Supplemental Essays

Admissions officers want to get to know applicants. There’s only so much that application readers can deduce from your extracurricular activities, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and other application materials. Many times the best way to get a clear picture of a student’s goals, accomplishments, and character is to hear it directly from the student him or herself.

Don’t use the essay to regurgitate the information that’s already available – reveal something that can’t be found anywhere else in the application. For example, if captain of the school’s soccer team is on the activity list, don’t write an essay about the biggest game of the season. The admissions officers already know soccer is an interest, so choose a deeper topic that reveals something meaningful.

One example: A student’s top activity on her activity list was horseback riding. Instead of writing an essay about riding, she instead wrote about her faith and how she reconciled that with what she was learning in her advanced science courses.

A couple more tips.

One. You can always attach supplemental information to your application. Some college applications forms have a space for “Additional Information,” which is where you would supply any added information about you. You can attach an essay even if there is no such space on the application form.

Supplemental essays are a great way to explain circumstances like bad grades or family problems or learning difficulties. A supplemental essay can also be used to highlight your talents.

To read an actual Supplemental Essay, open this link up.