Supplemental Essays: Writing About Changing the World
by Sarah M.
One fairly common supplemental essay is something about how you want to make an impact, or to change the world.
The prompts and word counts can differ slightly, of course, but the main idea stays the same: what big ideas, goals, or plans do you have?
This essay is a chance to do three distinct things:
- First (and probably most importantly), it invites you to introduce a passion of yours. What’s something that absorbs and fascinates you, something you have potentially been thinking about for a while, and something you want to keep thinking about?
There’s no set template for what this passion should be. It could certainly be an academic fascination, and it could also be an extracurricular or an independent project, like a service activity or a nonprofit. It could also be more nebulous: are there values you feel particularly strongly about promoting, like kindness, empathy, or intercultural understanding? And how do you see this interest of yours fitting into a bigger picture?
Stay away from cliches here: world peace or a cure for cancer is most likely beyond any one of us, so feel free to stick with more modest but achievable positive benefits. Perhaps you’re passionate about increasing access to female hygiene products, or to easing the strain on our electrical grid. Perhaps you care deeply about beautifying urban environments through community gardens or mural-painting.
- Second, this essay invites you tell the college a bit about your achievements in this field. How did you get interested in your chosen topic, and what work have you done so far?
This part needn’t be too blow-by-blow (especially for the shorter essays), but you should give your readers a sense of the commitments you have already made to your passion, and what you have learned so far. Did you found a club dedicated to a certain activity or idea? Have you conducted significant research on an academic topic? Have you published writing or art that promotes your values?
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- Last, this essay (like almost all supplementals) is a place for you to demonstrate the fit between you and this particular college.
How do you plan to pursue and expand your passion at this institution? Are there specific departments or programs, classes, professors, research opportunities, or clubs that would give you the opportunity to grow in this particular realm? Is there anything particular in the school’s mission statement, core values, or culture that align particularly well with your own?
The more specific you can be here, the better. If your passion is academic, make sure you’ve thoroughly researched the faculty and research opportunities in your field. If you have a passion for entrepreneurship, look not just for general business or investing clubs, but for lesser-known funding opportunities or alumni networks.
You can also look for gaps you might want to fill by starting your own initiatives: you want to show both that the school has amazing resources for you, and that you will contribute meaningfully to the campus.
