princeton extracurricular essay example

5 Princeton Supplemental Essays That Worked

Are you applying to Princeton University in 2023? Or perhaps you're a parent curious about what it takes.

If so, writing great application essays is the most effective way you can stand out.

In this article, I've gathered 5 of the best Princeton essays that worked so that you can get inspired and improve your own essays.

What is Princeton University's Acceptance Rate?

As a world-renowned college, Princeton has highly competitive admissions. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Ivy League school received 37,601 applications this past year and only 1,647 of those students were accepted.

That gives Princeton an overall admit rate of 4.4%, or in other words only 1 in every 18 students get accepted.

Princeton University Acceptance Scattergram

While admissions into Princeton is difficult, this only means that your application essays have more of an impact.

To have your best shot of getting admitted, it's important you write stand-out essays in response to Princeton's writing supplement.

What are the Princeton Supplemental Prompts for 2023?

This year, Princeton requires applicants to write three short essays and answer three short answer questions. Princeton also requires that you submit a graded academic paper as a part of your application.

The questions on this page are being asked by Princeton University:

Extracurricular Activity and Work Experience

• Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words) (1-200 words)

Please respond to each question in an essay of about 250 words.

At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (50-350 words)

• Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (50-350 words)

More About You

Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (1-50 words)

What brings you joy? (1-50 words)

What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (1-50 words)

Princeton requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application. You may submit this material now or any time before the application deadline. If you choose not to upload the required paper at this time, you may mail, e-mail, or upload your paper through the applicant portal. Detailed instructions for our graded paper requirement can be found here.

Do you wish to submit a graded written paper at this time?

Upload the graded written paper here. (0-2000 words)

Additional Information (Optional)

Please attach a document if you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application. (0-2000 words)

5 Princeton University EssaysThatWorked

Here are 5 of the best Princeton essays that worked, inclunding responses to Princeton's writing supplement.

I've also included some Common App essays written by admitted Princeton students.

Princeton University Essay Example #1

Princeton university essay example #2, princeton university essay example #3, princeton university essay example #4, princeton university essay example #5.

Prompt: Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words) (200 words max)

Why This Essay Works:

This essay provides good specifics that elaborate on their extracurricular activity. It is specific where possible, which helps provide context and make more compelling.

What They Might Improve:

This essay touches on the impact of this activity (connection to their religion and friendship), but it could go deeper. The takeaways in this supplement are somewhat surface-level, which is fine to start, but ideally would be expanded upon and more in-depth.

Prompt: Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (200 words max)

By admitting when things are difficult, you aren't making yourself seem less capable. Instead, showing what is challenging is what admissions wants to see. Challenges are what cause growth and development, so they are important to address.

In several areas of this essay, the author could be more specific to be more engaging. Rather than saying "the research happening in the labs" they could specify what types of research they witnessed. Rather than saying "these experiences were pivotal to my passion for the sciences," they could specify how these experiences gave them a new appreciation and for what areas of science in particular.

Prompt: Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way. (250-650 words)

Last summer I participated in molecular biology research at Boston University. Surrounded by 39 other high school seniors, I perceived with new clarity how an inquisitive, curious mind must interact in an unapologetic manner. Entering lectures about the basics of molecular biology, most of us initially thought we knew a great deal about biology. I quickly realized my naivete, and once I accepted my own ignorance, I settled into a passive absorption mode. The looks on all our faces told the same story. Well, all of ours except Kelsey’s.

Brilliant and inquisitive, Kelsey exhibited no fear raising her hand and boldly asking questions. Even during the portions of the lectures when we were simply reviewing concepts of biology, she never ceased to question the current topic. The first few times she asked questions, I thought she had little background knowledge so she just needed clarification. Yet as the first week progressed, I realized that not only did she have the background information required for this course but also the grit and determination needed for success in research. The levels of her questions stumped our lecturer at times and he responded, “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

Often I just wanted to yell, “PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!!!”, as my tolerance for her constant inquiry began to erode while sitting through her questions and their subsequent answers. Due to her deep and thought-provoking questions, she became the class pariah; not necessarily because she was annoying but because of her resolute and indefatigable inquisitiveness. She was insatiable in her pursuit of knowledge, like a ribosome clinging to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Yet as the course progressed, I finally began to notice the value of Kelsey’s questions. She asked questions of importance, questions researchers must ask themselves every day. Her inquiries were thoughts no one else my age seemed to have. The depth and breadth of her ideas fascinated me, especially given that she was only sixteen.

Kelsey’s questions made me realize the importance of questioning preconceived notions.

Subsequently, I became aware of my own willingness to challenge concepts that were accepted and taught as seemingly concrete, and I recognized the danger of blindly absorbing information without disputing it. Seeing the scholarly nature of Kelsey’s intellectual curiosity, I began to emulate her queries during the final few weeks of the program. Not only did I get more out of the lectures, but I also gained the experience necessary to question ideas and facts and search for answers, a vital skill in every academic realm.

As a student with an interest in the sciences, I ask questions that may not have an obvious answer. As someone who strives for knowledge, I am willing to do research if what I am asking has no answer, but I do not simply possess an affinity toward knowledge. I wish to create it. Most young people cite coaches, teachers, or other adults as influential; however, for me, a peer-modeled approach to learning also has merit.

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Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

It's important to create a "voice" in your personal statement, so that admissions officers can imagine your character and personality. Try to write as you would speak, but refined and polished. In this essay, natural-sounding phrases like "...let me admit, I was awful..." humanizes the author and makes the reader feel like they're being spoken to.

This essay is a perfect example of how effective essays don't need to have a super unusual story to be compelling. What makes this essay's story compelling is not necessarily the topic itself (meeting distant relatives), but instead how the student reflects and makes interesting connections to broader ideas. Even seemingly mundane experiences can make for meaningful personal statements topics.

This conclusion works well by connecting to the main story of the essay. However, certain phrases like "As a global citizen" and "I am hoping to forge relationships" are potentially too generic. Instead, try taking your main idea (in this case forming connections with others) and broaden it or connect to more universal ideas.

Common App Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)

Having a unifying idea is key to successful personal statements. Find your deepest idea or realization and focus your essay around that.

Find a way to showcase your achievements while connecting to broader, more universal ideas.

Connecting your ending to your beginning is a powerful way to bring your essay full circle. A great conclusion expands on your ideas introduced earlier, while leaving some room for more to be said.

These 5 Princeton essays that worked showcase great examples of responses to the Princeton writing supplement.

What did you think of these Princeton essays?

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Princeton Admitted Essay

People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...

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Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....

UPenn Admitted Essay

A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...

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How to write the ‘Extracurricular Activity’ essay

How to write the “extracurricular activity” college essay.

Bonus Material: Examples of real supplemental essays that worked for schools like Princeton and Yale

If you’re in the process of applying to colleges, you likely already know that many universities (especially top-tier schools like Ivies) ask you to write essays in response to supplemental prompts. 

When it comes to selective schools, these supplemental essays make a huge difference! Some schools even prioritize your supplemental essays over your Common App personal statement. 

One of the most common supplemental essay prompts asks you to expand on an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. This is what we call, for obvious reasons, the Extracurricular Activity essay . 

While it might seem simple, many students misunderstand what colleges want when they ask this question. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what you need to do to write this supplemental essay in a way that gets you to stand out to elite universities. 

As universities get more and more selective, you’ll want to make sure you do everything possible to ensure your admissions application is perfect. At PrepMaven, that’s exactly what we do: for years, our expert tutors have guided students through the college application process, helping them land acceptances at schools like Princeton, Harvard, and MIT. 

Read on for our guide–backed up by years of experience–on how to approach the Extracurricular Activity essay prompt. 

Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools

Jump to section: What is the “Extracurricular Activity” essay? Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts What are colleges looking for in this supplemental essay? How to write the “Extracurricular Activity” essay Example of a successful extracurricular essay Analysis of a real extracurricular essay How to choose the topic for the extracurricular essay Next steps

What is the “Extracurricular” essay?

This is pretty much what it sounds like: many universities will, as one of their supplemental writing prompts, ask you to expand upon an extracurricular activity you’ve been involved with. 

But while the directions are pretty clear, what top colleges actually want from you here can be harder to figure out. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the Extracurricular essay prompt: what the prompts look like, what admission officers want, and how to structure your essay. 

In addition, we’ll break down a real sample essay and analyze how it effectively checks all the boxes for an incredibly strong Extracurricular supplemental. 

After the “Why us?” prompts (on which we have a detailed guide here ), this is one of the most common supplemental essay prompts you’ll encounter, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready for this one well ahead of the application deadlines. 

Below, we’ll walk you through what these prompts look like, and what you need to do to answer them effectively. 

Examples of “Extracurricular Activity” prompts

Lots of schools ask a version of this question, but each university has their own spin on it. Take a look below for some examples from the 2023-2024 application cycle: 

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (Harvard) Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words, Carnegie Mellon) What academic areas are you interested in exploring in college? (200 words, Emory University)

As you can see, each of these looks a bit different, but really they all want to know the same thing: what interests you, and how have you gotten involved with it?

What are colleges looking for when they ask about extracurriculars?

Simply put, they want to see whether you’re really passionate about something. Almost nothing is as impressive to college admissions officers as real, demonstrated passion for some particular interest. 

In our broader guide on the college application process , we talk about the importance of highlighting your extracurricular profile for elite colleges’ admissions committees. While that happens in your Activities List, of course, the Extracurricular essay is your biggest opportunity to show them how you’ve engaged deeply with a particular activity. 

But admissions officers don’t just want to see you’ve been involved with something .

What they want to see in your extracurricular profile are: 

• Initiative 

These may feel like buzzwords (they are), but they really are how admissions committees evaluate your extracurricular profile. 

Did you just compete in a robotics activity, or did you win a state championship? The former is nice; the latter is excellence . 

Did you start volunteering at a local homeless shelter this year, for an hour a week? That’s good, and colleges will appreciate it. But compare that to someone who’s been volunteering for years, dedicating multiple hours a week to the same task: that’s dedication . 

Leadership is more or less self-explanatory: did you participate, or did you hold specific positions, with demonstrated (positive) effects on the club/team/organization you were a part of?

Initiative can be murkier, but it basically has to do with how much effort you had to put in to pursuing your extracurricular in the first place (this often intersects with the other three categories). For example: did you join an existing club, or found your own because of your intense desire to pursue what interests you?

In a nutshell, then, the extracurricular essay prompt gives you the rare and valuable opportunity to show admissions committees one or more of these traits. As you write your essay, think about it in those terms: how can you show your excellence, dedication, leadership, and/or initiative in whatever activity you choose to write on. 

Below, we’ll run down what one of these essays needs to have to wow admissions officers. Although this guide should give you the information you need, there’s never a substitute for a real college essay expert who can help you with your essay live–we always recommend reaching out to one of our essay coaches if you want to maximize your chances of admission.

How to structure an Extracurricular supplemental essay. 

Although every essay is different, there are certain things that the Extracurricular should always do, and there’s a straightforward structure to help you do it. Below, we’ll break down each step of the structure and analyze a real example. 

Generally, though, these Extracurricular essays follow a similar structure: 

• Start with a story
• Give an overview
• Show your passion
• Reflect on how the activity has shaped you

Below, we’ll get into each of these in detail, so that you can have a more precise understanding of what’s expected of you when it comes to this supplemental essay. 

This is often the advice with all college essays, and it’s no less true here: you want to start with something that grabs the reader’s attention. The best way to do that is, more often than not, by throwing the reader right into the middle of a scene or moment. 

As you most likely did in your Common App essay, try to begin with a short paragraph recounting a moment that showcases you in action. Perhaps it’s you in the lab, working on a hypothesis about plant nutrition. Or maybe you’re an artist, and have just dragged your easel and canvas into the forest to paint a landscape. Whatever you do, don’t just tell us–show us you in action. 

The story exists to hook us in, but it won’t tell us everything we need to know. Set aside a small part of the essay to give a broader background for the activity you’re describing so that admissions committees can understand more about the activity itself. 

This part of the essay won’t be the most exciting or flashy, but it will let you convey a lot of information very quickly–making it an excellent place to highlight things like your dedication or initiative when it comes to this extracurricular. 

What does the “overview” part of an extracurricular supplemental look like? We’ll actually take a look at a real sample essay later in the post, but we can describe it briefly here. 

Say you’re writing an essay about performing in musicals. 

The first section (the story ) of your essay might describe you on stage, about to belt out some showtunes. 

The second section (the overview ) might begin something like, “Since the age of 7, I’ve leaped at every chance to perform in musicals: at schools, in local productions, and even with a touring theater troupe.” In just one sentence, you can show us how long you’ve been engaged with the activity and what some of the highlights were. Then, you can continue on by describing more about what your involvement in this extracurricular entails: your role, how your involvement has changed, that kind of thing. 

A word of caution: don’t turn this into a list of your accomplishments and awards. That should already be reflected in the Activities Section of your Common App. But also, it won’t make for a very good essay, and it’ll sound like you’re bragging. Only include accomplishments if they naturally integrate with the story you’re telling. 

Not sure how to balance an overview so that it conveys the right information without becoming bloated or braggy? The best way to be sure is to work with someone who has experience wowing admissions committees themselves. That’s why we always recommend getting a bit of professional help from one of our many Ivy League essay tutors and checking out or collection of real supplemental essays from successful applicants below 

We say it in almost all of our essay guides, but it’s true: nothing makes an essay stand out to admissions committees like a believable, personal description of the passion you feel for what you do. It’s human: we love people who really love what they do.

Whatever you choose to write about, the next section of your Extracurricular essay should focus on conveying the passion you feel for this activity or the satisfaction you gain from it. As always, specific details are key!  

Don’t just say “I love to ride dirt bikes.” It’s not specific, it’s not detailed, it’s not convincing: do you really believe that the person who has nothing more to say than that really loves what they do?

Connect the passion to specific details or moments that you’ve experienced while pursuing this extracurricular. Maybe it’s the specific sensation of dirt showering on you as you land the bike from a jump; maybe it’s the moment a student you tutor turns to you and says how much you’ve helped their confidence. 

Convey your passion by integrating it with the unique details that only you can recount. That’s what makes the difference between a generic, ChatGPT-style extracurricular essay and a compelling, personal one that can wow college admissions committees. 

As always, the extracurricular activity essay isn’t just about the extracurricular activity: it’s about showing how something you’re deeply involved with has affected who you are on the cusp of college. 

What does that look like? It could be a lot of things! Maybe your extracurricular activity actually shaped what you want to study, or how you live your life–if so, great. But it’s also no less important if your extracurricular activity is simply a source of peace or joy, something that takes you away from the stresses of school or other obligations. 

In any case, it’s important to show that you’re the kind of person who thinks about how the things in your life shape you. This section doesn’t have to be long–a sentence or two will do–but it should show the admissions officers what it is you’ve gained from the pursuit of this hobby, passion, or job. 

Example of a successful Extracurricular Essay

Below is an example of a really excellent response to an Extracurricular essay prompt. This sample actually comes from our guide on how to respond to the University of California’s supplemental prompts, but it’s the kind of essay that could easily be used to respond to any college’s Extracurricular supplemental essay prompt. 

The stall horn blares, and the plane sways under the control of my feet. Shoulders tense, I look outside to maintain balance: even a small tap of a foot or shift of the stick could throw the plane into a downwards roll. The plane begins to shake- my cue to recover. I pitch the nose down and push the throttle full forwards. Despite high-stress situations, piloting is my dream career. Whether airliners or navy jets, I know I will be happiest in the air. I started out building model airplanes out of paper and pencils at Civil Air Patrol meetings, which first introduced me to basic aviation principles: pitch, roll, and yaw. From there, a presentation in my computer science class taught me about Joby Aviation, a local startup working on electric gyrocopters for everyday travel. Already knowing I wanted to fly, I felt inspired to work with aircraft as an engineer as well. I decided to enroll in flight lessons and subsequently took a job as a receptionist at my flight school. When flying, time passes by as fast as the air around me. As warnings blare, pilots chatter over the radio and the plane’s glass bubble gets swelteringly hot. There’s a lot to be aware of, but I’ve learned to multitask and focus amidst distractions. Similarly, being at the airport quickly thrust me into the world of aviation. I found myself fascinated not only by aerodynamics but also by fuel chemistry, avionics, and materials. Sumping fuel from the fuel tanks, I wondered, how do different fuel textures affect planes’ engines? Running my hand along the propeller, I pondered: how would the aircraft fly if this were wood? Plastic? I became fascinated by the specificity and variability of aerospace materials and eager to learn more about them. My love for aerospace is part of why I am eager to study engineering. I imagine myself designing new aircraft and optimizing the ones I fly. Whether I become a pilot or an engineer, the lessons I learn flying will be beneficial in any future paths I take.

Analysis of a real Extracurricular supplemental essay

Take another look at the above essay, and notice how it actually neatly follows the structure we’ve been talking about. 

The essay starts suddenly, and with a ton of detail: a stall horn (what’s that?), a plane swaying, a lot of tension. 

It’s important that the story is, itself, hooking and attention-grabbing. But that’s not the sole purpose of the story: the real key here is that it shows the writer in action. They’re not a passive observer or someone along for the ride. They’re making decisions and taking control of a situation, displaying both confidence and competence. 

Those elements together are the key to a successful opening for the extracurricular essay: get our attention, and show us you in action. 

Notice how the second paragraph feels totally different. It’s no longer a pulse-raising story: it’s a quick but detailed overview of how the writer got involved with and pursued this extracurricular activity over a long period of time. 

What do we learn from this overview? The writer started simple, with models at Civic Air Patrol meetings; they continued pursuing this passion through a compsci course and a local internship; they took flight lessons and got practical work experience at a flight school. 

It’s all super quick, and super efficient. There’s some nice details in there (the models, the gyroscope), but the primary function of this section of the essay is just to put the story in context. Think about it as the background that explains how we got to the story in the first place. 

The next paragraph immediately begins by conveying why this activity is so meaningful to the author. We learn that time (literally) flies, that the author learns how to multitask and stay focused under pressure, and that all this leads to a fascination with the science and engineering behind flight. 

Remember when we talked about specifics being the key to conveying passion? Here’s what we meant. The author doesn’t stop at saying what fascinated them. They go way further, posing multiple hyper-specific questions that convey the author’s real, sustained engagement with this activity. 

• Reflection/change

As you can see, this section can be super short! It really just needs to wrap up the essay by showing us how this extracurricular affects the writer. In this case, it has helped shape what the student wants to pursue, even if the student isn’t yet 100% certain about what that path will look like. 

But this essay could have worked just as well if this student wanted to be an English major. The essay would simply have ended with a different kind of reflection, one about the value or lessons that they’re able to take away from the experience of flying. 

At heart, these essays aren’t complicated. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Writing the perfect Extracurricular supplemental essay can be incredibly challenging: how do you balance the story, the overview, the passion, the lesson? And all within a very short word count! 

Taking the right approach can mean the difference between boring an admissions committee and stunning them, so it’s not the place to take risks. It’s why we recommend working with a one-on-one PrepMaven essay coach. Not only have our tutors been accepted to the most prestigious schools in the country, but they’ve helped countless students get their own acceptance letters. 

How to choose the topic for an Extracurricular essay

This is a crucial decision, and you don’t want to take it lightly. 

Many students simply pick the activity that they’ve excelled most in, or the one they spend the most time doing. 

That’s often the wrong choice. Not always, of course, but often!

The key consideration is what activity will add the most to your application when described in essay form, as opposed to merely being summarized in 150 characters on your Activities List. 

Sometimes, that really is the same thing as the one you’re most active in; sometimes it’s not. 

For example, let’s say you’re an absolutely amazing athlete who has won titles and awards and all sorts of stuff. Your activities list can, if you’re careful with word count, convey all of those titles, awards, etc. If you were to write a whole essay about your sport, would you really be able to add much that the admissions committee won’t already see?

On the other hand, let’s say that in addition to being an all-star athlete, you’re also a tutor or mentor for a younger student. On the activities list, that won’t look impressive: so many students do peer tutoring that an admission officer’s eyes will glaze right over. But what if you actually developed a strong relationship with a student you mentored? There’s no way to convey that in 150 characters, but it might make for a nice story in 150 words. 

Wherever you can tell the best story, that’s your topic for the extracurricular supplemental. 

Before writing, you should always spend time reading through sample essays. We’ve collected over 50 supplemental essays from our tutors in response to prompts from Ivies and other elite schools. They’re totally free, and you can download them below to see what worked for past applicants. 

Though the steps here might seem simple, they can be astoundingly hard to pull off in just 250 words or less, which is usually the word count for this kind of supplemental essay. But if you can thread the needle and do everything listed above on this kind of essay, it can make a huge difference for your application. 

Most people don’t treat the supplemental essays as if they were particularly important, but they absolutely are: each college has put time and resources into coming up with these supplemental essay prompts because they want to see what you have to say. 

If you’ve read this guide carefully, then it’s time to start drafting! If you want to ensure that you’re writing the kind of essay that can get you into a top tier school, however, it often pays to get a second opinion. Our college essay experts have helped thousands of students get admitted into their dream schools, and are ready to help you do the same as soon as you’re ready. 

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How To Write The Princeton Supplemental Essays (2021-2022)

Welcome to the Princeton supplemental essays for the 2021-2022 application cycle!

The Princeton writing supplement divides its essays into the following sections: “Extracurricular Activity and Work Experience,” “Your Voice,” and “More About You.” For Princeton supplemental essay questions — which you can find here on the Princeton website — you have more power to shape your responses as you write your application. It’s worth putting significant effort into these since Princeton’s extremely low acceptance rate means you need to stand out in a very competitive pool.

Here’s how to write the best Princeton supplemental essays possible.

For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who are Undecided:

As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in about 250 words.)

If you’re already familiar with many of the common questions on college applications, this question is essentially the “Why Major” prompt , which usually asks you about the specific programs, majors, and concentrations you’d like to pursue at the given school. The key to writing this essay is extensive research into Princeton’s offerings in the classroom.

Dive into class descriptions, syllabi, faculty research, and anything you can find to help you craft your essay with as much specific detail as possible . Without repeating your resume or getting too repetitive in the context of the rest of your application, tie in your experience to these specific offerings to show how you will take advantage of the resources you’d have access to at Princeton. Show them what makes you excited to learn and fuels your curiosity about the subjects you love the most.

Obviously, Princeton is world-renowned for its academics, but avoid mentioning this prestige as a reason you want to attend. With 32,835 applicants for the class of 2024 , it’s safe to assume most applicants are interested in Princeton’s prestige — instead, focus on what makes Princeton a great academic fit for you and you a great fit for them.

For B.S.E Degree Applicants:

Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in about 250 words.)

The same “Why Major” insight mentioned above applies here as well. Since the prompt specifically asks for you to describe any previous experience, make sure that is a significant part of your essay — balance that the same specific, in-depth research you should do on the engineering program. Focus less on the aspect of academic curiosity since that is not a part of this prompt.

Extracurricular Activity and Work Experience

Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words.)

This is a very common prompt at top-tier and mid-tier schools alike, where they’re giving you the opportunity to elaborate on activities that you otherwise have to summarize in less than 150 characters earlier in your application. Some people have very impressive accomplishments that will naturally fall into this prompt: winning an international award in an academic competition, being an exceptionally talented musician, etc. For the rest of us, and for those people too, you should focus intensely on why the activity was meaningful to you beyond the awards and recognition. How did it shape you as a person?

Participating in a high school club and doing well at the state level is certainly an accomplishment, but that on its own isn’t enough to convince Princeton admissions officers that you qualify for admission to their school. To make a description of an otherwise-fairly-common activity into a standout essay, you need to analyze it in a compelling manner. What did you take away from this activity that nobody else did? Maybe you did martial arts, but instead of focusing on how you learned to work hard (which way too many extracurricular essays do), you discuss your reflections on the obedience culture and conflict of traditional practice and modern knowledge. A unique take with thoughtful discussion is necessary to present yourself as someone able to make the most of opportunities, and thus deserving of those Princeton provides.

Please respond to each question in an essay of about 250 words.

1. At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?

This is frankly an exceptionally hard prompt to respond to in a mature and positive manner. First, it forces you to consider what difficult conversations you have had about sensitive topics — you may not have many conversations to reflect on. Second, it asks you to communicate the nuance of your conversation on an important and controversial topic, what you learned from the encounter, and how it will be important in your future endeavors… all in 250 words.

Many people will default to conversations on politics and race here, and while these can be strong options if you have had meaningful experiences, I’d encourage you to brainstorm a little longer, especially if you’re talking about hearing someone else’s story and empathizing with them. Unique topics can make your essay memorable. What is a conversation that made you view others or yourself differently?

Whatever you write about, make sure your opinion is well-informed and succinct. Read up on the topic to discuss it appropriately before writing your essay. Reinforce a feeling of compassion and understanding instead of claiming victory or insisting you were right (so maybe don’t talk about a debate competition). Show yourself able to engage in the gray answers to some of our biggest modern questions, and you’ll make progress in convincing the reader you would fit as a Princeton student.

2. Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

This is a variation on a classic prompt about community and/or the meaning of community to you. Colleges understandably want students who are going to leave lasting impacts on their campuses, especially at a well-known school like Princeton. Consider how you can best convince the Princeton admissions committee that you are going to be a force for good on their campus. This will likely involve discussing a time you took initiative to change something upon noticing a problem.

Alongside being intelligent, Princeton students are also very passionate about making a difference. How have you done that in your school, town, or state already? If you haven’t done something yet, then write an essay looking towards the future (the “or will intersect” part) that convinces them you will. Come up with a viable and impactful plan to improve the world with your abilities and make them want to give you the education that will support that improvement. Avoid speaking in generalities and vague statements, as your essay will be forgettable without specific details.

More About You

Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

First of all, there are definitely wrong answers — don’t be fooled. These questions help Princeton admissions officers get a better feel for how your personality fits their college and could also be called “personality questions.” Princeton is known as upscale, sometimes artsy, cerebral, and very put together, although there is a lot of diversity in these features among the undergraduate population. But since you don’t have much room, you need to convey all of this as efficiently as possible.

Would you get along well with the people at Princeton? This is where they look to find that out.

1. What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?

Think back to Princeton’s desired traits. Don’t just say you want to learn guitar or karate without a good reason to back it up. There are thousands of “skills” you could learn, so pick one and describe its unique appeal among this vast array of potential abilities. And make sure that it fits with the overall narrative you’ve been crafting throughout your Princeton application.

2. What brings you joy?

Well, ask yourself: what brings you joy? The best advice here is to be honest and be yourself, as they mention above. An admissions officer can smell a disingenuous answer to this question like “math problems” or “studying for history tests” from a mile away. Paint yourself as an honest and balanced human more than just an intense student in your answer to this. Obviously, stay away from inappropriate or completely irrelevant topics, but there is no need to convince Princeton that you’re someone you’re not.

3. What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

It would be smart here to pick something the admissions officers are likely to have heard — obscure music, even if it is a genuine interest of yours, may not play well. They probably won’t look up many of peoples’ responses here given their time constraints, so pick a song that strikes that balance between recognizable and unique. Stay away from overly explicit and inappropriate music. Consider the kind of music that tells a story similar to the situation you’re in currently.

Princeton requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application.

This is a pretty unique request on a college application, but it speaks to Princeton’s emphasis on their students’ academic prowess. Of course, pick a paper where you got great feedback and a high grade. The more complex and polished the argument you make in the paper, the better, especially if it’s about an interesting and/or unexpected topic. If you have no idea what to submit, ask your teacher in your best subject what they might recommend submitting.

If you’re looking for help on your Princeton supplemental essays, set up a free consultation with one of our expert college admissions consultants . We offer hands-on essay ideation, drafting, and editing assistance.

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How to Approach Princeton's Essays (with Real Princeton Essay Examples from 2023)

Kate Sliunkova

AdmitYogi, Stanford MBA & MA in Education

20 min read

Introduction:

When it comes to college applications, writing the perfect essay can make all the difference. And for those applying to Princeton University, crafting standout essays is a must. But what sets a Princeton essay apart from the rest? In this article, we'll explore tips and tricks for nailing each of Princeton's essay prompts, along with examples from successful applicants. Whether you're just starting to brainstorm or putting the final touches on your essays, read on for expert advice on how to impress the admissions committee at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Princeton's Essay Prompts

250 word essays (princeton's "your voice" essays):.

• At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (250 words)
• Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (250 words)

Princeton's Extracurricular Essay:

• Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (150 words)

50 Word Essays (Princeton's "More About You" Essays):

• What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (50 words)
• What brings you joy? (50 words)
• What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (50 words)

Princeton's Degree-Specific Essays:

For ba / undecided applicants:.

As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (250 words)

For BSE Applicants:

Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (250 words)

How to Write Princeton's Essays:

Princeton's "your voice" essays:, princeton's difficult conversation essay:.

"At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?" (250 words).

When approaching this prompt, it's important to reflect on a time when you engaged in a conversation about a challenging topic. Choose a topic that you are passionate about or have experience with, and be sure to highlight your ability to listen actively to others' perspectives.

Start your essay by setting the scene, describing the context of the conversation and the people involved. Then, explain the issue being discussed and any differing opinions that arose. Show how you demonstrated respect for diverse perspectives and how you contributed to the discussion.

Next, describe the insights you gained from the conversation. Did you learn something new about yourself or others? Did the conversation change your thinking or perspective on the topic? Be specific about what you learned and how it impacted you.

Finally, discuss how you would incorporate this knowledge into your thinking in the future. What changes would you make to your approach to difficult conversations? How would you ensure that you continue to be open-minded and respectful of differing perspectives?

Remember to keep your essay concise and focused, while still showing depth and insight. By highlighting your ability to engage in respectful dialogue about difficult topics, you'll demonstrate that you embody the values that Princeton University holds dear. Here's a great example from Ryder, a current Princeton student. You can read all of his essays here.

Most people wouldn’t consider flutes and peas controversial, but at my family dinner table, they are. Years ago, my dad proclaimed flutes an inferior instrument stating, “Nobody likes the flute” (my mom does), and asking, “What great band features a flute?” (Dave Matthews Band), adding to the conversation some incendiary comments about peas culminating in the claim that “Peas are the least liked vegetable.” At the time, I couldn’t put my finger on why, but his assertions irked me. Irritated, I went to bat for flutes and peas with an inexplicable passion for all they had to offer, though neither are my favorite instrument or vegetable.

Since then, many dinnertime conversations and debates have taken place, the most volatile invariably circling back to touch on the value of flutes and peas, and I have come to understand why I have repeatedly championed their worth. When it comes to flutes and peas, my dad treats his opinions as fact—defending his views as “right” with googled information and naming as evidence a mysterious, undocumented majority of flute and pea haters. To this day, he remains convinced his opinion is irrefutably correct; those who think otherwise are brainwashed, don’t know better, or are lying.

Go ahead, call me a “flute and pea fanatic”; all I was ever fighting for was to stay open-minded. Thanks to my dad and his steadfast condemnation of flutes and peas, I watch out for opinion masquerading as fact and choose my own words carefully, believing that conflict often springs not from differing opinions, but from the way those opinions are asserted.

Princeton's Civic Engagement Essay:

"Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals." (250 words)

To approach this prompt, first reflect on your experiences with service and civic engagement. Consider instances where you've made a positive impact on your community or participated in activities that align with Princeton's commitment to service. Begin your essay by briefly sharing your personal background or story that led you to engage in service and civic activities. This could include your upbringing, family values, or any transformative experiences that have shaped your commitment to service.

Next, provide specific examples of your involvement in service or civic-related activities. These could be volunteer work, community projects, leadership roles, or advocacy for social issues. Highlight the impact of your efforts, the skills you've gained, and any challenges you've faced along the way.

After discussing your past experiences, connect your story to Princeton's ideals by explaining how your commitment to service will continue during your time at the university. Research Princeton's service and civic engagement initiatives, such as the Pace Center for Civic Engagement or Community House, and identify programs or opportunities that resonate with your interests and goals. It also helps to briefly discuss your long-term aspirations and how your dedication to service will play a role in your future career or personal life.

Here's a great example of Princeton's civic engagement and service essay from Aileen, who got into incredible schools like Princeton, Harvard, UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Brown. You can read all of the essays that got her into those amazing schools here.

What makes a neighborhood feel like home? For me, it is cohesion, mutual dependency, and trust, but not necessarily residence: I don’t live in [Place Redacted]’s Chinatown, but it has nonetheless made an impact on me.

I became involved with Chinatown community organizations volunteering at one housing nonprofit’s annual summer film festival and neighborhood gathering. Witnessing the mutual obligation between neighbors and residents’ love for their community, I felt a connection to the neighborhood that ultimately motivated me to explore my cultural roots as an Asian-American and continue working with Chinatown organizations.

As part of a research project on economic inequality, I learned about the challenges Chinatown faces, from redlining and gentrification to language capability and racial discrimination. I became a tour guide with an organization to give college students and nearby young professionals a view of the neighborhood through an urban planning lens. I’ve continued this commitment to educating communities about the consequences of urban development and lack of awareness by holding similar conversations and workshops through school clubs.

I am so thankful to have engaged with the intricacies of a deeply connected neighborhood like Chinatown, but I am even more grateful for the skills its community has taught me. I have learned to advocate for community empowerment and reflection and combat economic inequality in a neighborhood by understanding its nuanced causes. Chinatown fostered in me the spirit of community organizing, which I will take with me for the rest of my life.

"Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you." (150 words).

When approaching this prompt, focus on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has had a significant impact on your personal growth, interests, or values. Choose an experience that showcases your dedication, passion, and ability to make a meaningful contribution.

Begin by briefly describing the chosen activity or experience, providing context about your involvement. Be specific about your role and responsibilities, and explain why this experience is particularly meaningful to you. Be sure to also discuss the impact of this experience on your life. Consider the skills you've gained, the lessons you've learned, or the personal growth you've experienced as a result of your involvement. If possible, highlight any challenges you've faced and how you've overcome them, demonstrating resilience and adaptability.

Although the word limit for this prompt is short, it's crucial to convey a strong sense of purpose and passion in your response. By focusing on one meaningful experience and articulating its significance, you'll provide the admissions committee with a glimpse into your values and interests, making your application more memorable and compelling.

The incredible Princeton essay example below comes from Ryan, who got into Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, and Brown. You can read his entire college application here.

Since the cards were first dealt four years ago, I have not only become infatuated with the game of poker, but I've finally felt the warmth of genuine, requited best-friendship.

For its own sake, poker is an amazing game. A game of statistics, psychology, and luck, poker keeps objectivity enjoyable; whether through a sneaky play or just bad luck, the mathematically "correct" play is often wrong—you can't master the game.

But as much as I'm attached to poker, it'd be nothing without the "regulars": "Silverman"—the stone-cold bluffer. Jack—the sly psychologist. "Kato"—the careful calculator, and Jaden—the poker guru. Poker introduced us, but our friendships grew beyond the game: We get along like family.

I've made other friends along the way. I've grown as a student, as a friend, and even as a son over the same period. But nothing has made my life enjoyable like these four friends—through a game most see only in casinos, my dreams of authentic friendship have finally been realized.

Princeton's 50-Word Essays:

Princeton's new skill essay:.

"What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?" (50 words).

When approaching the "What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?" prompt, start by selecting a specific skill that genuinely interests you and aligns with your academic or personal goals. In one or two sentences, explain why this skill is important to you or how it might enhance your college experience. Then, briefly discuss how learning this skill at Princeton could contribute to your long-term aspirations. Throughout your response, convey enthusiasm and curiosity, showcasing your eagerness to grow and learn during your time at the university. Remember to keep your response concise yet impactful within the limited word count.

Here is a great example of Princeton's new skill essay from Gabi, who got into incredible schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. You can read all of her college applications here.

From hip-hop to choreopoem, I want to learn how to critically analyze, histioculturally deconstruct, and stylistically perform dance. Studying or daydreaming, a rhythm constantly flows through my head, and I hope to channel it through Lewis Center’s co-curricular and academic offerings.

Princeton's Joy Essay:

"What brings you joy?" (50 words).

To approach the "What brings you joy?" prompt, reflect on a specific activity, hobby, or aspect of your life that genuinely sparks happiness and fulfillment. Describe it briefly and vividly, capturing the essence of why it brings you joy. Within the limited word count, aim to convey your passion and enthusiasm, allowing the admissions committee to gain insight into your personality and values.

Below is an excellent example from Adem, who got into Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown. You can read all of his amazing essays here!

I pedal up the steep, 4-mile long Kancamagus Highway climb. Despite being 67 miles into my ride, I still maintain my power and efficient turnover. Cycling is my secret escape, and nothing brings me more joy than spending hours on the saddle exploring backroads on a perfect fall day.

Princeton's Soundtrack Essay:

"What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?" (50 words).

For the "What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?" prompt, choose a song that resonates with your current emotions, experiences, or aspirations. Briefly describe the song and artist, then explain why it's significant to you at this stage in your life. Within the limited word count, aim to convey a personal connection to the song, offering a glimpse into your thoughts and feelings as you navigate this moment in time.

Below is a stellar Princeton essay example from Ryan S, who got into Princeton, UPenn, Cornell, and CMU. You can read all of his college applications here.

“Une Belle Histoire” by Michel Fugain. The guitars, trumpets, and chorus of the “Big Bazaar” mirrors my desire to explore all the unknowns. As I sing along, not understanding a lyric, I’m reminded that I may not understand everything in the present, but that’s okay.

Writing Princeton's Essay for BA / Undecided Applicants:

"As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests?" (250 words).

To approach this prompt, start by identifying the academic areas that genuinely pique your curiosity. Reflect on your passions, experiences, and future goals to determine which disciplines align with your interests. Be selective and focus on a few specific areas to provide depth in your response. Next, research Princeton's programs and offerings related to your chosen academic areas. This could include courses, majors, minors, research opportunities, or extracurricular activities. Familiarize yourself with the unique aspects of Princeton's liberal arts curriculum and how it encourages interdisciplinary exploration.

In your essay, briefly discuss your chosen academic areas and explain why they interest you. Share any relevant experiences, achievements, or personal connections that showcase your passion for these subjects. Then, demonstrate your knowledge of Princeton's programs by explaining how they suit your particular interests. Discuss specific courses, research opportunities, or resources that you are excited about and how they would enhance your academic journey. Additionally, consider mentioning any professors or ongoing projects at the university that align with your interests.

Finally, connect your exploration of these academic areas at Princeton to your long-term goals, whether they be professional or personal. Show how the university's approach to learning will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve success in your chosen fields. By showcasing your genuine curiosity and demonstrating a deep understanding of Princeton's academic offerings, you'll convey your enthusiasm for learning at the university and illustrate how you would thrive in its intellectual environment.

The amazing Princeton essay example below comes from Kaya, who got into Princeton, Columbia, and JHU. You can read all of her essays here.

My life experiences and classwork have shaped my passion for neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. Princeton's environment will deepen my understanding of my interests and allow me to develop new ones.

My concussions and visits with my neurologist and psychologist interested me in their fields, as I want to understand how the brain changes after trauma and how that affects behavior. Then, in junior year English, we read works by Emerson and Thoreau, and my previous tolerance of the humanities transformed into a love of philosophy. Philosophy allows for dissent and multiple interpretations, creating an ambiguity that balances the rigidity and clarity of science. The cognitive science certificate program combines neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy into one concentration, so I can explore the interconnectedness of all my interests.

Majoring in psychology gives me an opportunity to get an additional certificate in neuroscience. Instead of double majoring and taking all of the required neuroscience courses, I can just take neuropsychological classes that interest me, such as "Depression: From Neuron to Clinic" and "The Brain: A User's Guide." The psychology major also offers courses such as "The Psychology and Philosophy of Rationality" and "The Psychology of Moral Behavior," which combine my interests in psychology and philosophy.

Additionally, the "Princeternship" will allow me to apply classroom learning of psychology and neuroscience in my shadowing experiences with alumni in the field. It also gives me an undergraduate opportunity to create personal relationships with potential employers to begin my career path as a clinical psychiatrist.

Writing Princeton's Essay for BSE Applicants:

"Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests." (250 words).

To approach this prompt, begin by reflecting on your interest in engineering and any experiences or exposure you've had in the field. Consider personal projects, internships, competitions, or coursework that have shaped your passion for engineering.

Start your essay by discussing why you're interested in studying engineering, highlighting any specific areas or fields within engineering that particularly excite you. Share relevant experiences or achievements that showcase your dedication to the subject. Next, research Princeton's engineering programs and resources, including majors, courses, research opportunities, faculty, and facilities. Familiarize yourself with the unique aspects of Princeton's engineering education and its interdisciplinary approach.

In your response, demonstrate your knowledge of Princeton's engineering offerings by explaining how they align with your interests and goals. Discuss specific courses, research projects, or resources that you're excited about and explain how they would contribute to your academic and professional development. Additionally, consider mentioning any professors or ongoing research at the university that resonates with your interests, showing your eagerness to engage with the academic community at Princeton.

Lastly, connect your pursuit of engineering at Princeton to your long-term aspirations. Explain how the university's approach to engineering education will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities necessary to succeed in your chosen career path. By showcasing your genuine passion for engineering and demonstrating a deep understanding of Princeton's engineering programs, you'll convey your enthusiasm for learning at the university and illustrate how you would thrive in its intellectually stimulating environment.

The incredible essay example below comes from Princeton student Lily. She also got into MIT and UPenn, and you can read all of her essays and activities here.

My parents’ focus on maintaining our Chinese restaurant meant I grew up entertaining myself with origami formed from menus and indestructible towers of cardboard boxes between a broken sink and a dusty cash register. However, Computer Science brought me to a community that supports and fuels my desire for innovation.

In eighth grade, after learning about Scratch (a platform where beginners can create and share coding projects) my classmates started gathering around each others’ desktops to test our projects. Scratch taught me block coding, but also the endless lessons contained in others’ creations. The communities it created through its website and in my computer classes reminded me I didn’t have to work alone. Unlike my origami folds, my creations were no longer limited to my little designated corner; my programs could touch the lives of people beyond our restaurant.

At Princeton, I want to learn from Assistant Professor Andres Monroy-Hernandez, a developer of Scratch. His interest in systems that emphasize consumers’ benefits resonates with my aspiration to create community-driven programs that give people who feel isolated a place to thrive with other like-minded individuals. I strive to give others the same drive that comes from participating in college engineering summer camps and HTML classes with passionate professors and students, sharing the satisfaction of explaining doppler equations to a classmate that helped me debug a Python program.

Wincing at the amounts of abandoned crab rangoons every time I cleared a table at the restaurant also sparked an innate desire to reduce waste and increase sustainability in everyday life. With the ENV certification program, I would customize the sustainability courses I take to complement my Computer Science major. Electives like Economics of Food and Agriculture will give me a deeper understanding of the economics and source of the bulk boxes of broccoli we ordered every Friday. Joining clubs like Green Dining, I would directly impact my local environment by creating programs that will analyze the amount of produced food waste.

Princeton Engineering’s focus on learning to help humanity will nurture my desire of developing programs that’ll create thriving communities and increase sustainability.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, crafting standout essays for Princeton University requires a deep understanding of the prompts, genuine self-reflection, and a clear demonstration of your passions and goals. One of the most effective ways to master this process is by learning from real-world examples of successful essays that have helped students gain admission to prestigious institutions like Princeton.

By examining these examples, you can glean insights into what makes an essay stand out, identify patterns and strategies used by successful applicants, and ultimately apply those lessons to your own writing. Fortunately, we've built out a platform that lets high school students and parents access thousands of real-world examples of successful essays and extracurriculars that have landed students at incredible schools.

You can explore this vast repository of winning essays, learn from their successes, and refine your approach to tackling essay prompts from great schools like Princeton. Ultimately, by leveraging the power of real-life examples and the expert guidance provided in this article, you'll be well on your way to crafting compelling essays that capture the attention of Princeton University's admissions committee and pave the way for your future academic success.

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October 12, 2022

Tips for Answering the Princeton University Supplemental Essay Prompts [2022 – 2023]

It will come as no surprise that Princeton University is among the top schools in the nation and is recognized globally for academic excellence. This Ivy League school is renowned as a major research university as well as an outstanding liberal arts college. In addition to the Common Application, Universal College Application or Coalition Application essay, Princeton also requires supplemental writing responses. These additional essays help the admissions committee to understand your particular strengths and potential contributions to the Princeton community comprehensively. Princeton prides itself on the diversity of talents, achievements, perspectives, and interests of its student body. At the same time, it is looking for a freshman class that shares the following qualities: “integrity, a deep interest in learning and a devotion to both academic and non-academic pursuits.” Think about how you can contribute to Princeton as well as how Princeton can support your aspirations.

The best way to begin is by doing your research. Spend time looking over the Princeton website, get to know what current undergraduates are saying about the school, familiarize yourself with the various majors, and imagine yourself there. If possible, visit the campus (virtually), allow yourself to get excited about this opportunity, and make every effort to gain a sense of why Princeton is the ideal academic environment for you!

Get a free consultation: Click here to schedule a call to find out how our admissions experts can help YOU get accepted to Princeton!

Located in a suburban setting, Princeton is primarily a residential campus with a strong liberal arts focus. Its residential college structure, freshman seminars, and preceptorial system support the tight-knit student community. These are hallmarks of an education at Princeton and demonstrate the university’s commitment to student-centered learning within the context of a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

Remember to allow your writing to express your voice as you address the following Princeton supplemental questions; consider how your responses reveal your intellectual curiosity, passion for learning, and engagement with the world.

Princeton University supplemental application prompts

Princeton university short essay questions.

Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words)

It’s very common for students to talk about their experiences in general terms, but you will stand out by telling real stories that will reveal (at least very briefly) not only what you did but what you learned as a result. For example, while earning leadership badges with the Girl Scouts, you could write about how you took on a leadership role by organizing a community tree-planting initiative or mental health awareness program. Explain why that role was meaningful to you. Or you may have needed to take on additional responsibility at a job that required a lot of creativity. If you have played guitar or have been writing poetry for several years, how have these hobbies shaped you? What do these experiences reveal about your character and values?

Please respond to each question in an essay of 250 words or fewer.

1. At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?

Here, you might want to emphasize two things: how this conversation influenced your thinking (e.g., your long-held beliefs were challenged and opened your eyes to a new perspective); and secondly, how the conversation remained respectful (e.g., you were tempted to raise your voice or walk out but did not). What will you do to ensure that you can continue having hard but respectful exchanges in the future? Finally, be sure to say something about why these hard conversations are nonetheless important– Princeton clearly wants its students to be having them! Read:  7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

2. Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

Think about your involvement thus far in service and civic engagement. What have you done to help others; to serve your country; to volunteer your time? Then , research what Princeton students do to stay civically engaged. Given your background, how would you contribute to those things already in place at Princeton? How might you add to or improve what already exists?

More About You

Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!

Note: In this section, make sure to include both the “what” and the “why”– for example, “What brings me joy is X because of Y.” Your task is both to describe and to explain, to show logical and articulate thinking.

– What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? – What brings you joy? – What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

Final thoughts on applying to Princeton

Each of these essay prompts ask you to share something personal about yourself, discuss how an experience impacted you, and explain how you make sense of your world . They ask you to articulate your values and provide insight into your thinking process. They want you to reveal how you evaluate information and make decisions. Select the themed essay topic that strikes a cord with you. Make sure to convey your enthusiasm for that subject and for Princeton.

Princeton has a highly competitive and impressive applicant pool. It received tens of thousands of undergraduate applications for the class of 2026. Only 1,500 were offered admission. Add to that average SAT scores above 1500, and average ACT scores around 33, and you get a better sense of the level of competition. However, keep in mind that Princeton is committed to a holistic approach to the admissions process. This means they use your essay responses to round out the picture of you as a prospective student. The supplemental essays are your chance to share valuable information about yourself and differentiate yourself from your peers. In your essays, you can demonstrate that you belong at Princeton!

If you’re applying to Princeton University, you already know you’re up against tight competition. Don’t be overwhelmed. Get the guidance of an experienced admissions specialist who will help you stand out from the highly competitive applicant pool so you can apply with confidence, and get accepted! Click here to get started!

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your College Application Essays , a free guide
• How to Project Professionalism, Positivity, and Confidence in Your Statement of Purpose
• Different Dimensions of Diversity , a podcast episode

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Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-24

If you’re wondering how to get into Princeton, the Princeton supplemental essays play a major role in the admissions process. In this Princeton essay guide, we’ll go over each of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts and other Princeton requirements. We’ll also discuss where to find Princeton essay examples. However, before we dive into the Princeton essays, let’s learn a bit more about Princeton and go over some important admissions facts.

Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and is home to just over 5,000 undergrads. Currently the top-ranked university in the country, Princeton combines all of the best aspects of a well-rounded liberal arts college and a high powered research institution. It is one of the eight Ivy League schools and, as such, has an equally competitive application process . Below, we’ve provided some quick facts about the Princeton supplemental essays, including the Princeton acceptance rate, deadlines, and requirements. So, keep reading our Princeton essay guide for more details and tips!

Princeton Supplemental Essays: Quick Facts

Princeton essay guide facts.

• Princeton acceptance rate: 4%— U.S. News ranks Princeton as a highly competitive school.
• Common Application
• Coalition Application
• QuestBridge Application
• Early Action (Restrictive): November 1st 
• Regular Decision : January 1st 
• Transfer Application : March 1st 
• 1 full-page (~500 word) essay
• 2 half-page (~250 word) essays
• 3 short answer (~50 words) essays
• Princeton application note: In addition to submitting their Princeton supplemental essays, students are required to submit a personal statement essay and a graded written paper .
• #1 Princeton Essay Tip: Some of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts are complex and multifaceted. Taking the time to fully understand the prompt will help you connect and fully flesh out your ideas, ensuring you write the best Princeton supplemental essays possible.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

How many supplemental essays do you need for Princeton?

Princeton admissions requires students to submit six Princeton supplemental essays. While that may seem like a lot, the Princeton supplemental essays are actually more manageable than you think. In this Princeton essay guide, we’ll walk you through each of the Princeton essay prompts. 

The Princeton essays vary in length, with the longest at 500 words and the shortest only 50. Additionally, the Princeton essay prompts cover a variety of topics, including your major interest, personal impact, and civic engagement. This Princeton essay guide will provide all six Princeton supplemental essay prompts. We’ll also discuss strategies for each Princeton essay.

In addition to the Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll submit your personal statement and a graded written paper. We’ll review each of these requirements later in this guide.

What are the Princeton essay prompts?

The Princeton essay prompts are also referred to as First-Year Essay Questions . The six Princeton supplemental essays fall into three categories:

• Degree-specific 
• More about you

In the next section, we’ll review the prompts for each of the Princeton supplemental essays. We’ll also go over each of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts in detail and give you tips for writing your own Princeton essays.

Degree-specific

Depending on your chosen degree, you will respond to one of the below degree-specific prompts.

A.B. Degree Applicants/Undecided

As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. what academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at princeton suit your particular interests (please respond in 250 words or fewer.), b.s.e. degree applicants, please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at princeton. include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the university suit your particular interests. (please respond in 250 words or fewer.).

All applicants must answer the following Princeton supplemental essay prompts about personal impact and civic engagement.

Supplemental Essay Prompts

1. princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you  (please respond in 500 words or fewer.), 2. princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (please respond in 250 words or fewer.), more about you.

These are the short answer Princeton essay prompts. All applicants are required to answer the following prompts.

Short Answer Prompts

1. what is a new skill you would like to learn in college, 2. what brings you joy , 3. what song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment.

Now, let’s unpack how to approach each Princeton essay. First, we’ll take a closer look at the degree-specific Princeton supplemental essay.

Princeton Supplemental Essays – For A.B. Degree/Undecided Applicants

As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. what academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at princeton suit your particular interests (please respond in 250 words or fewer).

Students who apply to Princeton under either an A.B. Degree or Undecided program will respond to the above prompt. 

But before we dig into the rest of our Princeton essay guide, let’s discuss the difference between an A.B. and B.S.E. degree! 

A.B. Degree Program

Princeton offers two types of degrees: A.B. and B.S.E. On your Princeton application, you’ll indicate which type of degree you’d like to pursue. The majority of Princeton students complete an A.B. degree in their chosen discipline. A.B. stands for Bachelor of Arts, so it’s similar to a B.A. you might receive at another university.

Princeton offers 30+ areas of study, including fields in the humanities, social sciences, languages, and natural sciences. On your application, you’ll also indicate your primary academic area of interest.

When responding to this Princeton supplemental essay prompt, you’ll want to include Princeton-specific details. For example, let’s say you want to write your Princeton supplemental essay about economics . You might start by discussing what about economics most interests you. Then, you can mention specific courses you’re excited to take or certain faculty you’re excited to learn from. Or, perhaps you’re interested in research and want to highlight one of the economics department’s many research centers , like the Princeton Program in Public Finance.

Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-24 – For B.S.E Applicants

Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at princeton. include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the university suit your particular interests. (please respond in 250 words or fewer), what is a b.s.e. degree .

Students interested in pursuing a degree in engineering will earn a slightly different degree. B.S.E. stands for Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Specific areas of study include:

• Chemical and Biological Engineering
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Operations Research and Financial Engineering

While the requirements are slightly different, A.B. and B.S.E. degrees are quite similar—and so are their Princeton essay prompts! In this Princeton supplemental essay, you might mention specific opportunities within your chosen concentration, like these mechanical and aerospace engineering research areas . You can even discuss engineering-focused student organizations you want to join, like Princeton Racing Electric or Engineers Without Borders .

One slight difference between the A.B. and B.S.E. prompts is that this one asks you to include past experiences related to engineering. So, if you conducted an engineering-related research project for your school’s science fair or spent a summer at an engineering camp, highlight those experiences here.

Next, we’ll discuss the Your Voice Princeton supplemental essays. First, we’ll look at the personal impact Princeton essay. Then, we’ll dive into the civic engagement Princeton essay.

Princeton Essay: Personal Impact

Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you (500 words or fewer).

This is the longest and also the most complex of the Princeton supplemental essays. The simplest way to answer a multi-question prompt like this is to think of it as three connecting parts.

First, think about your life experiences. What aspects of your life have had the biggest impact on you? Is it something to do with your personal identity? Perhaps your socioeconomic status or religious background? Or maybe it has to do with your role in your family or the community you grew up in?

Then, consider how this life experience has shaped you. What lessons have you learned? Moreover, how did these circumstances or environments help you grow mentally, emotionally, or spiritually? What values do you hold thanks to these life experiences?

Finally, consider how you’d bring these lessons or personal qualities to Princeton’s campus. How will they impact your discussions in class and the way you interact with your peers?

Princeton Essay Prompt: Civic Engagement Essay

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (250 words or fewer).

This Princeton supplemental essay prompt is fairly straightforward. You’ll want to touch on experiences where you’ve given your time for the betterment of others. This includes experiences like volunteer work, voting, or community service. Essentially, you’ll want to show how you’ve taken action to help address issues that affect the greater public and community.

Like in your other Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll want to tell a story, not just list your accomplishments. Let’s say you volunteered at a local community garden. How did you get involved? Why is the work you did important to you? Finally, how does the work you did benefit the community (socially, environmentally, etc.)?

The Your Voice Princeton supplemental essays are two of the most important essays of your Princeton application because they touch on your character. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to write these, then save some extra brainpower for the short response essays! 

Princeton Short Response Essays

Lastly, we have the shortest Princeton essays of our Princeton essay guide. Although we’ve noted each of the short response questions as their own Princeton essay, remember they’re not full-length essays. Your responses to each of the short answer Princeton essay prompts must be 50 words or fewer, so they’ll only be a few sentences long.

In addition to being the shortest of the Princeton supplemental essays, the short response Princeton essays are also the most fun! These questions are all about being yourself and capturing who you are outside of your academic interests.

What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?

In this Princeton supplemental essay, you’ll want to be sure you’re discussing a new skill, not something you already do. You could mention you want to learn how to play ultimate frisbee or learn the science of beekeeping (things you can get involved in through Princeton student organizations ).

What brings you joy?

This Princeton supplemental essay can be about anything. Whether it be cooking new recipes, listening to music, reading a good book, or spending time with your family. Maybe it’s even visiting a historical battlefield or doing parkour! Here’s a tip for writing this Princeton supplemental essay: if you smile while writing about it, you’ve likely landed on the right topic.

What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?

For music lovers, this could either be the easiest or hardest Princeton essay question to answer. Just like the other short answer Princeton supplemental essays, there are no wrong answers. Choose a song you connect to and let the admissions team know why it resonates with you.

Now that we’ve gone over the prompts for the Princeton supplemental essays, let’s talk about actually writing them. Up next, we’ll go over some tips for writing a Princeton supplemental essay.

How do I write my Princeton Supplemental Essay?

In the next section of our Princeton essay guide, we’ll discuss how to write a Princeton supplemental essay. Let’s dig in. 

Writing Princeton supplemental essays is just like writing other college essays. Compelling Princeton supplemental essays require students to be thoughtful and honest, crafting a story with a critical eye and their own personal flair.

Before you start drafting your Princeton supplemental essays, try to have a brainstorming session for all of the Princeton essay prompts. By laying out all of your ideas, you can imagine the narrative the admissions team will glean from reading all of your essays together rather than focusing on each individual Princeton essay. Each of your Princeton supplemental essays should capture something unique about you rather than repeat information found elsewhere in your application.

Remember, the first draft of your Princeton supplemental essays isn’t going to be perfect—nor should it be! Use your first draft to get your ideas out, then think about how you can organize them. Especially in your longer Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll want to start with a hook, build to a point, and by the end answer the question of “why this matters.”

More Princeton Requirements

If you’re making a plan for how to get into Princeton, be sure you’ve covered all of the Princeton requirements. Besides competing your Princeton essays, there are a few other things to include on your Princeton checklist :

• Your completed application (this includes your personal statement essay, the Princeton supplemental essays, a graded written paper, and your application fee or waiver)
• Official transcript and school report (sent by your school counselor or other school official)
• 2 teacher recommendations (an additional counselor recommendation is requested, but not required)
• Midyear school report

Students also have the option to submit standardized test scores, include an arts supplement, and complete an interview as part of the application process. Keep reading our Princeton essay guide to learn more about some of the optional and required elements of a Princeton application.

Standardized Test Scores

Submitting SAT and ACT scores is optional for all applicants. Princeton has extended their test-optional policy for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 fall admissions cycles. If you are a strong test taker, submitting high SAT or ACT scores for consideration can help your application stand out. However, your application and chances of admission will not be negatively impacted if you choose not to submit them. If you’re not sure whether to include your test scores or are still deciding whether to take the SAT/ACT, read our article on Standardized Tests in a Test-Optional Environment .

Completing an alumni interview is optional for all applicants. Students can choose to opt in or out of the interview when they submit their Princeton supplemental essays. Not every student is guaranteed to receive an interview, and they will be conducted in person or virtually depending on availability. Additionlly, as interviews are optional, your application will not be at a disadvantage if you choose to opt out or if you do not have the opportunity to conduct an interview.

Arts Supplement

Including an arts supplement is optional for all applicants. Students who have devoted significant time and excelled in certain artistic areas can submit an arts supplement. Areas of interest include:

• Architecture
• Creative Writing
• Theater/Music Theater
• Visual Arts

If you choose to include an arts supplement, you will indicate your intention to submit along with your Princeton supplemental essays. You can then submit your materials, along with a résumé if needed, to your Princeton Applicant Status Portal.

Graded Written Paper

Submitting a graded written paper is required for all applicants. Princeton admissions will use this piece of writing to understand your ability to express your thoughts and ideas in an academic setting. This contributes to their holistic assessment of your application. The graded written paper also helps the admissions team determine if you will thrive in Princeton’s challenging courses and what kind of contributions you’ll make in the classroom.

If you’re still not sure what makes a good written paper, don’t worry! The next section of our Princeton essay guide has Princeton’s guidelines as well as tips for choosing the right written paper.

Tips for Choosing a Graded Written Paper

As one of the Princeton requirements, deciding which graded written paper to submit is an important choice. Princeton admissions provides the following guidelines for submitting a graded written paper. 

Papers appropriate for submission should:

• Be expository writing (paper, essay, research paper, essay exam), not creative writing
• Be something you wrote for an academic course during your last three years of high school (preferably for an English, social studies, or history course)
• Be graded (you’ll want to include the grade you received as well as the grading rubric and any teacher comments if provided)

Your graded paper does not have to be exceptionally long; 1-2 pages is sufficient. When considering which of your written papers to select, remember it also does not have to be an A+ paper. If you believe your paper shows a moment of growth or understanding, it can have a lower grade. Admissions is more interested in the quality of your writing and how you express your ideas than the grade it received. 

Does Princeton care about essays?

Yes, as one of the best colleges in the country, Princeton cares about your essays. In this section of our Princeton essay guide, we’ll take a closer look at the role your Princeton essays play in the Princeton admissions process. 

The Princeton supplemental essays allow the admissions team to see your achievements in context. They want to understand how you’ve taken advantage of the opportunities available to you and how you’ve grown despite any obstacles you’ve faced.

Along with your graded written paper, each Princeton essay allows you to demonstrate your writing abilities (a skill you’ll need to succeed in many of your college courses). Beyond that, they let you share a more complete picture of who you are and what you care about. Your Princeton essays allow you to craft your personal narrative and will help add depth and resonance to your application.

If your grades and graded written paper show your commitment to learning, your Princeton supplemental essays show your commitment to your family, your community, and your personal interests and development. And, unlike your grades or test scores or list of extracurricular achievements, your Princeton essays let you tell your story in your own voice. 

Now, we’ve almost reached the end of our Princeton essay guide. Keep reading for a few more tips and resources to help you write your Princeton supplemental essays!

5 Tips on How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays

We’ve covered a lot of details in our Princeton essay guide. Specifically, we’ve gone over the Princeton acceptance rate, application deadlines and requirements, and the Princeton supplemental essay prompts. 

Before we close out our Princeton essay guide, we want to leave you with five tips to help you tackle the Princeton supplemental essays:

1. Start brainstorming early

A successful Princeton supplemental essay starts with a compelling topic. Not sure what to write about? Check out our guide on 8 common college essay topics .

2. Details, details, details

Specificity gives your writing texture and will help your Princeton supplemental essays stand out from the crowd. If you’re worried your experiences aren’t unique, specific and personal details will add depth and authenticity.

3. Use your own voice

Don’t worry about writing an essay you think admissions wants to read. Your Princeton supplemental essays are your opportunity to let admissions learn who you are, not who you think they want you to be.

4. Address all aspects of the prompt

The Princeton supplemental essay prompts are intentionally designed for the admissions process. So, make sure your responses answer the question at hand.

5. Don’t forget to proofread!

Editing for spelling, grammar, and punctuation will make your Princeton supplemental essays polished and easy to read. That means admissions can focus on your story. 

For more tips on writing the Princeton supplemental essays, check out our guide on how to write better essays . If you’re looking for writing inspiration and a student’s take on the application process, check out a Princeton graduate’s Princeton Application Story . In it, she details how she approached the Princeton essays as well as handling being deferred EA before finally being accepted.

More Princeton Resources from CollegeAdvisor

Still looking for more guidance on how to get into Princeton? CollegeAdvisor has countless resources to help you conquer the Princeton application. Check our Princeton Essay Guide from 2022-2023 and our Princeton Essay Guide from 2020-2021 to get more ideas about how to write your essays. We also have Princeton essay examples and Ivy League Essay Examples to help you learn what a strong Princeton essay looks like. These include extracurricular activities essays as well as Princeton essays. 

You can also look to resources like our guide to writing an extracurricular activities essay for more Princeton essay examples. While the current Princeton supplemental essay prompts don’t include an extracurricular activities essay, you’ll encounter similar prompts throughout the admissions process. If you feel confident about approaching the Princeton supplemental essays but want more guidance on writing your personal statement, see these 10 Exceptional Common App Essay Examples .

For more information on what it’s like to overcome the Princeton acceptance rate and attend Princeton University, watch our Princeton Panel and read our how to get into Princeton guide here . 

Finally, if you want personalized support in the admissions process, click here to schedule a free meeting with our team and learn how one-on-one advising can help your applications stand out. 

We hope you’ve learned a lot reading our Princeton essay guide and feel ready to take on the Princeton supplemental essays—good luck!

This essay guide was written by Stefanie Tedards. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., how extracurriculars help your college application.

We know you want to impress colleges with your accomplishments in the classroom, but your academics aren’t the full picture to who you really are. Yes, colleges want bright students. But even more, they want bright, well–rounded students. That's where your extracurricular activities come in.

Grades and test scores are very important, but so are the extra activities you choose to do on your own time. Admissions officers are looking to create a class made up of students with diverse interests and backgrounds. They'll look closely at your extracurriculars to get a sense of the person you are and what you care about.

How much you do isn't as important as being committed to what you do

A college application with scattered interest and involvement over four years looks flakey. A student that runs track and sings in the choir throughout four years of high school shows passion and commitment. Find out early on what sparks your interest and stick with it.

Demonstrate leadership

If you have the opportunity and drive to be the captain the tennis team, president of the French club, or editor of the school lit mag, seize the opportunity. Colleges like responsible leaders who earn the respect of their peers.

Read More: 6 Ways Hobbies Can Get You Into College

An after–school job shows maturity

Don't worry if an after-school job prevents you from participating in extracurriculars. If you have to work so that your family can make ends meet, be sure the colleges you apply to understand that. Helping to support a family is a serious responsibility that demonstrates character. And just as with extracurriculars, it's impressive if you retain a job for an extended period and rise to a position of responsibility.

Extracurriculars can be valuable experience

If you have a career goal or study interest that you can pursue outside the classroom, take advantage. Think you might be interested in medicine? Try volunteering at a local hospital. Are you destined to be a writer? Join your school's newspaper or yearbook. These activities can help give you a strong foundation should you decide to pursue them further, academically or professionally.

Some colleges and scholarship committees may ask you to include a high school resume with your application materials. Get our tips for crafting your college admissions resume .

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Extracurriculars.

3 Successful Extracurricular Activity Essay Examples

The purpose of the extracurricular activities essay is for admissions officers to better understand how your extracurricular activities have shaped and motivated you. This essay shouldn’t restate the activities you’ve already shared in your resume, but should elaborate on their impact and significance to you as a person.

In this post, we will share three extracurricular essays, written by real students, that are strong responses. Read them to be inspired in your own essay writing!

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Essay Example #1

My fingers raced across the keys, rapidly striking one after another. My body swayed with the music as my hands raced across the piano. Crashing onto the final chord, it was over as quickly as it had begun. My shoulders relaxed and I couldn’t help but break into a satisfied grin. I had just played the Moonlight Sonata’s third movement, a longtime dream of mine.

Four short months ago, though, I had considered it impossible. The piece’s tempo was impossibly fast, its notes stretching between each end of the piano, forcing me to reach farther than I had ever dared. It was 17 pages of the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered.

But that summer, I found myself ready to take on the challenge. With the end of the school year, I was released from my commitment to practicing for band and solo performances. I was now free to determine my own musical path: either succeed in learning the piece, or let it defeat me for the third summer in a row.

Over those few months, I spent countless hours practicing the same notes until they burned a permanent place in my memory, creating a soundtrack for even my dreams. Some would say I’ve mastered the piece, but as a musician I know better. Now that I can play it, I am eager to take the next step and add in layers of musicality and expression to make the once-impossible piece even more beautiful.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay has a descriptive and engaging hook that immediately places the reader in the middle of the action and captivates us for the rest of the essay. The way the student describes playing piano as a full-body experience, from their splayed out fingers to their tensed shoulders, allows the reader to envision the student in front of them, passionately losing themselves in the music. Seeing the way they write about the piano is a sign that this student is dedicated to this extracurricular. 

Another strength of this essay is how it shows this student’s character, particularly their determination. By describing the challenge of playing this piece, we can fully appreciate all that they had to overcome to be successful. Rather than simply saying it was a hard song, they show us how it was physically and mentally daunting: “ The piece’s tempo was impossibly fast, its notes stretching between each end of the piano, forcing me to reach farther than I had ever dared. It was 17 pages of the most fragile and intricate melodies I had ever encountered.”

This student knows how to make music in their writing, as well as on the piano. The use of elevated and creative language throughout the essay makes it flow smoothly for the reader. They take a rather simple story, but through their deft writing the student makes it both enjoyable and reveals details about themself.

What Could Be Improved

This essay could have been made even stronger if this student included details about them actually practicing. They go from telling us about how daunting this piece was to suddenly being able to play it months later, but admissions officers are curious about how you overcome challenges, not just the fact that you did.

Two or three sentences that describe the tedious process of practicing a particular scale or how they continuously messed up a certain bar of music would be sufficient to express what this student actually accomplished. Although space is tight in this essay, this would have been a better use of the third paragraph than what the student currently has. 

Essay Example #2

My school’s newspaper and I have a typical love-hate relationship; some days I want nothing more than to pass two hours writing and formatting articles, while on others the mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver. Still, as we’re entering our fourth year together, you could consider us relatively stable. We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences; at this point I’ve become comfortable spending an entire Friday night preparing for an upcoming issue, and I hardly even notice the snail-like speed of our computers. I’ve even benefitted from the polygamous nature of our relationship—with twelve other editors, there’s a lot of cooperation involved. Perverse as it may be, from that teamwork I’ve both gained some of my closest friends and improved my organizational and time-management skills. And though leaving it in the hands of new editors next year will be difficult, I know our time together has only better prepared me for future relationships.

This response is great. It’s cute and endearing and, importantly, tells readers a lot about the student who wrote it. Framing this essay in the context of a “love-hate relationship,” then supplementing with comments like “We’ve learned to accept each other’s differences” allows this student to advertise their maturity in a unique and engaging way. 

Personifying the newspaper is a creative way to demonstrate the role it plays in this student’s life. Because it is an unexpected tactic, it lets the reader appreciate the humor and wit of the author, while also being a lighthearted and fun response to read. 

While Extracurricular Essays can be a place to show how you’ve grown within an activity, they can also be a place to show how you’ve grown through an activity. At the end of this essay, readers think that this student is mature and enjoyable, and we think that their experience with the school newspaper helped make them that way.

One strike against this essay is that in the first sentence it claims the student has a love-hate relationship with the newspaper, but the rest of the essay really only addresses their experience from a positive perspective. They say the “ mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver ” but there is little-to-no elaboration about the negatives. Since they poised their essay as a love-hate relationship, it feels like it is missing something without any discussion about the hate aspect of the relationship. 

Essay Example #3

The cool, white halls of the Rayburn House office building contrasted with the bustling energy of interns entertaining tourists, staffers rushing to cover committee meetings, and my fellow conference attendees separating to meet with our respective congresspeople. Through civics and US history classes, I had learned about our government, but simply hearing the legislative process outlined didn’t prepare me to navigate it. It was my first political conference, and, after learning about congressional mechanics during breakout sessions, I was lobbying my representative about an upcoming vote crucial to the US-Middle East relationship. As the daughter of Iranian immigrants, my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents.

As I sat down with my congresswoman’s chief of staff, I truly felt like a participant in democracy; I was exercising my right to be heard as a young American. Through this educational conference, I developed a plan of action to raise my voice. When I returned home, I signed up to volunteer with the state chapter of the Democratic Party. I sponsored letter-writing campaigns, canvassed for local elections, and even pursued an internship with a state senate campaign. I know that I don’t need to be old enough to vote to effect change. Most importantly, I also know that I want to study government—I want to make a difference for my communities in the United States and the Middle East throughout my career.

The strength of this essay comes from its connections. It connects the student’s extracurricular activity to their studies and connects theirs studies to their personal history.

While this prompt is about extracurricular activities, it specifically references the idea that the extracurricular should support the curricular. It is focused on experiential learning for future career success. This student wants to study government, so they chose to describe an experience of hands-on learning within their field—an apt choice!

As this student discusses their extracurricular experience, they also clue readers into their future goals—they want to help Middle Eastern communities. Admissions officers love when students mention concrete plans with a solid foundation. Here, the foundation comes from this student’s ethnicity. With lines like “my whole life had led me to the moment when I could speak on behalf of the family members who had not emigrated with my parents,” the student assures admissions officers of their emotional connection to their future field.

Something that is missing from this essay is the emotional reflection this student has from their experiences in politics. They tell us they felt like a participant in democracy and they know they want to study government and make a difference, but for a really strong essay you need to dig deeper and tell the reader more about how this extracurricular makes you feel.

What does it feel like to be a participant in democracy? Liberating? Empowering? How did volunteering impact them personally? Did they develop a new appreciation for what it means to be an American? What feeling is this student trying to elicit by studying government? While all of these questions don’t have to be addressed, the idea is to inject more of the student’s feelings and emotion into the essay to help us better understand exactly what this extracurricular meant to them. 

More Supplemental Essay Tips

4 Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay

How to Write the “Why This College” Essay

Where to Get Your Extracurricular Activity Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Extracurricular Activity essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, my successful harvard application (complete common app + supplement).

Other High School , College Admissions , Letters of Recommendation , Extracurriculars , College Essays

In 2005, I applied to college and got into every school I applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. I decided to attend Harvard.

In this guide, I'll show you the entire college application that got me into Harvard—page by page, word for word .

In my complete analysis, I'll take you through my Common Application, Harvard supplemental application, personal statements and essays, extracurricular activities, teachers' letters of recommendation, counselor recommendation, complete high school transcript, and more. I'll also give you in-depth commentary on every part of my application.

To my knowledge, a college application analysis like this has never been done before . This is the application guide I wished I had when I was in high school.

If you're applying to top schools like the Ivy Leagues, you'll see firsthand what a successful application to Harvard and Princeton looks like. You'll learn the strategies I used to build a compelling application. You'll see what items were critical in getting me admitted, and what didn't end up helping much at all.

Reading this guide from beginning to end will be well worth your time—you might completely change your college application strategy as a result.

First Things First

Here's the letter offering me admission into Harvard College under Early Action.

I was so thrilled when I got this letter. It validated many years of hard work, and I was excited to take my next step into college (...and work even harder).

I received similar successful letters from every college I applied to: Princeton, Stanford, and MIT. (After getting into Harvard early, I decided not to apply to Yale, Columbia, UChicago, UPenn, and other Ivy League-level schools, since I already knew I would rather go to Harvard.)

The application that got me admitted everywhere is the subject of this guide. You're going to see everything that the admissions officers saw.

If you're hoping to see an acceptance letter like this in your academic future, I highly recommend you read this entire article. I'll start first with an introduction to this guide and important disclaimers. Then I'll share the #1 question you need to be thinking about as you construct your application. Finally, we'll spend a lot of time going through every page of my college application, both the Common App and the Harvard Supplemental App.

Important Note: the foundational principles of my application are explored in detail in my How to Get Into Harvard guide . In this popular guide, I explain:

• what top schools like the Ivy League are looking for
• how to be truly distinctive among thousands of applicants
• why being well-rounded is the kiss of death

If you have the time and are committed to maximizing your college application success, I recommend you read through my Harvard guide first, then come back to this one.

You might also be interested in my other two major guides:

• How to Get a Perfect SAT Score / Perfect ACT Score
• How to Get a 4.0 GPA

What's in This Harvard Application Guide?

From my student records, I was able to retrieve the COMPLETE original application I submitted to Harvard. Page by page, word for word, you'll see everything exactly as I presented it : extracurricular activities, awards and honors, personal statements and essays, and more.

In addition to all this detail, there are two special parts of this college application breakdown that I haven't seen anywhere else :

• You'll see my FULL recommendation letters and evaluation forms. This includes recommendations from two teachers, one principal, and supplementary writers. Normally you don't get to see these letters because you waive access to them when applying. You'll see how effective strong teacher advocates will be to your college application, and why it's so important to build strong relationships with your letter writers .
• You'll see the exact pen marks made by my Harvard admissions reader on my application . Members of admissions committees consider thousands of applications every year, which means they highlight the pieces of each application they find noteworthy. You'll see what the admissions officer considered important—and what she didn't.

For every piece of my application, I'll provide commentary on what made it so effective and my strategies behind creating it. You'll learn what it takes to build a compelling overall application.

Importantly, even though my application was strong, it wasn't perfect. I'll point out mistakes I made that I could have corrected to build an even stronger application.

Here's a complete table of contents for what we'll be covering. Each link goes directly to that section, although I'd recommend you read this from beginning to end on your first go.

Common Application

Personal Data

Educational data, test information.

• Activities: Extracurricular, Personal, Volunteer
• Short Answer
• Additional Information

Academic Honors

Personal statement, teacher and counselor recommendations.

• Teacher Letter #1: AP Chemistry
• Teacher Letter #2: AP English Lang

School Report

• Principal Recommendation

Harvard Application Supplement

• Supplement Form
• Writing Supplement Essay

Supplementary Recommendation #1

Supplementary recommendation #2, supplemental application materials.

Final Advice for You

I mean it—you'll see literally everything in my application.

In revealing my teenage self, some parts of my application will be pretty embarrassing (you'll see why below). But my mission through my company PrepScholar is to give the world the most helpful resources possible, so I'm publishing it.

One last thing before we dive in—I'm going to anticipate some common concerns beforehand and talk through important disclaimers so that you'll get the most out of this guide.

Important Disclaimers

My biggest caveat for you when reading this guide: thousands of students get into Harvard and Ivy League schools every year. This guide tells a story about one person and presents one archetype of a strong applicant. As you'll see, I had a huge academic focus, especially in science ( this was my Spike ). I'm also irreverent and have a strong, direct personality.

What you see in this guide is NOT what YOU need to do to get into Harvard , especially if you don't match my interests and personality at all.

As I explain in my Harvard guide , I believe I fit into one archetype of a strong applicant—the "academic superstar" (humor me for a second, I know calling myself this sounds obnoxious). There are other distinct ways to impress, like:

• being world-class in a non-academic talent
• achieving something difficult and noteworthy—building a meaningful organization, writing a novel
• coming from tremendous adversity and performing remarkably well relative to expectations

Therefore, DON'T worry about copying my approach one-for-one . Don't worry if you're taking a different number of AP courses or have lower test scores or do different extracurriculars or write totally different personal statements. This is what schools like Stanford and Yale want to see—a diversity in the student population!

The point of this guide is to use my application as a vehicle to discuss what top colleges are looking for in strong applicants. Even though the specific details of what you'll do are different from what I did, the principles are the same. What makes a candidate truly stand out is the same, at a high level. What makes for a super strong recommendation letter is the same. The strategies on how to build a cohesive, compelling application are the same.

There's a final reason you shouldn't worry about replicating my work—the application game has probably changed quite a bit since 2005. Technology is much more pervasive, the social issues teens care about are different, the extracurricular activities that are truly noteworthy have probably gotten even more advanced. What I did might not be as impressive as it used to be. So focus on my general points, not the specifics, and think about how you can take what you learn here to achieve something even greater than I ever did.

With that major caveat aside, here are a string of smaller disclaimers.

I'm going to present my application factually and be 100% straightforward about what I achieved and what I believed was strong in my application. This is what I believe will be most helpful for you. I hope you don't misinterpret this as bragging about my accomplishments. I'm here to show you what it took for me to get into Harvard and other Ivy League schools, not to ask for your admiration. So if you read this guide and are tempted to dismiss my advice because you think I'm boasting, take a step back and focus on the big picture—how you'll improve yourself.

This guide is geared toward admissions into the top colleges in the country , often with admissions rates below 10%. A sample list of schools that fit into this: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, UChicago, Duke, UPenn, CalTech, Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Brown. The top 3-5 in that list are especially looking for the absolute best students in the country , since they have the pick of the litter.

Admissions for these selective schools works differently from schools with >20% rates. For less selective schools, having an overall strong, well-rounded application is sufficient for getting in. In particular, having an above average GPA and test scores goes the majority of the way toward getting you admission to those schools. The higher the admission rate, the more emphasis will be placed on your scores. The other pieces I'll present below—personal statements, extracurriculars, recommendations—will matter less.

Still, it doesn't hurt to aim for a stronger application. To state the obvious, an application strong enough to get you Columbia will get you into UCLA handily.

In my application, I've redacted pieces of my application for privacy reasons, and one supplementary recommendation letter at the request of the letter writer. Everything else is unaltered.

Throughout my application, we can see marks made by the admissions officer highlighting and circling things of note (you'll see the first example on the very first page). I don't have any other applications to compare these to, so I'm going to interpret these marks as best I can. For the most part, I assume that whatever he underlines or circles is especially important and noteworthy —points that he'll bring up later in committee discussions. It could also be that the reader got bored and just started highlighting things, but I doubt this.

Finally, I co-founded and run a company called PrepScholar . We create online SAT/ACT prep programs that adapt to you and your strengths and weaknesses . I believe we've created the best prep program available, and if you feel you need to raise your SAT/ACT score, then I encourage you to check us out . I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to buy a prep program to get a great score , and the advice in this guide has little to do with my company. But if you're aren't sure how to improve your score and agree with our unique approach to SAT/ACT prep, our program may be perfect for you.

With all this past us, let's get started.

The #1 Most Important College Application Question: What Is Your PERSONAL NARRATIVE?

If you stepped into an elevator with Yale's Dean of Admissions and you had ten seconds to describe yourself and why you're interesting, what would you say?

This is what I call your PERSONAL NARRATIVE. These are the three main points that represent who you are and what you're about . This is the story that you tell through your application, over and over again. This is how an admissions officer should understand you after just glancing through your application. This is how your admissions officer will present you to the admissions committee to advocate for why they should accept you.

The more unique and noteworthy your Personal Narrative is, the better. This is how you'll stand apart from the tens of thousands of other applicants to your top choice school. This is why I recommend so strongly that you develop a Spike to show deep interest and achievement. A compelling Spike is the core of your Personal Narrative.

Well-rounded applications do NOT form compelling Personal Narratives, because "I'm a well-rounded person who's decent at everything" is the exact same thing every other well-rounded person tries to say.

Everything in your application should support your Personal Narrative , from your course selection and extracurricular activities to your personal statements and recommendation letters. You are a movie director, and your application is your way to tell a compelling, cohesive story through supporting evidence.

Yes, this is overly simplistic and reductionist. It does not represent all your complexities and your 17 years of existence. But admissions offices don't have the time to understand this for all their applicants. Your PERSONAL NARRATIVE is what they will latch onto.

Here's what I would consider my Personal Narrative (humor me since I'm peacocking here):

1) A science obsessive with years of serious research work and ranked 6 th in a national science competition, with future goals of being a neuroscientist or physician

2) Balanced by strong academic performance in all subjects (4.0 GPA and perfect test scores, in both humanities and science) and proficiency in violin

3) An irreverent personality who doesn't take life too seriously, embraces controversy, and says what's on his mind

These three elements were the core to my application. Together they tell a relatively unique Personal Narrative that distinguishes me from many other strong applicants. You get a surprisingly clear picture of what I'm about. There's no question that my work in science was my "Spike" and was the strongest piece of my application, but my Personal Narrative included other supporting elements, especially a description of my personality.

My College Application, at a High Level

Drilling down into more details, here's an overview of my application.

• This put me comfortably in the 99 th percentile in the country, but it was NOT sufficient to get me into Harvard by itself ! Because there are roughly 4 million high school students per year, the top 1 percentile still has 40,000 students. You need other ways to set yourself apart.
• Your Spike will most often come from your extracurriculars and academic honors, just because it's hard to really set yourself apart with your coursework and test scores.
• My letters of recommendation were very strong. Both my recommending teachers marked me as "one of the best they'd ever taught." Importantly, they corroborated my Personal Narrative, especially regarding my personality. You'll see how below.
• My personal statements were, in retrospect, just satisfactory. They represented my humorous and irreverent side well, but they come across as too self-satisfied. Because of my Spike, I don't think my essays were as important to my application.

Finally, let's get started by digging into the very first pages of my Common Application.

There are a few notable points about how simple questions can actually help build a first impression around what your Personal Narrative is.

First, notice the circle around my email address. This is the first of many marks the admissions officer made on my application. The reason I think he circled this was that the email address I used is a joke pun on my name . I knew it was risky to use this vs something like [email protected], but I thought it showed my personality better (remember point #3 about having an irreverent personality in my Personal Narrative).

Don't be afraid to show who you really are, rather than your perception of what they want. What you think UChicago or Stanford wants is probably VERY wrong, because of how little information you have, both as an 18-year-old and as someone who hasn't read thousands of applications.

(It's also entirely possible that it's a formality to circle email addresses, so I don't want to read too much into it, but I think I'm right.)

Second, I knew in high school that I wanted to go into the medical sciences, either as a physician or as a scientist. I was also really into studying the brain. So I listed both in my Common App to build onto my Personal Narrative.

In the long run, both predictions turned out to be wrong. After college, I did go to Harvard Medical School for the MD/PhD program for 4 years, but I left to pursue entrepreneurship and co-founded PrepScholar . Moreover, in the time I did actually do research, I switched interests from neuroscience to bioengineering/biotech.

Colleges don't expect you to stick to career goals you stated at the age of 18. Figuring out what you want to do is the point of college! But this doesn't give you an excuse to avoid showing a preference. This early question is still a chance to build that Personal Narrative.

Thus, I recommend AGAINST "Undecided" as an area of study —it suggests a lack of flavor and is hard to build a compelling story around. From your high school work thus far, you should at least be leaning to something, even if that's likely to change in the future.

Finally, in the demographic section there is a big red A, possibly for Asian American. I'm not going to read too much into this. If you're a notable minority, this is where you'd indicate it.

Now known as: Education

This section was straightforward for me. I didn't take college courses, and I took a summer chemistry class at a nearby high school because I didn't get into the lottery at my school that year (I refer to this briefly in my 4.0 GPA guide ).

The most notable point of this section: the admissions officer circled Principal here . This is notable because our school Principal only wrote letters for fewer than 10 students each year. Counselors wrote letters for the other hundreds of students in my class, which made my application stand out just a little.

I'll talk more about this below, when I share the Principal's recommendation.

(In the current Common Application, the Education section also includes Grades, Courses, and Honors. We'll be covering each of those below).

Now known as: Testing

Back then AP scores weren't part of this section, but I'll take them from another part of my application here.

However, their standards are still very high. You really do want to be in that top 1 percentile to pass the filter. A 1400 on the SAT IS going to put you at a disadvantage because there are so many students scoring higher than you. You'll really have to dig yourself out of the hole with an amazing application.

I talk about this a lot more in my Get into Harvard guide (sorry to keep linking this, but I really do think it's an important guide for you to read).

Let's end this section with some personal notes.

Even though math and science were easy for me, I had to put in serious effort to get an 800 on the Reading section of the SAT . As much as I wish I could say it was trivial for me, it wasn't. I learned a bunch of strategies and dissected the test to get to a point where I understood the test super well and reliably earned perfect scores.

I cover the most important points in my How to Get a Perfect SAT Score guide , as well as my 800 Guides for Reading , Writing , and Math .

Between the SAT and ACT, the SAT was my primary focus, but I decided to take the ACT for fun. The tests were so similar that I scored a 36 Composite without much studying. Having two test scores is completely unnecessary —you get pretty much zero additional credit. Again, with one test score, you have already passed their filter.

Finally, class finals or state-required exams are a breeze if you get a 5 on the corresponding AP tests .

Now known as: Family (still)

This section asks for your parent information and family situation. There's not much you can do here besides report the facts.

I'm redacting a lot of stuff again for privacy reasons.

The reader made a number of marks here for occupation and education. There's likely a standard code for different types of occupations and schools.

If I were to guess, I'd say that the numbers add to form some metric of "family prestige." My dad got a Master's at a middle-tier American school, but my mom didn't go to graduate school, and these sections were marked 2 and 3, respectively. So it seems higher numbers are given for less prestigious educations by your parents. I'd expect that if both my parents went to schools like Caltech and Dartmouth, there would be even lower numbers here.

This makes me think that the less prepared your family is, the more points you get, and this might give your application an extra boost. If you were the first one in your family to go to college, for example, you'd be excused for having lower test scores and fewer AP classes. Schools really do care about your background and how you performed relative to expectations.

In the end, schools like Harvard say pretty adamantly they don't use formulas to determine admissions decisions, so I wouldn't read too much into this. But this can be shorthand to help orient an applicant's family background.

Extracurricular, Personal, and Volunteer Activities

Now known as: Activities

For most applicants, your Extracurriculars and your Academic Honors will be where you develop your Spike and where your Personal Narrative shines through. This was how my application worked.

Just below I'll describe the activities in more detail, but first I want to reflect on this list.

As instructed, my extracurriculars were listed in the order of their interest to me. The current Common App doesn't seem to ask for this, but I would still recommend it to focus your reader's attention.

The most important point I have to make about my extracurriculars: as you go down the list, there is a HUGE drop in the importance of each additional activity to the overall application. If I were to guess, I assign the following weights to how much each activity contributed to the strength of my activities section:

In other words, participating in the Research Science Institute (RSI) was far more important than all of my other extracurriculars, combined. You can see that this was the only activity my admissions reader circled.

You can see how Spike-y this is. The RSI just completely dominates all my other activities.

The reason for this is the prestige of RSI. As I noted earlier, RSI was (and likely still is) the most prestigious research program for high school students in the country, with an admission rate of less than 5% . Because the program was so prestigious and selective, getting in served as a big confirmation signal of my academic quality.

In other words, the Harvard admissions reader would likely think, "OK, if this very selective program has already validated Allen as a top student, I'm inclined to believe that Allen is a top student and should pay special attention to him."

Now, it took a lot of prior work to even get into RSI because it's so selective. I had already ranked nationally in the Chemistry Olympiad (more below), and I had done a lot of prior research work in computer science (at Jisan Research Institute—more about this later). But getting into RSI really propelled my application to another level.

Because RSI was so important and was such a big Spike, all my other extracurriculars paled in importance. The admissions officer at Princeton or MIT probably didn't care at all that I volunteered at a hospital or founded a high school club .

This is a good sign of developing a strong Spike. You want to do something so important that everything else you do pales in comparison to it. A strong Spike becomes impossible to ignore.

In contrast, if you're well-rounded, all your activities hold equal weight—which likely means none of them are really that impressive (unless you're a combination of Olympic athlete, internationally-ranked science researcher, and New York Times bestselling author, but then I'd call you unicorn because you don't exist).

Apply this concept to your own interests—what can be so impressive and such a big Spike that it completely overshadows all your other achievements?

This might be worth spending a disproportionate amount of time on. As I recommend in my Harvard guide and 4.0 GPA guide , smartly allocating your time is critical to your high school strategy.

In retrospect, one "mistake" I made was spending a lot of time on the violin. Each week I spent eight hours on practice and a lesson and four hours of orchestra rehearsals. This amounted to over 1,500 hours from freshman to junior year.

The result? I was pretty good, but definitely nowhere near world-class. Remember, there are thousands of orchestras and bands in the country, each with their own concertmasters, drum majors, and section 1 st chairs.

If I were to optimize purely for college applications, I should have spent that time on pushing my spike even further —working on more Olympiad competitions, or doing even more hardcore research.

Looking back I don't mind this much because I generally enjoyed my musical training and had a mostly fun time in orchestra (and I had a strong Spike anyway). But this problem can be a lot worse for well-rounded students who are stretched too thin.

Aside from these considerations about a Spike, I have two major caveats.

First, developing a Spike requires continuous, increasingly ambitious foundational work. It's like climbing a staircase. From the beginning of high school, each step was more and more ambitious—my first academic team, my first research experience, leading up to state and national competitions and more serious research work.

So when I suggest devoting a lot of time to developing your Spike, it's not necessarily the Spike in itself—it's also spending time on foundational work leading up to what will be your major achievement. That's why I don't see my time with academic teams or volunteering as wasted, even though in the end they didn't contribute as much to my application.

Second, it is important to do things you enjoy. I still enjoyed playing the violin and being part of an orchestra, and I really enjoyed my school's academic teams, even though we never went beyond state level. Even if some activities don't contribute as much to your application, it's still fine to spend some time on them—just don't delude yourself into thinking they're stronger than they really are and overspend time on them.

Finally, note that most of my activities were pursued over multiple years. This is a good sign of commitment—rather than hopping from activity year to year, it's better to show sustained commitment, as this is a better signal of genuine passion.

In a future article, I'll break down these activities in more detail. But this guide is already super long, so I want to focus our attention on the main points.

Short Answer: Extracurricular Activities

In today's Common Application, you have 50 characters to describe "Position/Leadership description and organization name" and 150 characters for "Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc."

Back then, we didn't have as much space per activity, and instead had a short answer question.

The Short Answer prompt:

Please describe which of your activities (extracurricular and personal activities or work experience) has been most meaningful and why.

I chose RSI as my most significant activity for two reasons—one based on the meaning of the work, and another on the social aspect.

It's obvious that schools like Yale and UChicago want the best students in the world that they can get their hands on. Academic honors and awards are a great, quantifiable way to show that.

Here's the complete list of Academic Honors I submitted. The Common Application now limits you to five honors only (probably because they got tired of lists like these), but chances are you capture the top 98% of your honors with the top five.

Charlie wins a Golden Ticket to Harvard.

I know this is intimidating if you don't already have a prestigious honor. But remember there are thousands of nationally-ranked people in a multitude of honor types, from science competitions to essay contests to athletics to weird talents.

And I strongly believe the #1 differentiator of high school students who achieve things is work ethic, NOT intelligence or talent. Yes, you need a baseline level of competence to get places, but people far undervalue the progress they can make if they work hard and persevere. Far too many people give up too quickly or fatigue without putting in serious effort.

If you're stuck thinking, "well I'm just an average person, and there's no way I'm going to become world-class in anything," then you've already lost before you've begun. The truth is everyone who achieves something of note puts in an incredible amount of hard work. Because this is invisible to you, it looks like talent is what distinguishes the two of you, when really it's much more often diligence.

I talk a lot more about the Growth Mindset in my How To Get a 4.0 GPA guide .

So my Chemistry Olympiad honor formed 90% of the value of this page. Just like extracurriculars, there's a quick dropoff in value of each item after that.

My research work took up the next two honors, one a presentation at an academic conference, and the other (Siemens) a research competition for high school researchers.

The rest of my honors were pretty middling:

• National Merit Scholarship semifinalist pretty much equates to PSAT score, which is far less important than your SAT/ACT score. So I didn't really get any credit for this, and you won't either.
• In Science Olympiad (this is a team-based competition that's not as prestigious as the academic Olympiads I just talked about), I earned a number of 1 st place state and regional medals, but we never made it to nationals.
• I was mediocre at competition math because I didn't train for it, and I won some regional awards but nothing amazing. This is one place I would have spent more time, maybe in the time I'd save by not practicing violin as much. There are great resources for this type of training, like Art of Problem Solving , that I didn't know existed and could've helped me rank much higher.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, think about how many state medalists there are in the country, in the hundreds of competitions that exist . The number of state to national rankers is probably at least 20:1 (less than 50:1 because of variation in state size), so if there are 2,000 nationally ranked students, there are 40,000 state-ranked students in something !

So state honors really don't help you stand out on your Princeton application. There are just too many of them around.

On the other hand, if you can get to be nationally ranked in something, you will have an amazing Spike that distinguishes you.

Now known as: Personal Essay

Now, the dreaded personal statement. Boy, oh boy, did I fuss over this one.

"What is the perfect combination of personal, funny, heartrending, and inspirational?"

I know I was wondering this when I applied.

Having read books like 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays , I was frightened. I didn't grow up as a refugee, wrenched from my war-torn home! I didn't have a sibling with a debilitating illness! How could anything I write compare to these tales of personal strength?

The trite truth is that colleges want to know who you really are . Clearly they don't expect everyone to have had immense personal struggle. But they do want students who are:

• growth-oriented
• introspective
• kind and good-hearted

Whatever those words mean to you in the context of your life is what you should write about.

In retrospect, in the context of MY application, the personal statement really wasn't what got me into Harvard . I do think my Spike was nearly sufficient to get me admitted to every school in the country.

I say "nearly" because, even if you're world-class, schools do want to know you're not a jerk and that you're an interesting person (which is conveyed through your personal essay and letters of recommendation).

Back then, we had a set of different prompts :

What did you think?

I'm still cringing a bit. Parts of this are very smug (see /r/iamverysmart ), and if you want to punch the writer in the face, I don't blame you. I want to as well.

We'll get to areas of improvement later, but first, let's talk about what this personal essay did well.

As I said above, I saw the theme of the snooze button as a VEHICLE to showcase a few qualities I cared about :

1) I fancied myself a Renaissance man (obnoxious, I know) and wanted to become an inventor and creator . I showed this through mentioning different interests (Rubik's cube, chemistry, Nietzsche) and iterating through a few designs for an alarm clock (electric shocks, explosions, Shakespearean sonnet recitation).

2) My personality was whimsical and irreverent. I don't take life too seriously. The theme of the essay—battling an alarm clock—shows this well, in comparison to the gravitas of the typical student essay. I also found individual lines funny, like "All right, so I had violated the divine honor of the family and the tenets of Confucius." At once I acknowledge my Chinese heritage but also make light of the situation.

3) I was open to admitting weaknesses , which I think is refreshing among people taking college applications too seriously and trying too hard to impress. The frank admission of a realistic lazy habit—pushing the Snooze button—served as a nice foil to my academic honors and shows that I can be down-to-earth.

So you see how the snooze button acts as a vehicle to carry these major points and a lot of details, tied together to the same theme .

In the same way, The Walking Dead is NOT a zombie show—the zombie environment is a VEHICLE by which to show human drama and conflict. Packaging my points together under the snooze button theme makes it a lot more interesting than just outright saying "I'm such an interesting guy."

So overall, I believe the essay accomplishes my goals and the main points of what I wanted to convey about myself.

Note that this is just one of many ways to write an essay . It worked for me, but it may be totally inappropriate for you.

Now let's look at this essay's weaknesses.

Looking at it with a more seasoned perspective, some parts of it are WAY too try-hard. I try too hard to show off my breadth of knowledge in a way that seems artificial and embellishing.

The entire introduction with the Rubik's cube seems bolted on, just to describe my long-standing desire to be a Renaissance man. Only three paragraphs down do I get to the Snooze button, and I don't refer again to the introduction until the end. With just 650 words, I could have made the essay more cohesive by keeping the same theme from beginning to end.

Some phrases really make me roll my eyes. "Always hungry for more" and "ever the inventor" sound too forced and embellishing. A key principle of effective writing is to show, not say . You don't say "I'm passionate about X," you describe what extraordinary lengths you took to achieve X.

The mention of Nietzsche is over-the-top. I mean, come on. The reader probably thought, "OK, this kid just read it in English class and now he thinks he's a philosopher." The reader would be right.

The ending: "with the extra nine minutes, maybe I'll teach myself to cook fried rice" is silly. Where in the world did fried rice come from? I meant it as a nod to my Chinese heritage, but it's too sudden to work. I could have deleted the sentence and wrapped up the essay more cleanly.

So I have mixed feelings of my essay. I think it accomplished my major goals and showed the humorous, irreverent side of my personality well. However, it also gave the impression of a kid who thought he knew more than he did, a pseudo-sophisticate bordering on obnoxious. I still think it was a net positive.

At the end of the day, I believe the safest, surefire strategy is to develop a Spike so big that the importance of the Personal Essay pales in comparison to your achievements. You want your Personal Essay to be a supplement to your application, not the only reason you get in.

There are probably some cases where a well-rounded student writes an amazing Personal Essay and gets in through the strength of that. As a Hail Mary if you're a senior and can't improve your application further, this might work. But the results are very variable—some readers may love your essay, others may just think it's OK. Without a strong application to back it up, your mileage may vary.

This is a really fun section. Usually you don't get to read your letter of recommendation because you sign the FERPA waiver. I've also reached out to my letter writers to make sure they're ok with my showing this.

Teacher recommendations are incredibly important to your application. I would say that after your coursework/test scores and activities/honors, they're the 3 rd most important component of your application .

The average teacher sees thousands of students through a career, and so he or she is very well equipped to position you relative to all other students. Furthermore, your teachers are experienced adults—their impressions of you are much more reliable than your impressions of yourself (see my Personal Essay above). They can corroborate your entire Personal Narrative as an outside observer.

The most effective recommendation letters speak both to your academic strengths and to your personality. For the second factor, the teacher needs to have interacted with you meaningfully, ideally both in and out of class. Check out our guide on what makes for effective letters of recommendation .

Starting from sophomore year, I started thinking about whom I connected better with and chose to engage with those teachers more deeply . Because it's standard for colleges to require two teachers in different subjects, I made sure to engage with English and history teachers as well as math and science.

The minimum requirement for a good letter is someone who taught a class in which you did well. I got straight A's in my coursework, so this wasn't an issue.

Beyond this, I had to look for teachers who would be strong advocates for me on both an academic and personal level . These tended to be teachers I vibed more strongly with, and typically these were teachers who demonstrably cared about teaching. This was made clear by their enthusiasm, how they treated students, and how much they went above expectations to help.

I had a lot of teachers who really just phoned it in and treated their job perfunctorily—these people are likely to write pretty blasé letters.

A final note before reading my actual teacher evaluations— you should avoid getting in the mindset where you get to know teachers JUST because you want a good recommendation letter . Your teachers have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of students pass through, and it's much easier to detect insincerity than you think.

If you honestly like learning and are an enthusiastic, responsible, engaging student, a great recommendation letter will follow naturally. The horse should lead the cart.

Read my How to Get a 4.0 GPA for tips on how to interact with teachers in a genuine way that'll make them love you.

Teacher Letter #1: AP Chemistry Teacher

I took AP Chemistry in 10 th grade and had Miss Cherryl Vorak (now Mynster). She was young, having taught for fewer than 5 years when I had her. She was my favorite teacher throughout high school for these reasons:

• She was enthusiastic, very caring, and spent a lot of time helping struggling students. She exuded pride in her work and seemed to consider teaching her craft.
• She had a kind personality and was universally well liked by her students, even if they weren't doing so well. She was fair in her policies (it probably helped that science is more objective than English). She was also a younger teacher, and this helped her relate to kids more closely.
• She was my advocate for much of the US National Chemistry Olympiad stuff, and in this capacity I got to know her even better outside of class. She provided me a lot of training materials, helped me figure out college chemistry, and directed me to resources to learn more.

By the time of the letter writing, I had known her for two full years and engaged with her continuously, even when I wasn't taking a class with her in junior year. We'd build up a strong relationship over the course of many small interactions.

All of this flowed down to the recommendation you see here. Remember, the horse leads the cart.

First, we'll look at the teacher evaluation page. The Common Application now has 16 qualities to rate, rather than the 10 here. But they're largely the same.

You can see a very strong evaluation here, giving me the highest ratings possible for all qualities.

In today's Common Application, all of these Ratings are retained, aside from "Potential for Growth." Today's Common App also now includes Faculty Respect, Maturity, Leadership, Integrity, Reaction to Setbacks, Concern for Others, and TE Overall. You can tell that the updated Common App places a great emphasis on personality.

The most important point here: it is important to be ranked "One of the top few encountered in my career" for as many ratings as possible . If you're part of a big school, this is CRITICAL to distinguish yourself from other students. The more experienced and trustworthy the teacher, the more meaningful this is.

Again, it's a numbers game. Think about the 20,000+ high schools in the country housing 4 million+ high school students—how many people fit in the top 5% bucket?

Thus, being marked merely as Excellent (top 10%) is actually a negative rating , as far as admissions to top colleges is concerned. If you're in top 10%, and someone else with the SAME teacher recommender is being rated as "One of the top ever," it's really hard for the admissions officer to vouch for you over the other student.

You really want to make sure you're one of the best in your school class, if not one of the best the teacher has ever encountered. You'll see below how you can accomplish this.

Next, let's look at her letter.

As you read this, think— what are the interactions that would prompt the teacher to write a recommendation like this? This was a relationship built up in a period of over 2 years, with every small interaction adding to an overall larger impression.

You can see how seriously they take the letter because of all the underlining . This admissions reader underlined things that weren't even underlined in my application, like my US National Chemistry Olympiad awards. It's one thing for a student to claim things about himself—it's another to have a teacher put her reputation on the line to advocate for her student.

The letter here is very strong for a multitude of reasons. First, the length is notable —most letters are just a page long, but this is nearly two full pages , single spaced. This indicates not just her overall commitment to her students but also of her enthusiastic support for me as an applicant.

The structure is effective: first Miss Vorak talks about my academic accomplishments, then about my personal qualities and interactions, then a summary to the future. This is a perfect blend of what effective letters contain .

On the micro-level, her diction and phrasing are precise and effective . She makes my standing clear with specific statements : "youngest student…top excelling student among the two sections" and "one of twenty students in the nation." She's clear about describing why my achievements are notable and the effort I put in, like studying college-level chemistry and studying independently.

When describing my personality, she's exuberant and fleshes out a range of dimensions: "conscientious, motivated and responsible," "exhibits the qualities of a leader," "actively seeks new experiences," "charismatic," "balanced individual with a warm personality and sense of humor." You can see how she's really checking off all the qualities colleges care about.

Overall, Miss Vorak's letter perfectly supports my Personal Narrative —my love for science, my overall academic performance, and my personality. I'm flattered and grateful to have received this support. This letter was important to complement the overall academic performance and achievements shown on the rest of my application.

Teacher Letter #2: AP English Language Teacher

My second teacher Mrs. Swift was another favorite. A middle-aged, veteran English teacher, the best way I would describe her is "fiery." She was invigorating and passionate, always trying to get a rise out of students and push their thinking, especially in class discussions. Emotionally she was a reliable source of support for students.

First, the evaluation:

You can see right away that her remarks are terser. She didn't even fill out the section about "first words that come to mind to describe this student."

You might chalk this up to my not being as standout of a student in her mind, or her getting inundated with recommendation letter requests after over a decade of teaching.

In ratings, you can see that I only earned 3 of the "one of the top in my career." There are a few explanations for this. As a teacher's career lengthens, it gets increasingly hard to earn this mark. I probably also didn't stand out as much as I did to my Chemistry teacher—most of my achievement was in science (which she wasn't closely connected to), and I had talented classmates. Regardless, I did appreciate the 3 marks she gave me.

Now, the letter. Once again, as you read this letter, think: what are the hundreds of micro-interactions that would have made a teacher write a letter like this?

Overall, this letter is very strong. It's only one page long, but her points about my personality are the critical piece of this recommendation. She also writes with the flair of an English teacher:

"In other situations where students would never speak their minds, he showed no hesitation to voice questions, thoughts, and ideas."

"controversial positions often being the spark that set off the entire class"

"ability to take the quiet and shy student and actively engage"…"went out of my way to partner him with other students who needed"

"strength of conviction"…"raw, unbridled passion"…"He will argue on any topic that has touched a nerve."

These comments most support the personality aspect of my Personal Narrative—having an irreverent, bold personality and not being afraid of speaking my mind. She stops just short of making me sound obnoxious and argumentative. An experienced teacher vouching for this adds so much more weight than just my writing it about myself.

Teacher recommendations are some of the most important components of your application. Getting very strong letters take a lot of sustained, genuine interaction over time to build mutual trust and respect. If you want detailed advice on how to interact with teachers earnestly, check out my How to Get a 4.0 GPA and Better Grades guide .

Let's go to the final recommendation, from the school counselor.

Now known as: School Report

The first piece of this is reporting your academic status and how the school works overall. There's not much to say here, other than the fact that my Principal wrote my recommendation for me, which we'll get into next.

Counselor Recommendation

Now known as: Counselor Recommendation

Let's talk about my school principal writing my recommendation, rather than a school counselor.

This was definitely advantageous—remember how, way up top in Educational Data, the reader circled the "Principal." Our Principal only wrote a handful of these recommendations each year , often for people who worked closely with him, like student body presidents. So it was pretty distinctive that I got a letter from our Principal, compared to other leading applicants from my school.

This was also a blessing because our counseling department was terrible . Our school had nearly 1,000 students per grade, and only 1 counselor per grade. They were overworked and ornery, and because they were the gatekeepers of academic enrollment (like class selection and prerequisites), this led to constant frictions in getting the classes you wanted.

I can empathize with them, because having 500+ neurotic parents pushing for advantages for their own kids can get REALLY annoying really fast. But the counseling department was still the worst part of our high school administration, and I could have guessed that the letters they wrote were mediocre because they just had too many students.

So how did my Principal come to write my recommendation and not those for hundreds of other students?

I don't remember exactly how this came to be, to be honest. I didn't strategize to have him write a letter for me years in advance. I didn't even interact with him much at all until junior year, when I got on his radar because of my national rankings. Come senior year I might have talked to him about my difficulty in reaching counselors and asked that he write my recommendation. Since I was a top student he was probably happy to do this.

He was very supportive, but as you can tell from the letter to come, it was clear he didn't know me that well.

Interestingly, the prompt for the recommendation has changed. It used to start with: "Please write whatever you think is important about this student."

Now, it starts with: " Please provide comments that will help us differentiate this student from others ."

The purpose of the recommendation has shifted to the specific: colleges probably found that one counselor was serving hundreds of students, so the letters started getting mushy and indistinguishable from each other.

Here's the letter:

This letter is probably the weakest overall of all my letters. It reads more like a verbal resume than a personal account of how he understands me.

Unlike my two teacher recommendations, he doesn't comment on the nature of our interactions or about my personality (because he truly didn't understand them well). He also misreported by SAT score as 1530 instead of 1600 (I did score a 1530 in an early test, but my 1600 was ready by January 2004, so I don't know what source he was using).

Notably, the letter writer didn't underline anything.

I still appreciate that he wrote my letter, and it was probably more effective than a generic counselor letter. But this didn't add much to my application.

At this point, we've covered my entire Common Application. This is the same application I sent to every school I applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. Thanks for reading this far—I hope you've gotten a lot out of this already.

If you keep reading to the end, I'll have advice for both younger students and current applicants to build the strongest application possible.

Next, we'll go over the Harvard Supplemental Application, which of course is unique to Harvard.

For most top colleges like Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and so on, you will need to complete a supplemental application to provide more info than what's listed on the Common Application.

Harvard was and is the same. The good news is that it's an extra chance for you to share more about yourself and keep pushing your Personal Narrative.

There are four major components here:

• The application form
• Writing supplement essay
• Supplementary recommendations
• Supplemental application materials

I'll take you through the application section by section.

Harvard Supplement Form

First, the straightforward info and questions.

This section is pretty straightforward and is similar to what you'd see on a Columbia application.

I planned to live in a Harvard residence, as most students do.

Just as in my Common App, I noted that I was most likely to study biological sciences, choose Medicine as my vocation, and participate in orchestra, writing, and research as my extracurriculars. Nothing surprising here—it's all part of my Personal Narrative.

Interestingly, at the time I was "absolutely certain" about my vocational goals, which clearly took a detour once I left medical school to pursue entrepreneurship to create PrepScholar...

I had the space to list some additional honors, where I listed some musical honors that didn't make the cut in my Common App.

Here are the next two pages of the Harvard supplemental form.

The most interesting note here is that the admissions officer wrote a question mark above "Music tape or CD." Clearly this was inconsistent with my Personal Narrative —if violin was such an important part of my story, why didn't I want to include it?

The reason was that I was actually pretty mediocre at violin and was nowhere near national-ranked. Again, remember how many concertmasters in the thousands of orchestras there are in the world—I wasn't good enough to even be in the top 3 chairs in my school orchestra (violin was very competitive).

I wanted to focus attention on my most important materials, which for my Personal Narrative meant my research work. You'll see these supplementary materials later.

Additional Essays

Now known as: Writing Supplement

For the most part, the Harvard supplemental essay prompt has stayed the same. You can write about a topic of your choice or about any of the suggestions. There are now two more prompts that weren't previously there: "What you would want your future college roommate to know about you" and "How you hope to use your college education."

Even though this is optional, I highly recommend you write something here. Again, you have so few chances in the overall application to convey your personal voice—an extra 500 words gives you a huge opportunity. I would guess that the majority of admitted Harvard students submit a Writing Supplement.

After a lot of brainstorming, I settled on the idea that I wanted to balance my application by writing about the major non-academic piece of my Personal Narrative—my music training . Also, I don't think I explicitly recognized this at the time, but I wanted to distance myself from the Asian-American stereotype—driven entirely by parent pressure, doing most things perfunctorily and without interest. I wanted to show I'd broken out of that mold.

Here's my essay:

Reading it now, I actually think this was a pretty bad essay, and I cringe to high heaven. But once again, let's focus on the positive first.

I used my violin teacher as a vehicle for talking about what the violin meant to me. (You can tell I love the concept of the vehicle in essays.) He represented passion for the violin—I represented my academic priorities. Our personal conflict was really the conflict between what we represented.

By the end of the essay, I'd articulated the value of musical training to me—it was cathartic and a way to balance my hard academic pursuits.

Halfway in the essay, I also explicitly acknowledged the Asian stereotype of parents who drove their kids, and said my parents were no different. The reader underlined this sentence. By pointing this out and showing how my interest took on a life of its own, I wanted to distance myself from that stereotype.

So overall I think my aims were accomplished.

Despite all that, this essay was WAY overdramatic and overwrought . Some especially terrible lines:

"I was playing for that cathartic moment when I could feel Tchaikovsky himself looking over my shoulder."

"I was wandering through the fog in search of a lighthouse, finally setting foot on a dock pervaded by white light."

OK, please. Who really honestly feels this way? This is clumsy, contrived writing. It signals insincerity, actually, which is bad.

To be fair, all of this is grounded in truth. I did have a strict violin teacher who did get pretty upset when I showed lack of improvement. I did appreciate music as a diversion to round out my academic focus. I did practice hard each day, and I did have a pretty gross callus on my pinky.

But I would have done far better by making it more sincere and less overworked.

As an applicant, you're tempted to try so hard to impress your reader. You want to show that you're Worthy of Consideration. But really the best approach is to be honest.

I think this essay was probably neutral to my application, not a strong net positive or net negative.

Supplementary Recommendations

Harvard lets you submit letters from up to two Other Recommenders. The Princeton application, Penn application, and others are usually the same.

Unlike the other optional components (the Additional Information in the Common App, and the Supplementary Essay), I would actually consider these letters optional. The reader gets most of the recommendation value from your teacher recommendations—these are really supplementary.

A worthwhile Other Recommender:

• has supervised an activity or honor that is noteworthy
• has interacted with you extensively and can speak to your personality
• is likely to support you as one of the best students they've interacted with

If your Other Recommenders don't fulfill one or more of these categories, do NOT ask for supplementary letters. They'll dilute your application without adding substantively to it.

To beat a dead horse, the primary component of my Personal Narrative was my science and research work. So naturally I chose supervisors for my two major research experiences to write supplemental letters.

First was the Director of Research Science Institute (the selective summer research program at MIT). The second was from the head of Jisan Research Institute, where I did Computer Science research.

This letter validates my participation in RSI and incorporates the feedback from my research mentor, David Simon. At the time, the RSI students were the most talented students I had met, so I'm also flattered by some of the things the letter writer said, like "Allen stood out early on as a strong performer in academic settings."

I didn't get to know the letter writer super well, so he commented mainly on my academic qualifications and comments from my mentor.

My mentor, who was at one of the major Harvard-affiliated hospitals, said some very nice things about my research ability, like:

"is performing in many ways at the level of a graduate student"

"impressed with Allen's ability to read even advanced scientific publications and synthesize his understanding"

Once again, it's much more convincing for a seasoned expert to vouch for your abilities than for you to claim your own abilities.

My first research experience was done at Jisan Research Institute, a small private computer science lab run by a Caltech PhD. The research staff were mainly high school students like me and a few grad students/postdocs.

My research supervisor, Sanza Kazadi, wrote the letter. He's requested that I not publish the letter, so I'll only speak about his main points.

In the letter, he focused on the quality of my work and leadership. He said that I had a strong focus in my work, and my research moved along more reliably than that of other students. I was independent in my work in swarm engineering, he says, putting together a simulation of the swarm and publishing a paper in conference proceedings. He talked about my work in leading a research group and placing a high degree of trust in me.

Overall, a strong recommendation, and you get the gist of his letter without reading it.

One notable point—both supplemental letters had no marks on them. I really think this means they place less emphasis on the supplementary recommendations, compared to the teacher recommendations.

Finally, finally, we get to the very last piece of my application.

Let me beat the dead horse even deader. Because research was such a core part of my Personal Narrative, I decided to include abstracts of both of my papers. The main point was to summarize the body of work I'd done and communicate the major results.

As Harvard says, "These materials are entirely optional; please only submit them if you have unusual talents."

This is why I chose not to submit a tape of my music: I don't think my musical skill was unusually good.

And frankly, I don't think my research work was that spectacular. Unlike some of my very accomplished classmates, I hadn't ranked nationally in prestigious competitions like ISEF and Siemens. I hadn't published my work in prominent journals.

Regardless, I thought these additions would be net positive, if only marginally so.

I made sure to note where the papers had been published or were entering competitions, just to ground the work in some achievement.

Recommendation Letters: Hopefully you should have developed strong, genuine relationships with teachers you care about. The letters should flow naturally from here, and you will only need to do gentle prodding to make sure they meet deadlines.

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SAT 800 Series: Reading | Math | Writing —Learn important strategies to excel in each section of the SAT.

ACT 36 Series: English | Math | Reading | Science —Learn how to get a perfect 36 on each section of the ACT.

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League —The foundational guide where I discuss the philosophy behind what colleges are looking for, how to develop a Spike, and why being well-rounded is the path to rejection.

How to Get a 4.0 GPA and Better Grades —Are you struggling with getting strong grades in challenging coursework? I step you through all the major concepts you need to excel in school, from high-level mindset to individual class strategies.

As co-founder and head of product design at PrepScholar, Allen has guided thousands of students to success in SAT/ACT prep and college admissions. He's committed to providing the highest quality resources to help you succeed. Allen graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and earned two perfect scores on the SAT (1600 in 2004, and 2400 in 2014) and a perfect score on the ACT. You can also find Allen on his personal website, Shortform , or the Shortform blog .

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