After the initial hurdle of the infamous CommonApp essay, college applicants tend to face another round of storms with supplemental pieces. These additional works may seem to serve as another load of work, but these papers allow college admissions boards to zoom in on the profile of each student.
“I had a lot of supplemental essays to write, probably about twenty, so I started in July to get ahead of things. Some of my supplemental essays had pretty generic prompts like, ‘Why this school?’ ‘Why your major?’ or ‘Why should we choose you?’ I used my first supplemental as a guide for writing the rest of them. That way, my ideas were already sorted out and I just had to reorganize or add material as needed for the school. I did have some essays, however, that were hyper-specific or looked for a creative streak. I answered everything, ranging from my favorite food to my least favorite style of music, and at times, it was difficult to show my personality through so few words. For those prompts, I didn’t force myself to sit down and write them. Instead, I gave myself enough time to think about the prompts over a few weeks until I felt ready to answer to the best of my ability. I think that allowed me to be more true to myself than answering what I thought the college wanted,” magnet senior Gabi Haigh said.
Not all colleges require supplemental essays, which sets these pieces apart from the overarching CommonApp version. The supplemental topics carry broad ranges, unique to each university, from simpler topics asking why a student would like to attend the college to specific prompts — such as the American University of Rome’s, which asked about experiential learning. The set number of total college essays varies by person and does not hold a definite amount, but it all depends on the number of colleges a student applies to.
Furthermore, not all colleges use supplemental essays as part of their application. A handful of universities only necessitate the CommonApp piece, while others do not require an essay at all. Kennesaw State University (KSU) near NC allows applicants to write a college essay as an option, but does not warrant the piece for those who do not choose to write it.
Additional essays each possess different word limits depending on the topic and the college application. While the CommonApp asks writers to keep their essays under 650 words, supplemental pieces may require less than — or exceeding — that amount.
Overall, the widespread confusion regarding supplemental essays stems from the piece’s variability. While the amount of essays, their topics and their word counts adapt personally to each applicant, the core concept withstands. Supplemental essays serve as college admissions boards’ tools to garner a closer look at a student through their unique writing and experiences. Through the essay-writing experience, one may gain a feel for the process and grow comfortable with his or her composition skills.
“My biggest advice to rising seniors: start early! Most people have a general list of where they want to apply to school. Even if it isn’t finalized or complete, it won’t hurt to start scoping out prompts as summer approaches. Most schools reuse similar styles of prompts every year, so it’s worth exploring. Keeping yourself organized and giving yourself time will help to avoid the mounting senior stress most people feel when deadlines get closer. If you do end up coming right up against a deadline, my favorite trick is to say the answer to the prompt out loud before trying to write anything,” Haigh said.
