What are some unique college essay prompts you've encountered this year?
I'm starting to brainstorm for my personal statement and supplemental essays, and I'm curious about the types of prompts other schools are using for the 2024-2025 cycle.
So far, I've noticed a few colleges are sticking to the classic "tell us about a challenge" or "what inspires you?" prompts, but I feel like some schools are getting more creative. For example, one of the colleges on my list asks applicants to "describe a time you changed your mind about something important."
If anyone has come across essay prompts that really made you think differently or you found especially original, could you share them? I want to make sure I'm prepared and maybe get some inspiration for my own essay topics!
So far, I've noticed a few colleges are sticking to the classic "tell us about a challenge" or "what inspires you?" prompts, but I feel like some schools are getting more creative. For example, one of the colleges on my list asks applicants to "describe a time you changed your mind about something important."
If anyone has come across essay prompts that really made you think differently or you found especially original, could you share them? I want to make sure I'm prepared and maybe get some inspiration for my own essay topics!
7 months ago
•
51 views
Camille Luong
• 7 months ago
Advisor
You've got a great mindset looking for unique prompts—it can really help your brainstorming process! For the 2024-2025 cycle, several colleges are indeed stepping up their creativity with essay questions. Here are a few interesting ones that have stood out this year:
1. University of Chicago is famous for their quirky prompts, and this year one option is, "Were pH an expression of personality, what would be your pH and why?" This prompt combines science with self-reflection, so it pushes applicants to connect personal traits or quirks to scientific ideas in a creative way.
2. Wake Forest asks: "Give us your top ten list." Applicants can interpret this however they'd like—favorites, hopes, moments, anything—and it really opens the door for personality and creativity to shine through in small, punchy vignettes.
3. University of Southern California has a prompt, "If your life had a theme song, what would it be and why?" This is a fun way to share a part of your personality through music and tell a story that wouldn't fit into a traditional essay.
4. Tufts University asks, "What excites you about Tufts’ intellectual climate? How do you see yourself contributing to it?" It might sound standard, but Tufts often encourages applicants to get weird and specific, and their supplemental prompts often have highly creative builds (one year it was, "It's cool to love learning. Tell us about a time when your curiosity led you somewhere you weren’t expecting.").
5. Vanderbilt’s “Design your own course at Vanderbilt. What’s the title, what’s it about, and how would you teach it?” is another creative way for a school to invite you to show off your interests, expertise, and imagination.
I’ve also encountered prompts that ask about how you’d spend an extra hour in the day, your favorite conversation, or even to write a letter to your future roommate.
When you start brainstorming, think about what these unique questions are really inviting: a chance to set yourself apart, share genuine quirks, reveal new angles, and often to have a little fun. Picking a unique moment, belief, or interest from your life—something surprising yet true to you—often grabs attention and makes for a memorable essay.
Good luck brainstorming! If you want more sample prompts or suggestions on how to interpret them, feel free to ask.
1. University of Chicago is famous for their quirky prompts, and this year one option is, "Were pH an expression of personality, what would be your pH and why?" This prompt combines science with self-reflection, so it pushes applicants to connect personal traits or quirks to scientific ideas in a creative way.
2. Wake Forest asks: "Give us your top ten list." Applicants can interpret this however they'd like—favorites, hopes, moments, anything—and it really opens the door for personality and creativity to shine through in small, punchy vignettes.
3. University of Southern California has a prompt, "If your life had a theme song, what would it be and why?" This is a fun way to share a part of your personality through music and tell a story that wouldn't fit into a traditional essay.
4. Tufts University asks, "What excites you about Tufts’ intellectual climate? How do you see yourself contributing to it?" It might sound standard, but Tufts often encourages applicants to get weird and specific, and their supplemental prompts often have highly creative builds (one year it was, "It's cool to love learning. Tell us about a time when your curiosity led you somewhere you weren’t expecting.").
5. Vanderbilt’s “Design your own course at Vanderbilt. What’s the title, what’s it about, and how would you teach it?” is another creative way for a school to invite you to show off your interests, expertise, and imagination.
I’ve also encountered prompts that ask about how you’d spend an extra hour in the day, your favorite conversation, or even to write a letter to your future roommate.
When you start brainstorming, think about what these unique questions are really inviting: a chance to set yourself apart, share genuine quirks, reveal new angles, and often to have a little fun. Picking a unique moment, belief, or interest from your life—something surprising yet true to you—often grabs attention and makes for a memorable essay.
Good luck brainstorming! If you want more sample prompts or suggestions on how to interpret them, feel free to ask.
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Camille Luong
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Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
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