Last Updated on 08/10/2026 by Ethan Sawyer
Driven by curiosity. Inspired by Chapman. Sure, it’s a catchy tagline, but for Chapman University, it’s also an accurate representation of life on campus. Chapman is a place where academic rigor meets innovative and critical thinking-all built by a close-knit community of doers and dreamers. While it’s known for its top-ranked Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and nationally recognized business and science programs, Chapman is also filled with students ready to make an impact.
Located in Orange, Calif., about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, Chapman boasts a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio and offers 110 areas of study within 11 colleges-but that doesn’t mean it’s all work and no play. Beyond academics, the campus is alive with creativity and collaboration-film screenings, clubs like Chapman Galactic Empire (for Star Wars fans) and the Snow Club (for, you guessed it, winter weather enthusiasts), cultural and literary organizations, and the yearly Spring Sizzle, for starters.
If all of that has got you thinking, “Sounds perfect for me! How do I apply?” then you’re in the right place. Below, we’ll talk you through how to write the Chapman University supplemental essays, with examples and tips + analysis for how to write yours.
If you want to get a clearer sense of all that Chapman is looking for, you can explore 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. And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its strategic plan. Reading through these will give you a strong idea of what Chapman values.
What are the Chapman University Supplemental Essay Prompts?
Prompt #1
The Panther Profile helps us get to know you through some quick questions. You should have fun with these and don’t overthink it. (200 characters max)
- The “Chapman Challenge” combines going to the mountains, Disneyland, and the beach in one day. If you designed a challenge to showcase your hometown or community, what three stops would be on the itinerary?
- Chapman students often line up at Philz Coffee, Bruxie, or The Taco Stand. What is a place that attracts a line in your community?
- Chapman students often gather with friends at the Attallah Piazza (heart of campus), Argyros Forum (student union) or the Masson Family Beach Club (on-campus outdoor pool). Where do you gather with friends?
- Pete the Panther (our mascot), our students, and our community love to show Chapman pride by using the catchphrase “Paws Up!” What is your catchphrase?
- Chapman’s location puts students in the heart of Southern California, with access to beaches, major cities, entertainment, outdoor recreation, and career opportunities. What part of the SoCal experience are you most excited to explore?
- Chapman’s student-led University Program Board hosts a concert each fall for students. If you could choose any artist, band, or entertainer to headline the fall event, who would you pick?
- Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts hosts many Master Classes featuring celebrities, open to all students, each year. This year’s classes included, amongst others, Ariana Grande, the Duffer Brothers of Stranger Things fame (Chapman BFA, 2007), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Spike Lee. Who would you like to hear from in your first year at Chapman?
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Chapman University
How to Write Chapman University Supplemental Essay Prompt
The Panther Profile helps us get to know you through some quick questions. You should have fun with these and don’t overthink it. (200 characters max)
- The “Chapman Challenge” combines going to the mountains, Disneyland, and the beach in one day. If you designed a challenge to showcase your hometown or community, what three stops would be on the itinerary?
- Chapman students often line up at Philz Coffee, Bruxie, or The Taco Stand. What is a place that attracts a line in your community?
- Chapman students often gather with friends at the Attallah Piazza (heart of campus), Argyros Forum(student union) or the Masson Family Beach Club (on-campus outdoor pool). Where do you gather with friends?
- Pete the Panther (our mascot), our students, and our community love to show Chapman pride by using the catchphrase “Paws Up!” What is your catchphrase?
- Chapman’s location puts students in the heart of Southern California, with access to beaches, major cities, entertainment, outdoor recreation, and career opportunities. What part of the SoCal experience are you most excited to explore?
- Chapman’s student-led University Program Board hosts a concert each fall for students. If you could choose any artist, band, or entertainer to headline the fall event, who would you pick?
- Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts hosts many Master Classes featuring celebrities, open to all students, each year. This year’s classes included, amongst others, Ariana Grande, the Duffer Brothers of Stranger Things fame (Chapman BFA, 2007), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Spike Lee. Who would you like to hear from in your first year at Chapman?
These short answer questions can present a nice opportunity to show your personality, and allow for some juxtaposition against one another to demonstrate depth and complexity.
Here’s some advice on how to approach short answer questions like these.
The examples below (many from older/other questions, or other schools’ versions of this kind of prompt) do a nice job of showing values, intellect, and personality, and they often contain a touch of humor.
Examples:
Describe yourself in three words.
Wannabe Computer Wizard
—
Concert-loving
Legging-clad
Crocheter
What is your favorite snack?
Homemade popcorn sprinkled with Tajín, a Mexican spice—the perfect blend of chili, lime & sea salt
Homemade fruit salad; every fruit imaginable, hand-cut all together by my whole family
Best movie of all time
Monty Python & the Holy Grail; if someone knows my references, I’ve found a new friend
What is your dream job?
Quantum computing researcher or managing my own restaurant (delicious cuisine, just kidding Italian)
Day-job: pediatric surgeon. Side-hustle: back-up dancer for Shakira or J Balvin
If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
Don’t Stop Believing, because I’ll never stop believing I can hit the same notes as Steve Perry (Lead Singer of Journey)
HaTishma Koli, the Hebrew lullaby my dad sang to me every night as a kid. It feels like home.
Dream trip
Hanoi: Chả Cá La Vong, 100-year-old restaurant only serves one dish: turmeric, dill, mint grilled fish
Seeing the Northern Lights in Norway as I listen to Ola Gjello’s choral masterpiece of the same name.
If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
Women and Espionage in WWII: The Things You Don’t Learn In History Class
The Art of Nomenclature: Why I Named My Dog Fudge
Tweeting on the Golden Toilet: A Historical Look at the Social, Political, and Cultural Implications of Fake News in America
What inspires you?
The Pale Blue Dot photograph of Earth—it’s a reminder to me that our ideas of self-importance and knowledge are miniscule in a vast universe that we still know so little about.
My mother earned her M.D., whereas her mother only received a third-grade education—her work inspires me to empower BreakthroughCTX’s kids with tools to become first-generation college students.
When I cross the Bay Bridge to San Francisco, I buzz with enthusiasm: bridges symbolize an area’s values, with elaborate bridges valuing beauty, small bridges signifying family, simple bridges meaning necessity.
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Want advice on dozens of other supplemental essays?
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Special thanks to Julia Byrd for contributing to this post.
Julia Byrd published her first “book” on the elusive Pika in elementary school and has been writing fervently ever since. She’s thrilled to unite her quirky love of grammar and master’s in psychology to help students tell their most meaningful stories. Her favorite punctuation mark is the apostrophe because, in the words of Imagine Dragons, it’s “a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see.”
Top values: Collaboration | Family | Productivity
