The supplemental essays are an important part of your US university applications. However, they are not to be confused with the personal statement. Most students will already be aware of this 650-word essay that is submitted to each university. You can access Vela Education’s webinar on the personal statement or read our top tips blog about how to draft this essay.

Yet, supplemental essays play a different role in the US admissions review process. In an interview with the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, the Dartmouth Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin said the following:

“The institutional supplement is a complement to the Common Application. It gives us an institutionally specific way of understanding who each applicant is and to ask whether this person represents the academic and personal values that we share as an institution. If you read the questions we posed to the class of 2021 in the supplement and boil each down to its core elements, we were asking about citizenship and kindness and curiosity and an adventurous spirit—and using one’s intellect to make a difference in the world.”

Although Dean Coffin is speaking specifically about Dartmouth College, these words are applicable across the board. In this US News article, several Deans of Admission weigh in on the importance of supplemental essays. As the supplemental essays are specific to each university, they offer you the chance to show each admissions office how committed you are about their program, academic life, and community. Although most of these essays are shorter than the personal statement, they are very important to the success of your application.

Here is how to approach supplemental essays:

Do your research: There are many reasons why you might want to apply to a specific school: rankings, a strong department in your chief academic interest, etc. This is not enough. You need to get specific! You need to show that college all the reasons why you are a good fit for their community, why their programme is the right one for you, and how your ethos aligns with theirs. Students should research specific classes, professors who might share their interests, and the specifics of the university’s programmes. Students can then include these details in their essays and showcase a real understanding of the university to which they are applying.

Answer the question: This might sound like an obvious one but it’s not to be overlooked! Each supplemental essay question has been crafted by the Admissions Office for a specific reason. There may be opportunities to use essays written for another college, but make sure that you are always tailoring your writing to the college asking the question.

Use each opportunity: Each essay you write is a chance for you to tell the Admissions officer reading your application one more thing about you. This means that the answers to the supplemental essay questions need to be different from the information given in the personal statement. For example, if a student chooses to write about an extracurricular activity for the personal statement, they need to choose a different activity to write about for a supplemental essay question asking about an extracurricular activity.

Leave enough time: The supplemental essays are often shorter than the personal statement, but you need to leave enough time to brainstorm, research, draft, and revise each essay. These essays can affect admissions decisions and should be thorough and carefully crafted. This takes time.

Alongside our blogs, Vela Education also hosts free webinars across a range of topics. On September 14^th, we will have a free webinar on the supplemental essays and the role they play in the application review process. Register here!