Application essay

An admissions or application essay, sometimes also called a personal statement or a statement of purpose, is an essay or other written statement written by an applicant, often a prospective student applying to some college, university, or graduate school. The application essay is a common part of the university and college admissions process.

Some applications may require one or more essays to be completed, while others make essays optional or supplementary. Essay topics range from very specific to open-ended.

United States

The Common Application, used for undergraduate admissions by many American colleges and universities, requires a general admissions essay, in addition to any supplemental admissions essays required by member institutions. The Common Application offers students six admissions essay prompts from which to choose.[1] According to Uni in the USA, the Common Application essay is intended as a chance to describe "things that are unique, interesting and informative about yourself".[2]

The University of Chicago is known for its unusual essay prompts in its undergraduate admissions application, including "What would you do with a foot-and-a-half-tall jar of mustard"?[3][4]

Recently, many colleges have started to use short-answer responses instead of full-length essays. In 2023, Harvard replaced its long supplemental essay requirement with five 200-word short answer responses. Harvard cited the need know more broadly about applicants' backgrounds following a Supreme Court ruling banning the use of race as a factor for admissions.[5] Other highly-selective schools like USC, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, and Yale have followed suit.[6] Some colleges such as Williams and Amherst have eliminated supplemental writing from their applications entirely, instead giving students a choice to optionally submit an example of their academic writing.[7]

United Kingdom

A personal statement is part of an application sent to UCAS by a prospective student at a UK university. In a personal statement, the student writes about what they hope to achieve in a UK university course, what they hope to do after the course and why they are applying to this particular university.

Recently, many colleges have started to use short-answer responses instead of full-length essays. In 2023, Harvard replaced its long supplemental essay requirement with five 200-word short answer responses. Harvard cited the need know more broadly about applicants' backgrounds following a Supreme Court ruling banning the use of race as a factor for admissions.[8] Other highly-selective schools like USC, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, and Yale have followed suit.[9] Some colleges such as Williams and Amherst have eliminated supplemental writing from their applications entirely, instead giving students a choice to optionally submit an example of their academic writing.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Tips and Samples for the Common Application Essay Options". Archived from the original on 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
  2. "How do I apply? - The Good Schools Guide". Archived from the original on 2012-11-04.
  3. Tamar Lewin, "Earful Over Cheeky University Essay" (December 31, 2009). New York Times.
  4. "College Report." Chicago Journal.
  5. "Harvard Overhauls College Application in Wake of Affirmative Action Decision | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. "A How-To Guide for the Short Answer Questions for Highly-Selective Colleges". College Essay Guy | Get Inspired. 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  7. Goldberg, Julia. "College removes supplemental essay from application, forms working group in wake of affirmative action ruling". The Williams Record. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  8. "Harvard Overhauls College Application in Wake of Affirmative Action Decision | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  9. "A How-To Guide for the Short Answer Questions for Highly-Selective Colleges". College Essay Guy | Get Inspired. 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  10. Goldberg, Julia. "College removes supplemental essay from application, forms working group in wake of affirmative action ruling". The Williams Record. Retrieved 2023-10-20.


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