lap·i·dar·y (adj.) suitable for engraving on stone and therefore elegant and concise
MYTH: Supplemental essays don’t matter as much as your Common App essay
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What are supplements?
Supplements are the additional essays that schools require you to write in addition to the Common App essay. Some schools don’t have supplemental essays (e.g. Northeastern, Auburn). Some schools have different supplementals based on which school within the university you’re applying to (check out Cornell for an example).
The most common supplemental prompts are:
Why do you want to attend [this university]?
Describe an extracurricular activity and why it’s meaningful to you.
How will you contribute to [this university’s] community/diversity?
What do you intend to study and why are you interested in it?
Schools like UChicago, Tufts, Brown, and Wharton have strong reputations and are known for certain specialities. If the admissions committee can tell that you adapted a “Why Yale?” or a “Why Duke?” (schools that have less defined reputations) for their supplement, it won’t look good. For all schools (but especially these four), you should be able to speak to the school’s reputation and explain why the school and you will be compatible.
Excellent supplements require excellent RESEARCH
“Research” does not mean parroting the school’s mission statement back to them. If you’re talking about ‘like-minded individuals’, ‘diversity’, or ‘community’ in a vague sense then you have not done proper research. The reader should understand exactly what it is that attracted you to the school and how attending the school will help you accomplish your very specific (and well-defined) goals.
You should never be able to re-use or recycle the “Why this school?” supplement. Your answer should be so specific and mention proprietary resources at the school that are not available anywhere else. You are proving to School A that School A is the perfect fit for you and that you cannot imagine yourself anywhere other than School A.
Your supplement research should be so thorough that it teaches the admissions committee about a resource they did not know was available at their school.
Supplements are very much an exercise in flattery and the best way to impress the admissions committee is to make yourself an expert in the school.
FACT: Supplemental essays matter just as much as your Common App essay.
Every school receives the same common app essay from you—and they know it represents your best efforts because it’s going to be seen by your dream/reach/first-choice school. So where do schools look to see whether or not you’re genuinely interested? Your supplements. If your supplemental essays betray an inferior quality and obvious lack of effort as compared with your Common App essays, schools will absolutely notice.
