sample boston college supplemental essay

Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

Boston college supplemental essays 2023–2024.

A private liberal arts college in the town of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Boston College is ranked among America’s top 50 colleges by U.S. News. This top school has secured a place on many college lists due to its urban location and world-class academics. If you’re wondering how to get into Boston College, a standout application starts with well-crafted Boston College supplemental essays. 

Successful Boston College applications feature strong Boston College essays—just one, to be exact. Boston College supplemental essays respond to one of five Boston College essay prompts. We have provided the Boston College essay prompts for 2023-2024 Boston College essays below.

Here, you’ll learn how to approach the Boston College essay prompts, plus some brainstorming exercises to help you get writing. We’ll also discuss additional tips for writing Boston College supplemental essays.

Given the low Boston College acceptance rate, you should do all you can to stand out. We hope this guide helps you learn how to approach the Boston College supplemental essays with confidence.

Quick Facts: Boston College Supplemental Essays

• Boston College Acceptance Rate: 19%— U.S. News ranks Boston College as a most selective school.
• 1 (400-word) essay
• Boston College application: Boston College admissions accepts the Common Application , which includes both your personal statement and your Boston College essay. Boston College is also part of Questbridge .
• #1 Boston College Essays Tip: You should read the Boston College essay prompts carefully, choosing one you can answer thoroughly in your Boston College essays. This will maximize your chances against the relatively low Boston College acceptance rate.

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. 

Does Boston College require a supplemental essay?

Yes. Along with your Common App personal statement , you must complete one of five possible Boston College supplemental essays.

To complete the Boston College essays, you will select just one of several Boston College essay prompts. However, while you’ll only complete one supplementary essay, that doesn’t mean Boston College cares any less about your supplements. In fact, students’ responses to the Boston College essay prompts play a critical role in admissions decisions. 

Boston College admissions uses a holistic application review process. In other words, extracurriculars, academic achievements, and Boston College essays all impact a student’s admissions prospects. While the low Boston College acceptance rate might seem intimidating , well-crafted Boston College supplemental essays can make a huge difference.

The power of a single essay

The Boston College application isn’t necessarily easier just because there’s a single essay. After all, how hard was it to write your Common App personal statement? Even choosing one of the Boston College essay prompts can be challenging.

To start your writing process, think critically about the prompts available. Which of the Boston College essay prompts speaks to you? Moreover, can you write a compelling essay in response? Well-written Boston College supplemental essays come from carefully selected prompts. Students should write Boston College essays that reflect their most impactful moments of self-realization and personal growth. 

Not sure how to start writing your Boston College essays? Keep reading to learn more about Boston College admissions, including tips on how to approach Boston College essays and overcome the Boston College acceptance rate.

What are the Boston College essay prompts?

Students have options when it comes to the Boston College supplemental essays. There are five Boston College essay prompts to choose from for the 2023-2024 application cycle (400 words or less):

Boston College Supplemental Essay Prompts:

1. each year at university convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. what book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text , 2. at boston college, we draw upon the jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. who fulfills this role in your life please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs., 3. in her november 2019 ted talk, “ the danger of a single story ,” chimamanda ngozi adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.  discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. what challenges did this present and how did you overcome them, 4. boston college’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. that call came from an immigrant community in boston seeking a jesuit education to foster social mobility. still today, the university empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your boston college education to address it, 5. for human-centered engineering major applicants only: one goal of a jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the common good. human-centered engineering at boston college integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. what societal problems are important to you and how will you use your hce education to solve them, choosing a prompt.

Aside from applicants for the Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) major, everyone should respond to one of the Boston College essay prompts. Students applying to the HCE major must respond only to the last of the Boston College essay prompts. So, students will just write two Boston College essays in their application: one school-specific supplemental essay and the Common App personal essay. 

The first step towards completing Boston College supplemental essays is to review each of the Boston College essay prompts. So, let’s examine the Boston College essay prompts and the questions you’ll need to answer in your response. We’ll also provide some reflection questions for each of the Boston College essay prompts. 

Refer to these questions as you’re drafting your Boston College essays. These prompt-specific reflection questions will help keep you on track as you draft and revise. 

Boston College Essay Prompts #1

Each year at university convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. what book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text.

The first of the Boston College essay prompts asks you to choose a book you’d like to share with your peers. Strong Boston College supplemental essays will recommend a book that embodies the tradition of Boston College’s First Year Academic Convocation . This event asks students to reflect upon their faith and engage in conversation with others. However, this doesn’t mean that Boston College supplemental essays must focus on a religious text. Instead, simply choose a text that speaks to how you engage with the world.

Books for these Boston College supplemental essays should be rich enough to spark and support a deep discussion. After all, the most important part of these Boston College essays is not which book you choose, but why. So, what important questions does this book raise, and how would you investigate them with your peers?

Drafting your response

If you are having trouble narrowing down your book selection, take a look at Boston College’s past common texts. Consider why they were chosen and why your book matters to you. How can you include admirable qualities in Boston College supplemental essays?

However, be sure that if you decide to respond to the first of the Boston College supplemental essays, you fulfill the requirements. That means that you must choose a book by a living author. By adding this requisite to the prompt, students are forced to choose a book that is likely more relevant to current societal issues. So, use this opportunity to choose a book that truly means something to you and show why it’s important to share with your peers. How has it impacted you? Moreover, what might your peers gain from reading it? 

Reflection Questions for Boston College Essays

• Do you choose a book that you genuinely enjoy and wish to share?
• Does your chosen book reflect the values behind the First Year Academic Convocation?
• Do you provide a compelling argument for why this book is worthy of discussion?

Boston College Essay Prompt #2

At boston college, we draw upon the jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. who fulfills this role in your life please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs..

Boston College supplemental essays responding to the second prompt will talk about a favorite conversation partner. Strong Boston College supplemental essays show the author engages deeply with their world and share that engagement with others. While some Boston College essay prompts ask about your engagement with Boston College resources, this prompt centers around how you think and express your beliefs.

Boston College supplemental essays answering the second of the Boston College essay prompts must reflect on a specific conversation and conversation partner. The prompt offers you two approaches: show a moment you challenged another’s perspective or one when your perspective was challenged.

Of course, make sure to choose a conversation where this happened. Basically, don’t choose a moment in which you had a beautiful conversation with zero disagreement or discussion. A well-written response to the second of the Boston College essay prompts will show how you eloquently supported or discussed your perspective. You could also write about how your perspective changed through a meaningful discussion. 

Choosing your topic

When considering who to write about, think about who shares difficult discussions with you. Sure, you might love talking to your friend about your favorite TV show. But would you talk with them about the social problems that make your palms itch? In addition, think about what your discussions with this person says about you and your reasoning skills.

These Boston College supplemental essays should still center around you, the author. Before choosing a prompt for any essay, consider whether you have a personal connection that you can write about. In this case, the discussion needs to be meaningful while also fully answering the prompt. 

One important question to consider for the second of the Boston College essay prompts is: can you answer the prompt directly and adequately while keeping yourself at its center? The same applies when considering any of the Boston College essay prompts.

Once again, remember that good Boston College supplemental essays center around the author. Whoever you write about, don’t spend too much time describing that person. Rather, focus on the ideas you discuss, the dynamics of your conversation, and how it inspires your own reflection. Show the Boston College admissions team that you’re a critical thinker who engages deeply with those around you.

• Do your Boston College essays address both your partner and what you discussed in a specific conversation?
• Do you keep yourself—not your conversation partner—at the center of your essay?
• Does your essay show that you enjoy critical thinking and in-depth discussion about complex subjects?

Boston College Essay Prompt #3

In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story ,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.  Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

The third of the Boston College supplemental essays may seem similar to other college essays you’ve encountered. It’s a unique spin on the diversity and culture essay. In the third of the Boston College essay prompts, students are asked to recall a moment in their lives when they’ve been boxed into a “single story.”

As the prompt mentions, students might discuss themes like nationality, appearance, or background. However, the term “single story” leaves things quite open-ended. Students could choose to respond using any instance in which they’ve been defined or judged by a certain label or visible aspect. 

Remember that like all of the other Boston College supplemental essays, your response should focus on you and your personal growth. So, while the moment itself is important, what’s more important is your learning from that experience. Successful responses to the third of the Boston College essay prompts will briefly describe the moment when the student was placed in a particular box. Then, they’ll focus on how the student reacted and moved forward from the situation. 

Preparing to respond

Additionally, it would be wise to actually watch this particular TED Talk if you choose to respond to this prompt. Your Boston College supplemental essays will benefit from inspiration. After watching the TED Talk, you’ll have a better understanding of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s main point. That way, you’ll know how to use Adichie’s ideas to contextualize your own experiences. 

Like some of the other Boston College essay prompts, this question asks you to show the Boston College admissions team that you think deeply and critically about yourself and the world around you. Effective Boston College supplemental essays should address how your own thinking and reflection changed based on the experience. How did being defined as a “single story” affect you? Try to make connections between your experience, your realization, and how it changed you.

• Is your “single story” experience clearly defined?
• Do you expand on how being labeled a certain way impacted you?
• Is it clear how you’ve personally grown from the experience? What realizations were made, and how will they impact your future?

Boston College Essay Prompt #4

Boston college’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. that call came from an immigrant community in boston seeking a jesuit education to foster social mobility. still today, the university empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your boston college education to address it.

Boston College supplemental essays for the fourth of our Boston College essay prompts have to discuss a personally important societal issue. So, your response should consider society as a whole–locally or globally. Whatever issue you choose, make sure it is something that an education at Boston College can help answer.

Connect your chosen issue to specific departments, learning styles, school values, or aspects of the Boston College community. These should have come up while you were searching for colleges and researching Boston College. This will help demonstrate why Boston College is the best place for you to explore your curiosities.

Once again, strong Boston College supplemental essays are both specific with the features they highlight and personal in connecting them to the author. So, use this prompt to highlight what makes your perspective unique.

Keep it personal

However, don’t get too hung up on trying to describe Boston College and its offerings. At the end of the day, once again, effective Boston College supplemental essays are about the author. The question you discuss should help the Boston College admissions team learn something important about you. How will you engage with opportunities and communities on campus to address the societal issue at hand?

• Do you clearly state a problem and why it matters to you?
• Strong Boston College supplemental essays give specific details about the school: do you show that you did your research?
• Do you connect facts or features of the school with your interests and background?
• Do you present new information not included elsewhere in your Boston College application? If not, do you expand on something you’ve mentioned before?

Boston College Essay Prompt #6

For human-centered engineering major applicants only: one goal of a jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the common good. human-centered engineering at boston college integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. what societal problems are important to you and how will you use your hce education to solve them.

The fifth of the Boston College essay prompts asks about problems you are passionate about solving. Impactful Boston College supplemental essays focus on societal issues—in other words, conditions or behaviors with wide-reaching negative consequences. This might include poverty, racism, or climate change. Boston College supplemental essays should be genuine and passionate; choose an issue you’re really concerned about.

These Boston College supplemental essays should reflect, in specific terms, why this issue matters to you. As with all strong Boston college essays, give concrete reasoning and use specific examples. Moreover, make sure to tie your argument to your own experiences or values. Readers of these Boston College supplemental essays should understand exactly why and how deeply the author cares.

Do your research

The last of the Boston College essay prompts asks how your HCE education will help you solve these issues. These Boston College essays, therefore, share some qualities with a “Why Boston College” essay.

So, do your research. Check out the HCE Program page to learn about the structure, curriculum, and unique features HCE offers students. What puts this program over other colleges on your list? Remember, applicants outside of Human-Centered Engineering applicants should answer other Boston College essay prompts.

By integrating specific facts about Boston College’s HCE program into your response, you can show the Boston College admissions team you’ve done your research. This can give your Boston College application an edge, especially given the low Boston College acceptance rate. 

• Are you applying for the HCE program? If not, you must choose one of the other Boston College essay prompts.
• Effective Boston College supplemental essays are direct: do you state clearly the societal issue you care about?
• Similar to the first of our Boston College essay prompts, do you give concrete examples of HCE resources?

Selecting a prompt & drafting your Boston College essay

So, after reading the Boston College essay prompts, it’s time to choose. Which one speaks to you? Of the Boston College essay prompts, yours should best showcase you and why you’re a good fit at Boston College. If you’re stuck between several Boston College essay prompts, you might try your hand at a ten-minute free-write .

You should also highlight why Boston College is a good fit for you. Why is it on your college list ? At the end of the day, you’re the one who’ll ultimately accept an offer and attend. Why do you feel Boston College is a place you want to be? Whichever one of the Boston College essay prompts you select, ensure you can answer every part of it. 

Starting the writing process

Once you’ve read the Boston College essay prompts and selected yours, it’s time to start writing. Sitting down and writing your first draft is the hardest part. So, don’t worry about making your Boston College supplemental essays perfect—just focus on getting words on paper. In fact, you might draft several Boston College supplemental essays for different Boston College essay prompts. That’s fine, too!

Start by addressing the big ideas, then go back and make sure you’ve answered the Boston College essay prompts entirely. Then, you can start fine-tuning your Boston College supplemental essays. Review each paragraph—does every part of your Boston College essays connect to you, your worldview, or your beliefs? Remember, effective Boston College supplemental essays put the author and their passions or interests at the center.

Last, but certainly not least, make time to review your Boston College essays thoroughly. Do you have any spelling or grammar mistakes that might distract your reader from the content of your essay? Do you have any logical errors or awkward turns of phrase? Revising—not just drafting—is the key to impactful, unique Boston College supplemental essays. So, the more your revise, the stronger your essays will be. You can also ask a trusted adult to help review your essay.

How do I write the Boston College supplemental essay?

Boston College supplemental essays show Boston College admissions what kind of student you are and what kind you can become. Moreover, the low Boston College acceptance rate makes standout Boston College supplemental essays even more important. However, don’t let the Boston College acceptance rate scare you. Just as there isn’t one formula to impress Boston College admissions, there isn’t one correct way to write Boston College supplemental essays.

Before beginning your Boston College application, consider experiences that have shaped who you are and how you see the world. Reflect on your accomplishments, the challenges you’ve faced, your successes, and your failures. While the low Boston College acceptance rate might seem discouraging, you can create a Boston College application that stands out .

Getting started

Before tackling Boston College essays, brainstorm two lists: things that are and aren’t reflected on your Boston College application. Experiences related to your classes or extracurriculars will be on your transcript or activities section . These can go under “Things reflected in my application.” If you’ve already written your personal statement for the Common App, put that topic in this list, too. Put other experiences regarding your family, your beliefs, or anything else under “Things that are not reflected in my application.”

Boston College essays that introduce new topics should be very clear about why these topics matter matter. As always, give discrete details about Boston College that are relevant to whichever of the Boston College prompts you chose. At the same time, don’t just throw course names and faculty titles around without context. Instead, relate those details to the interests and identities that you consider most important.

Highlight new aspects of yourself

It’s absolutely fine to write Boston College essays on topics mentioned elsewhere in your application. However, if you try to draft Boston College supplemental essays like this, build on the story your application already tells. Remember, Boston College supplemental essays should share something new with the Boston College admissions team. If you’re not giving entirely new information, be sure your Boston College essays provide a new perspective.

As you’re drafting Boston College supplemental essays—perhaps trying multiple Boston College essay prompts—consider the following questions.

Reflection Questions for BC Essays:

• Do my Boston College supplemental essays answer all elements of the prompt?
• Do my Boston College essays engage the reader with specific details about myself and about Boston College?
• Do my Boston College supplemental essays tell my story in a unique and compelling way?
• Do my Boston College essays answer the question “Why Boston College?”
• Do my Boston College supplemental essays have spelling/grammatical errors?

Don’t skip the editing phase

Especially if writing Boston College supplemental essays is really challenging, it can be tempting to submit a first draft. Forget editing, you’re tired of looking at this thing! But if you know the first thing about how to get into Boston College, you’ll know editing is crucial. Make plenty of time to leave your drafts alone before returning to them for the editing round. Then, you’ll be able to look at your writing with fresh eyes.

Don’t just fix technical errors: review your essays for content to make them shine . Additionally, read essay examples to see what worked well and how you can improve your own essays. Moreover, ask someone you trust, like a family member or teacher, if your essays portray you accurately. Reflect on the questions included with the Boston College supplemental essays above when revising.

Is the Boston College essay important?

Absolutely. Along with personal statements, Boston College essays provide Boston College admissions an opportunity to hear about you through your own perspective. They should give a fuller picture of you than your transcript and activities lists. Ideally, your Boston College supplemental essays will show your ability to reflect and learn from certain experiences. In fact, all of the Boston College essay prompts allow students to showcase their personal growth. By highlighting your growth mindset, you can ensure your application stands out. 

Boston College supplemental essays also let you reflect on a key aspect of your life. Read each of the Boston College essay prompts, selecting the prompt for which you can draft effective Boston College essays. Starting off on the right foot will help you overcome the low Boston College acceptance rate.

Showcase writing ability

Personal statements and Boston College supplemental essays also give Boston College admissions a sense of your writing ability. After all, any school matching the Boston College acceptance rate will have a rigorous curriculum. Furthermore, as a liberal arts college, Boston College will certainly call upon your writing skills regardless of your major. Can you efficiently and clearly convey ideas? Additionally, can you engage readers of your Boston College essays?

If you enroll at Boston College, you’ll have a lot of writing ahead of you. Therefore, Boston College admissions wants strong Boston College supplemental essays that show evidence of drafting, editing, and proofreading. These are all skills that you will use if you attend Boston College. So, effective Boston College supplemental essays show that the author has what it takes to succeed at Boston College.

Overcoming the Low Boston College Acceptance Rate

As mentioned in the Quick Facts, the Boston College acceptance rate for the class of 2025 was 19%. The Boston College acceptance rate places Boston College among the top 100 most selective colleges and universities in the country. As the Boston College acceptance rate suggests, Boston College is a competitive school.

In light of the low Boston College acceptance rate, you should think critically about how to get into Boston College. High test scores won’t necessarily be enough. According to the U.S. News report of Boston College admissions, half of admitted applicants had an SAT score between 1420 and 1530 or an ACT score between 33 and 34. The decreasing Boston College acceptance rate reflects these competitive scores.

Given the low Boston College acceptance rate, Boston College supplemental essays are extremely important to every Boston College application. While the Boston College acceptance rate may seem intimidating, there’s one thing every admitted student has in common: they impressed Boston College admissions by writing compelling Boston College supplemental essays. For your best chance against the Boston College acceptance rate, you should craft unique, authentic, and engaging Boston College essays.

What are the admission requirements for Boston College?

Remember, prospective students can complete a Boston College application using the Common Application or Questbridge Application. Note that Boston College does not accept the Coalition Application. An application must include:

Boston College Admission Requirements:

• An official transcript
• Letters of recommendation
• A personal statement
• One of your drafted Boston College supplemental essays.

As you can see, Boston College supplemental essays are just one aspect of your application. However, Boston College essays are essential to the Boston College admissions process, especially as the Boston College acceptance rate declines.

Declining acceptance rates

The Boston College acceptance rate has steadily decreased over the past five years. As more students have begun applying to more schools, acceptance rates across the nation have become more competitive. On top of that, the pandemic forced many colleges and universities to adopt test-optional policies. Consequently, even more students applied to college, especially competitive schools like Boston College and the Ivies . The Boston College acceptance rate from last year definitely reflects this uptick in applicants.

Boston College admissions has made their 2023-2024 admissions cycle test-optional as well. If you so choose —or, of course, are unable—you don’t need to submit SAT or ACT scores. However, if you don’t submit test scores, Boston College admissions will place greater emphasis on the rest of your application. This includes Boston College essays, so make your choice wisely. Even if your standardized test scores are solidly in the middle—or even slightly below average—submitting them may not hurt.

Additional Tips for the Boston College essay

Boston college supplemental essays top tips, #1- mark your calendar.

Make sure you give yourself adequate time to complete your application and write your Boston College supplemental essays. Try making an application calendar including the Boston College admissions deadlines . The November 1st deadline for Early Decision I has already passed for 2022. However, Early Decision II and Regular Decision are both due  January 1st. From there, work backward and set deadlines for choosing a prompt, completing your first draft, second draft, and so on. Be sure to plan ahead so you don’t have to spend all of winter break drafting Boston College supplemental essays.

#2- Create a checklist

As you respond to the  Boston College essay prompts, see if you can successfully answer the reflection questions for each one. And here are some more general questions:

• Do I answer every part of the Boston College essay prompts?
• Does my essay reflect my experiences and how they’ve contributed to who I am? 
• Have I included specific details in my essay?
• Do I avoid any spelling/grammar errors?
• Does my essay tell a clear and compelling story?

#3- Get a second opinion

Once you have some solid drafts of your Boston College essays, ask someone you trust to look over it. This might be a guardian, a counselor, a neighbor, or a teacher. Another reader will be able to catch grammar or spelling errors you might have missed. They can also give feedback on clarity, flow, and style . Moreover, if you’re stuck between two responses to Boston College essay prompts, maybe they can tell you which they prefer. Be sure to complete drafts well ahead of the deadline to give them plenty of time to give you thoughtful feedback.

Boston College Admissions

Want to hear more from Boston College’s undergraduate admissions team on approaching the Boston College supplemental essay? Check out this video from the senior assistant director below.

Boston College Supplemental Essay: Final Thoughts

When thinking about how to get into Boston College, well-crafted Boston College supplemental essays should be top of your list. As you review and respond to the Boston College essay prompts, don’t let the low Boston College acceptance rate deter you from applying. If you believe Boston College’s Jesuit Catholic education will help you achieve your goals, submit the strongest application you can.

The more you edit your Boston College supplemental essays, the stronger they will be. Take your time with the Boston College essay prompts and remember to draft, revise, and proofread. Whichever one of the Boston College essay prompts you choose, your Boston College essays should answer, “Why Boston College?”

Look on the bright side!

Once again, don’t let the low Boston College acceptance rate discourage you. Boston College admissions wants to accept students from a diverse range of backgrounds who will enrich their campus community and make a positive difference in the world. Don’t be afraid to dream about the kind of future you want to build for yourself. If you can imagine how Boston College will help you reach it, you can better show why you deserve admission. Remember to be yourself and take pride in your experiences. If you’re genuine and authentic in your Boston College supplemental essay, your personality will shine through.

This Boston College supplemental essays guide was written by Sarah Kaminski and Gina Goosby.   Looking for more admissions support? Click  here  to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. I n fact, d uring 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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How to Write the Boston College Supplemental Essays + Examples

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 11/8/23

Getting ready to write your Boston College supplemental essays? Read on to learn how to make your essays stand out!Hey, future Eagles!

Feeling stuck on your Boston College supplemental essays ? Unsure of where to start or what to share? This guide has got you covered! We’ll go over each Boston College supplemental essay, break down how to approach them, and provide you with winning examples to use as your muse!

Boston College Supplemental Essay Prompts 2023-2024

Let’s begin with the basics: how many supplemental essays do you need for Boston College ? Fortunately, you’ll only need to answer one of the BC supplemental essays . You’ll be given the following five prompts to choose from:

“Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?”

“At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.”

“In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story ,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?”

“Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?”

Prompt #5 - HCE Applicants

“Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?”

These questions aim to get personal, which means you could probably ramble on and on about each of them if you had the chance. But here's the kicker: you have to keep your response to a maximum of 400 words! So, stay on point, keep it snappy, and get to the heart of what matters most. No room for rambling here!

How to Write Each Essay Prompt for Boston College

If you’re intimidated by these prompts and wondering how to write a fantastic college essay , you’re in the right place. Here’s how to ensure all of your BC supplemental essays are concise, compelling, and captivating! 

How to Write Boston College Supplemental Essay #1 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompt #1 : This prompt is focused on the importance of a shared text and how it fosters a sense of unity and understanding among incoming students. Boston College wants to see what kind of literature you consider good for fostering unity. 

This prompt also allows the admissions committee to learn more about your interests. The book you choose will say a lot about you! 

Follow these suggestions if you choose to respond to the first prompt:

• Tip #1: Choose the Right Book : Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to discuss a highly complex book to impress the admissions committee. Select a book that you truly believe would be a valuable shared text. Mention some themes or messages that you think could spark meaningful discussions. 
• Tip #2: Share Your Personal Connections to the Book : Show the admissions committee how this book has influenced your perspective. Why does this book resonate with you more than others? You might consider even starting your essay with one of your favorite lines in the book. 
• Tip #3: Connect to the University Convocation : End your essay by explaining how this book would contribute to a meaningful and engaging University Convocation experience. How would it inspire reflective dialogue among your incoming class? 

How to Write Boston College Supplemental Essay #2 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompt #2 : BC asks this prompt because they want to see a willingness to grow and to learn from other perspectives. A mark of a great student is a sense of humility and openness to listening to what others have to say. 

If you’ve had a few notable experiences where your beliefs were challenged, this could be a great prompt for you to respond to! Here are some tips to get you started: 

• Tip #1: Identify a Strong Conversation Partner : Think about a conversation that truly had an impact on you, not just someone disagreeing with your top horror movie choice. Who is someone in your life who has really challenged your perspective or brought fresh insights to the table?
• Tip #2: Be Vulnerable and Specific : Include details of your conversation with this person, including the thoughts and emotions you experienced. Don't shy away from discussing how this conversation challenged you. Were you initially resistant to their ideas? Did it force you to reevaluate your beliefs?
• Tip #3: Share Your Insights : Show the reader how this conversation impacted you. Did it open your mind to new possibilities? Did you gain a deeper understanding of yourself or the world around you? Be authentic and express the lessons you learned from this experience.

How to Write Boston College Supplemental Essay #3 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompt #3 : This prompt deals with the impact of making assumptions. This essay asks you to get personal and describe an instance where you faced prejudice of some kind. By asking this, BC wants to see how you have overcome obstacles as well as how you align with their values of diversity. 

If this prompt interests you, here are some tips on how to answer it: 

• Tip #1: Consider Watching the TED Talk : While you don’t have to watch the TED Talk referenced in this essay prompt, doing so can inspire you and help you brainstorm. You may even want to quote the speaker within your own essay to show you went above and beyond by watching the TED Talk. 
• Tip #2: Stay Humble : Feel free to share in detail about the prejudice you faced and how it affected you, as well as how you broke free from the single narrative. However, be sure not to display arrogance or a superiority complex. Focus on your own growth and the importance of diversity instead.
• Tip #3: Connect to BC : Connect your story to Boston College's values of embracing diversity and fostering inclusivity. Express your eagerness to continue these conversations at BC and learn from a community that values every person's unique narrative.

How to Write Boston College Supplemental Essay #4 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompt #4 : This prompt integrates the history of Boston College with the issues facing the world today. BC wants to see that you are committed to the same values as they are; namely, fighting for social issues and using education to address needs that are prevalent in the world. 

Let’s tackle how to respond to this fourth prompt:

• Tip #1: Choose an Issue Close to Your Heart : If you choose an issue that you’re genuinely passionate about, it will be far easier to write this essay! Admissions committees can always tell when applicants are being authentic, so if you choose a topic you truly care about, your passion will shine through.
• Tip #2: Connect to BC’s Founding Values : This prompt specifically asks you to connect back to BC’s roots. Show how BC's founding mission resonates with your desire to make a difference in the world and emphasize how your BC education will enable you to continue this legacy.
• Tip #3: Demonstrate Your Commitment : Discuss why this issue is so important to you and share your specific vision of how you'll engage with the issue both on and off campus. Highlight any volunteer work, advocacy, or initiatives you've been involved in related to the issue to demonstrate your dedication to change. 

How to Write Boston College Supplemental Essay #5 + Analysis and Tips

Analysis of prompt #5 : This prompt is somewhat similar to prompt #4, as it asks students to analyze. However, as this prompt is specific to HCE applicants, that means that Boston College is looking for specific responses regarding the HCE program. BC wants to see your passion and why you truly want to study HCE. 

Here are some tips to tackle this prompt: 

• Tip #1: Pinpoint Your Passion : Identify the specific societal problems that ignite your passion. Considering this is a question for engineering, the issue you choose should be related to this field. Explain why these issues are meaningful to you and share any personal experiences or encounters with them. 
• Tip #2: Be Specific : Highlight how Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College perfectly aligns with your goals. Share any relevant projects or initiatives you’ve been a part of, especially leadership experiences, related to your chosen issue. Describe innovative engineering approaches you envision tackling at BC. 
• Tip #3: Tie It to the Common Good : Connect your solutions to the Jesuit value of serving the Common Good. Explain how your Human-Centered Engineering education will empower you to serve society and create a positive impact.

Examples of Boston College Supplemental Essays That Worked

There’s no better way to grasp how to write the Boston College supplemental essays than to learn by example! Here are some sample essays written by admitted students at Boston College. 

Sample Essay #1

Prompt : “Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?”

Take a look at this example essay responding to prompt #1: 

"‘A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up for anything.’ This compelling quote from ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini serves as a poignant reminder of the valuable lesson this book imparts to students.

As students, we often encounter challenges, both academically and personally. This book can remind us of the powerful significance of advocating for our beliefs and values. By learning to assert ourselves and confront our fears, we cultivate the confidence and resilience necessary to address societal issues and make positive contributions to our communities.

Consequently, for our incoming class at University Convocation, I wholeheartedly recommend ‘The Kite Runner’ as our shared text. This novel takes readers on an emotional journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and redemption. Through Amir's experiences, we learn the importance of standing up for ourselves and others, even in the face of adversity.

‘The Kite Runner’ not only inspires self-reflection but also fosters empathy and understanding. The novel delves into cultural complexities, providing a window into Afghanistan's history and the impact of personal choices on individuals and society. As we engage in reflective dialogue during University Convocation, this shared text will encourage open discussions about diverse perspectives, nurturing a more inclusive and compassionate community.

Moreover, Khaled Hosseini's masterful storytelling captivated me, evoking emotions and allowing me to build connections with the characters. This shared experience can unite our class, forging a shared bond that extends beyond the pages of the book.

As we embark on our exciting academic journey, ‘The Kite Runner’ will serve as a timeless reminder of the value of empathy, resilience, and the power of standing up for what we believe in. It will inspire us to be active participants in shaping a more just and compassionate world, embodying the Jesuit values that Boston College holds dear.”

Why Essay #1 Works

This BC supplemental essay response works for several reasons. It begins with a compelling hook - a powerful quote from "The Kite Runner" - that immediately captures the reader's attention and sets the tone for the essay's central theme. 

The student then demonstrates a genuine and personal connection to the book by discussing academic and personal challenges. The essay highlights the importance of advocating for beliefs and values and explicitly connects the book's lessons to Boston College’s Jesuit values, showing their alignment with the university's mission.

Sample Essay #2

Prompt : “At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.”

Take a look at this sample essay for some inspiration: 

“‘It’s murder—plain and simple,’ my best friend Emily proclaimed with unwavering conviction. 

With a fiery passion for justice and a fierce dedication to her beliefs, Emily is never afraid to challenge the status quo and speak her mind. As such, we’ve always had lively discussions on various topics, but one particular conversation stands out vividly in my memory. 

In our sophomore year, we were discussing a news article detailing the story of a terminally ill patient who had opted for medical assistance to end their life peacefully. As a staunch advocate for individual autonomy and the right to make end-of-life decisions, I expressed my support for medical-assisted dying, believing that it offers compassionate choices for those facing unbearable suffering.

However, Emily's bold statement gave me pause. I respected her deeply-held beliefs, but I felt the need to question her stance and challenge her perspective and the broader implications of prohibiting medical-assisted dying altogether. I highlighted the anguish that some terminally ill patients might experience when they are denied the choice to control the manner and timing of their death. I also stressed the importance of compassionate end-of-life care, including palliative options, to ensure that individuals facing terminal illnesses have the support they need to make informed decisions.

As our conversation evolved, Emily's arguments made me pause and reflect on the complexity of the issue. While I still valued individual autonomy and compassion, her viewpoints challenged me to consider the potential unintended consequences of medical-assisted dying and the importance of striking a delicate balance between individual choice and societal well-being.

Throughout this conversation, Emily and I maintained a deep respect for each other's beliefs and approached the topic with an openness to learn from one another. The experience taught me the value of engaging in conversations with worthwhile partners who challenge my views, as it broadens my understanding of complex issues and helps me become a more empathetic and well-informed individual.

As I embark on my new journey at Boston College, I will embrace my role as a conversation partner, and support and challenge myself to have a more profound understanding of the world around me. Keeping with the Jesuit tradition Boston College embodies, I look forward to conversing with all intellectual partners I’ll meet at BC, as we collectively strive to enhance our empathy, wisdom, and social consciousness.” 

Why Essay #2 Works

The essay shares a specific and vivid memory of a conversation between the student and Emily during their sophomore year, adding depth and authenticity to the essay. It delves into a complex and controversial issue, demonstrating the student's ability to engage in thoughtful discussions on important societal matters.

This essay also showcases the student's willingness to consider alternative viewpoints, highlighting their intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness. The student then explicitly connects their essay to the BC’s Jesuit tradition, emphasizing the importance of engaging in meaningful conversations to enhance empathy and wisdom. 

Sample Essay #3

Prompt : “In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story ,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?”

Here is a great example of an essay responding to Adichie’s Ted Talk: 

“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk on ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ struck a chord with me, as I've personally experienced being defined by a single narrative. During my high school years, I relocated to a new town, and my accent immediately labeled me as ‘the foreign kid.’ People assumed I couldn't speak English fluently and knew nothing about their culture, reducing my identity to a mere stereotype.

This presented several challenges. I felt the constant need to prove myself, academically and socially, and struggled to fit in and be accepted. The isolation and misunderstanding affected my confidence and made it difficult to connect with others.

However, I was determined not to be confined by that single narrative. I actively immersed myself in clubs and extracurricular activities, striving to showcase my multifaceted self. By participating and engaging in conversations, I revealed my diverse experiences, perspectives, and passions. Gradually, I noticed a change in how people perceived me. They began to see beyond the initial assumptions and recognize my individuality. 

Overcoming these challenges required time and resilience. I learned the value of asserting my voice and sharing my authentic stories, which allowed others to understand me beyond the surface level. Breaking free from the constraints of the single story empowered me to build better connections and find like-minded individuals who appreciated me for my true self.

My experience of being defined by a single story during my high school years has had a lasting impact on my outlook and values, which align closely with the principles upheld by Boston College. Boston College's commitment to a Jesuit education, founded on the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, resonates with my journey of breaking free from stereotypes and embracing diverse narratives.

Adichie's Ted Talk holds even greater significance now, as I'm reminded of the importance of avoiding simplistic judgments about others based on appearances or backgrounds. I understand the power of embracing diverse narratives and perspectives, fostering empathy, and recognizing the richness that each individual brings to the table.”

Why Essay #3 Works

The student first demonstrates a connection to the Ted Talk and then shares a vulnerable personal experience of being defined by a single narrative during their high school years, making the essay authentic and compelling. The essay demonstrates the author’s resilience by describing how they overcame various challenges.

The essay also effectively connects the student’s experience to Boston College’s principles, emphasizing the alignment with the university’s commitment to a Jesuit education. The student reflects on the lasting impact of their experience, showing depth of thought and self-awareness and how it aligns with Boston College's values.

Sample Essay #4

Prompt : “Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?”

Take a look at this sample essay discussing the issue of climate change: 

“The magnitude of climate change requires comprehensive and collaborative efforts from individuals, communities, and institutions. As a student at Boston College, I aspire to leverage my education to address this critical global issue and contribute to sustainable solutions.

While I already volunteer at my local recycling facility, participate in beach clean-up events, and am an executive member of my school’s environmental club, I plan on doing even more at Boston College and beyond. First, I intend to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies, combining scientific knowledge with social and policy perspectives. Through interdisciplinary coursework, research opportunities, and engagement with faculty, I aim to develop a deep understanding of the complexities of climate change and its multifaceted implications.

Beyond the academic realm, Boston College's commitment to fostering a caring and inclusive community aligns perfectly with my vision of creating positive change. By actively participating in student-led environmental organizations and joining forces with like-minded peers, I hope to cultivate a vibrant campus environment that values sustainability and collective action.

Moreover, I will have access to valuable internships and networking opportunities that will enable me to collaborate with organizations dedicated to environmental conservation and advocacy. By interning with environmental NGOs and participating in climate-related policy discussions, I hope to contribute to impactful projects and support the creation of policies that drive positive change.

Climate change, as a global issue, requires collaboration and engagement on an international scale. Boston College's global perspective will offer me the chance to connect with students from diverse backgrounds, enriching my understanding of environmental challenges across different regions and cultures. By embracing this multicultural environment, I can foster a broader perspective and contribute to innovative solutions that transcend borders.

By pursuing an education in Environmental Studies, actively engaging in student-led initiatives, advocating for sustainable policies, and embracing Boston College's inclusive community, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to addressing climate change and shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for all. With the support and resources provided by Boston College, I am confident in my ability to make a lasting impact in the fight against climate change and fulfill my commitment to addressing society's greatest needs.”

Why Essay #4 Works

In this essay, this student gets very specific, providing concrete examples of their current involvement in environmental initiatives and outlining their plan to continue making a difference at BC, adding credibility to their commitment. The student also demonstrates confidence and ambition in their commitment to addressing society’s needs.

With a strong emphasis on collaboration and collective action, the student shows an understanding of the need for comprehensive efforts to tackle climate change. They also convey a strong passion for making a positive impact, leaving an impression as a driven, socially conscious, and ambitious individual.

Sample Essay #5

Prompt : “One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?” 

Here is an example you can use to get started on your HCE essay: 

“In a world that faces ever-evolving societal challenges, I am deeply drawn to the field of Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) for its potential to enact positive change and serve the common good. As a prospective HCE student at Boston College, I am committed to using my education to address two critical societal problems that are of utmost importance to me: healthcare accessibility and sustainable infrastructure development.

First and foremost, healthcare accessibility remains a pressing concern globally. Many communities, particularly in underserved regions, lack adequate access to essential healthcare services. I am determined to use my HCE education to bridge this gap and improve healthcare delivery systems for vulnerable populations.

Drawing on the technical knowledge and humanistic perspective emphasized in the HCE program, I aspire to design and implement innovative healthcare solutions. By collaborating with healthcare professionals and community members, I aim to develop technologies and systems that are tailored to the specific needs and challenges faced by these communities. Whether it be telemedicine solutions to reach remote areas or the development of affordable medical devices, I envision contributing to the improvement of healthcare accessibility and making a tangible impact on people's lives.

Integrating the principles of sustainability and creativity into my engineering solutions, I seek to minimize the ecological footprint of infrastructure projects. I plan to advocate for the adoption of renewable energy sources and the implementation of green building practices. By prioritizing environmentally friendly technologies and materials, I aim to contribute to the creation of resilient and sustainable urban environments that harmonize with nature rather than deplete it.

Boston College's emphasis on serving the common good aligns perfectly with my vision for using HCE to tackle these societal problems. Additionally, the Jesuit values of social responsibility and ethical leadership will guide me in my professional journey.

I am eager to take advantage of Boston College's resources and engage in service-oriented initiatives to implement real-world solutions and make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.”

Why Essay #5 Works

This essay appropriately focuses strongly on the HCE program and demonstrates the student’s passion for the possibilities found in HCE. The student provides concrete examples of how they plan to use their HCE education to make a difference and demonstrates a well-rounded awareness of global issues. 

The applicant also references the Jesuit values that BC holds and articulates how Boston College's resources and service-oriented initiatives will support the student in implementing real-world solutions. This emphasizes a strong fit between the student's aspirations and the university's offerings.

Get More Sample Essays Here! 

If reading these essays was helpful for you, good news! You can get inspired by tons of sample supplemental essays using our extensive essay database down below. 

Final Thoughts

Remember, the Boston College supplemental essays provide an opportunity to showcase your unique qualities and aspirations. Share meaningful insights, experiences, and how your goals align with Boston College's values. 

Make a strong impression, take your time, edit diligently, and let your passion and intellect shine through!

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Boston College Supplemental Essays 2024-25 – Prompts and Advice

July 22, 2024

Boston College’s 15% acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 is half of what it was just five years ago. Today, accepted students earned an average SAT score of 1511. Additionally, you need an all-around stellar academic resume to get serious consideration at this highly selective Jesuit university. Writing an excellent Common App  and Boston College supplemental essay are two of the more critical components of the BC application.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into BC? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Boston College  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Below are the BC supplemental essay prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle. Additionally, we offer tips about how to write a winning composition.

NOTE : If you are applying to Human-Centered Engineering, you must respond to the Human-Centered Engineering-specific prompt. All other applicants will choose one of the four remaining options.

Boston College Supplemental Essay Option #1

Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text? 

By the age of 17/18, many of us have at least one book that holds a special place in our hearts and speaks to us in a deep way about the human condition. For this prompt, you can select a fiction or nonfiction work. It can be a commonly read text that you encountered in school or a book that you read for pleasure. There are genuinely no limits here. As long as you can eloquently communicate how the text can be a launching point for a powerful and generative discussion about one or more essential elements of the human experience.

Boston College Essay Option #2

At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

Who do you engage in deep conversations with? For some, this may be a sibling, parent, grandparent, or other family member. For others, it may be a friend, spiritual leader, or teacher. If you are someone who regularly engages in meaningful discourse with another individual or a group of peers or adults, this can be an excellent prompt to choose. Note that the prompt specifies “issues and problems facing society.” This offers limitless possibilities from the environment, to global conflict, to political polarization. Feel free to use the 400 words worth of real estate to cover two or more conversational topics/themes.

BC Supplemental Essay Option #3

In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story, ” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

You have the option of taking this in the same direction as the author. If you have been judged by your nationality, appearance, or background, prompt #3 is an opportunity to share a deeply personal story, showing vulnerability and grit in overcoming obstacles. However, there is another legitimate avenue for addressing this prompt…

Human beings have a tendency to pigeonhole others. Families, in particular, may take one incidence of something in childhood and define you by it for years (or even decades) to come. You don’t have to be part of a marginalized population to experience a reductive attack on your sense of self. Either approach this prompt can result in an intriguing composition that reveals more about how you perceive the world.

BC Supplemental Essay Option #4

Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

The admissions committee wants to make sure that your personal aims align with those of the university, as indicated in its mission statement. This mission is to foster“the rigorous intellectual development and the religious, ethical and personal formation of its undergraduate, graduate and professional students in order to prepare them for citizenship, service and leadership in a global society.” The strongest answers usually include some level of previous participation/community service on the part of the applicant. For example, if you are concerned about voting rights and the preservation of the democratic process, you may have volunteered with a relevant organization.

HCE Essay Prompt

Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only:  One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

The merger of science/technology and humanity forms the core of the  HCE program  which opened its doors in the fall of 2021. You undoubtedly have reasons for choosing this particular engineering program that “integrates BC’s core liberal arts curriculum with courses in foundational and advanced engineering that emphasize societal responsibility.” You may want to use the list of foundational topics covered in the program as you enter the prewriting phase for this essay:

• Introduction to Human-Centered Engineering and Design
• Human Factors in Engineering Design
• Engineering for Development
• Engineering Foundations Studio (includes topics such as Dynamics, Circuits, Transport phenomena, Thermodynamics, and Environmental Systems)
• Introduction to Data Science and Machine Learning
• Advanced electives
• Collaborative Service Engineering Project
• Senior Impact Project

How important are the essays at Boston College?

Presently, Boston College considers two factors to be “very important” in evaluating a candidate. They are: the GPA earned, and the rigor of one’s curriculum. Further, nine factors rate as “important”: class rank, recommendations, essays, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, legacy status, religious affiliation, and volunteer work. In other words, the essays are definitely an important admissions factor at BC.

Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Boston College supplemental essay, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

Need additional writing resources? Check out the following blogs:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• How to Write the Community Essay
• College Essay

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3 Strong Boston College Essay Examples

Boston College is a private, Jesuit research university in the greater Boston area known for its outstanding academics and beautiful Gothic architecture. This R1 research university was founded as a small liberal arts college in 1863 and pays homage to its roots by keeping the word “college” in its name.

Admissions at Boston College are quite selective so if you want to become a BC Eagle, it’s important to write strong essays that show admissions counselors your personality and potential. In this post, we will go over real essays students have submitted to Boston College. Walking through the strengths and weaknesses of these essays should help you when perfecting your Boston College Application!

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. 

Read our Boston College essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

Essay Example #1

Prompt:   When you choose a college, you will join a new community of people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and stories. What is it about your background, your experiences, or your story, that will enrich Boston College’s community? (400 words) 

I used to face two paths: one flocked with taxis and frantic people, staccato shouts, and the smell of pizza. The other was a road of motorcycles rolling over wet cement, laced with cicada symphonies and the aroma of beef noodle soup. It always felt easier to walk the streets of Taiwan, where everyone looks like me, speaks meekly as I have been taught to, and steers away from confrontation. However, I was also raised in the thick of New York, where people argue, think, and exist fearlessly. PBS created a documentary in 1988 titled Tug of War: The Story of Taiwan, and I grew to believe that I embodied the little potato island as my teetering balance between two worlds initiated a “Tug of War” within myself. Although I am proud to be Taiwanese, New York has cultivated an unbridled emotion and passion within me that encourages me, against my inherent modesty, to be a bold author, a shameless poet, and a strong-willed advocate for Asian-American youth. I am excited by the vibrant discussions and meshed ideas I might find at a place as diverse as Boston College: perhaps at the Diversity Summit or with Professor Min Hyoung Song about the integration of Asian American writers and literature in an alienating culture. I see incredible opportunities to become part of a community that supports students struggling with their own “Tug of Wars” by sharing my story through the Taiwanese Cultural Organization and delving into the stories of others by curating pieces written by my peers for The Stylus. 

Growing up in a pentecostal home also taught me the strength of conviction in faith and community. The Holy Ghost Faith Church is a family that has become a constant foundation in my life, and a world that grounds me in my beliefs despite the cultural identities I struggled with. Through religion, I find connection with many people molded uniquely by their personal experiences. At Boston College, I will seek the same enriched human bonds with my peers and professors by sharing my testimonies while learning from theirs. I can see myself striking up a conversation about religious influences in literature and poetry with Professor James Najarian or joining a multi-faith program and attending local church services with friends on Sunday mornings. While Jesuit education will strengthen my religious values, it will also enlighten me to the beliefs of my peers.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay does a great job of establishing this student’s background and the distinction between their two cultures. There is a great use of imagery, especially at the beginning, which displays this student’s strength as a writer and highlights the internal “Tug of War” they experience. It is evident how their past community has shaped their perspective and identity. Knowing how their background shaped these things makes it easy for admissions officers to see what type of student they would be adding to their campus.

An example of this can be seen through the student’s creative integration of the “Tug of War” metaphor. Early in the essay, the student creates an interesting image of themself caught in a “Tug of War” between two cultures. Then, when they start discussing BC, they reuse this already-personalized metaphor—“ I see incredible opportunities to become part of a community that supports students struggling with their own “Tug of Wars” by sharing my story through the Taiwanese Cultural Organization and delving into the stories of others by curating pieces written by my peers for The Stylus. ” Because they already established a personal connection with the “Tug of War” idea earlier, this section doesn’t feel like the student is simply name-dropping university programs and instead feels like they are authentically drawn to university programs.

With regards to organization, this student effectively divides their essay into two paragraphs that answer the prompt in two different ways. While this is not always the best strategy and cohesiveness is important for college essays, it works for this student because their second topic is faith. Simply put, using more words to discuss their cultural background and interests would have become repetitive and writing an entire essay about religion is typically unadvisable. However, by supplementing their discussion of culture with a discussion of faith, this student appears multidimensional.

Note: For most schools, focusing on faith in your essay is not recommended, but because Boston College is religiously affiliated, this student’s “cherry on top” discussion on faith works well.

This essay makes readers feel like the student is genuine, interesting, and genuinely interested in contributing to the community at Boston College.

What Could Be Improved

The second paragraph of this essay (the paragraph that discusses faith) could be improved through more engaging writing. While the student’s integration of information about BC feels natural when they are discussing culture, it feels inorganic when they discuss religion. The essay ends with the following sentences:

The student’s descriptions of forming bonds through religion are not as engaging as their writing above and the inclusion of a professor’s name does very little here. Instead, the student could have created an image of their life at BC and reminded the reader of their vivid images from earlier. Improvement could look something like this:

“Now, when I think about community, I imagine myself in the dining hall. Through some series of unexpected events, I find myself in an intense intellectual discussion about the influence of religious propaganda on the Wife of Bath’s Tale. Sometime during our back-and-forth, I start to enjoy and respect my impromptu debate opponent. I picture us (after emerging from the heat of our debate) chatting and deciding to check out a local church service together on Sunday morning. It feels like a dream—like another scary path, without taxis or motorcycles, but dotted with intimidating social situations and an infinity of uncertainties. But it also feels like the most promising opportunity of my life.”

Essay Example #2

Prompt: When you choose a college, you will join a new community of people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and stories. What is it about your background, your experiences, or your story, that will enrich Boston College’s community? (400 words) 

I gazed at my Beyer book and the monochromatic piano keys. Notes swirled in my head as I struggled to decipher the crochet on the page. Taking my chances, I pressed the D key, positive that I was right. Alas, my tutor’s sigh indicated that l got the note wrong again. 

Growing up, I often faced such mishaps during piano lessons. My grandma is an avid singer and my grandpa, a violinist. My cousins are also guitarists. From being brought up around my family’s deeply rooted musical inclinations, to constantly struggling during practice sessions, I often felt like a fish out of water and wanted to quit. Music was a chore, something I felt obligated to pursue only to uphold my family’s tradition. However, one fateful session completely changed my view. 

Back then, I had spent hours glued atop the piano stool practicing for a recital, and I felt completely drained. Needing a break, I grabbed my phone and turned on some pop music. As Rihanna’s “Diamonds” blasted away, I couldn’t help but notice how similar it sounded to several musical scales I had learned. Curiously, I attempted to match some notes to the song, and before I knew, I was playing the entire chorus! It dawned on me that those scales and arpeggios I found irritating formed the basis for an endless array of songs when combined strategically and originally. 

From then on, I started to see music as my favorite creative challenge rather than a nuisance. My new perspective eventually led me to embrace every struggle I faced during practice and instead view them as opportunities to improve. As I came to love every step of my musical journey, I ultimately learned to persevere through any setbacks, like dealing with unfamiliar pieces or memorizing notes on end. 

Music has become something more than a family tradition, shaping who I am today. Thinking creatively and overcoming struggles with determination are now values I carry when tackling everyday roadblocks. Going forward, I plan to bring these values to BC. I’m determined to use creativity to help solve communal problems, like finding innovative ways to implement healthcare in underserved communities through Timmy Global Health. I also hope to contribute musically to the Symphony Orchestra and be part of a nurturing community where I can work alongside other musicians. I’m excited to see what the future holds when I become an Eagle!

This essay answers the prompt very clearly. When asked “What about your experiences will enrich Boston College’s community?” the student’s essay, as a whole, responds “As a musician, I have learned to persevere through setbacks and that will enrich the Boston College community.” 

Additionally, the student organizes their essay in a way that makes it easy to follow. They start by discussing their upbringing, then a major transition, and then they use the final paragraph to reflect. In the final paragraph, they also refer back to their upbringing—“ Music has become something more than a family tradition, shaping who I am today ”—effectively bringing things full circle. This makes the essay feel cohesive and tied up.

This student does a very nice job setting up their story, showing the reader why this was an important revelation for them. Taking the time to explain the different instruments each family member plays is a good way of showing this student’s musical background, making their burden to “ uphold my family’s tradition ” all the more understandable. Once there is a solid appreciation for this student’s circumstances, it allows the reader to sympathize with their struggle and ultimately celebrate their victory.

What Could Be Improved 

The largest fault of this essay are the grammatical errors and clunky language throughout the piece that diminish the overall quality of the story.  They use simple transitions that feel forced. For example, their body paragraphs begin with “ Growing up, ” “ Back then, ” and “ From then on, ” These boring transitions are not engaging and seem elementary.

They also have multiple poorly-written sentences including “ Thinking creatively and overcoming struggles with determination are now values I carry when tackling everyday roadblocks .” The overuse of gerunds here distracts from what the writer is trying to say. 

A final example of this essay feeling unpolished is the student’s improper use of the from-to construction with the sentence “ From being brought up around my family’s deeply rooted musical inclinations, to constantly struggling during practice sessions, I often felt like a fish out of water and wanted to quit. ” The from-to construction should outline two extremes that independently exemplify the independent clause that they are connected to.

Instead, the student could have written “ From crying late at night about missed notes to struggling through practice sessions, I constantly felt like a fish out of water in my musically-gifted family. ”   Small but noticeable language errors like this one illustrate the importance of having others edit your drafts!

Essay Example #3

Prompt: At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner?  What do you discuss with that person? (400 words)

Instead of admiring towers of multi-colored cupcakes, Asher and I found ourselves staring at a menacing yellow bulldozer, caution tape barring our path. Turned in circles, looking askance at our surroundings, Asher and I immediately began to squabble: 

“Margot, how could you mess it up??” 

“I followed the directions….”

“Well, clearly you didn’t since we’re here and not at the bakery.”

“You didn’t have to follow me!”

I retraced our steps on Google Maps, insisting that the directions were flawed—not me. My voice faded as I scrutinized the outlined path. I found our error: I had confidently led us right down Broadway instead of left. 

Since we were four, Asher and I have been best friends, and our friendship is founded on three principles: adventure, food, and FAMU (fight and make up). From hide-and-go-seek to mastering the metro system, our shared love of exploration dominates our time together. We converse about everything from where we one day hope to travel to the best dumpling places and most engaging museums. However, as two directionally challenged individuals, we routinely end up lost on our way to try new things. As a result, we frequently discuss directions: debating optimal routes, arguing when we mess up, then analyzing how to undo our errors best. 

As we anxiously bickered at the construction site, our fight progressed toward problem-solving.

“I guess we could retrace our steps.”

“No…look! There’s a pedestrian path over by the cones. Let’s see where it goes.”

Following the path, we talked solely about our frustration and annoyance about getting lost. But, as we emerged on the other side of the construction site, we spotted the bakery we had been searching for. Our disastrous detour was actually a secret shortcut. 

Inspired by our unintentional discovery, Asher and I shared an epiphany: for too long, we focused on the negatives of getting lost rather than the positives. And our conversations reflected our pessimistic attitudes. Now, I make an active effort to replace phrases like “this is all your fault” and “the directions are wrong” with “let’s get lost” or “forget the directions.” By celebrating the beauty of getting lost, I have learned that there is no singular right way to get where I am going. Sometimes the unexpected pans out in unpredictable yet incredible ways. 

Asher and I no longer fight about directions; now, we excitedly discuss getting lost .

This prompt wants to hear about your conversations with someone special, and this essay delivers! The best way to make your essay immersive is to include actual lines of dialogue you and your conversation partner have had. We get to see the frustration, sass, and bickering of the student and her friend instead of just being told about it. Just six lines of dialogue bring a whole new dimension and level of characterization to these two.

Beyond the conversation snippets, the level of detail this student incorporates makes the essay more engaging. From the first sentence, we get descriptions like “ towers of multi-colored cupcake ,” “ menacing yellow bulldozer, ” and “ caution tape barring our path. ” Her detailed writing continues with concrete examples of what she and her friend discuss, beyond the incident at the heart of this essay: “ We converse about everything from where we one day hope to travel to the best dumpling places and most engaging museums.”

Another positive of this essay is this student’s concise writing style that lets her voice shine through. Despite being a story about getting lost, this essay has a light-hearted and somewhat humorous mood. This student is able to accomplish that because she gets directly to her point, saving space to inject a little fun into her writing. She perfectly encapsulates her friendship for the reader in three points—” adventure, food, and FAMU (fight and make up)”—humanizing them in a quick and entertaining manner. Additionally, describing them as “ two directionally challenged individuals ” is a straight-to-the-point descriptor that also pokes fun at their weakness.

Overall, the reader walks away from this essay being able to imagine exactly what a conversation between this student and her friend sounds like, which is a great accomplishment.

One of the weaker aspects of this essay is the reflection in the conclusion. Although the student is trying to demonstrate her growth and new perspective from the experience, it feels a little forced. Generalizing the acceptance of getting lost to the idea that “ there is no singular right way to get where I am going ” comes off a bit cliche without further elaboration.

In order to make the conclusion feel more genuine, this student should have included an example of a time she applied this lesson to her life. Maybe she always thought she should be a doctor, but she allowed herself to get lost researching topics in her biology class and stumbled across biomedical engineering and has now decided to pursue that. The one risk with this approach is making sure there is enough space in the conclusion to elaborate with a sentence or two. You don’t want to go from talking about getting lost trying to find a bakery to studying biomedical engineering in one sentence. But, if the student found a way to rework her conclusion to make it less theoretical, it would come across as more sincere.

Where to Get Your Boston College Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Boston College  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!

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How to Write the Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

August 18, 2023

Are you ready to tackle the Boston College supplemental essay prompts? As one of the top universities in the country, Boston College is known for its strong academic programs and vibrant campus community. But before you can become a part of the Boston College family, you'll need to impress the admissions committee with your writing skills. In this blog post, we'll guide you through the process of writing the supplemental essay prompts for Boston College, helping you showcase your unique qualities and demonstrate why you're a perfect fit for this prestigious institution. So grab your pen and get ready to dive into the world of Boston College supplemental essays!

Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the first four prompts below (400 word limit). Students applying to the Human Centered Engineering major should respond to Prompt #5 instead.

Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?

When considering this prompt, think about what the purpose of this prompt is, outside of the question itself. What are admissions officers really trying to get you to speak about?  InGenius Prep’s Former Admissions Officer Zak Harris says, "For me, it’s very easy to take away that BC cares about community engagement and shared goals/values." So when you are selecting the book that you recommend for your incoming class to read, consider the underlying themes that would resonate with the values of Boston College. For example, look for a book that explores the power of bringing people together. Think about how the book promotes growth and shared perspectives, fostering a sense of community and understanding among your peers.

While it may be tempting to choose a book directly related to your college major, think outside the box – especially if you've already discussed your major in your personal statement. Look for a book that aligns with your application persona and showcases your unique interests and passions. Zak also adds, “Avoid controversial authors, books, and topics. This is true for most prompts, but especially as you are thinking about the very specific nature of the question.” By choosing a book that can be appreciated by a diverse range of perspectives, you can ensure that your recommended book will resonate with your incoming class and promote a sense of unity and shared experience among your peers. 

At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

For this prompt, Zak says, "All of our stories and backgrounds are different, but if you choose this prompt, the person and the viewpoint need to be objectively important." The conversation you reference needs to be one that you can fully flesh out in 400 words – if not, this prompt might not be the best option for you. 

As you brainstorm potential candidates, reflect on the role they have played in your life and the impact they have had on your beliefs and values. Think about those who have acted as inspirational figures in your life that have sparked personal growth and transformation – it could be a family member, a close friend, a teacher, or a mentor who has helped shape your worldview. This reflection is important because you want to be very intentional about the person you choose and the conversation you reference. Consider the pros and cons of choosing each person, evaluating their ability to foster meaningful conversations and encourage personal development.

Then, take your time to fully flesh out the experience, highlighting the nuances and insights gained from the exchange. By providing vivid details and examples, you will paint a compelling picture of the intellectual and emotional growth that occurred during this conversation. E xplore a topic that is deeply meaningful to you and be specific in your storytelling, providing detailed examples and insights gained from the conversation. The goal of this prompt is to convey the depth of your intellectual curiosity and your willingness to engage with differing viewpoints, so choose a person who has played a vital role in challenging your perspectives and fostering personal growth.

In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story ,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.  Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

Similar to the last question, you want to identify an interaction that matches the complexities of this prompt. Don't force it if this prompt doesn’t fit within your experiences or you can’t think of something to write about! The bright side here is that you have three other prompts to choose from.

But if you do choose this prompt, rely on emotion and become vulnerable in your writing. Show the admissions officers the depth of your experience and allow them to truly understand how it has shaped you since then. It's not just about recounting what happened, but also about reflecting on the impact it has had on you and your personal growth. Zak also adds, “When discussing difficult topics, it’s not about having all of the answers, but more so about letting the reader into your story, so they can feel how you’re feeling.” Letting admissions officers into your emotions and experiences will create a stronger connection and make your essay more impactful. The goal is to convey the significance of this single story and how it has shaped your perspective, values, and outlook on life.

Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

This pr ompt is a great opportunity for you to not only showcase your passion for your intended college major but also to highlight any relevant experiences you've had in high school. Zak points out, "The fact that Boston College emphasizes the importance of "people" in this prompt shows that they genuinely care about the issues that matter to you. They want to know what you are truly passionate about."

Additionally, you have the option to choose between a local or global issue, indicating that Boston College has no preference – you have the freedom to choose whichever issue is closest to your heart. The key is to ensure that the issue you focus on comes from a genuine place within you. Keep in mind that admissions officers can easily tell when an issue is chosen just because it "sounds good." Instead, focus on selecting an issue that truly resonates with you on a personal level. Incorporate personal anecdotes or experiences that have shaped your perspective on the chosen issue. Share how you have been directly impacted by it or how you have witnessed its effects in your community. By adding these personal touches, you can create a more engaging and impactful essay.

Remember, the goal is not to provide a generic response but to showcase your unique perspective and demonstrate how your Boston College education can be a catalyst for addressing the issue you care deeply about. Let your passion and genuine concern shine through in your writing, and the admissions committee will be able to see the potential impact you can make with your education.

One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

For Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) applicants, you want to make sure that your response aligns with your intended major and showcases real evidence from your activities list. This could include projects, research, internships, or any other relevant activities that demonstrate your passion and dedication to solving societal problems. Highlight the outcomes achieved through these experiences, emphasizing the positive impact you have made on the individuals or communities affected by these problems.

Remember, admissions officers are not looking for a perfect solution and definitely do not expect you to have all the answers to these societal problems. Instead, they want to see your commitment and innovative thinking when it comes to addressing these problems. Share your ideas, strategies, and approaches for how you plan to use your HCE education to contribute to the solution. Showcase your ability to think critically and creatively, and how you can leverage your technical knowledge and humanistic perspective to make a difference.

By demonstrating your passion, commitment, and ability to think outside the box, you can show the admissions committee that you are not only prepared to tackle societal challenges but also eager to do so with the help of your Human-Centered Engineering education.

Additional Tips for the Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

Here are a few additional tips to help you write your supplemental essays: .

• Vulnerability will always lead to a compelling essay. When you embrace vulnerability in your writing, you give the admissions officers a glimpse into your true self. You show them that you are not just presenting a polished image or trying to impress them with achievements and accomplishments. Instead, you are willing to reveal your vulnerabilities and share the lessons you have learned from them. And when the admissions officers can feel what you felt, they are more likely to remember your essay and understand the impact that particular experience had on your personal growth.
• But stay authentic! Your vulnerability should never be forced or exaggerated. It should come from a genuine place within you. While it's important to be honest about challenges and hardships, it's equally important to reflect on the growth and resilience that resulted from those experiences.
• Avoid controversial topics. While it may be tempting to choose a controversial or polarizing subject to make your essay stand out, it's important to consider the potential consequences of doing so. Remember, the purpose of these essays is to showcase your ability to think critically, reflect on your experiences, and contribute positively to the Boston College community. By focusing on topics that are inclusive, respectful, and aligned with the values of the university, you can create an essay that stands out for all the right reasons.
• Don't stress about a "right" or "wrong " answer. Admissions officers understand that you may not have all the answers or have solved all the world's problems. They are more interested in seeing how you think and reflect on your experiences. They want to see your commitment to making a positive impact and the steps you have taken to contribute to the world around you, no matter how small or big. It could be as simple as volunteering at a local shelter, starting an awareness campaign, or even initiating a community project. So don't stress about having the right answers, but rather focus on expressing your thoughts, reflections, and steps in a genuine and compelling way.

When choosing a topic for the Boston College supplemental essay 2023-2024 , select one that holds personal meaning and reflects your unique journey the best. Use vivid details and examples throughout your response to bring your story to life. By doing so, you will not only showcase your intellectual curiosity and willingness to engage with differing viewpoints but also demonstrate your commitment to making a positive impact on the world around you as a future Boston College student.

If you are looking for a college admissions counselor to help maximize your chances of getting into your dream school, we can help! InGenius Prep has helped more than 6,000 students around the world gain admission into the most competitive schools including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, NYU, and more. Sign up for a free strategy call today and join the 6,000+ students we've helped get accepted into their dream schools. 

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How to Ace the 2024-2025 Boston College Supplemental Essays

Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Boston College is a Jesuit private research university located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Boston College is located a short distance from Downtown Boston which makes it an extremely desirable place to learn. Therefore, y our application will really need to stand out! In order to apply, students must complete one of the five prompt options for the BC supplemental essays. 

Here’s our guide for how to ace the Boston College supplemental essay questions!

Also see: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool

Before answering the BC supplemental essays

All Boston College applicants should respond to one of the following four prompts except for those applying for the Human-Centered Engineering major. Those applying for the Human-Centered Engineering major will need to reply to ONLY the fifth Boston College essay question. 

All of the Boston College supplemental essay questions have a 400 word limit . 400 words may sound like a lot but once you start writing you will realize that getting your personality on the page will take a few more words than 400. Do not stress! This just means you will have to be precise and direct with your answers. Do not drag on or use filler words! Just remember to be yourself in your response. 

Don’t miss: How to respond to the Common App essay prompts

Essay option #1

“Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?”

If you are a bookworm this is the prompt for you! This prompt is an opportunity to be creative in your response. 

Before answering this prompt – brainstorm! What book has impacted your life to this day? You should try to choose a work of literature that has sparked something inside of you. Meaning, choose a book that has given you valuable insight or changed your outlook on life. I know the second you read this prompt you had a book in mind so don’t hesitate to write about it! 

However, since this prompt is allowing for creative freedom try to choose a unique book. Refrain from choosing a novel such as Harry Potter since it is extremely popular and will probably be written about a lot by applicants. (Even though the Harry Potter series is one of my favorites.) 

Although, if you are dying to choose an extremely popular book or a classic make sure to then write from a new and different perspective or take. Once you have selected a book, go into detail about how it has impacted your life. This should go without saying but choose a book you have read and are familiar with! Emphasize why it would be a good fit for your class to read. What will your fellow peers learn from this novel? 

Questions to consider

• What is your favorite book? 
• How would Boston College benefit from reading this book? 
• How has this book influenced your outlooks? 

Don’t miss: Top 10 books to read before college

Essay option #2

“At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.”

I know once you read this prompt you immediately thought of someone. So who was it? Who do you talk to about anything? 

Once you have identified your favorite conversation partner, write a brief few sentences about them. How do you know them? Are they related to you? 

Now, you should reflect on past conversations you have had with this person. What do you usually talk about?

To stand out from other responses, do not simply list everything you and this person have ever talked about. Rather, find a common theme in your conversations. Maybe you always talk about music with them or maybe they act as your therapist when you are having relationship issues. 

Be sure to reflect on this person and your conversations. What have you learned from them? Emphasize how crucial conversations are. Stress how finding that right person to have a conversation with is so important. 

• Who do you have the best conversations with? 
• What do you learn from your conversations with this person? 
• How are conversations important for fixing problems in society? 

Don’t miss: What to include on college applications

Essay option #3

“In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story, ” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?” 

To begin this prompt, brainstorm things someone may assume about you. Although being stereotyped or discussing racial or ethnic diversity is a great thing to do here, you can also discuss other aspects of your appearance or background. Some examples could include being labeled a dumb blonde or being assumed you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community due to a pin on your backpack. Detail this challenge in a story format to allow the admissions committee to truly understand how this experience made you feel. 

Whatever your challenge is, the most important thing in this response is that you describe how you have overcome them. Focus most of your response on this part of the prompt. Be sure to focus on how you were emotionally and mentally impacted by this challenge to demonstrate your resilience and ability to overcome a difficult situation. Remember to be as detailed as possible! The admissions committee wants to see what you did and most importantly why you did.

Lastly, for some brownie points, finish your response by connecting what you have learned back to Boston College! Describe what you have learned from this experience and what you hope to take with you on your next academic journey. In fact, try to describe specific aspects of Boston College that you will take advantage of. For example, perhaps there’s a BC club for minorities similar to you and you know you want to be a part of people who understand the challenges you’ve been through because of your minority status. 

Ultimately, make sure your response comes full circle! This will show the admissions committee your train of thought and see what you will bring to the BC community. 

• What is an assumption someone has made about you? 
• How do you overcome tough challenges? 
• How has your personality been shaped by your experiences? 

Don’t miss: How to write an essay about yourself

Essay option #4

“Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?”

If you are an activist, this is the prompt for you! Think about a local or global issue that you are extremely passionate about. This could be anything from recycling to a more controversial opinion. Make sure you are picking a topic you truly are interested and passionate about – it does not have to be a world-changing issue, all that matters is that your passion is there! However, try to avoid choosing a broad topic such as world hunger rather you should narrow it down. 

Next, you should describe your connection to the issue. Why is this issue important to you? What have you done to support this cause? Whatever your connection to the issue, make sure that you are highlighting your passion and concern for the cause as well as why you are passionate about this issue. 

Lastly, connect back to BC! Research and describe aspects of BC that align in some way to the issue you were discussing. Try and name specific professors, classes, and clubs that you are excited to interact with and why. Make sure you are describing how BC will better your fight for justice and how you will better your BC community. 

Tips for responding to this prompt

• Avoid triggering responses such as detailing extreme violence.
• Do not write about anything incriminating to yourself.
• Be specific! Write about specific protests attended or organizations you supported.
• Remember even the smallest change you were a part of can have big impacts.
• Do not write about stereotypes. (unless you are discussing overcoming them) 
• Exercise best judgment when using certain language. 

Related: How to write a 500 word essay

Essay option #5 (For human-centered engineering applicants only)

“One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?”

This essay prompt is essentially asking you to explain how you will use an engineering degree from Boston College to serve the “Common Good.” 

To begin, research the Human-Centered Engineering program at Boston College. What programs and aspects of the program stick out to you? 

After familiarizing yourself with their program, now brainstorm a societal problem facing us right now. Try to narrow it down to one issue.

Focus on an issue that has a personal impact. For example, maybe solar electricity is not used widely in your community and you would like to see that transition. By using your own experiences, you can make your response stronger and reveal pieces of your personality. 

If you are struggling to pick a problem, the Human-Centered Engineering website has some examples you can choose from. 

Throughout this essay, make sure to tie back to how the programs at Boston College can help you solve this main problem. Be sure to include specifics about the program that can only be found at Boston College. 

• Why are you interested in engineering? 
• What issues do you find most important? 
• How can engineering aid these issues? 

Also see: Top Massachusetts scholarships

What makes Boston College unique?

When applying to any school, it’s a good idea to learn about what makes them unique before you start writing your supplemental essays. Once you find the unique characteristics about a school, you can describe the ones that interest you the most and explain why you will find success at a school that offers these features. This demonstrates your interest in and commitment to the school as well as your potential to perform well if admitted. Here are a couple of unique characteristics about Boston College that can help you write your best essays possible.

Being located in the Boston area is a major factor in the experience of students at BC. Boston is a huge city which is home to a wide range of prestigious universities. So, you’ll be in a bustling city full of other people your age receiving great college educations. You can write about how you are prepared to take advantage of this resource by visiting museums, utilizing city libraries, applying for internships, and more.

Impressive philosophy department

Boston College is especially renowned for its philosophy department, known for pushing barriers and including extensive coursework in the field of continental philosophy. Several faculty members at the college are well-known around the world, including prominent Heidegger scholar William J Richardson .

Next steps after applying to Boston College

So that’s what you should know about the BC supplemental essays! Now that the hard part is over and your application is flawless and submitted – take a deep breath! Congratulations, you did it! The hard part is now over! 

Continue to show demonstrated interest in Boston College so they know you are committed and prioritizing their school (even if you have a few other top choices.) 

This can be done by:

• following their social media accounts
• reaching out to admissions officers
• scheduling an in-person or virtual tour
• reading up on what you want to get involved in on campus 

Essentially, showing interest and staying connected will allow you to get that extra foot in the door and make your name known. Exploring your interest in Boston College will also help solidify if it is the best university for you. 

Other colleges to consider

• Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
• Boston University (Boston, MA)

Additional resources

As a student working on college applications, you’ve got a lot on your plate. There are many decisions to make along every step of the way – fortunately, we can help you through them. Check out our guides on how many schools to apply to and how to find safety, reach, and match schools .

If you’re wondering whether to send test scores to test-optional schools , we’ve got a guide for that as well. And once you start hearing back, we can help you create a college comparison spreadsheet to make your college choice. Finally, check out our free scholarship search tool to help fund your education and keep all of your college options open. Good luck!

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Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024

By Eric Eng

Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 are a window through which the admissions committee glimpses your personality, intellect, and potential contributions to the Boston College community. The supplemental essays allow you to showcase your unique perspectives, experiences, and aspirations, setting you apart in a pool of talented applicants.

As you prepare to articulate your thoughts, remember that each word you write brings you closer to the hallowed halls of Boston College, where education is not just about learning but about shaping leaders ready to make a meaningful impact in the world.

How Many Supplemental Essays Does Boston College Have?

Navigating the requirements of college applications can sometimes feel like deciphering a complex puzzle. One key piece of this puzzle is understanding the specific demands of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024.

Applicants are required to submit one essay as part of their application. This singular essay is a powerful tool, a concentrated effort that can capture the essence of your character and intellectual fervor. The Boston College Writing Supplement, submitted through the Common Application, is integral to your application. It’s a unique opportunity to communicate directly with the admissions committee to tell your story in a way that transcripts and test scores cannot.

Whether you’re a prospective engineer responding to prompt number five or a student drawn to one of the first four prompts, this essay is your chance to shine. It’s not just about meeting a requirement; it’s about weaving your narrative into the rich tapestry of Boston College’s academic community.

What are the Boston College Supplemental Essays 2023-2024?

Each prompt for Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 offers a different avenue to showcase various facets of your personality and intellect.

• Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?
• At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.
• In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.  Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
• Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

In making this choice, you are not just answering a question; you are providing a lens through which the committee can see your world and the potential impact you can have in the Boston College community.

How to Write the Boston University Supplemental Essays 2023-2024?

Crafting the supplemental essays for Boston College’s 2023-2024 application is a unique opportunity to discuss your intellectual experiences. It’s a chance to reflect on the moments that have shaped you, to tell your story, and to showcase your ability to articulate your thoughts and emotions.

By approaching these essays as a narrative of your journey, you can convey your unique perspective and show the admissions committee what makes you a standout candidate for Boston College.

Essay Questions 1 to 4

The first four essay prompts of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 offer a spectrum of opportunities to showcase different aspects of your personality and intellect.

• Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text? 

The first prompt invites you to recommend a book by a living author for your incoming class and explain its significance.

The second prompt focuses on the Jesuit tradition of engaging with diverse viewpoints and asks you to discuss a conversation that challenged your perspective.

The third prompt is inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk on the dangers of a single story and prompts you to reflect on a time when a single story defined you.

The fourth prompt connects to Boston College’s history and mission, asking you to identify a societal issue of concern and how you plan to address it using your education.

Each prompt invites you to delve deep into your experiences, beliefs, and aspirations, offering a unique angle to present yourself to the admissions committee.

Understanding Essay Questions 1 to 4

To effectively respond to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s essential to grasp the depth and breadth of each prompt.

The first prompt is about more than just recommending a book; it’s about sharing a piece of literature that has profoundly impacted you and can similarly impact your peers. It’s an opportunity to showcase your intellectual curiosity and capacity for reflective thinking.

The second prompt seeks understanding your ability to engage with and learn from diverse perspectives. It’s not just about the conversation but also about your response to and ability to grow from it.

Inspired by Adichie’s talk, the third prompt challenges you to confront stereotypes and assumptions, offering insights into your personal growth and resilience.

The fourth prompt ties your aspirations to a broader context, asking how you plan to use your education to make a difference in the world.

Each prompt requires a thoughtful and reflective response that reveals different facets of your character and intellectual prowess.

Brainstorming Your Response: Essay Questions 1 to 4

When approaching Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, brainstorming is a crucial step that sets the foundation for your responses. It’s about delving deep into your experiences, beliefs, and aspirations to find authentic and compelling stories that resonate with each prompt.

This process helps not only generate ideas but also align your responses with the values and expectations of Boston College. Here’s how you can brainstorm effectively for each of the first four essay prompts:

• For Prompt 1: Reflect on books that have left a lasting impact on you. Think about the books that have profoundly influenced your thinking or worldview. These could be novels, biographies, scientific works, or philosophical texts. Ask yourself why these books resonated with you and consider their potential impact on a diverse group of peers. This reflection is not just about your favorite book; it’s about finding a story that connects with your personal growth and how it can inspire a shared experience or dialogue among the incoming class. Your choice of book and the reasoning behind it will offer the admissions committee insight into your intellectual curiosity and capacity for empathy and connection.
• For Prompt 2: Recall conversations where your viewpoint was challenged. Reflect on the discussions or debates that have significantly impacted your perspective. These could be formal debates, casual conversations, or even online meetings. Focus on who you were speaking with, the topic at hand, and, most importantly, how this exchange led to a shift or deepening of your viewpoint. This prompt is an opportunity to demonstrate your openness to new ideas, your ability to engage thoughtfully with opposing viewpoints, and the maturity to grow from these interactions. It’s about showcasing your ability to be a part of Boston College’s community, where diverse perspectives are welcomed and integral to the learning environment.
• For Prompt 3: Identify instances where you felt pigeonholed by a single story. Consider moments in your life when you were subjected to stereotypes, or someone made assumptions about you based on a single aspect of your identity. Reflect on how these experiences shaped your understanding of yourself and others. This prompt invites you to discuss the challenges of being perceived through a narrow lens and how you navigated or overcame these situations. Your response should convey resilience, self-awareness, and a commitment to challenging narrow narratives, aligning with the values of inclusivity and understanding central to Boston College’s community.
• For Prompt 4: Consider societal issues that you are passionate about. Think about the local or global issues that stir your passion. These could range from environmental concerns to social justice, public health, or technological ethics. Reflect on how your education at Boston College, emphasizing service and social responsibility, could equip you to address these issues. This prompt is your platform to demonstrate your awareness of broader societal challenges and your motivation to be part of the solution. It’s about showing how your personal goals align with Boston College’s mission of fostering agents of positive change in society.

Structuring Your Answer for Essay Questions 1 to 4

When structuring your response to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s essential to have a clear and coherent narrative. Start with an engaging introduction that sets the tone and provides a glimpse into what the essay will cover.

For the body, delve into the specifics of your response, ensuring that each paragraph flows logically into the next and supports your overall thesis. Use examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points, making your essay both personal and relatable.

In your conclusion, tie back to the central theme of your paper, reflecting on how your experiences and perspectives align with Boston College’s values and how they will contribute to your future endeavors at the university. Remember, a well-structured essay demonstrates your writing skills and helps the admissions committee understand and remember your story.

Essay Question 5

For students aspiring to join the Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) program at Boston College, the fifth prompt of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 offers a unique opportunity to showcase their passion for engineering and their commitment to societal betterment.

Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

This prompt is a convergence of technical understanding and a deep-seated desire to contribute positively to the world. Applicants are asked to reflect on the societal problems that resonate most with them and to articulate how they plan to use their HCE education to address these challenges.

This question is not just about stating a problem and a solution; it’s about demonstrating a thoughtful understanding of the complexities of societal issues and showcasing an innovative, humanistic approach to solving them. It’s a chance to show how your engineering aspirations are not just career choices but are driven by a deeper, more meaningful purpose aligned with the Jesuit tradition of serving the common good.

Understanding Essay Question 5

Understanding the essence of the fifth prompt in Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 requires a blend of introspection and vision. This prompt is rooted in the core philosophy of Human-Centered Engineering – integrating technical expertise with a commitment to addressing human needs and societal challenges.

Applicants must demonstrate their technical interests and competencies and understand how these can be applied to real-world problems. The prompt seeks to gauge your awareness of societal issues and your motivation to be part of the solution.

It’s about illustrating your ability to think critically about the role of technology in society and how, as a future engineer, you aim to use your skills for the greater good. This question invites you to present a nuanced perspective that combines your passion for engineering with a deep understanding of its potential impact on society.

Brainstorming Your Response: Essay Question 5

A thorough and reflective brainstorming process is critical when preparing your response for the fifth prompt of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, specially tailored for Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) applicants.

This prompt is not just about your technical understanding; it’s an opportunity to weave together your passion for societal issues, your engineering aspirations, and how Boston College’s HCE program can catalyze your journey. Here’s a structured approach to brainstorming for this prompt:

• Identify Societal Challenges You Are Passionate About Begin by reflecting on the societal issues that resonate deeply with you. These could be challenges you’ve encountered or issues you’ve become aware of through your experiences or the media. Consider why these issues matter to you and how they align with your values and interests. This step is crucial as it lays the groundwork for an intellectually engaging and emotionally compelling response. It’s about showing the admissions committee what drives you and how your passion for societal change is a core part of who you are.
• Reflect on How These Problems Can Be Addressed Through Engineering Once you’ve identified the societal challenges you’re passionate about, consider how they can be tackled through engineering solutions. Consider specific technologies, innovations, or engineering approaches that could be applied to these problems. This reflection should demonstrate your ability to think critically and creatively about the role of engineering in societal advancement. It’s an opportunity to showcase your understanding of how engineering can be a powerful tool for positive change and how you envision being a part of it.
• Consider How Your Background and Experiences Have Shaped Your Understanding of These Issues Reflect on your personal journey and how it has informed your understanding of your identified societal challenges. This could include relevant projects, coursework, extracurricular activities, or personal experiences. Discuss how these experiences have shaped your perspective and prepared you to address these challenges. This part of your brainstorming should highlight your unique experiences and how they have contributed to your growth as an individual and budding engineer.
• Consider How a Human-Centered Engineering Education at Boston College Can Further Your Ability to Tackle These Challenges Finally, focus on how Boston College’s HCE program aligns with your goals with its unique blend of technical expertise and humanistic approach. Think about specific aspects of the program that resonate with your aspirations and how they can enhance your ability to make a meaningful impact. This is your chance to connect your personal and professional aspirations with Boston College’s offerings, demonstrating a clear and thoughtful alignment between your goals and the HCE program’s offerings.

Structuring Your Answer for Essay Question 5

When structuring your response to the fifth prompt of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, start with a clear and engaging introduction that outlines the societal problem you are passionate about. This introduction should state the issue and explain its significance to you.

In the body of your essay, delve into your previous experiences and how they have shaped your understanding of the problem. Discuss any relevant projects or initiatives you have undertaken, highlighting how they reflect your commitment to using engineering for societal good.

Then, transition to discussing how an education in Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to address this issue effectively. Be specific about aspects of the program that resonate with your goals and how they will help you develop as an engineer committed to the common good.

Conclude your essay by reiterating the importance of the issue and your dedication to contributing to its resolution, emphasizing how your journey aligns with the values and objectives of Boston College’s HCE program.

Understanding Boston College’s Stance on Generative AI

In higher education, generative AI has sparked a significant discourse, and Boston College is no exception in addressing this evolving landscape. As a leading institution that values academic rigor and integrity, Boston College’s stance on generative AI, particularly in the context of Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, is grounded in a commitment to original thought and intellectual honesty.

The college recognizes the potential of AI as a tool for learning and exploration but remains cautious about its implications on the authenticity of student work. This perspective is crucial for applicants to understand, especially when considering the use of AI in preparing their application materials.

Boston College encourages students to engage with AI responsibly, ensuring that the core of their work reflects their insights and perspectives. This approach aligns with the college’s broader educational philosophy, emphasizing the development of critical thinking and personal expression skills essential in an increasingly digital and automated world.

The Ethical Implications of AI in Academic Integrity

The integration of generative AI into academic practices brings forth complex ethical considerations, especially in the context of academic integrity. Boston College, in its dedication to fostering an environment of honesty and authenticity, scrutinizes the use of AI in academic submissions, including Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024.

The primary concern lies in AI’s potential to undermine the genuineness of student work. When students rely heavily on AI for content generation, it raises questions about the originality and ownership of their ideas. This is particularly pertinent in the application process, where personal essays are expected to reflect the applicant’s experiences and thoughts.

Boston College advocates for a balanced approach where AI can be used as a tool for assistance and enhancement but not as a substitute for a student’s intellectual efforts. The institution encourages students to engage with AI in a way that upholds the principles of academic integrity, ensuring that their work accurately represents their abilities and perspectives.

Generative AI and the Jesuit Educational Tradition

The Jesuit educational tradition, which forms the cornerstone of Boston College’s philosophy, offers a unique lens through which to view the use of generative AI in education. This tradition emphasizes the formation of the whole person – intellectually, morally, and spiritually – and encourages students to engage with the world around them thoughtfully and ethically. In this context, the use of generative AI in preparing Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 and other academic endeavors must be aligned with these values.

The Jesuit approach to education is about acquiring knowledge and developing the capacity for critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and personal reflection. Generative AI, while a powerful tool, should be used in a manner that complements these objectives rather than detracts from them.

Boston College encourages students to use AI responsibly, ensuring that it aids in their intellectual development while maintaining the integrity and personal engagement central to the Jesuit tradition of education. This approach underscores the importance of using technology not just for efficiency or convenience but as a means to enhance the depth and breadth of one’s learning journey.

Strategies for Crafting Compelling Responses

Crafting compelling responses to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 requires a blend of introspection, creativity, and strategic thinking. The first step is to thoroughly understand each prompt and what it seeks to uncover about the applicant. This understanding forms the foundation of a response that is not only relevant but also insightful.

Next, brainstorming is crucial. Take the time to reflect on your experiences, beliefs, and aspirations and how they align with the prompt. This process will help identify unique angles and personal stories that can make your essay stand out.

Once you have your ideas, create a coherent and engaging narrative. Your essay should have a clear structure – an introduction that hooks the reader, a body that delves into your story and reflections, and a conclusion that ties everything together.

Throughout your essay, be mindful of your language and tone. Use vivid descriptions and a confident voice to convey your message effectively. Finally, revision is critical. Review your essay multiple times, seeking feedback from mentors or peers, to ensure it is polished, concise, and impactful.

Engaging the Reader: Techniques for Effective Storytelling

Crafting an engaging narrative in your Boston College supplemental essays for 2023-2024 is essential to captivate the admissions committee. Storytelling is not just about relaying events; it’s about creating an immersive experience for the reader. By employing effective storytelling techniques, you can transform your essay from a simple narrative into a compelling and memorable journey. Here are some strategies to enhance your storytelling:

• Start with a Hook Your opening sentence or paragraph should grab the reader’s attention immediately. Consider starting with a provocative question, a surprising fact, or a vivid scene. This hook is your first opportunity to engage the reader and set the tone for your essay. It should be intriguing enough to make the reader eager to know more about your story. A well-crafted hook can differentiate your essay in a sea of applications, making it stand out in the minds of the admissions committee.
• Use Vivid Descriptions Utilize descriptive language to create vivid imagery in your essay. This technique helps to transport the reader into your world, allowing them to see, hear, and feel what you experienced. When describing events, people, or places, be specific and detailed. However, be mindful of not overloading your essay with excessive description. The key is to strike a balance that enhances your narrative without overshadowing the message you want to convey.
• Show, Don’t Tell “Show, don’t tell” is a fundamental principle in effective writing. Instead of merely stating facts or telling the reader how to feel, use specific examples, actions, and anecdotes to demonstrate your point. This approach allows the reader to draw conclusions and connect more deeply with your story. It’s about making your experiences come alive through the power of storytelling, enabling the reader to engage with your narrative on a more personal level.
• Create an Emotional Connection Sharing personal reflections and emotions can significantly enhance the impact of your essay. By expressing your feelings, you invite the reader to empathize with your experiences. This emotional connection can make your essay more relatable and memorable. Be genuine in your reflections, as authenticity resonates more than contrived emotions. Remember, the goal is to give the reader a glimpse into your inner world and how your experiences have shaped you.
• Maintain a Strong Narrative Flow A well-structured essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end is crucial for maintaining the reader’s interest. Each part of your essay should contribute to the overall narrative, with transitions that smoothly guide the reader through your story. A strong narrative flow ensures that your essay is coherent and cohesive, making it easier for the reader to follow and understand your message. Pay attention to the pacing of your story and ensure that each element adds value to your narrative.

Authenticity and Voice: Making Your Essay Uniquely Yours

The essence of a standout essay for Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 lies in its authenticity and voice. Authenticity means being true to yourself in your writing. Your essay should reflect your genuine thoughts, experiences, and aspirations.

It should give the admissions committee a clear sense of who you are, what you value, and how you see the world. To achieve this, write in a voice that is distinctly yours. Avoid clichés and don’t try to emulate someone else’s style.

Instead, use your unique voice to express your ideas and stories. This authenticity of voice will make your essay resonate more deeply with the reader, as it offers a sincere glimpse into your personality and potential as a Boston College student. Remember, the goal is not to impress with grandiose statements but to connect and communicate in a way that is inherently you.

The Art of Persuasive Writing: Convincing the Admissions Committee

Persuasive writing is an art that can significantly enhance the impact of your responses to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024. The key to clear writing is to articulate your points clearly and convincingly. Start by presenting your ideas logically and coherently.

Each paragraph should build upon the last, forming a persuasive argument throughout the essay. Use robust and confident language to support your assertions with specific examples and experiences. It’s also important to show how your experiences and aspirations align with Boston College’s values and offerings.

Demonstrate your knowledge of the college and how you see yourself contributing to and benefiting from its community. This alignment shows the admissions committee why you are a good fit for Boston College and why Boston College is the right place for you. Lastly, end your essay with a powerful conclusion that reinforces your main points and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Essays

When crafting responses to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, applicants often need help to avoid common traps that can detract from the effectiveness of their essays. One of the most frequent mistakes is failing to answer the prompt directly.

It is crucial to stay focused on the question and ensure that your essay addresses it entirely. Another common error is resorting to clichés or overused phrases, which can make your essay sound generic and uninspired. It’s also essential to avoid being overly verbose. While using complex vocabulary and elaborate sentences to impress is tempting, clarity and conciseness are far more impactful.

Additionally, neglecting to proofread can lead to grammatical errors and typos, which can detract from the professionalism of your application. Remember, your essay reflects your attention to detail and commitment to presenting your best self. Avoiding these common pitfalls will help ensure that your essay is clear, engaging, and effectively represents who you are and why you are an excellent fit for Boston College.

Pitfalls in Essay Writing: What Not to Do

When crafting your responses for Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s just as important to know what to avoid as it is to know what to include. Certain common pitfalls can detract from the quality and effectiveness of your essay, potentially undermining the hard work you’ve put into your application. Awareness of these pitfalls is the first step in ensuring your essay stands out for all the right reasons. Here are some key mistakes to avoid:

• Ignoring the Prompt One of the cardinal sins in essay writing is not adhering to the prompt. Each question is carefully designed to elicit specific information about your experiences, thoughts, and aspirations. Failing to address the prompt directly can lead to a disjointed and ineffective essay. It’s crucial to read and understand what each prompt is asking and ensure that your response aligns with it. The admissions committee wants to see how well you can follow instructions and how your experiences relate to the question.
• Overusing Clichés Clichés are the enemy of originality. While using well-worn phrases and ideas might be tempting, they can make your essay sound generic and uninspired. Admissions officers seek fresh perspectives and authentic voices, not recycled thoughts. Avoiding clichés requires you to dig deeper into your experiences and express your story in a way that is uniquely yours. This approach keeps the reader engaged and demonstrates your ability to think creatively and independently.
• Being Too Wordy Overcomplicating your language with unnecessary jargon or excessively long sentences can make your essay difficult to read and understand. Clarity and conciseness are essential in effective essay writing. Your goal should be to express your ideas in a way that is both articulate and accessible. Remember, the admissions committee reads thousands of essays; a clear and concise essay is much more likely to hold their attention and convey your message effectively.
• Straying Off-Topic It’s essential to stay focused on your essay’s central theme or point. Deviating from the topic not only confuses the reader but also dilutes the impact of your narrative. Keep your writing centered on the prompt and ensure that each paragraph contributes to the overall message you are trying to convey. A focused and well-organized essay demonstrates your ability to think logically and coherently.
• Forgetting to Proofread Submitting an essay with spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors can give an impression of carelessness and lack of attention to detail. Proofreading is a critical step in the essay-writing process. It’s not just about correcting mistakes; it’s about ensuring your essay is polished and professional. Take the time to review your essay multiple times, and consider having someone else read it as well. A fresh pair of eyes can often catch errors you might have missed.

Ensuring Your Essay Aligns with Boston College’s Values

To truly resonate with the admissions committee, your response to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 should reflect an understanding and alignment with the college’s values. Boston College, rooted in Jesuit traditions, values intellectual rigor, ethical and moral reasoning, and a commitment to serving the broader community.

Your essay should demonstrate how your values and experiences align with these principles. Show how your educational and life experiences have prepared you to contribute to and benefit from the unique environment at Boston College.

Whether it’s through discussing your approach to learning, your commitment to social justice, or your desire to engage in community service, your essay should convey a clear connection between your journey and the values that Boston College upholds. This alignment strengthens your application and shows that you are a candidate who will thrive in and contribute positively to the Boston College community.

Going Beyond the Prompt: Adding Depth to Your Essays

When responding to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s essential to answer the prompt and add depth and dimension to your response. This means going beyond a straightforward reply and weaving in layers of insight and reflection.

Depth can be achieved by connecting your experiences to broader themes or demonstrating how they have shaped your worldview. For instance, if a prompt asks about a significant experience, don’t just describe what happened; delve into why it was impactful, how it changed your perspective, and what it says about your values or aspirations. This approach shows the admissions committee that you are capable of deep thinking and self-reflection, qualities highly valued in the Boston College community.

Adding depth to your essays transforms them from mere narratives into compelling reflections of your character and potential.

Demonstrating Intellectual Curiosity and Critical Thinking

Intellectual curiosity and critical thinking are core aspects that Boston College looks for in its applicants, and your supplemental essays are an ideal platform to showcase these traits. To demonstrate intellectual curiosity, talk about times you went beyond the classroom to explore a fascinating topic.

This could be through independent research, engaging in advanced coursework, or pursuing extracurricular activities related to your interests. Critical thinking, on the other hand, can be highlighted by discussing how you approach complex problems or controversial topics.

Reflect on instances where you had to weigh different perspectives, analyze data, or challenge your beliefs. By showcasing these qualities, you answer the essay prompts and show that you are a thinker and a learner – essential for success at Boston College.

Connecting Your Narrative to Boston College’s Ethos

To truly stand out in your application to Boston College, aligning your narrative with the institution’s ethos is crucial. Boston College values a commitment to service, a passion for learning, and a dedication to the community.

In your essays, highlight aspects of your life that resonate with these values. Discuss how your experiences and goals align with the Jesuit tradition of education, which emphasizes academic excellence, social responsibility, and ethical leadership.

For instance, if you are passionate about social justice, discuss how you have pursued this passion and how you plan to continue it at Boston College. By weaving your personal story into the larger tapestry of Boston College’s values, you answer the prompts effectively and demonstrate that you are a good fit for the college’s community and mission.

Final Review and Polishing Your Essays

The final review and polishing phase is critical in completing your Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024. This stage is about refining your essays to ensure they are coherent, compelling, and polished.

Start by reading your essays aloud; this can help you catch awkward phrasings or inconsistencies you might need to catch when reading silently. Look for areas where your arguments or narratives can be tightened or expanded for more significant impact.

Pay attention to the flow of your essay – each paragraph should transition smoothly to the next, maintaining a logical progression of ideas. Also, consider the overall impression your essay leaves. Does it reflect the best version of yourself? Does it convey your enthusiasm for Boston College and readiness to contribute to its community?

Polishing isn’t just about correcting errors; it’s about fine-tuning your narrative to ensure it resonates with clarity, purpose, and authenticity.

Fine-Tuning Language and Tone for Impact

The language and tone of your essay play a significant role in how your message is received. In fine-tuning your Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, aim for a confident yet humble tone and clear, concise, and engaging language.

Avoid jargon or overly complex vocabulary that might obscure your message. Instead, use language that is accessible yet vibrant, bringing your experiences and perspectives to life. The tone should reflect your personality and adapt to the content of your essay.

For instance, a more severe anecdote might require a reflective tone, while a lighthearted story could be presented more playfully. The key is to be authentic and ensure that your language and tone enhance, rather than detract from, the substance of your essay.

The Importance of Revision and Feedback

Revision is an indispensable part of the essay-writing process, especially for Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024. It’s through revision that your initial drafts are transformed into refined, impactful writing pieces.

Feel free to rewrite sections that seem weak or off-topic. Often, your best ideas come to the forefront in the second or third draft. Equally important is seeking feedback. Share your essays with teachers, mentors, or peers whose opinions you trust. They can provide valuable perspectives on how others perceive your essay. They point out areas needing clarification, suggest improvements, or even catch errors you’ve overlooked.

Remember, constructive criticism is not a negative reflection on your abilities; it’s a crucial step in crafting an essay that truly stands out.

Ensuring a Flawless Submission: Grammar and Syntax Checks

Before submitting your Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s imperative to conduct thorough grammar and syntax checks. This step goes beyond correcting typos and basic errors; it involves ensuring your sentences are structurally sound and grammatically correct.

Utilize tools like grammar checkers, but only rely on them partially. These tools can miss nuances in language and sometimes fail to catch contextual spelling errors. Read each sentence carefully to ensure it flows well and makes sense.

Pay attention to punctuation, as improper use can change the meaning of your sentences. Also, be consistent in your use of tense and point of view throughout the essay. A grammatically flawless submission reflects your attention to detail and commitment to presenting a professional and polished application.

As we wrap up our comprehensive guide on Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024, it’s essential to reflect on the journey of crafting these essays. Writing these essays is not just about securing admission; it’s a journey of self-discovery and articulating your dreams, experiences, and aspirations.

Your effort in these essays is a testament to your dedication and desire to be a part of the Boston College community. Remember, each essay is a unique opportunity to showcase different facets of your personality, intellectual curiosity, and life experiences.

The care and thought you invest in responding to these prompts can significantly influence the admissions committee’s understanding of who you are and what you bring to the table. As you finalize your submissions, take pride in your hard work and the growth you’ve experienced through this process.

Summarizing Key Strategies for Successful Boston College Essays

In summary, the key strategies for crafting successful responses to Boston College’s supplemental essays for 2023-2024 revolve around authenticity, reflection, and clarity. Start by thoroughly understanding each prompt and aligning your answer with your narrative.

Be authentic in your storytelling, using your unique voice to share genuine experiences and insights. Reflective depth is crucial; go beyond the surface details to explore the significance of your experiences and how they have shaped you.

Clarity in your writing ensures that your message is conveyed effectively. This includes organizing your thoughts coherently, using language that is both accessible and engaging, and fine-tuning your essays to ensure they are free of grammatical errors. Remember, these essays are your chance to personally connect with the admissions committee, so make every word count.

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Crafting a Stellar Boston College Supplemental Essay: Examples and Tips

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Introduction

The Boston College supplemental essay is a crucial component of the college application process. It provides applicants with the opportunity to showcase their unique qualities, experiences, and aspirations that set them apart from other candidates. Admissions officers use this essay to gain insight into an applicant's personality, values, and potential contributions to the Boston College community.

Crafting a stellar Boston College supplemental essay requires careful thought and preparation. It is essential to understand the purpose of this essay before diving into the writing process. The main goal is to demonstrate why you are a perfect fit for Boston College and how you can contribute to its vibrant academic and social environment.

To create an outstanding essay, it can be helpful to explore successful examples of Boston College supplemental essays from past applicants. These examples can provide inspiration and guidance on how to effectively communicate your unique story and perspective. By analyzing what made these essays exceptional, you can gain valuable insights into what admissions officers are looking for in an applicant.

In addition to studying examples, there are several tips and strategies that can help you craft an impressive Boston College supplemental essay. First and foremost, it is important to start early and give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing. This will allow you to fully develop your ideas and ensure that your essay reflects your best work.

Another tip is to be authentic and genuine in your writing. Admissions officers value honesty and want to get a sense of who you truly are as an individual. Avoid using cliches or trying to write what you think they want to hear; instead, focus on sharing your own unique perspective and experiences.

Furthermore, it is essential to carefully read and understand the prompt provided by Boston College. Make sure you address all aspects of the prompt in your essay while also incorporating personal anecdotes or stories that support your main points.

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Examples of Successful Boston College Supplemental Essays

When it comes to writing the Boston College supplemental essay, studying successful examples can provide valuable insights and inspiration. By examining these examples, prospective applicants can gain a better understanding of what makes an essay stand out and how to effectively showcase their own unique qualities.

Example 1: A Thought-Provoking Approach

One outstanding Boston College supplemental essay begins with a thought-provoking question that immediately captures the reader's attention. The applicant dives into a personal anecdote about their experiences volunteering at a local shelter for homeless individuals. Through vivid descriptions and heartfelt reflections, the essay explores the applicant's journey of self-discovery and their commitment to making a positive impact on society.

What sets this essay apart is its ability to connect the applicant's personal experiences with their desire to contribute to Boston College's community. The writer skillfully weaves together their passion for social justice, academic pursuits, and extracurricular involvements. This holistic approach showcases the applicant as a well-rounded individual who is not only dedicated to their own growth but also committed to making a difference in the world.

Example 2: A Narrative of Growth and Resilience

Another impressive example of a Boston College supplemental essay revolves around an applicant's transformative journey through overcoming adversity. The writer shares a deeply personal story about facing significant challenges during their high school years, such as dealing with family hardships and navigating cultural identity.

This essay stands out due to its strong narrative structure and raw honesty. The writer takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster by recounting pivotal moments that shaped their character and resilience . Through introspection and self-reflection, the applicant demonstrates personal growth and emphasizes how these experiences have prepared them for success at Boston College.

Moreover, this essay effectively highlights the applicant's passion for learning and intellectual curiosity. They discuss specific academic interests they hope to pursue at Boston College while connecting them back to their personal experiences. By doing so, the writer demonstrates a genuine alignment between their academic goals and their life experiences.

Tips and Strategies for Crafting an Impressive Essay

Crafting an impressive Boston College supplemental essay requires careful thought and consideration. To help you in this process, here are some tips and strategies to keep in mind:

Tip 1: Understand the prompt

Before starting your essay, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the prompt. Take the time to analyze the prompt and identify its key requirements. Look for any specific questions or instructions that need to be addressed. Understanding the prompt will guide you in choosing a unique angle to approach the topic.

Tip 2: Showcase your personality and values

Boston College is interested in getting to know you as an individual. Use this opportunity to showcase your personality, experiences, and values. Share personal anecdotes that reflect your character and highlight significant moments in your life. By doing so, you can provide admissions officers with a deeper understanding of who you are as a person.

Additionally, demonstrate alignment with Boston College's values and mission. Research the university's core principles and incorporate them into your essay. Show how your own values align with those of Boston College, emphasizing why you would be a great fit for their community.

Tip 3: Be specific and detailed

To make your essay stand out, it is essential to provide specific examples and evidence to support your points. Avoid vague statements or generic language that could apply to any applicant. Instead, delve into specific details about your experiences or achievements that demonstrate your unique qualities.

For example, if you mention leadership skills, provide concrete examples of situations where you demonstrated leadership and how it impacted others positively. The more specific and detailed you can be, the stronger your essay will be overall.

Tip 4: Edit and revise

Once you have completed a draft of your essay, take the time to edit and revise it carefully. Proofread for grammar and spelling errors, ensuring that everything is clear and coherent. It can also be helpful to seek feedback from teachers, mentors, or peers who can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

Remember, the essay is an opportunity to showcase your writing skills, so make sure it is well-polished and error-free. By putting in the effort to edit and revise your essay, you can ensure that it reflects your best work.

By following these tips and strategies, you can craft an impressive Boston College supplemental essay that stands out from the competition. Take the time to understand the prompt, showcase your personality and values, be specific and detailed, and thoroughly edit and revise your essay. With these guidelines in mind, you are well on your way to creating a stellar essay that impresses admissions officers at Boston College or any other college you are applying to.

In conclusion, crafting a stellar Boston College supplemental essay requires careful thought, creativity, and attention to detail. By understanding the purpose of the essay and exploring successful examples, prospective applicants can gain valuable insights into what admissions officers are looking for. The tips and strategies provided in this blog post serve as a helpful guide for students seeking to make their essays stand out from the competition.

Writing an impressive Boston College supplemental essay is not only important for gaining admission to this prestigious institution but also for demonstrating one's ability to effectively communicate ideas and showcase their unique qualities. The essay provides an opportunity for applicants to showcase their passion, academic achievements, and personal experiences that align with Boston College's values and mission.

By following these expert tips and using examples as inspiration, prospective applicants can craft a compelling narrative that showcases their individuality and potential contributions to the Boston College community. It is crucial to demonstrate authenticity, clarity of thought, and strong writing skills throughout the essay.

Remember, the admissions process is highly competitive , so it is essential to invest time and effort into creating a well-crafted supplemental essay. Seek feedback from trusted mentors or teachers who can provide valuable insights and help fine-tune your essay before submitting it.

By incorporating these tips into your writing process, you can increase your chances of impressing admissions officers at Boston College or any other college you may be applying to. Good luck with your application journey!

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How to Write the Boston College Supplemental Essay 2024–2025

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Boston College is a private research institution with a Jesuit history. Founded in 1863, Boston College began as an undergraduate liberal arts college, hence the name, but today maintains a graduate program as well. Their accomplished alumni include John Kerry, Lulu Wang, Lesley Visser, and Amy Poehler. Hoping to join their ranks? First, you’ll need to write your Boston College supplemental essay. Let’s dive in.

Boston College’s 2024-2025 Prompts

Boston College has set five prompts for its undergraduate applicants. But don’t worry, you only need to write a response to one of them. If you are applying to the Human-Centered Engineering major, you must select the fifth prompt. All other applicants can choose between the other Boston College supplemental essay prompts. In addition, each essay has a maximum length of 400 words.

Without further ado, here are the prompts:

• Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read and why would this be an important shared text?
• At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.
• In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
• Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?
• Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

General Tips

Unless you are applying to the Human-Centered Engineering program at Boston College, you will need to choose between these prompts in order to write your essay. Let’s dive into why you might want to choose one of the prompts over the others.

Prompt 1 should be chosen by students whose worldviews have been impacted by texts they’ve read. If you’re a prospective student of Political Science who looks to Chomsky for inspiration on the regular, this might be the right prompt for you. Alternatively, if you are actually a prospective STEM student who loves to read and wants to demonstrate their textual analysis skills.

Prompt 2 is the right choice for students who seek to understand others’ points-of-view and foster meaningful discussion on controversial topics. Students interested in finding middle grounds, staying open-minded when speaking to people whose life experiences and perspectives are vastly different from their own, and letting their opinions evolve will be able to answer this prompt effectively.

Prompt 3 should be chosen by the student whose identity or identities have significantly impacted their life, whether repeatedly or on one significant occasion. If you have had to show resilience in your life in the face of discrimination, false assumptions, and so on as a result of your identity or identities, then this might be the chance for you to share that experience with the reader.

Prompt 4 is the right prompt for individuals who feel called to enact social change. If you see your Boston College education as a stepping stone toward your goals of bettering the world, then here’s your chance to share that experience with the admissions team.

Now that you have a sense of which prompt(s) might be right for you, scroll ahead to read the breakdown of each of the Boston College supplemental essay prompts!

Choose One: Boston College Short Essays

1. each year at university convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. what book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read and why would this be an important shared text.

This prompt seeks to understand what kind of books you read, how you reflect upon them, and what lessons you have learned. Then, the reader hopes to learn why you wish to share these lessons with your classmates. Therefore, you’ll need to do some textual or literary analysis in order to effectively respond to this prompt. You may also want to provide a brief summary, a description of the text’s main points, or an illustration of whatever topic in the text is most important to your essay.

In other words, you need to clarify why you think this text should be shared with the reader, and to do this, some context about the text more broadly will be necessary. Remember, although you need to choose a book written by a living author , there will still be some context that the reader may not have. For instance, when was this book written? Where was this book written and/or where does it take place? And if it’s not already clear, in what language was it written?

Lastly, take some time to reflect upon the lessons you have learned from reading this book. Before you begin writing this essay, you may want to make a list of the main takeaways you hope to share with your peers. Then, structure the latter half of the essay around these takeaways. You can specify why, specifically, you think your classmates would find meaning or value in this text. Alternatively, you can explain why you think this text is worth reading.

2. At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

In this essay, you should focus on one individual in your life who supports some of your viewpoints and challenges others. In addition, you should explain your relationship with this person and what you mean to each other. You may also want to describe briefly how your relationship with this person has evolved over time.

Then, focus on one specific conversation between you and this person when you disagreed about something. Explain how you disagreed, how this conversation began, and how it ended (or how it continues to this day). Did this person change your perspective? Did you change theirs? Have you found a middle ground, or are you at a standstill? Whether you ended the discussion agreeing to disagree, or both of your perspectives have evolved somewhat but not completely, it’s important that you express your open-mindedness and willingness to listen to others’ perspectives. These are the qualities that the admissions team is looking for.

3. In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

If this prompt speaks to you, select a specific occasion when someone defined you by a single story. Because the prompt says “a time” and “someone,” you should write focus on one occasion and one person . In other words, a pattern of experiences is not what this essay prompt is seeking.

As you write this essay, you can either employ a narrative structure or a more expository structure. This means you can either write about this occasion in your life as though it is a story (with dialogue and scenes), or you can write the whole essay as a reflection on this experience. If you choose to write the essay as a story, then you should leave room for reflection upon the experience at the end of the story.

Lastly, you’ll need to leave room in your essay for discussion of the challenges presented by this experience, how you faced and overcame these challenges, and what you learned from the experience (this last topic can be the focus of your reflection). College admissions officers seek resilient students who can face the challenges the world throws at them and come out of the experience with knowledge. Demonstrating how you overcame these challenges and learned from them will give the reader confidence that you will also succeed in a challenging university environment.

4. Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

This prompt requires multiple pieces of information from you, both explicit and implicit. Let’s break it down:

• What local or global issue particularly concerns you?
• Why is this issue important? Why should it be addressed?
• Why is this issue important to you?
• What do you need to address this issue?
• How will Boston College help you address this issue?

In summary, what specific aspects of the Boston College education will give you what you need to address this issue that is important to you?

After answering each of these questions, you should have the components to compose this essay. Although not explicitly, this prompt seeks to understand why Boston College is a good fit for you. In other words, it’s a “Why Boston College?”-type essay. In this type of essay, it’s important to clarify not only why you want to attend Boston College, but also why it is the right school for you specifically.

5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

If you are applying to the Human-Centered Engineering program at Boston College, you must answer this prompt. If you are not applying to HCE, then you must choose one of the other prompts.

This prompt asks you to provide a list of societal problems that are important to you. Then, you must explain what aspects of the HCE will enable you to solve them. Of course, if a societal problem as broad as “world hunger” is important to you, you may be able to solve this issue for a group of people, or help society get closer to solving this problem, but the admissions team at Boston College does not expect you to have an entire solution to this vast, complex problem all mapped out and envisioned. After all, if it were that easy, a Boston College alum would have solved world hunger by now!

Instead, the admissions team anticipates that you will either have some societal problems in mind whose scope is small enough for you to reasonably tackle them upon graduation from Boston College; or, you are inspired to help work on solving some larger problem(s), but with the understanding that you as an individual will not solely invent and enact the solution.

You should focus only part of this essay on the societal problem(s) you wish to solve. Then, focus the rest of the essay on the aspects of the Boston College HCE education that will help you get closer to your goals. This prompt may not look like it at first glance, but it is actually a “Why Boston College?” essay. To be specific, it’s a “Why HCE?” essay that should zero in on the education’s applications to solving societal problems.

If you need help polishing up your Boston College supplemental essay, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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How to Answer the Boston College Supplemental Essay

Bonus Material : PrepMaven’s Supplemental Essay Spreadsheet

Many top-tier universities and colleges in the U.S. now require applicants to submit at least one additional essay. 

Boston College is one of these colleges–it requires students to submit one 400-word essay in addition to their personal statement.

What are the prompts for this essay? And how should you respond?

We’ve got the answers to these questions in this post. We also give readers access to a great resource: the top 50 most selective colleges in the U.S. and their supplemental essays for 2020-2021, in one easy-to-read spreadsheet.

Grab it below.

Download Supplemental Essay Spreadsheet

Here’s what we cover:

• Boston College’s Supplemental Essay Prompt for 2020-2021

Boston College Supplemental Essay Prompt #1

Boston college supplemental essay prompt #2, boston college supplemental essay prompt #3, boston college supplemental essay prompt #4.

• Bonus: PrepMaven’s Supplemental Essay Spreadsheet

Boston College’s Supplemental Essay for 2020-2021

Students applying to Boston College only have to write one 400-word supplemental essay. However, they do have to choose between four prompts .

We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the following prompts. (400 word limit)

1. Great art evokes a sense of wonder. It nourishes the mind and spirit. Is there a particular song, poem, speech, or novel from which you have drawn insight or inspiration?

2. When you choose a college, you will join a new community of people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and stories. What is it about your background, your experiences, or your story, that will enrich Boston College’s community?

3. Boston College strives to provide an undergraduate learning experience emphasizing the liberal arts, quality teaching, personal formation, and engagement of critical issues. If you had the opportunity to create your own college course, what enduring question or contemporary problem would you address and why?

4. Jesuit education considers the liberal arts a pathway to intellectual growth and character formation. What beliefs and values inform your decisions and actions today, and how will Boston College assist you in becoming a person who thinks and acts for the common good?

In the next section, we provide pointers for responding to each of these four prompts.

How to Respond to Each Boston College Supplemental Essay Prompt

• Great art evokes a sense of wonder. It nourishes the mind and spirit. Is there a particular song, poem, speech, or novel from which you have drawn insight or inspiration? (400 words)

We encourage students to select one specific work of art to discuss in this essay response. Think broadly here. Consider what comes to mind when you think of the following, for example:

• Your most-played Spotify playlists or songs
• The books on your bookshelf
• Syllabi from past English classes
• Speeches you’ve heard or studied 
• Spoken word poetry

You might want to build a list of works at first and narrow down from there. If you have trouble narrowing your list down, jump ahead to the next set of questions. Ideally, the work of art you choose should give you a lot of room to discuss its impact on you.

Once you’ve identified the song, poem, speech, or novel you’d like to discuss, ask yourself the following questions.

• What are this piece of art’s main themes? 
• Social issues
• Relationships, etc.
• What were the circumstances under which you encountered this work of art?
• What were your initial impressions? 
• What are your current impressions? (Do they differ from your initial impressions?)
• What specific insights has this work of art generated?
• Does it inspire you? In what way?
• What does this work of art have to do with your beliefs, values, and/or perspectives of the world?

When crafting your response, students should identify the work of art from the outset and offer a brief description. Don’t be shy about plunging in, as you only have 400 words for your response. Here’s an example of what that might look like:

I first encountered Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” in my sophomore year English class, during a time when literature had not yet taken the priority it has today in my life.  

It’s also vital to spend less time describing this work of art and more time describing how it has inspired or influenced you in the essay as a whole. The admissions readers will be more interested in the part of this response that concerns you after all!

Your essay should, for example, be rich with the following kind of statements.

“The Great Gatsby”’s interrogation of the American Dream has challenged me to redefine what “success” actually means to me; in fact, it has motivated me to more precisely articulate my academic and personal goals in terms of their relationship to my core values.

Feel free to connect the insights you’ve drawn to other aspects of your life, too, such as extracurricular activities, service projects, and independent research, but these should serve only as examples of actions this work of art has inspired.

A nice way to conclude your essay might be referencing this piece of art’s current role in your life, as in the following example:

I know I will always keep a copy of “The Great Gatsby ” on my bookshelf as a reminder of the importance of human relationships, honesty, and integrity.

• When you choose a college, you will join a new community of people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and stories. What is it about your background, your experiences, or your story, that will enrich Boston College’s community? (400 words)

This prompt is very broad, which can be both beneficial and challenging for students. With this prompt, however, admissions officers are interested in diversity . They are also interested in diversity that will “enrich” the campus community, which means that this prompt is also interested in what you have to offer or contribute .

What do we mean by “diversity”? Diversity can refer to any of the following:

• Cultural background
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Socioeconomic circumstances
• Religious traditions
• Perspectives

We encourage students to learn more about the Boston College community and its values before responding to this prompt. You can do so by attending virtual information sessions, for example, or spending some time on the BC website.

Identifying school mission statements can also be helpful for picking a place to start here. Boston College’s mission encompasses service, the search for truth, academic excellence, and research.

You might want to use some of these keywords to think about the part of your specific story that might “enrich” the BC community. Here are some sample questions to ask:

• What experiences have I had in searching for truth?
• What have my encounters with service looked like?
• What is distinct or unique about my background?

As with all of these prompts, it’s more important to choose an experience or aspect of your background that will give you a lot to say about what you have to bring to this campus community. 

What’s more, because of the broadness of this prompt, you can feel free to refer to a broader component of “your story,” as opposed to one specific experience, including heritage, identity, traditions, language, and beliefs.

When responding to this prompt, make sure to give ample room to the following:

• The part of your story that you want to highlight (and what this says about your own specific diversity)
• How this will enrich the Boston College community

It’s often easier for students to tackle the first bullet point here, and harder to address the second. That’s okay, as the first bullet point, according to the language of the prompt, is the most important.

But you don’t want to leave admissions officers guessing about that enrichment factor here. You’ll want at least a few sentences that speak to your own understanding of how you’ll enrich this community, as in this example:

Through these experiences, I have learned the social resonance of being bilingual, and how language really is the key to creating stronger communities. I am eager to bring this attention to the words that connect us to Boston College, which places a premium on diversity and community.

Notice how this example specifically identifies what this applicant intends to offer BC. This is important! These lines also serve as a great conclusion.

• Boston College strives to provide an undergraduate learning experience emphasizing the liberal arts, quality teaching, personal formation, and engagement of critical issues. If you had the opportunity to create your own college course, what enduring question or contemporary problem would you address and why? (400 words)

This is a long, fancy way of asking students the following question: what do you think the most pressing issue in the world is, and why?

It’s also important to notice the buzzwords Boston College incorporates into this prompt: “liberal arts,” “quality,” “personal formation,” and “critical issues.” As you reflect on the pressing issue or question you’d like to discuss, keep these terms in mind. Ideally, the issue you choose should come from a place of deep honesty and also have to do with something that is critical and meaningful on multiple levels.

It seems like a tall order, but ask yourself the following questions as you brainstorm:

• What issue keeps you up at night?
• What question hasn’t yet been answered that you desperately want to answer?
• If you could solve one problem in the world with a snap of your fingers, what would it be?
• What stands in the way of the common good currently?

The prompt is broad enough that you can literally choose any question or problem you wish (“enduring” or “contemporary”), on any scale, to address.

Once you’ve selected your question or problem, think about the following:

• Why does this matter?
• On what scale(s) does this matter?
• How did you first encounter this question or problem? How do you currently engage with it?
• Why is it important for students to learn about this?
• What impact would examining this problem or issue have? On what levels?
• What does this say about you?

When writing your response, spend less time discussing the question or issue and more time describing its meaning. Your perceived meaning of this issue is, after all, what admissions officers are most interested in, as it says a lot about who you are as an individual in this world and your capacity for self-awareness.

Be sure to specifically identify this problem or question from the outset, for clarity’s sake. Here’s an example:

In my college course, I would address the following question: What does it actually mean to be a feminist in 2021?

If you’ve chosen something rather broad, be sure to describe what you would specifically focus on within that broader category, as in this example:

In my college course, I would address the following question: What does it actually mean to be a feminist in 2021? Specifically, I would encourage my students to consider how the definition of feminism has evolved since its inception and approach modern feminism through the lenses of race and media.

As you discuss the meaning of this question or issue, be sure you’re very clear about the following two things:

• why you are personally invested in this issue / question
• why it matters on a larger scale

You can address the first bullet point by incorporating personal anecdote, if you’d like. This is a great way to introduce the second bullet point, too! Here’s an example:

I was raised in a household that claimed it was staunchly feminist. I read books with female protagonists and was told that to be a girl was to have a special superpower. Yet over the years, I’ve come to scrutinize this term in a new fashion.

• Jesuit education considers the liberal arts a pathway to intellectual growth and character formation. What beliefs and values inform your decisions and actions today, and how will Boston College assist you in becoming a person who thinks and acts for the common good? (400 words)

This prompt contains many excellent keywords that indicate what college admissions officers are interested in here. Keep these in mind as you are drafting your response:

• Growth 
• Beliefs and values 
• Common good

It is also a two-question prompt. Students should make sure that they respond adequately to both of these questions in their 400-word essay:

• What beliefs and values inform your decisions and actions today?
• Wow will Boston College assist you in becoming a person who thinks and acts for the common good?

Use the structure of these questions to your advantage! You can spend the first part of your essay discussing those beliefs and values and the second portion addressing how BC will assist you in thinking and acting for the “common good.” 

To begin, we recommend brainstorming your core values and beliefs. You might already have done some of this work prior to crafting your personal statement. We’ve provided some examples of values and beliefs below.

It can also be helpful to anchor these values and beliefs in specific experiences and/or anecdotes. This will make it easier to tell a story and to focus on your core values and beliefs (as opposed to all of them!).

For example, your value for honesty might be deeply related to your desire to pursue a career in law. Or perhaps your belief in “unity over division” is related to your commitment to social justice.

If you’re having trouble coming up with values and beliefs, think about the second part of the question: “inform your decisions and actions.” What guides the decisions that you make in your life? What inspires action?

Here is an excerpt from a sample response demonstrating an applicant’s beliefs and values:

I have always believed in the power of compassion, yet only fully understood the potential of this value when I started volunteering at a local shelter for women in recovery…Through this experience, I have learned that compassion is what unites us all despite our differences, and this is what guides every decision-making process.

Students often struggle with the second portion of this prompt. While this is not specifically a “why Boston College” prompt, students should be specific about how they foresee BC will help them with their character formation, specifically the formation of values that have to do with the “common good.”

The key word here is “how.” 

Once again, it can be helpful to learn more about Boston College’s mission and teaching philosophy. According to its website, for example, BC’s mission encompasses service, the search for truth, academic excellence, and research. Many of its courses encourage the act of self reflection and “asking of big questions.”

Think about how this mission and philosophy relates to the beliefs and values you’ve pinpointed. 

Then think about the other components of BC that will help you become an even better person . In other words, what about BC is going to help you grow as a person with a set of values (and not just a scholar)?

Consider the following:

• Your prospective major and that department at BC
• Extracurricular activities, especially service
• Opportunities at BC that reflect your values and beliefs

Here is an excerpt from a sample response:

Boston College’s commitment to service aligns with my profound desire to apply my innate compassion to all kinds of communities: a vibrant student body, a strong biology department, and the broader volunteering community.

Download Our Supplemental Essay Spreadsheet

Applying to several top-tier colleges? We’ve compiled the supplemental essay prompts for the 50 most selective U.S. colleges and universities in one FREE easy-to-access spreadsheet!

Here’s what you’ll get:

• The supplemental essay prompt(s) the 50 most selective U.S. colleges / universities
• Word limits for each prompt
• Application deadlines for each (early and regular)

Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.

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Boston College’s Supplemental Essays

• Post author By Top Tier Admissions
• Post date September 1, 2023
• No Comments on Boston College’s Supplemental Essays

Boston College offers four supplemental essay choices for 2023-2024 applicants. This flexibility is a fantastic opportunity for students to highlight their specific strengths and personality. Applicants must respond to one of the prompts #1-4, unless they’re applying for the Human-Centered Engineering major, in which case they must respond to prompt #5 only.

With a word limit of 400, this supplemental essay allows for a bit more creativity while still ensuring applicants demonstrate their ability to formulate clear and concise responses.

All four options touch upon the applicant’s ability to engage with social issues through a personal lens. Supplemental essays provide students a chance to stand out through sharing their unique perspective and individual interests.

Boston College is considered a top Jesuit educational institution . While students do not need to be religious to attend, Jesuit colleges share a set of key values including justice, care, and collaboration. When writing this supplemental essay, think about how you connect with one or more of these values, and relate your answer to these life experiences.

Boston College’s Supplemental Essays

1. Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?

2. At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

3. In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

4. Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Are you aiming for Boston College ? Not sure how to approach these questions strategically? Contact us to discuss our Essay Guidance Program or Personal Boot Camp .

By working on your applications NOW, you will be ready to reap the benefit of increased odds in the early round of admissions. Top Tier Admissions is tracking supplemental essay prompts for all top schools here — we look forward to supporting you !

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4 Tips for Writing a Stellar Boston College Essay

College Admissions , College Essays

Ranked among the top 40 colleges nationwide , Boston College is an excellent college choice, especially if you're hoping to attend a Jesuit institution. As part of the application process, you'll need to submit a Boston College essay. So what should you write about in your essay to raise your chances of getting admitted here?

In this guide, we closely analyze all Boston College essay prompts, providing you with our best tips and advice. We'll also take a look at real Boston College essay examples to give you an idea of what a successful Boston College essay can look like.

So let's get started!

What Is the Boston College Essay?

In addition to the Common Application essay prompts , Boston College requires all first-year applicants to submit a separate essay as part of the Boston College Supplement (which you can find in the Common App under the heading "Writing Supplement").

With this writing supplement, you have six possible essay prompts to choose from:

#1: Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursue lives of meaning and purpose. What is a question that matters to you and how do you hope Boston College will help you answer it?

#2: In 2020, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America – a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.

#3: At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner? What do you discuss with that person?

#4: Socrates stated that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Discuss a time when reflection, prayer, or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.

#5: Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together – and why?

#6: [Open to Human-Centered Engineering Applicants only] One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Each essay prompt expects you to give specific details and a unique, compelling story of who you are, how you came to be this way, and what you hope to do with your education at Boston College.

Regardless of the essay prompt you choose, your Boston College essay must be no longer than 400 words, making it a little shorter than a typical application college essay, which is 500-600 words long.

The good news is you only have to answer one of the prompts listed above. But how can you choose the best essay prompt for you? Read on as we examine all the Boston College essay prompts, one by one.

All Boston College Essay Prompts, Analyzed

In order to submit a great Boston College essay, you'll need to know what each prompt is asking you to do and which one will work best based on your personality, experiences, and/or interests. Below, we offer a close analysis of all four Boston College essay prompts.

Boston College Essay Prompt 1

Students at Boston College are encouraged to consider critical questions as they pursue lives of meaning and purpose. What is a question that matters to you and how do you hope Boston College will help you answer it?

This first Boston College essay prompt looks a little inscrutable at first: you’re being asked to provide not an answer, but a question. However, what Boston College is asking from you here is to talk about academic fields or social issues you’re interested in, and why Boston College is the place to explore them.

This essay is a great opportunity for you to delve into a specific idea or problem you want to learn more about in college. The topic you choose for your essay can be pretty much anything, from an ancient philosophical theory to how smart phones impact American culture.

In short, what excites, interests, or captivates you intellectually? And why?

Before tackling this question, take time to consider what you're passionate about. That can be an academic field you want to study, a challenging problem in your future career field, or a contemporary social issue.

Should You Choose This Prompt?

Most applicants have some idea of what they want to study in college. So if there's a particular field you're interested in, you can use this as a jumping-off point. Narrow your topic so you'll be discussing a very specific question. For example, if you plan to major in psychology, you might frame your essay around the question, “How is our increased reliance on social media changing our behaviors?” 

You can also approach this prompt from a social perspective. Are there any problems in contemporary society that you want to study further? For example, perhaps you’re concerned about wealth inequality in the United States. You could create a question that asks how wealth inequality has changed over the past fifty years, and what we might do to counter it.

With this topic, the sky's pretty much the limit. Here are some other potential topics you could create questions around:

• Environmental issues or climate change
• Political/economic instability or other problems in a country/area
• Discrimination, stigmas, or other issues relating to inequality
• Potential challenges facing technology, science, the arts, specific industries, etc.

The main thing here is that you do not need to answer your question! Instead, you’ll devote a significant part of your essay to saying why Boston College is the best place for you to find answers to your question. Here’s your chance to show that you’ve done your research: bring up relevant departments, faculty members, current research projects, individual courses, and campus groups that will help you with your goal. Clearly show how Boston College will help you answer your question.

Tips for Answering This Prompt

• Explain why you are so invested in your question. Do you have direct experience with the issue you're focusing on? How did (or does) it make you feel? This is a place to show off your intellectual curiosity , and that you’re interested in the Big Questions.
• Connect your question to Boston College as specifically as possible. Boston College admissions counselors want to know that your application is purposeful. You don’t, and shouldn’t, have an answer to your question, but you should have a very clear idea on why Boston College is the best place to find answers.

Boston College Essay Prompt 2

In 2020, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America - a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.

This second Boston College essay prompt is very specific, and asks you to do some pretty serious reflecting. You have options: you could discuss your personal experience with racial injustice or what you’ve seen in your community. Perhaps you’ve been personally affected, or perhaps your loved ones have. Maybe something happened in your town that forced you to confront racial injustice on a much more personal level than you expected.

Note, too, that the prompt asks what you have learned and how you’ve been inspired to be a change agent —in other words, if you haven’t yet been able to act on your desire to challenge racial injustice on a larger level, you should still consider this prompt. Ultimately, Boston College wants you to reflect on yourself and your relationship to larger concepts of societal injustice. It’s a tall order, and you’ll need to stay as personal, honest, and specific as possible.

There are, unfortunately, many ways to write about racial injustice in America right now. Here are some examples:

• Your personal experience with racial injustice
• A loved one’s experience with racial injustice
• Specific examples of racial injustice in your community
• The first (or the most vivid) time you recognized racial injustice
• Be as specific as possible . Boston College doesn’t want to just know your opinion on racial injustice—they want to see you, and how you work with difficult, systemic issues. Use concrete examples, and show your innermost self (or as much of it as you’re comfortable sharing).
• Relate your experience to your college career. Boston College clearly cares about racial justice. Their Campus Ministry page on racial justice links to many campus resources to combat racial injustice. Mention specific programs and groups that you want to engage with while you’re in college, and show that Boston College is the best place for you to continue to learn about and fight racial injustice.

Boston College Essay Prompt 3

At Boston College, we hope to draw on the Jesuit tradition of finding conversation partners to discuss issues and problems facing society. Who is your favorite conversation partner? What do you discuss with that person?

This prompt is another great way to show Boston College who you are and what you value . They’re also reminding you pretty clearly here that Boston College is a Jesuit school that values intellectual growth, character formation, and dedication to positive social change. In short, this isn’t the place to talk about the Star Wars fan theories you share with your dad (no matter how cool they are). Instead, think about the person you have deep conversations with. Maybe it’s your best friend, your partner, or a family member. Maybe you’ve bonded with one of your teachers, and you meet up to talk about saving the world, one conversation at a time. This prompt is in two parts: describe your conversation partner, and describe what you discuss. Make sure to paint a clear picture of your conversation partner—why they’re your favorite person to talk to, and what they bring to the table—but also leave room not only for what you talk about, but why you talk about it. Finally, find a way to relate your conversations to your future studies at Boston College. Maybe you bonded with a youth minister and still routinely talk about social change; connect this to similar campus organizations and programs.

This prompt is a great way for you to show Boston College who you are, what you value, and how you connect with others.  

Consider writing about someone you routinely discuss related values with, like:

• Morality/ethics
• Empathy/compassion for others
• Societal issues
• The “big questions” in life
• Choose an appropriate conversation partner. It doesn’t have to be someone you know in real life—pen pals can be just as influential as the people we talk to! But you should make sure that the person you’re writing about is someone that you engage in deep, meaningful conversation with.
• Explain your discussion topics and their importance in detail. This is your chance to share your passion for service, big ideas, and community! Make sure to share why you talk about these subjects with your partner, and why they’re important to you.

Boston College Essay Prompt 4

Socrates stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Discuss a time when reflection, prayer, or introspection led to clarity or understanding of an issue that is important to you.

Boston College is a highly ranked Jesuit institution , so it's not surprising that the school is curious about applicants' values. The purpose of this prompt is to help Boston College understand how your own values will fit with and further promote the Jesuit principles of ethics and community service.

This essay prompt can be broken down into two basic questions:

• What issues are most important to you?
• How do you approach big subjects in your inner world?

If you’re the introspective type, this is an excellent prompt for you. As a prominent Jesuit institution, Boston College highly values service, reflection, and morality. This is the perfect prompt to show them that you do, too.

Some topics you could write about in your essay include the following:

• Changing your mind about a subject you’re passionate about
• Realizing your values have changed
• Realizing your beliefs no longer match up with your family’s
• Your thought process after a major event/life change
• Focus on one specific issue. For instance, you might talk about your complicated feelings about eating meat, and factory farming, and the decisions you made regarding what you are and are not willing to eat and why.
• Make sure the issue is important, and aligns with Boston College’s values. In other words, this isn’t the place to write about how you agonized over changing your starter word in Wordle. Show Boston College your deepest thoughts. They want to see them!

Boston College Essay Prompt 5

Each year at University Convocation, the incoming class engages in reflective dialogue around a common text. What book would you recommend for your class to read and explore together – and why?

This is a prompt you may have seen from other schools as well—Boston College is asking you to discuss a book that you care about. However, this is not about your favorite book. Instead, they want to know which book you think is so important that the entire first-year class at BC reads and discusses it. That means you need to choose a book for more than just how much pleasure it brings you. It also needs to have some intellectual heft to it. That is, pick a book that makes you think, and, ideally, has changed you as a person.

Maybe you read a novel in sophomore English that hit you so hard it restructured your DNA. Or maybe you found a book through a podcast (or BookTok!) that you’d never heard of, and opened your eyes to a new way of seeing the world. You have a lot of options here—just make sure you pick something that you care about that aligns with Boston College’s values. Don’t forget to check their list of previous University Convocation books to get a good idea of what they want.

This prompt is asking you to do two things:

• Choose a book for convocation
• Say why you chose it

This is a great prompt to show off your exquisite taste in books as well as your knowledge and understanding of Boston College’s values.

Consider books that:

• Introduced you to a new culture, subculture, or nationality
• Made you reevaluate the way you see your world
• Told a powerful story, fiction or nonfiction
• Choose an appropriate book. Remember: Boston College doesn’t want to know your favorite book. They want you to talk about a book that affected you so profoundly that you want to share it with the entire incoming class.
• State explicitly why you chose it. Make sure that your text aligns with Boston College’s values. Show that you know what Boston College wants by recommending a book that’s perfect for them!

Boston College Essay Prompt 6

For Human-Centered Engineering major applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

First off, you should only choose this prompt if you’re majoring in Human-Centered Engineering. If you are, read on! Otherwise, you’re all done!

Human-Centered Engineering is one of BC’s newest programs, which combines engineering with liberal arts. This prompt is asking you to show that you’re an excellent fit through:

• Choosing an appropriately-sized problem (or problems)
• Saying why they’re important to you
• Saying how you want to solve them
• Showing Boston College that the HCE program is necessary to your solution

No problem, right? You got this! Now’s your chance to show Boston College that you can dream a little bigger, and that your values align with theirs. Because Boston College is a Jesuit school that values service to the community, you should think about societal issues that appeal specifically to them. For example, you may be interested in studying racial discrimination in housing developments or interstate highway projects; you could absolutely mention Boston College’s Racial Justice program and how it will be integral to your future work.

Remember: this is a highly-specialized engineering program that requires connection to the liberal arts and to service. Show that you care about all three in your answer!

If you’re applying to the HCE program, you have no choice—you’re required to choose this one! But it’s a pretty neat prompt that allows you to specifically tell Boston College why you’re a perfect fit for one another. Consider choosing a problem that:

• Has a large impact on your community, or a community you care about
• Has been historically underserved
• Is solvable, and specific
• Choose a specific problem that you care about. The trick here is to describe a problem that you can feasibly help end. This means you need to be as specific as you can. For example, “world hunger,” while a significant problem, is too broad of a subject; instead, you could look at food deserts in your community.
• State explicitly why the HCE program is the only one that will help you solve it. This is the “Why Boston College” essay—it’s your time to show that you’ve done your homework and know the HCE program inside and out.That means you should specifically mention professors, projects, and courses that you think will help you achieve your goal

Boston College Essay Examples

Now, let's take a look at two real Boston College essay examples written by admitted applicants.

Note that since the Boston College essay prompts change frequently, so these essays might not correspond directly to one of the four prompts listed above. But you'll still get a sense for what makes a good Boston College essay and what admissions counselors are looking for. 

Boston College Essay Example 1

This first Boston College essay we'll look at could have easily been written for the second prompt described above (the diversity essay prompt) as it focuses on the applicant's unique multicultural background.

Note that this sample essay is more than 550 words, whereas the current Boston College essay requirements state that essays may not exceed 400 words.

Here is the essay:

"Happy birthday!" "Feliz cumpleanos!" "Kol sana wa enta tayyab!" After my family sings me happy birthday in English, Spanish, and Arabic, I blow out the candles on my cake amidst thunderous cheers that reverberate throughout the five boroughs of New York City. My birthday celebrations, likened by my friends to United Nations assemblies, feature my one, cohesive, yet ever so dissimilar, family, stepping out of their respective Ecuadorian and Egyptian roles to further thrust upon me their expectations. Some would fold under this pressure, but I embrace this trust. While they have not always been able to put me in optimal positions, it has all congregated to a driving force in my cultured and diverse mind.

My never ending quest to achieve success for my family began at a young age, through my trips to Ecuador and Egypt. I not only grew fond of their eloquent languages, but of their modest values. On my first trip to Ecuador as a toddler, my Uncle Guillermo was found dead in an alley one morning, no cause, no explanation. Instead of shielding me from the forlorn passing of one of my heroes, my relatives used this as an opportunity to develop my value for awareness. They told me that Guillermo's death was linked to his severe alcoholism. He had been afflicted for decades, all while selling away the family's possessions to fuel his addiction. He, like many from the impoverished, drug ridden country, knew no better. Some would view a traumatizing event like this as an excuse to end up along a similar path, but it immediately ingrained in me the farsighted principles that I maintain to this day. There are no excuses for me to approach education halfheartedly, for I have witnessed the malevolent effects of ignorance.

When my grandma, Anisa Saad, told me that she views my future with the same reverence that she views the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, I finally realized how delicate my actions are. I knew that making something out of myself meant just as much to my family as it did to me. The Egyptian Revolution was the first time since 1981 that Egyptians had a voice. As they overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, they created an irrevocable identity. They proved that regardless what comprises your past or your background, your impact on the world is only what you make of it. My grandma told me that all she could think about as she cast her vote in the first ever democratic election was that she was changing the world. She said that if a 78-year-old widow living with three of her children and a bad back could change the world, a prioritized pupil with a keen understanding of different societies has boundless potential.

In New York City, the quintessential hub of culture, I found it easier to expand on my expectations and values. I am most people's culturally passionate friend rather than the kid whose ethnicity is indeterminable. I am a New Yorker's idea of a New Yorker; an assiduous product of the "melting pot." No idea is too farfetched to believe, no goal too unattainable. With my grandma's words in mind, I face any problem that the Concrete Jungle throws at me. I seek to make sure the Salazar's of Ecuador and the Badran's of Egypt finally have significant names in the world. I want to blow out my birthday candles with a family proud that I made it, not hoping that I do.

Here's what makes this Boston College essay work:

• It has a compelling hook. The first few sentences about the applicant's multicultural and multilingual family immediately draw us in. It makes you want to learn more about why this applicant gets told happy birthday in three languages, and how their experience shapes their values.
• It's highly specific and detailed. We're given people's actual names, from Uncle Guillermo to Anisa Saad. These concrete details ground us readers in the story while highlighting clear connections between the applicant's life experiences and values.

Boston College Essay Example 2

This next real Boston College essay example is less focused on diversity and more on community service, a major Jesuit value that Boston College would be more than happy to read about in your essay!

At just under 400 words, this essay should help give you an idea of about how long your Boston College essay can be.

"Can you teach me how to tie my shoes?" I looked down. There was Miguel. He pointed at his untied shoelaces. "Come sit down over here," I said as I pulled over a chair. "Just remember this: Loop, Swoop, and Pull." I tied his shoelace. "Now you try on the other." He bent down. "Loop ... Swoop, and ... Pull." He completed a perfect bow.

Later on in that day, Thomas came over to me. "Can you help me tie my sneaker?" Miguel was next to me. I was helping him learn the letters of the alphabet. "I think Miguel can help you." I looked down at him and he nodded. He brought Thomas to the side. "Just remember, Loop, Swoop, and Pull."

In-between studying for the SATs and preparing for my varsity basketball season, I volunteered in a local preschool for Head Start and Special Needs Children in the summer before my junior year. I worked with students who were attending their first year of the school during that year. I was invited back to volunteer again the next summer. I was with the second-year students and Miguel and Thomas were again in my class.

"Do you want to see me write my name?" Miguel asked the first day of my second summer at the school. He used a purple marker and a blank piece of white paper and clearly wrote "Miguel." Thomas approached me. "Look, I can tie my shoes now." He bent down. "Loop, Swoop, and Pull," he whispered as he completed a perfect bow. "It's great to see you guys again. I'll be here the whole summer."

The goal of the program is to prepare the students for success in kindergarten. The best thing about going to the school for two years was to see the progress Miguel, Thomas, and the other kids made. I saw the children walk on the stage at the graduation ceremony at the end of the summer term. I know they will be able to excel in kindergarten.

I began to visualize Thomas and Miguel being at the top of their class in kindergarten next year. I am proud of the work the school does for the children and the progress the children make in the school. I look forward to returning to volunteer next summer.

• It tells a detailed, interesting story. Many students have volunteered at schools or helped out younger children, but this Boston College essay lets readers really see the uniqueness of the applicant's experience. We learn about two children, Thomas and Miguel, and how the process of helping them fundamentally shaped the applicant.
• It's highly focused. No part of this essay feels extraneous or as if it doesn't belong. It uses a well-organized structure that's easy to follow. We also learn through small details that the applicant successfully maintains other commitments, too, such as varsity basketball. So not only is this person caring, they're also a great multitasker!
• It focuses on a key Jesuit value: giving back to others. If you plan to respond to Prompt 4, this is a great essay to look to for tips. It's all about helping the common good and highlights the applicant's desire to continue helping the community.

How to Write a Great Boston College Essay: 4 Tips

Before we wrap up, here are four general tips to help you write a great Boston College essay.

#1: Be Clear and Specific

Your Boston College essay should be clear and have specific, concrete details that tell a compelling narrative about you and what you value. Your essay will have more personal impact if you can incorporate critical details, such as the names of people, your reactions/emotions to events or actions, etc.

In addition, make sure your story is focused and doesn't meander onto less relevant, less interesting, or less significant topics.

For instance, if you're writing about how you enjoy volunteering at retirement homes, there's no point in elaborating on other values you have or other service projects you're involved in since doing so will take away from the main focus of your essay.

#2: Speak Honestly About Embracing Jesuit Values

As with any college essay, be authentic. Exaggerations and lies are pretty easy for admissions committees to detect, so don't bother trying to make a particular experience in your life seem more significant than it really was.

Be honest with yourself: what's important to you? What do you believe Boston College must know about you? And what do you feel defines who you are and what you want to do?

Remember that Boston College is a Jesuit school that strongly values specific qualities, including morality, honesty, and community service. If you have a strong passion for any Jesuit values and often exercise them in your life, make sure you're talking about them to emphasize how Boston College is an ideal fit for you.

#3: Don't Repeat What You Wrote for the Common App Essay

All Boston College applicants must write a separate personal statement that responds to one of the Common App prompts . Since many of the Common App prompts are similar to the Boston College essay prompts listed above, it's critical that you do not repeat any major themes or topics in your two essays.

Each essay is meant to showcase a different side of you, and if you're simply repeating yourself, you won't be revealing new and interesting aspects of your personality—which will not impress the Boston College admissions committee!

#4: Edit and Proofread Multiple Times

You'll want to spend a good amount of time editing and proofreading your Boston College essay.

The best way to do this is to write a rough draft and then put it away for a few days. After some time has passed, take out your essay so you can look it over with a fresh perspective. Note any areas that are irrelevant, awkward, or grammatically incorrect.

Once you've done this a few times, give your essay to someone else to read, such as a teacher, parent, or older sibling. Ask for feedback on what you can improve in terms of flow, organization, and overall story.

Now should now have an excellent Boston College essay ready to submit!

What's Next?

If you're applying to Boston College, you're likely applying to other colleges on the East Coast, too. Check out our expert guides to the Duke essay , the Tufts essays , and the Harvard essay .

Need help writing your Common App essay? Our tips will show you how to write a Common App essay guaranteed to make you stand out from other applicants!

To learn more about Boston College, including what GPA and SAT/ACT scores you'll need to get in, check out our Boston College admission requirements page .

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Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, boston college supplemental essay tips.

Does anyone have any advice or tips for crafting a solid Boston College supplemental essay? I want to make sure my essay stands out and reflects my personality well. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!

As you work on your Boston College supplemental essay, here are some tips to help you create a unique and attention-grabbing piece that reflects your personality:

1. Understand the prompt: Before you start writing, carefully read the essay prompt and make sure you understand what it's asking. This will help you create a focused and relevant response. If Boston College offers multiple prompts, choose the one that resonates most with you and to which you feel you can provide the most genuine and insightful answer.

2. Research the school: Show that you've done your research on Boston College by incorporating specific aspects of the school and its programs that align with your interests, values, and goals. This demonstrates genuine interest and commitment to the institution, which can make a difference in the admissions process.

3. Be yourself: Share your genuine thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Stay true to your voice and personality – don't try to imitate someone else or be overly formal if it doesn't feel authentic. Essays that are sincere and convey the students' unique perspectives are often the most memorable and impressive.

4. Show, don't tell: Use vivid details and anecdotes to engage the reader and make your essay more memorable. Instead of simply telling the admissions committee about an experience or quality, show them through examples and stories that illustrate it. This will help your essay come to life and make a lasting impression.

5. Be concise and organized: While you want to showcase your story and personality, it's important to do so in a clear and concise manner. Create an outline of the main points you want to cover and use transitions to guide the reader through your essay. Additionally, stay within the word limit.

6. Avoid clichés: Many applicants write about similar topics or use clichéd phrases in their essays. To make your essay stand out, try to think of a unique angle or experience that sets you apart from other applicants and demonstrates your individuality.

7. Revise and proofread: Give yourself enough time to revise and polish your essay. Edit for clarity, flow, and consistency, and pay close attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Having someone else – like a teacher, counselor, or friend – read over your essay can also provide valuable feedback and help catch any mistakes you may have missed.

8. Connect to your main application: While your supplemental essay should be unique and self-contained, it's also helpful if it complements the rest of your application by reinforcing your strengths, interests, and goals. This can help create a coherent and well-rounded picture of who you are as an applicant.

For more information on these essays click here: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-boston-college-essays/

By keeping these tips in mind as you work on your Boston College supplemental essay, you'll be well-prepared to craft a piece that stands out and truly reflects your personality and passions. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Supplemental Essay Guide 2024-25

What do the 2024-25 supplemental essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA's experts are here to break them all down.

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Agnes Scott College 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Alvernia University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

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supplemental essay prompt guide, frequently asked questions.

It really depends. Typically, the more competitive the university, the more arduous the supplemental essay requirements. Most top universities ask for at least three supplemental essays, but some only require one short essay.

The most common supplemental essay topics are:

• The Why Essay , which asks applicants to discuss their interest in their intended major and/or the school in question.
• The Activity Essay , which asks applicants to describe their involvement in an activity that is meaningful to them.
• The Community Essay , which asks about a community the applicant belongs to and the role that community plays in their life (and vice versa!).
• The Diversity Essay , which often asks applicants to explore how they champion diversity and inclusion in their communities and/or how they engage with people from different backgrounds or who hold opposing views. 
• The Short Answer , which asks applicants to answer prompts in very few words (or characters) to add context to their application and a splash of personality.
• The Oddball Essay , which asks applicants to tap into their creativity to connect curveball questions to their lives and interests.

Just like with the Common App personal statement, you’re going to want to write authentically about yourself while addressing all parts of each supplemental essay prompt. Many schools want to better understand how you see yourself contributing to their campus community and/or diversity and inclusion efforts along with how you hope to use your education to achieve your goals. So, be honest and forward-thinking, and don’t forget to customize each supplemental essay so it’s specific to each school you’re submitting to. That means doing research and weaving information into your essays that demonstrates the amount of time and thought you’ve put into your application. 

We have a few successful supplemental essay examples in our Free Resources section.

Each admissions department has their own process for reviewing applications, and some admissions committees put more weight on supplemental essays than others, but all admissions departments that offer applicants the opportunity to pen additional essays are doing so for a reason: to better understand the applicant and compare similarly qualified candidates. It’s in the applicant’s best interest to not only provide admissions with as much information regarding their candidacy as possible, but also go the extra mile. At highly competitive institutions, admissions officers are looking for reasons to remove students from the applicant pool—don’t let poorly written or (*gulp*) incomplete supplemental essays work against you!

Absolutely not. Please do not reuse content from your Common App essay in your supplements. Although it’s possible for you to expand upon an idea, activity, or community that you mention in your Common App essay in your supplements, you should never recycle content or any phrasing word for word.

Start by reading through all the prompts. Next, jot down ideas that come to your mind (no matter how silly they may seem!). Everyone has a story to tell, and we’re willing to bet you’re more interesting than you think. Give yourself plenty of time to consider different topics and revise, revise, revise! Also, our handy dandy Supplemental Essay Guides are sure to help you on your writing journey.

North Park University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

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College Supplemental Essays That Worked: Tips & Inspiration

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• application strategy
• college application essays
• expert advice

As summer winds down, it’s time to start thinking about supplemental essays as well! How do they fit into your college application?

College supplemental essays are what makes the application process so challenging. With students applying to 5-8 schools and each school requiring 2-3 additional writing supplements, students are looking at writing 25 essays (including the personal statement!) in 4 months time.

That doesn’t end up being a lot of time, especially given the effort that goes into  brainstorming, writing and editing each essay.

While it’s tempting, students shouldn’t reuse application essays. Most supplemental essays prompts are tailored to the university and reflects what the university is looking for in their student body. Thus, you should also tailor your response to the schools you’re applying to in order to demonstrate good fit.

Supplemental essays may initially seem tedious, but they offer applicants a great opportunity to share more about themselves. You can elaborate on your extracurriculars, your interest in a specific major, your cultural background, or just something unique about yourself that’s not represented in your academics or resume.

Here are 5 supplemental essay writing tips to help you make the most out of them and craft a winning application:

Supplemental Essay Tip 1: Bigger Picture

View your application holistically. Don’t just focus on your personal statement or your supplemental essays, or even your SAT/ACT score as individual components of your application. If they are reviewed by the admissions office altogether, you should aim to do the same. Think of the bigger picture.

Why is this important? To make sure you’ve highlighted everything you want to about yourself in your application. Think strategically about your grades, test scores, classes you took, extracurriculars and recommendation letters—what will each of these components highlight about you? These are things that reflect your high school career that you can no longer change. So consider these anchoring points that you can build off of. 

Is there a particular passion of yours that isn’t readily apparent from reviewing other parts of your application?  Maybe you want to devote more room to discussing a specific major you want to pursue. Or perhaps it’s an extracurricular you dedicated 4 years too that didn’t get much airtime in your personal statement. While your personal statement should highlight the most integral part of your identity, your supplements are a great place to elaborate on aspects of your candidacy that more fully develop you as an applicant. Remember to tie your essays back to why you’re a good fit for the schools you’re applying to.

Read more: UChicago Supplemental Essay Prompts 2018-2019

Supplemental Essay Tip 2: Do Your Research

Supplemental essay prompts are developed by the university’s admissions office, and are often inspired by past successful applicants. You can tell a lot about a university based on their supplemental essay prompts and what they want to know more about from their applicants. In order to respond accordingly, it’s important you do your research.

Research comes in many different ways. You can explore and read the university website or blog, follow them on social media channels, reach out to professors or current students, or visit campus. The point is to learn as much as you can about the school you’re applying to. More than being able to respond to the essay prompts, it’s crucial to make sure you’re applying to the right school for you. Consider incorporating details from the information session or the overnight stay that highlight aspects of the school that appeal to you. It’s also an opportunity to discuss a fact that may be lesser known or speak to an experience that’s personal to you; the more specific you can be about your interest in the school, the better.

Supplemental Essay Tip 3: Know Your Essay Prompts

Universities that require additional supplemental essays usually come in 4 categories of prompts. They will either ask you to respond to one of these prompts, or a combination of the following:

1. ‘Why Us’ School Specific Supplement

This is probably the most common supplemental essay question that is required. With increasing applications every year, universities want to be able to set applicants apart based on why they want to attend their institution. Do applicants really understand what the university stands for? Do they know what the campus culture is like and would they be a good fit? And finally, if accepted, how would they contribute to university’s community?

This is where your research is important. Based on your understanding of the university, respond in relation to your own strengths. This then ties back to thinking about the bigger picture. Is there a quality that makes the university a great fit for you and vice versa? Or a specific major you’re interested in that would be best studied at this institution? This is how all these different elements come together!

Big universities with many different undergraduate schools and colleges will typically offer this as their only additional supplement. If you need help on this particular supplemental essay, here are some tips and examples for the Why NYU supplemental essay  and the Why Cornell supplemental essay . 

2. Extracurricular Supplement

Some universities will ask you to elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. This is a great opportunity for you to share more about your extracurricular resume, especially if you haven’t been able to highlight too much of it in your personal statement. If you come across this supplement, choose the extracurricular that was most important to you, or perhaps the one you’d like to continue to pursue in college.

Admissions offices ask for this supplement to see how you’ve engaged in your community, what you enjoy doing outside of the classroom, and what you’ve learned by participating in it. College isn’t just about going to class, so they want to see how else you’d potentially engage with the rest of the student body if given the opportunity.

This supplement is often disguised as a community question. For example, how have you contributed to your community and what would you contribute to our community? Schools like MIT  and Princeton  both ask for this supplement.

3. Unique Question Supplement

This supplement is usually the one that stumps most applicants. Universities will offer multiple thought provoking essay prompts for applicants to respond to. While it gives students a lot of freedom to be creative and share something different about themselves, it also takes up a lot of time when they are brainstorming and responding to this prompt.

The most stressful part of the process is just breaking down the essay prompts to figure out what they are really trying to ask you. Take Boston College’s supplemental essay prompts  for example. All the prompts are 2-3 sentences long and cover a lot ground. Follow our blog to get the breakdown of all the different supplemental essay prompts. It’ll make it easier for you to choose which one to respond to, and what to write about.

Finally, don’t forget to think about the bigger picture. Go back to the qualities you want to show off with your application and see if there is an essay prompt that gives you the opportunity to do that.

4. Short Questions

Last but not least, there are the short questions. A few universities will have a few questions for you to list out your favorite film, book, website, role model, and so on. This is another way for the admissions office to learn more about you as an individual. Don’t agonize over these short questions and waste too much time on them. Just be genuine about who you are and let your voice come through in how you answer these (meaning word choice and tone). It’ll read authentically to the admissions officer if you do. 

Supplemental Essay Tip 4: Be Genuine

If there’s one advice that is constantly reiterated by people in the college admissions field, it’s this: “Be Genuine.” It seems intuitive, but it is a hard to do when you are trying to appeal to these selective universities to choose you over thousands of other applicants. It goes without saying that you certainly should not lie about anything in your application, and also be careful you’re not exaggerating any of your achievements. When applicants try to make certain activities sound more impressive than they are, this often backfires. Same goes for trying to sound too mature or intellectual; if your essay doesn’t sound like your writing, it’s easy to spot (admissions officers have been doing this a long time!). Give the admissions officers a chance to know the real you, and they, too, will give you a chance at their university.

Read more: UNC Chapel Hill 2018-2019 Essay Prompts

Supplemental Essay Tip 5: Pay Attention to Detail & Plan Ahead

At best, you won’t have any supplemental essays to write (woohoo!). At worst, you’ll have 24 additional writing requirements. So, finalize your school list and create a list of supplemental essay prompts you have to respond to. You don’t want to find out late in the game you’ve missed a prompt for one of your schools, and have to scramble last minute.

One more time: think about the bigger picture. Consider all  the major themes you want to convey with your essays, then attribute them accordingly to each essay prompt. Look at your application as whole and strategize what you should emphasize in what essay. It’ll be helpful to plan ahead, so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting fresh every time you begin a new supplemental essay—you have a plan.

Don’t slack off just because these are “supplemental” essays. They should receive the same kind of attention as your personal statement. Get your friends, family or a trusted teacher to proofread them. Everything you submit with your application should be meaningful and impactful. Make everything count.

If there are any additional supplemental essay prompts you need help breaking down, comment the school name below! For supplemental essay examples, you can now search by supplemental essay topics on our search page. Or, you can check out our curated packages to find what you’re looking! For further access, upgrade to our  premium plans  offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. 

About The Author

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

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Home » Career Advice » Professional Development » Which Colleges Require Supplemental Essays? A Detailed Guide

Which Colleges Require Supplemental Essays? A Detailed Guide

Applying to college involves understanding various requirements, including supplemental essays that provide insight into applicants beyond their academic records. This guide focuses on the supplemental essay prompts for some of the most popular colleges, providing detailed information sourced from College Essay Advisors . On their website they have full detailed guides on over 150+ colleges supplemental essays.

The admissions committees design the supplemental essay prompts to understand your background, interests, and aspirations. By effectively responding to these prompts, you can highlight your unique experiences and how you will contribute to the college community. Below, we have outlined the specific essay requirements for ten popular colleges to help you prepare and succeed in your application process.

American University Supplemental Essay Requirements

American University requires one essay of 150 words focused on community engagement. The supplemental essay aims to understand how applicants can contribute to the university’s Inclusive Excellence.

American University Supplemental Essay Prompt

At American University, Inclusive Excellence is a cornerstone of the academic experience for our students, and we deeply value the learning that is inspired by the diversity of backgrounds and life experiences that all our community members bring with them. Please share why you would like to join this community. (150 words)

American University seeks students who actively engage with and learn from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. In your essay, share a story where you fostered inclusivity within a community and connect it to your vision for contributing to American University’s diverse and inclusive environment. Highlight experiences such as participating in a progressive church youth group, joining the marching band, or any other instance where you built meaningful relationships across different backgrounds. Explain how these experiences shape your desire to contribute to AU’s community and your plans to continue this engagement on campus.

Amherst College Supplemental Essay Requirements

Amherst College requires one essay of 300 words and a series of optional short answers. The supplemental essays focus on activities, diversity, and a topic of choice, allowing applicants to provide a more detailed picture of themselves beyond test scores and grades.

Optional additional identity information: The questions below provide a space for you to share additional information about yourself. This information is used in the admission process to understand each applicant’s full context, as part of our whole-person review process. Your responses will be kept private and secure, and will not be used for a discriminatory purpose.

If you would like to share more about yourself that is not captured elsewhere in your application, please tell us more here. (Maximum: 175 words)

Optional LGBTQ+ Information

Do you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community? If you wish to share this information, please complete the following question: If you wish to share more about your LBGTQ+ affiliation, please use the space below. (Maximum: 75 words)

Extracurricular Activity or Work Experience

Please briefly elaborate on an extracurricular activity or work experience of particular significance to you. (Maximum: 175 words)

Research Experience

If you have engaged in significant research in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences or humanities that was undertaken independently of your high school curriculum, please provide a brief description of the research project: (Optional) (50-75 words)

Supplementary Essay Options

In addition to the essay you are writing as part of the Common Application, Amherst requires a supplementary essay from all applicants. There are three options for satisfying Amherst’s supplementary writing requirement: Option A, Option B or Option C. You may select only one of these options. Before deciding, carefully read the descriptions of all three options.

Choose one of the following quotations, and respond to the question posed, in an essay of not more than 350 words. It is not necessary to research, read, or refer to the texts from which these quotations are taken; we are looking for original, personal responses to these short excerpts. Remember that your essay should be personal in nature and not simply an argumentative essay.

“Amherst College is committed to learning through close colloquy and to expanding the realm of knowledge through scholarly research and artistic creation at the highest level. Its graduates link learning with leadership—in service to the College, to their communities, and to the world beyond.”

– from the Mission of Amherst College

Prompt 1 Question: What do you see as the benefits of linking learning with leadership and/or service? In your response, please share with us a time where you have seen that benefit through your own experience.

“We seek an Amherst made stronger because it includes those whose experiences can enhance our understanding of our nation and our world. We do so in the faith that our humanity is an identity forged from diversity, and that our different perspectives enrich our inquiry, deepen our knowledge, strengthen our community, and prepare students to engage with an ever-changing world.”

– from the Trustee Statement on Diversity and Community

Prompt  2 Question: In what ways could your unique experiences enhance our understanding of our nation and our world?

“Strong commitment to the freedom of inquiry lies at the heart of Amherst College’s mission to create a home in which the liberal arts may flourish. As a small residential liberal arts college that prides itself on the ability, curiosity, and diversity of its students, Amherst seeks to create a respectful environment in which members of its community feel emboldened to pursue their intellectual and creative passions.”

– from the Amherst College Statement of Academic and Expressive Freedom

Prompt 3 Question: Tell us about an intellectual or creative passion you have pursued; what did you learn about yourself through that pursuit?

Please submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay. If you have submitted an analytical essay in response to the “essay topic of your choice” prompt in the Common Application writing section, you should NOT select Option B.

Amherst’s supplementary essay prompts aim to reveal more about applicants’ personal stories, intellectual pursuits, and community involvement, allowing them to stand out in the admissions process.

Boston College Supplemental Essay Requirements

Boston College requires one essay of 400 words, with applicants choosing from several prompts that reflect the Jesuit tradition of reflective dialogue and social engagement.

University Convocation Book Recommendation

Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?

Worthwhile Conversation Partner

At Boston College, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversation partners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role in your life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partner challenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

The Danger of a Single Story

In her November 2019 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.  Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

Local or Global Issues

Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it?

Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants Only

HCE Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Boston College’s prompts encourage applicants to reflect on personal experiences, intellectual engagement, and societal concerns, aligning with its mission to educate thoughtful, service-oriented individuals.

Boston University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: 1 essay of 300 words

Boston University is dedicated to our founding principles: “that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University’s insistence on the value of diversity in its tradition and standards of excellence and its dynamic engagement with the City of Boston and the world.” With this mission in mind, please respond to one of the following two questions in 300 words or less:

• Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?
• What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?

BU wants to understand your social awareness or what excites you about joining their community. Show your engagement and vision for contributing to BU.

Brown University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: 3 essays of 250 words; 4 short answers

• Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown. (200-250 words)
• Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)
• Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200-250 words)

Help us get to know you better by reflecting briefly on each of the questions below. We expect that answers will range from a few words to a few sentences at most:

• What three words best describe you? (3 words)
• What is your most meaningful extracurricular commitment, and what would you like us to know about it? (100 words)
• If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100 words)
• In one sentence, Why Brown? (50 words)

Brown’s prompts encourage reflection on academic interests, personal background, and sources of joy. Connect your experiences and aspirations to Brown’s offerings.

Columbia University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: 1 list of 100 words; 4 essays of 150 words each.

List questions

For the list question that follows, there is a 100 word maximum. Please refer to the below guidance when answering this question:

• Your response should be a list of items separated by commas or semicolons.
• Items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order.
• It is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications.
• No author names, subtitles or explanatory remarks are needed.

List a selection of texts, resources and outlets that have contributed to your intellectual development outside of academic courses, including but not limited to books, journals, websites, podcasts, essays, plays, presentations, videos, museums and other content that you enjoy.  (100 words or fewer)

Short answer questions

For the four short answer questions, please respond in 150 words or fewer.

• A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer)
• In college/university, students are often challenged in ways that they could not predict or anticipate. It is important to us, therefore, to understand an applicant’s ability to navigate through adversity. Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have faced and discuss the personal qualities, skills or insights you have developed as a result. (150 words or fewer)
• Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. (150 words or fewer)
• What attracts you to your preferred areas of study at Columbia College or Columbia Engineering? (150 words or fewer)

Columbia seeks insight into your intellectual interests, perspectives, resilience, and specific reasons for choosing Columbia.

Cornell University Supplemental Essay Requirements

In the online Common Application Writing Supplement for those applying for Fall 2025 entry, please respond to both the Cornell University essay question and the essay prompt that corresponds to the undergraduate college or school to which you are applying.

Cornell University Essay Question

We all contribute to, and are influenced by, the communities that are meaningful to us. Share how you’ve been shaped by one of the communities you belong to.

Remember that this essay is about you and your lived experience. Define community in the way that is most meaningful to you. Some examples of community you might choose from are: family, school, shared interest, virtual, local, global, cultural. (350 word limit)

College and School-Specific Essay Questions

College of agriculture and life sciences.

Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals influenced your choice. (500-word limit)

Optional: At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are passionate about serving the public good. Please elaborate on an experience where you were able to have a meaningful impact on people, a community, and/or an environment of importance to you. (100-word limit)

Optional: Cornell CALS is dedicated to purpose-driven study of the agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with interests that span a wide variety of disciplines. Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background or interest in agriculture, regardless of your intended major. An “agricultural entity” for the purpose of this question is defined as cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock (e.g., farm, ranch, greenhouse, vineyard, etc.).

Select all that apply:

• A primary source of income for my parent/guardian(s) comes from ownership of or employment by an agricultural entity.
• My extended family owns or operates an agricultural entity.
• I have experience working in an agricultural entity.
• I have interest in pursuing a career in an agricultural entity.

Please feel free to share additional details (optional). (100-word limit)

College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

How do your interests directly connect with your intended major at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP)? Why architecture (B.Arch), art (BFA), or urban and regional studies (URS)? B. Arch applicants, please provide an example of how a creative project or passion sparks your motivation to pursue a 5-year professional degree program. BFA applicants may want to to consider how they could integrate a range of interests and available resources at Cornell into a coherent art practice. URS students may want to emphasize their enthusiasm and depth of interest in the study of urban and regional issues. (650 word limit)

College of Arts & Sciences

At the College of Arts and Sciences, curiosity will be your guide. Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences. (650 word limit)

Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy: Why are you drawn to studying public policy? Drawing on your experiences, tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School will help you achieve your life goals. (650 word limit)

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration). (650 word limit)

College of Engineering

Instructions: All engineering applicants are required to write two long essays and four short essays.

Long Essay Responses (200 word limit)

Question 1: Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering?

Question 2: Why do you think you would love to study at Cornell Engineering?

Short Answer Responses (100 word limit)

Question 1: What brings you joy?

Question 2: What do you believe you will contribute to the Cornell Engineering community beyond what you’ve already detailed in your application? What unique voice will you bring?

Question 3: What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.

Question 4: What is one award you have received or achievement you have attained that has meant the most to you? Please briefly describe its importance to you.

College of Human Ecology

How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology (CHE) been shaped and informed by your related experiences? How will what you learn through CHE and your chosen major impact your goals and plans for the future? Your response should demonstrate how your interests and aspirations align with CHE’s programs and mission. (Refer to our essay application tips before you begin.) (650 word limit)

School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School. (650 word limit)

Cornell’s prompts focus on your community influences and specific interests in your chosen field, requiring a tailored response for each college within Cornell.

Duke University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: One required 250-word essay and two optional 250-word essays

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you?  If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 word limit)

We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. Feel free to answer the questions if you believe they will add something meaningful that isn’t already shared elsewhere in your application. Four optional questions are available, and you can select up to two.

Select 0 – 2 optional essay topics

Respond in 250 words or fewer.

• We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.
• Tell us about an experience in the past year or two that reflects your imagination, creativity or intellect.
• We believe there is benefit in sharing or questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?
• We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you.
• Duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community.

Duke’s prompts explore your fit for the university, imagination, perspectives on disagreements, and aspects of your identity and background.

Georgetown University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: 1 essay of 250 words; 1 half-page essay; 2 page-long essays

• Prompt 1: Please elaborate on any special talents or skills you would like to highlight. (250 words)
• Prompt 2: Briefly discuss the significance to you of the school or summer activity in which you have been most involved. (approximately 1/2 page, single-spaced)
• Prompt 3: As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief personal or creative essay which you feel best describes you and reflects on your own background, identity, skills, and talents. (approximately 1 page, single-spaced)

Georgetown University School-Specific Prompts

(Each school-specific prompt should not exceed 1 page, single-spaced)

Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences

A liberal arts education from the College of Arts & Sciences involves encounters with new concepts and modes of inquiry. Describe something (a class, a book, an event, etc.) that changed your thinking. (Applicants to the sciences, mathematics, public policy or languages are encouraged to include examples related to that field.)

School of Health

Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying health care at Georgetown University. Please specifically address your intended major (Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy, or Human Science).

School of Nursing

Describe the factors that have influenced your interest in studying your intended major, Nursing.

Walsh School of Foreign Service

The Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders to solve global problems. What is motivating you to dedicate your undergraduate studies to a future in service to the world?

McDonough School of Business

The McDonough School of Business is a national and global leader in providing graduates with essential ethical, analytical, financial and global perspectives. Please discuss your motivations for studying business at Georgetown.

Georgetown’s prompts focus on intellectual experiences, significant activities, and a personal or creative essay showcasing your background and talents.

Harvard University Supplemental Essay Requirements

The Requirements: Five essays of 200 words or fewer

Harvard is asking 2023-24 applicants to pen five short essays in response to the following prompts:

• Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?* (200 words)
• Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you.* (200 words)
• Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.* (200 words)
• How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?* (200 words)
• Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.* (200 words)

Harvard’s prompts cover your contributions, intellectual experiences, activities, future goals, and personal qualities you would share with your roommates.

Typical Supplemental Essay Requirements

The supplemental essay requirements for these ten colleges share common themes, such as reflecting on personal experiences, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, and showing how applicants can contribute to the campus community. Many prompts ask students to discuss their academic interests , personal growth, and involvement in community or extracurricular activities. These essays provide a platform for applicants to showcase their unique backgrounds, perspectives, and aspirations.

However, there are notable differences among the colleges. Some, like Columbia and Cornell, require multiple short responses that delve into specific experiences and academic goals, while others, like Boston College and Georgetown, offer prompts that explore broader themes of personal identity and societal impact. Each college tailors its prompts to align with its values and educational philosophy, allowing applicants to present a holistic picture of themselves and how they fit into the school’s environment.

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