Most students will save the supplemental essays as the very last thing they do on their application. But those supplemental essays are important. Some would say they are as important as the Common App personal statement. Red flags are raised by admission officers when they read an excellent personal essay followed by a less than mediocre supplemental essay.
Admissions officers often give a score to the essays as they read them. In some instances, the Common App essay is scored separately from the supplements. In other cases, admissions officers score all the essays together: Common App plus the supplements. Either way, lackluster responses to those supplemental essay prompts can hurt your chances of admission. So please make the effort to ensure those supplemental essays shine as brightly as your personal statement.
Top 3 tips to improve your supplemental essays
Tip 1: Don’t wait until the last minute!
Some students are chronic procrastinators who leave everything to the last minute. Although every once in a blue moon a student is able to pull out a masterpiece of an essay with only minutes to spare, this is about as rare as snow leopards. Make sure you have plenty of time to brainstorm compelling messages for your essays and that you have time to create paragraphs that are well-structured, clear, and concise. Many supplements are short. Therefore, you need to pack them full of juicy words and ideas. Creating prose that is both pithy and clear takes time and effort – and usually multiple drafts.
So, start early and focus on ensuring that the message you want to convey in a short supplemental essay is captivating.
Tip 2: Answer the question!
One of the most frustrating parts about reading supplemental essays are that students often do not answer the question. College admission offices spend a lot of time crafting the prompt in hopes they will in turn receive thoughtful, interesting answers to help distinguish the applicant pool. Admissions officers want to admit applicants who have taken the time to answer their questions carefully and completely, as this shows a clear demonstrated interest in their university.
The “Why do you want to go to this college” is among the best examples of how important it is that you take the time to plan and execute a terrific answer to this prompt. Most colleges want to know why you are interested in attending. So tell them! Write about specific qualities that have attracted you to the school. Go beyond the beautiful campus and great food in the dining hall. Talk about a professor you researched online and can’t wait to take a class from. If you are playing a sport, talk about your impressions of the coach and the team. Find out about the programs the student government organizes and discuss how you can’t wait to organize a specific event next year when enrolled on campus. Envision yourself as a student at the school and then craft a story for the admissions officer of what you think that would be like.
Similarly, the “tell us about your academic interests” essay requires thought. You want to take the time not only to say what interests you but why you are interested in these disciplines, topics, or ideas. What excites you about these ideas and theories? Why would it be important to you to explore these ideas more deeply? What resources at the school would help you achieve your academic objectives? Be specific, be concise, and be enthusiastic.
Tip 3: Don’t repeat yourself on your supplemental essays
Each piece of writing on each of your college applications should tell the admissions officers something different and interesting about you. Do not write supplemental essays that significantly duplicate information provided in other areas on your application.
For example, don’t use the supplemental essays to recount or amplify your extracurricular activities, aka your brag sheet. There is ample space on the Activities section of the Common App to identify and explain your extracurricular involvements. If you are the captain and quarterback of your school football team, don’t write a supplemental essay that talks all about football. If you’re asked to write about an activity you enjoy, use the supplemental essay to highlight your interest in building model airplanes or archery or crossword puzzles. Round out the vision of you as a multidimensional person for the admissions officers.
Similarly, don’t repeat facts or themes or ideas from your Common App personal statement. You want each supplemental essay to present fresh ideas about who you are as a person. Admittedly, sometimes the prompts from the Common App can come back around in a new form in the supplemental essays. But, try to find a way to write about something new without duplicating the personal statement.
Need help writing supplemental essays for your college applications?
Our educational consultants have years of experience helping students develop interesting, clear, and successful supplemental essays for the Common App. Whether you need help only with essays or prefer to get more comprehensive college admissions help, Great College Advice can make the entire college admissions process less stressful and more successful. Contact us today for a free consultation.
