The Common Application updates every year by August 1, which mean that’s the time most schools release their updated supplemental essay requirements and prompts. However, a few colleges have already released their prompts for the upcoming cycle. We’ve outlined these prompts alongside tips on how to tackle some common questions.
Which colleges have announced their 2026-2027 supplemental essays?
Boston College
We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the first four prompts below (400 word limit). Students applying to the Human Centered Engineering major should respond to Prompt #5 instead.
Prompt #1
Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College’s annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?
Prompt #2
The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a “rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?
Prompt #3
In her July 2009 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
Prompt #4
Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education). If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?
Prompt #5
Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?
Cornell
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
By applying to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), you are also applying for direct entry into one of our 20 majors. From here, you would be part of a community dedicated to purpose-driven science; working within your major and across disciplines to tackle the complex challenges of our time.
Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals influenced your choice. (500 word limit)
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
How do your interests directly connect with your intended major at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP)? Why architecture (B.Arch), art (BFA), or urban and regional studies (URS)? B. Arch applicants, please provide an example of how a creative project or passion sparks your motivation to pursue a 5-year professional degree program. BFA applicants, you may want to consider how you could integrate a range of interests and available resources at Cornell into a coherent art practice. URS students you may want to emphasize your enthusiasm and depth of interest in the study of urban and regional issues. (650 word limit)
College of Arts & Sciences
At the College of Arts and Sciences, curiosity will be your guide. Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences. (650 word limit)
Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
Why are you interested in studying policy, and why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals have influenced your choice of policy major (650 word limit).
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration). (650 word limit)
Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering
Instructions: All engineering applicants are required to write two long essays and four short essays.
Long Essay Responses (200 word limit)
Question 1: Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering?
Question 2: Why do you think you would love to study at Cornell Engineering?
Short Answer Responses (100 word limit)
Question 1: What brings you joy?
Question 2: What do you believe you will contribute to the Cornell Engineering community beyond what you’ve already detailed in your application? What unique voice will you bring?
Question 3: What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.
Question 4: What is one award you have received or achievement you have attained that has meant the most to you? Please briefly describe its importance to you.
College of Human Ecology
Identify a challenge in your greater community or in the career/industry in which you are interested. Share how the CHE education, your CHE major of choice, as well as the breadth of CHE majors, will help you address that challenge. (Refer to our essay application tips before you begin.) (600 word limit)
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School. (650 word limit)
Providence College
Should a student choose to complete an optional essay, they select one of the following prompts and limit their response to 250-500 words.
The prompts for the Class of 2031 are:
Providence College values each student’s willingness to embrace and learn from those with different viewpoints. How will your unique background positively impact others at Providence College?
OR
Providence College thrives on the energy of those who seek. How will you contribute to our vibrant campus life and intellectual culture in the years ahead?
Tufts
Short Answer Prompt #1: Please describe how you have learned about and engaged with Tufts during your college search process (75-150 words).
Short Answer Prompt #2 is specific to your intended school/program at Tufts:
Applicants to the School of Arts and Sciences are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
Tell us about one of your favorite school assignments in the past two years. What was the assignment and why did you enjoy it?
Applicants to the School of Engineering are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
Tell us about an engineering or science-related project that you have helped build, design, create, or iterate in the past two years. What was the project and what was your role?
Applicants to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. What were the ideas you intended to explore, and how did those ideas inform the process of making the piece?
Applicants to the Combined Degree (BFA+BA/BS) program are required to answer the following question in 100-200 words:
Tell us more about a specific piece in your portfolio. How did an academic course, project, or interest inspire the ideas that you explored in this piece? Or, how did making this piece influence your academic interests?
University of Chicago
Question 1 (Required)
How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.
Question 2: Extended Essay (Required; Choose one)
Food for thought: How do thoughts eat?
Inspired by Ernest Leong, Class of 2026.
The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, utilized origami-inspired techniques to compactly store and deploy its sunshield in space. Choose an artistic practice and use its principles to propose an elegant solution to a problem.
Inspired by Akhil Korra, Class of 2028
Sometimes metaphors get mixed up. For one reason or another, one could say, “we’ll burn that bridge when we get there” or “the world is your china shop”. Make up your own mixed metaphor. Explain how it could make sense, be understood, or even applied.
Inspired by Julia Nieberg, Class of 2029
The Olympics have long celebrated the pinnacle of human athletic achievement. But what if they expanded to honor the mundane? Imagine a new Olympic event built around an everyday activity like speed dishwashing or competitive grocery bagging. How is it scored, officiated, and judged? Why is it a worthy addition?
Inspired by Ewan Smith, Class of 2028.
AI: Allen Iverson. NASA, or the North American Saxophone Alliance. Share a potentially confounding, comedic, or captivating example of MIA (Mistaken Identity of Acronym) and tell us its backstory.
Inspired by Jeeho Byun, Class of 2030
And, as always… the classic choose your own adventure option! In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, choose one of our past prompts (or create a question of your own). Be original, creative, thought provoking. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun!
Villanova
For the Villanova-specific essay, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Choose one of the five topics below and submit a written response in about 250 words.
Prompt One:
As Pope Leo XIV (Villanova Class of 1977) has said, “no one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part.” What have you done to play your part in advancing equity and justice in your community?
Prompt Two:
What is a lesson in life that you have learned that you would want to share with others at Villanova?
Prompt Three:
“Villanova” means “new home.” Why do you want to call Villanova your new home?
Prompt Four:
Villanova embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a commitment to thoughtful, ethical use rooted in our Augustinian mission and values. How do you see technology helping you to lead, serve, and contribute to the common good?
Prompt Five:
At Villanova, we often say “each of us strengthens all of us.” Please detail a time when someone has borrowed some of your strength in their time of need.
Yale
All first-year applicants will respond to the following short answer questions:
Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)
Short takes
Common Application and Coalition Application only: respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):
- If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?
- What is one aspect of yourself that you hope to grow or develop during college?
- What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?
Essay
Common Application and Coalition Application only: respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.
- Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?
- Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.
- Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?
How to answer common supplemental essay questions
Why this college / why this major
There are several different ways colleges can ask students a version of the “Why this college?” question,so the first thing you’ll need to do is read the prompt closely! Some versions are very open-ended, while others ask you to focus on one area like academics. You need to make sure you’re answering the specific question being asked; if they want to know why you chose your major, don’t tell them how excited you are to cheer for the football team.
This is where your own research into the school becomes essential. You need specific information about each school’s resources (beyond what’s found on the landing page of the website). Once you know what the school has to offer, connect their resources to your interests and make it personal.It’s not enough to list them; colleges already know what resources they have, and this isn’t a research exercise. It’s a way to see how thoughtful you’ve been about choosing to apply to this particular school or program, so you need to tell them why they matter to you.
Extracurricular Activity
Another common supplemental essay prompt asks you to reflect on an extracurricular activity you’re involved in. While many schools will ask a similar question, the level of detail and reflection they call for can vary dramatically.
When you’re composing your response, think beyond the activity itself. What did you do when you were involved with this activity? What problems did you solve? What impact did you have on the community participating in this activity with you? What skills did you learn, and how have you applied those skills in other areas of your life? Use the response as a space to give the admissions committee more information about what’s important to you. No matter the length of the response, avoid merely describing the activity (most likely, you will have already done this in either your Activities section, your resumé, or both). Make the best use of the space by giving your reader some new insight into who you are.
Community
When thinking about how to answer this question, it helps to start by simply making a list of communities you’re a part of. There are many ways to define “community,” and you may find you can give a deeper and more thoughtful response by not going for the most obvious choices. Your school or home communities might come immediately to mind, but remember that communities can also be forged around a common place, activity, shared experience, or interest.
As with the other questions, keep the focus on yourself when you respond to this prompt. How has your community influenced you (think values, interests, goals, personality)? How have you contributed to your community (think helping a friend, having a difficult but important conversation, stepping up as a leader, bringing a new perspective)? It’s important that the reader come away with a sense of who you are in the context of this community and not just a description of the community itself.
Difficult conversations / handling conflict
Sometimes you’ll see a more pointed version of the community essay that asks you to describe how you handle conflict. Sometimes you’ll see a more pointed version of the community essay that asks you to describe how you handle conflict. Use your words wisely in these essays: focus on your growth, as well as how you have moved forward since the conversation. Let admissions officers understand who you are and how you engage in conflicts, disagreements, or uncomfortable situations.
Tone is important for prompts about difficult conversations. Choose a topic that reflects your honest perspective, and make sure that your tone is respectful toward others. Even if you were defending your perspective during a conflict, ensure that your tone—and your whole essay—focuses on progress and learning. If you write about a time that ended up changing your opinion on a subject, show the admissions committee that you’re open to growth. What did you learn from the difficult conversation?
Quirky questions
Some questions, like the Extended Essay required by the University of Chicago, are less straight-forward and might throw you off. It can be helpful to look up the college’s mission. Where do the school’s values lie? What kind of students does it look for? If you are a good fit, chances are, you meet the criteria it looks for in an ideal student. However, don’t just copy/paste keywords from the college’s website. Discuss topics you genuinely care about, while maintaining consistency with the vibe of the campus community.
Like essays about difficult conversations, tone is a crucial factor to consider when writing quirky supplemental essays. Research the school and the type of students who go there—look up social media profiles and get a sense of the campus vibe. Different campuses really do have different vibes, even if all colleges aim at educating their students. Some student populations will be more proactive and focus on applying what they learn, while others might be more intellectually curious, interested in learning for learning’s sake and genuinely delighting in solving puzzles. Whatever vibe seems like the best fit for you, make sure the tone of your writing expresses that you have the right energy for the campus. And don’t let an unusual prompt discourage you from a college that could support your interests and goals!
Even though a few colleges have started to stray away from the supplemental essay requirement, they’re by no means gone—chances are, you will encounter at least one school that offers prompts for you to answer. No matter which kind of prompts you face, remember to research the school to understand the vibe of the campus and student body. Schools use essays to determine fit and this is your chance to show them why you’d be a great addition.
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