What strategies do you use for writing effective college supplemental essays?

Supplemental essays can definitely feel overwhelming, especially since each prompt is so targeted. One thing that helps is to break the supplementals into categories, since most prompts fall into a few main types: the "Why us?", community/diversity, academic interest, and the quirky/personal interest essay. Once you know which type you're working on, you can structure your brainstorming more efficiently and avoid repeating yourself.

For "Why us?" essays, research is key. Go deep into each college’s specific programs, clubs, or traditions. Mention classes, professors, or resources that directly align with your interests. For instance, instead of “I love your strong biology program,” try “I’m excited about the Urban Farming course and hope to join Project Green Thumb to research sustainable city agriculture alongside Dr. Shah.” This makes your interest feel genuine and specific.

The community/diversity prompts are best when you focus on a single specific experience. Think of a moment when you felt included or excluded. Maybe in a chemistry club meeting, you advocated for bilingual flyers to include new students—you can then tie that to how you’d help foster community at the college. Go for details, anecdotes, and avoid sweeping statements like “I value diversity.”

You can reuse ideas for similar prompts, but tweak the details each time. Copy-pasting the same essay is risky; colleges can often tell when you’re being generic. However, the core story or value can stay the same—just make sure your connection to each school is clear. For example, my friend wrote about their love of public art for multiple schools, but changed the part about “what I’d do on campus” based on what each college offered.

To keep things authentic and fresh, try this: When brainstorming, jot down a few core values, interests, or stories you care about. Before writing each essay, see which one lines up with the prompt, and brainstorm a specific memory or moment that shows that trait in action. This is more engaging than summarizing your resume again.

Finally, a practical tip—create a spreadsheet to track which prompts are similar and which stories you've already used. Spreadsheets keep you organized, save you time, and help you avoid repeating yourself too closely.

Remember, quality over quantity, and it’s okay to reuse a theme if you adapt it thoughtfully. Balancing schoolwork and essays is tough, but working a little at a time and reusing when you can (without sounding generic) makes it manageable.