insight, it’s okay. This author isn’t trying to be funny or write a Shakespearean sonnet in her answer either. She ropes us in with a quick thought about the cultural climate she was raised in, then gets right to the most important part of her response.
Special thanks to Andy for writing this post.
Andrew Simpson, CEG’s Editorial Director, has worked as an educator, consultant, and curriculum writer for the past 15 years, and earned degrees from Stanford in Political Science and Drama. He feels most at home on mountain tops and in oceans.
Top Values: Insight/Growth | Truth | Integrity
