Some students underestimate supplemental essays— whether due to their length or through thinking colleges don’t read them— they’re actually incredibly important parts of your application that give admissions readers additional and specific opportunities to learn about your interests, goals, and experiences.
There are many different kinds of supplemental essays, and each is meant to gather specific information from candidates as part of their application. Some common essay requirements include community essays— which ask students to describe a specific community they’re a part of and their impact, why college essays— which ask students to provide details about why they’re interested in studying at a specific school, activity essays—which ask students to describe a particularly meaningful activity, and academic interest essays— sometimes thought of as why major essays—which ask students to describe their fit and experiences within a specific subject.
With so many essays on your plate, it can be hard to keep each one straight, much less know how to write a great one. That’s why we’ve gotten together with several members of our expert college counseling team to put together this blog to help you submit an essay you’re proud of.
What is an Academic Interest Essay
Academic interest essays typically ask students to articulate why they are drawn to a particular field of study/major, how they might’ve explored this interest in the past, and what they hope to accomplish moving forward.
Most essay requirements are relatively brief—around 250 words—though some schools ask for much longer essays. Unlike the Common App Personal Statement, which gives you 650 words, supplemental essays require you to be much more succinct and direct. As a result, you want to zoom in on specific experiences that have had the biggest impact on your future plans. You don’t want to try and rush to summarize everything that has ever happened to you in relation to your future plans, but try to brainstorm an experience or two that has provided numerous growth opportunities and spurred real academic interest.
It can be helpful to remember that these essays are meant to perform the practical purpose of helping colleges see that students have a realistic understanding of their proposed field and that there is a certain level of alignment between the student’s interests and strengths. This is especially true for selective programs like engineering, nursing, or business because these programs often conduct separate admissions reviews, and essays are especially important for determining program-specific readiness.
What do Admissions Officers Want to Know
If you’ve spent some time working on your essay, you might wonder what exactly admissions officers “want to hear.” According to our team, first and foremost, colleges are looking for students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity. Meaning: how has a student gone above and beyond in their attempts to learn about or engage with a specific subject?
This can look different for every student, but it’s important to remember that colleges aren’t expecting you to have saved the world or cured cancer. They’re just expecting that you’ve taken advantage of the clubs, courses, and other experiences offered to you to the best of your ability. They want to see that your interest in creative writing led you to start a book club within your local community or that your interest in coding led you to develop an app that helps you pick your clothes. They want to hear about the time you started a wilderness exploring journal, ran your own experiment, or worked to solve a problem in your community.
For students with limited exposure outside the classroom to a particular subject, there is still a lot you can do to submit a strong essay. However, this might mean more heavily capitalizing on specific academic moments—rather than out-of-the-classroom experiences. For more advice on how to do this well, consult your Marks Education or school counselor.
Common Mistakes
Our team finds that students’ most common pitfalls in writing academic essays that count happen when they default to excessive generality or try to fit everything on their resume in this short response. To combat this, we recommend that you pick one or two examples to zoom in on and when writing, remember to show, not tell! Students who claim to love chemistry or be fascinated by literature without actually providing juicy examples of this part of your personality in action tend to fall flat.
Our team recommends that students who are stuck should start by taking an inventory of their academic experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Try reflecting on moments that were able to generate genuine excitement for you or projects that you pursued beyond just what was required in the classroom. Students should then choose examples from this brainstorming inventory that showcase true depth of engagement rather than just breadth of exposure. This means that you’re focusing on including experiences that reveal your aspirations for growth and intellectual motivation over all else.
When to Start?
When writing college essays, having more time than you need is always better than not enough. But generally, you should always plan to begin each easy at least 4-6 weeks before it’s due. This gives you time for brainstorming, drafting, and revision; but remember, if you have multiple essays to write, it’s important to factor in enough time to give each the attention it deserves.
And remember, early drafts may end up being on the lengthy side, but having too much to work with is always better than not having enough. Your school or college counselor can help you refine and re-work, but above all, genuine excitement and research will carry you far!
Last tip: try not to stress yourself out too much over the first draft. No student writes a perfect essay on their first attempt. However, through conscious editing, students can distill their essays down to the essentials and write something colleges are excited to read. To learn more about how to write great college essays, check out more of our essay writing blogs! Our page has everything from examples, resources, and college counselor advice, don’t wait! Call now to schedule your essay writing consultation!
