4.2 Supplemental Essay Crash Course
Most highly selective universities require supplemental essays in addition to your personal statement, and you do not want to sleep on these. Done well, they show admissions officers exactly why you belong at that specific school… and in some cases they can be even more important than your personal statement.
Here’s a quick crash course:
Once you’re ready to start writing, you’ll want to find guides for the specific schools you’re applying to. Browse our supplemental essay guides for 75+ schools — complete with how-to guides, real essay examples, and analysis for the most popular colleges and universities. 📚
Common supplemental essay types
A few of the most popular essay types show up at school after school. Here are my guides for the ones you’re most likely to encounter:
How to Write a “Why Us?” Essay — This is the most commonly asked supplemental essay question and, if you’re applying to college, you’ll probably need to write it. This three-part guide will put you on the right path.
How to Write a “Why Major” Essay — This is another very common supplemental essay. This guide will help you brainstorm, outline, and draft your response.
How to Write a Scholarship Essay — In this guide, I’ll share with you a series of step-by-step mini-guides to answering the top 10 most common scholarship essay question prompts.