What are the best strategies for writing college supplemental essays?

Feeling overwhelmed by supplementals is totally normal—there are a lot of them, and they can all seem a little different! Here are some actionable strategies to help you brainstorm, structure, and effectively tackle these essays:

Start with Organization: Create a spreadsheet or document listing each school's prompts, word counts, and deadlines. Group similar prompts together ("Why us?", community, diversity, etc.) so you can spot opportunities to reuse or adapt content where possible. This step takes some time up front but will save you stress down the road.

Brainstorming: For each prompt, jot down 3-5 quick bullet points of what immediately comes to mind. For “Why Us?”: list specific professors, programs, campus opportunities, or organizations that genuinely excite you at that school. Actually visit the school’s website and note unique facts that relate to your interests. For community-related prompts, reflect on the places you’ve felt belonging—maybe your robotics team, religious group, workplace, or family kitchen. Try to pinpoint a moment you contributed or grew from your involvement rather than just describing the group.

Structuring "Why Us?" essays: The best versions tend to be 70% about the school and 30% about you. Start with the qualities or experiences you’re looking for (academics, culture, research, etc.), then tie those to highly-specific details about the college: "I want to pursue global health solutions—Dr. Smith's research at XYZ College aligns perfectly, and the Global Health Student Alliance is exactly what I've sought to join..." It's important to avoid generic reasons ("beautiful campus," "prestigious faculty").

For community or diversity essays: Focus on action and reflection. Describe a moment where you contributed to a group—and the impact it had on both you and others. For example, instead of simply saying, “I helped run the Japanese Culture Club,” describe a specific event you organized that built new relationships or challenged your perspective, then reflect on how that will shape your role in the campus community.

Reusing Content: You absolutely can (and should, when possible!) adapt stories or experiences. However, always double-check to ensure you’ve answered the specific prompt and tailored the details—admissions officers can usually tell when it’s a copy-paste job. Great test: read your “Why Us?” and swap out the school name. If it still makes sense, it’s too generic, so go back and personalize.

Example: A student wrote about organizing a local beach cleanup in response to litter after a festival, tying their values and teamwork to a campus’s environmental initiatives. For another school’s community-impact prompt, they used the same story but added details about how the college’s sustainability minor and student eco-group would help them broaden that impact, making each essay unique to the school.

Final Tip: Don’t be afraid to focus on a single, insightful moment or anecdote—specificity and honest reflection are more memorable than listing achievements. Good luck! The effort you put into each essay can really pay off.