1. Review UD deadlines, requirements, & what we look for in an applicant at www.udel.edu/apply . All students that submit their completed application by UD’s deadline of January 15 are automatically considered for merit awards.
2. Establish a Common Application Account at www.commonapp.org and read the instructions below before diving in to submit your application. Your Common Application and UD Writing Supplement must be submitted online.
3. Add the University of Delaware to your college list under “My Colleges.”
4. Prepare your Common Application Essay by choosing one topic and writing a 250-word minimum/650-word maximum response. The following are this year’s essay prompts:
• Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
• Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
5. Select at least two individuals that will support your application (parents don’t count!) and add their information under “Assign Recommenders.” You will be required to include:
• the name and email address of your college counselor
• the name and email address of at least one teacher
6. Submit your intended major & academic options. Review UD’s 145+ academic majors at www.udel.edu/majorfinder to identify the major that most interests you.
7. You will also be expected to complete the UD Writing Supplement, which contains a question regarding your choice to apply to UD. An additional essay is required of students wishing to be considered for the University Honors Program and/or major in Occupational Therapy (Health Studies).
8. Students interested in applying to majors in Apparel Design, Art, and Music must review and submit additional portfolio requirements via the “Art Supplement.”
9. Once you have completed all answers but before you click “submit,” take advantage of “Print Preview” to be sure that you are comfortable with your answers.
10. Print and save copies of your application for your own records.
11. Submit your Application. (Confirm that you have successfully submitted both your Common Application and UD Writing Supplement in the University of Delaware section of your Common App account.)
12. Submit your Application Fee
13. Ask testing agencies to have your official standardized test scores sent directly to UD (SAT: use UD school code 5811) (ACT: use UD school code 0634).
14. Confirm with your school counselor that your secondary school transcripts are sent to UD. If you have taken college courses, you must also request that those transcripts be sent to UD.
15. Remember to check your status on your custom UD portal via www.udel.edu/mybluehenhome .
Supplemental Essay Guide 2024-25
What do the 2024-25 supplemental essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA's experts are here to break them all down.
Acceptance Rate
Undergrad population.
- Liberal Arts (59)
* Tuition filtering is based on out-of-state fees
How to Approach Supplemental Essays
When our students dig into the college application process, they are often surprised to encounter not only the main Common Application’s personal statement , but also a host of supplemental essay questions. These assignments are often school-specific writing prompts for which a student must also craft thoughtful, well-written replies.
Supplemental essays are often more focused than the Common App assignment, though they vary in length and scope. Their prompts tackle subjects that range from deeper explorations of a student’s background to their collegiate and academic interests.
We often encourage our students to nail down their personal statement topic first, then ask them to approach their supplemental essays in priority order, according to submission deadlines. Many schools will offer prompts that are similar in theme and content to one another (for example, many institutions now ask about a student’s most important activity ), so it is helpful for students to gather and review all supplemental questions before beginning the brainstorm process to see where they might naturally overlap.
Elite institutions often have extensive supplemental sections, as do some honors programs, so students should keep this in mind as they hunt for their essay questions and map out their plan of attack.
All supplemental essays should be given the same time and care as the main Common Application essay. These supplements not only are an excellent opportunity to show a school both your competence and level of devotion to their institution, but also offer opportunities to paint some personality into your application. So embrace supplements, use your unique voice, and show these schools what you’re made of!
Why Choose College Essay Advisors for Supplemental Essay Support
College Essay Advisors has over twenty years of experience guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for school-specific supplements. We take a holistic approach to these essays and short answers, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful supplemental essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances .
Agnes Scott College 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide
Alvernia University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide
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morehouse college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, mount holyoke college 2024-25 supplemental essay prompt guide, frequently asked questions.
It really depends. Typically, the more competitive the university, the more arduous the supplemental essay requirements. Most top universities ask for at least three supplemental essays, but some only require one short essay.
The most common supplemental essay topics are:
- The Why Essay , which asks applicants to discuss their interest in their intended major and/or the school in question.
- The Activity Essay , which asks applicants to describe their involvement in an activity that is meaningful to them.
- The Community Essay , which asks about a community the applicant belongs to and the role that community plays in their life (and vice versa!).
- The Diversity Essay , which often asks applicants to explore how they champion diversity and inclusion in their communities and/or how they engage with people from different backgrounds or who hold opposing views.
- The Short Answer , which asks applicants to answer prompts in very few words (or characters) to add context to their application and a splash of personality.
- The Oddball Essay , which asks applicants to tap into their creativity to connect curveball questions to their lives and interests.
Just like with the Common App personal statement, you’re going to want to write authentically about yourself while addressing all parts of each supplemental essay prompt. Many schools want to better understand how you see yourself contributing to their campus community and/or diversity and inclusion efforts along with how you hope to use your education to achieve your goals. So, be honest and forward-thinking, and don’t forget to customize each supplemental essay so it’s specific to each school you’re submitting to. That means doing research and weaving information into your essays that demonstrates the amount of time and thought you’ve put into your application.
We have a few successful supplemental essay examples in our Free Resources section.
Each admissions department has their own process for reviewing applications, and some admissions committees put more weight on supplemental essays than others, but all admissions departments that offer applicants the opportunity to pen additional essays are doing so for a reason: to better understand the applicant and compare similarly qualified candidates. It’s in the applicant’s best interest to not only provide admissions with as much information regarding their candidacy as possible, but also go the extra mile. At highly competitive institutions, admissions officers are looking for reasons to remove students from the applicant pool—don’t let poorly written or (*gulp*) incomplete supplemental essays work against you!
Absolutely not. Please do not reuse content from your Common App essay in your supplements. Although it’s possible for you to expand upon an idea, activity, or community that you mention in your Common App essay in your supplements, you should never recycle content or any phrasing word for word.
Start by reading through all the prompts. Next, jot down ideas that come to your mind (no matter how silly they may seem!). Everyone has a story to tell, and we’re willing to bet you’re more interesting than you think. Give yourself plenty of time to consider different topics and revise, revise, revise! Also, our handy dandy Supplemental Essay Guides are sure to help you on your writing journey.
We have been reading supplemental essays for over twenty years now, so we know a thing or two about the most common mistakes students make. The most common mistakes to avoid are:
- Repeating the prompt in your essay.
You want to make sure every word counts, and repeating the prompt in your essay is a huge waste of space. Rest assured that admissions officers know which prompt you’re responding to. Instead, start your essay off with a strong hook that pulls your reader in (rather than puts them to sleep!).
- Trying to sound like an academic.
Time and time again, schools post advice on their websites encouraging students to speak in their authentic voices and let the admissions officers reading their applications get to know them. Aaaand time and time again, we read essays students have written in which they go to great lengths to elevate their vocabulary, and in the process, they lose their own voice.
- Using cliches.
Cliches are not your friends when it comes to writing supplemental essays. You may feel like a diamond in the rough, that the world is your oyster, or that love conquers all, but even reading those, did you feel your eyes glazing over? All cliches do is make your essay blend in with the thousands of others in the pile. Emphasize your uniqueness with concrete examples and personal anecdotes, because cliches are rather ineffective, boring, and—let’s face it—lazy.
New York University (NYU) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide
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