Sample Strong Supplemental Essay for College Admissions

Sample Strong Supplemental Essay for College Admissions The supplemental essays for college admissions can be a stumbling point for applicants. Many students put significant time into their longer personal statement but then rush off the shorter supplemental section of the application. A typical result can produce a  weak supplemental essay. The strong essay below was written in response to the application to Duke Universitys Trinity College. The guidelines for the optional supplemental essay ask, If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular at Duke that attracts you? Please limit your response to one or two paragraphs. Example Strong Supplemental Essay The question asked here is typical of many supplemental essays. Essentially, the admissions folks want to know why their school is of particular interest to you. When I visited the Duke campus last fall, I immediately felt at home. The Gothic architecture and tree-shaded walks created an atmosphere of peaceful but serious reflection. The place is at once Southern - which, as an Alabamian, is important to me - and universal as it reflects the traditions of Europe and the classical world. The Trinity College liberal arts curriculum also reflects this unique pairing of the modern South and the global past. For example, I am considering a major in history, and am very interested in the combination of geographic and thematic areas of study offered by Duke’s history program. The combinations of areas offer seeming endless areas of specialization. One interesting possibility is a focus in the geographic area of the U.S. and Canada, combined with a thematic study of Women and Gender or African Diaspora. By juxtaposing and intertwining these two foci, my understanding of the American South - and much more - would be greatly enriched. This i nnovative and flexible approach to both traditional and non-traditional subject matter is greatly appealing to me. I know by reputation and from a friend currently enrolled in Trinity College that the liberal arts curriculum is very challenging, but also rewarding. I believe I am more than prepared for these challenges, and that I will thrive in this climate. Duke University’s campus already feels like home; I believe that its academic opportunities will also provide a stimulating environment in which I feel I belong. Critique of the Supplemental Essay First, think about the prompt. The admissions officers want to know if there is something in particular at Duke that makes the applicant want to go there. A bad essay never discusses features that are unique to Duke. A good essay gets specific and shows particular knowledge of the school. The sample essay succeeds on this front. Although the essay is just a paragraph long, the author presents three specific features of Duke that make her want to attend: The attractive campus with its Gothic and Southern appealThe flexible nature of the history curriculumThe fact that she has a friend at Duke This last point doesnt matter much in the admissions process and the writer was correct to mention it only indirectly. The first point has moderate importance. Many colleges have impressive Gothic architecture, so the feature isnt unique to Duke. However, the writer connects the campus to her own Southernness. She also demonstrates that she has visited the campus, something that is not true of many applicants who haphazardly apply to a long list of prestigious schools. The second point about the history curriculum is key to this essays success. This applicant knows what lies beneath the universitys surface. She has clearly researched the curriculum. She is not applying to Duke simply because of its beauty or its reputation, but because she likes how the university approaches learning. Avoiding Supplemental Essay Mistakes In general, the author has avoided common  supplemental essay mistakes and written an effective response to the universitys prompt. Admissions officers will certainly take note of the fact that this applicant has done some research and has thoughtful reasons for wanting to attend Duke. If your supplemental essay to the question asking Why Our School? could be applied to numerous schools, you have failed to respond to the prompt effectively. This is not the place to be generic or lazy. Do your research, and articulate the unique reasons why the school is a good match for your interests, personality, and goals. Write your  supplemental essay  so it is strong, specific, and targeted toward that specific college.