Supplemental Essays: How to Write for Specific Universities 2026

You’ve just finished writing your Personal Statement for the Common App. 650 words, four drafts, three sleepless nights, and finally – an essay you’re proud of. You open the “My Colleges” tab, click on Stanford, and see: three additional essay questions, each 100-250 words. You click on Harvard, five additional questions. MIT – another five. Yale – three to five, depending on the year. You start counting: if you apply to eight universities, that’s another 25-40 miniature essays, each requiring separate research, a unique story, and a distinct approach.

Welcome to the world of supplemental essays, additional essays required by specific universities, which are arguably the most challenging and time-consuming part of the entire application process. And at the same time – the element that most often determines acceptance or rejection.

Why? Because your Personal Statement is read by every university you apply to; it’s universal. Supplemental essays are written exclusively for one university. An admissions officer at Stanford reads your supplement and looks for the answer to one key question: “Does this student truly want to be HERE – with US – or are they just pasting the same answer into every application?” A generic supplement means immediate elimination. A specific, authentic, thoroughly researched supplement is an advantage that no SAT score can provide.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through each type of supplemental essay, show you specific prompts from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Yale for the 2025-2026 cycle, explain writing strategies from the perspective of a Polish applicant, and highlight common mistakes that eliminate strong Polish high school graduates every year. If you haven’t yet read our complete guide to college application essays (which covers both the Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays), start there. And if you’re just getting acquainted with the process, read our complete guide to applying to US universities.

What Exactly Are Supplemental Essays?

Supplemental essays (additional essays, supplements) are essay questions asked by specific universities as part of applications through the Common App, Coalition App, or their own admissions portals. Unlike the Personal Statement (the main Common App essay of 650 words, which is common to all universities), supplemental essays:

• Are unique to each university – Harvard asks different questions than Stanford, MIT different than Yale
• Have varying word limits, from 50 words (short answer) to 650 words (full essay)
• Can include 1 to 8 questions per university
• Change every year (though many universities repeat the same questions with minor modifications)
• Are read only by that specific university – unlike the Personal Statement

Why Universities Require Supplements

Universities with low acceptance rates (Harvard ~3.2%, Stanford ~3.7%, MIT ~3.9%) face a challenge: thousands of excellent candidates with identical scores, similar activities, and comparable Personal Statements. Supplemental essays allow them to assess:

1. Whether the candidate genuinely wants to study with us, whether they chose this university consciously, or are applying “blindly”
2. Whether they fit the university’s culture – each university has its “personality” and seeks students who will enrich it
3. Who they are beyond their scores and main essay, additional facets of their personality, interests, and values
4. How well they handle precise writing – a 100-word supplement requires entirely different skills than a 650-word essay

Main Types of Supplemental Essays

Although each university phrases its questions uniquely, supplemental essays can be categorized into several recurring types. Understanding these types is key to effective planning, because once you recognize the type, you know what the admissions committee is looking for.

Type 1: “Why us?” – Why do you want to study with us?

This is the most common and most important type of supplemental essay. Almost every selective university asks it. The question is phrased differently: “Why Yale?”, “Why Columbia?”, “What about MIT appeals to you?”, but the intention is identical: prove that you know us and that you have a specific reason to be here.

What the committee looks for:

• Specifics, not generalities – not “your prestigious university,” but “Professor Maria Chen’s lab on neural network interpretability, which directly connects to my passion project”
• A connection between YOU and the UNIVERSITY, not a description of the university, but an explanation of why this particular university is ideal for YOUR profile
• Evidence of research – an admissions officer immediately recognizes a candidate who has read the university’s website versus one who only knows its ranking

How to research a university (step-by-step):

1. Department/program website – read about the program you want to apply to. Find specific professors, courses, labs, research projects
2. Student newspaper – e.g., The Harvard Crimson, The Stanford Daily. You’ll learn about student culture, events, campus issues
3. YouTube, student vlogs, campus footage, professor presentations
4. Student organizations – find those that match your interests. If you host a science podcast in Poland, find a similar organization at the university
5. Alumni, if you know a university alumnus (even online), talk to them

What NOT to write in “Why us?”:

• “Your university is ranked #3 in the world” – the admissions officer knows their ranking
• “The beautiful campus and vibrant student life” – this applies to any university
• “I want to learn from the best professors” – this is a cliché
• Copy-paste from another university (with the name swapped. YES, this happens and YES, committees see it)

Type 2: “Why this major?” – Why this field of study?

Some universities ask why you want to study a specific major or field. This question is especially important at universities where you declare your major upon application (e.g., MIT, Carnegie Mellon, some programs at Stanford).

Strategy:

• Tell a story, not “I want to study computer science because it’s the future,” but “When I was 15, I built a script that automated my school’s library catalog and saved the librarian 10 hours a week. That was the moment I realized I want to build things that solve real problems.”
• Connect past, present, and future – what inspired you, what you’re doing now, how the university will help you achieve your goal
• Be specific about the program, list courses, specializations, professors

Type 3: Community essay – how you will enrich the community

This type of essay asks: “What community do you consider your own?” or “What will you contribute to our student community?” American universities treat the campus as a micro-society, seeking students who actively build the community, not just benefit from it.

What “community” means in the American context:

• It could be your neighborhood, school, team, online group, religious community, ethnic minority, family – anything you feel an authentic connection to
• For a Polish candidate: your community can be unique and interesting to the committee, e.g., the tradition of Polish Scouting (harcerstwo), the Polish diaspora community abroad, the academic Olympiad movement, a scientific community in a small town.

Note for Polish candidates: in Poland, the word “społeczność” (community) does not carry the same cultural weight as in the USA. The American concept of community is deeply rooted in a tradition of civic engagement. Don’t write “my family is my community” – that’s too narrow. Think broader: what do you do for others?

Type 4: Diversity essay, diversity and perspective

Questions about diversity are phrased differently: “How will your background contribute to the diversity of our campus?”, “Tell us about a time you encountered a perspective different from your own.” It’s not exclusively about race or ethnicity – it’s about diversity of perspectives, experiences, ways of thinking.

How a Polish candidate can approach the diversity essay:

• Growing up in post-communist Poland, a perspective most American candidates don’t have. Your grandparents remember the Polish People’s Republic (PRL), your parents experienced the systemic transformation, and you are growing up in a country that transitioned from communism to the EU within a single generation.
• Bilingualism and biculturalism – navigating between Polish and Anglo-Saxon cultures
• Perspective from a “smaller” country, you see the world differently than a candidate from New York or London
• Specifically Polish experiences – Polish Scouting (harcerstwo), academic culture, the tradition of academic Olympiads, the Polish high school leaving exam (matura) system.

Type 5: Activity essay, tell us about an important activity

A short essay (100-250 words) where you elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities – the one that holds the most significance for you. This is an opportunity to go beyond the 150-character description in the Common App and tell a real story.

Strategy:

• Don’t repeat what’s already in the activity description; delve deeper, add emotional context
• Show impact – not “I was president of the debate club,” but “I watched a shy freshman deliver her first argument and lose badly, and then come back next week, better prepared”
• Read our guide to extracurricular activities to understand how universities evaluate activities

Type 6: Intellectual curiosity

Stanford is famous for its question about “intellectual vitality.” MIT asks about something that fascinates you. This is an essay where you show that you learn not for grades, but because you can’t stop. That at three in the morning, you’re reading an article about quantum gravimetry not because you have to, but because you WANT to.

How to write it:

• Be specific, not “I’m curious about everything,” but “I spent two weeks trying to understand why the Banach-Tarski paradox doesn’t violate conservation of mass”
• Show the process – how your curiosity leads to action (research, a project, asking a teacher)
• Be authentic, the committee will recognize feigned passion

How Many Supplemental Essays Do Top Universities Require – 2025-2026 Overview

The number and type of supplemental essays change annually, but here’s an overview for the 2025-2026 application cycle (prompts may be slightly modified, always check the current version on the university’s website or in the Common App):

Harvard University – 5 supplements

Harvard requires five short essays (approx. 200-word limit each). Prompts include questions about:

• Intellectual experience, an intellectual experience that shaped you
• Future contribution – how you plan to use your Harvard education
• Life experience, a moment or life experience
• List of activities, travel, family – additional information
• What you want the committee to know about you

Strategy for a Polish candidate: Harvard looks for “intellectual vitality” and “character.” Use each of the five essays to showcase a different aspect of yourself; don’t repeat content from your Personal Statement. Your Polish experiences (Academic Olympiads, Polish Scouting, growing up in a post-communist country) offer unique perspectives. More about Harvard in our complete guide.

Stanford University – 5 supplements

Stanford is known for its creative questions. Typical prompts for 2025-2026:

• What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)
• How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)
• What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)
• What five words best describe you? (list)
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why (250 words)

Plus one longer essay “Why Stanford?” or about intellectual vitality.

Strategy for a Polish candidate: Stanford values creativity and authenticity. 50-word questions are no joke; every word must work hard. Don’t waste them on clichés. “Last two summers” is an opportunity to show you’re doing something unconventional – not “I went to the beach and studied for SAT.” More: complete guide to Stanford and essays for Stanford.

MIT, 5 supplements

MIT is the only top university that does NOT use the Common App – it has its own portal (MyMIT). Essay questions for the 2025-2026 cycle:

• Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it (200 words)
• Describe the world you come from (200 words)
• Tell us about a significant challenge (200 words)
• Tell us about something you’d like to explore at MIT (200 words)
• Community contribution (200 words)

Strategy for a Polish candidate: MIT looks for “builders,” people who create things. If you have technical projects, open-source contributions, robots, applications, experiments – this is your moment. “The world you come from” is an ideal place to tell the story of growing up in Poland. Guide: how to get into MIT.

Yale University, 3-5 supplements

Yale asks questions that change more frequently than other universities. Typical prompts:

• Why Yale? (125 words)
• Reflect on something that has been important to your intellectual development (250 words)
• Yale’s residential colleges: what would you contribute? (250 words)
• Short takes: a series of questions, 35 words each (e.g., “A topic or idea that excites you,” “Something you have made”)

Strategy for a Polish candidate: Yale emphasizes its residential college system – community is key. In “Why Yale?”, it’s not enough to write about prestige; show that you understand what residential colleges are and how you want to participate in them. 35-word short takes are an extreme challenge – practice precision. More: essays for Yale 2026 and how to get into Yale.

”Why us?” Strategy Step-by-Step: A Workshop for Polish Candidates

Since “Why us?” is the most common and most important supplement, let’s dedicate a separate section to it with a practical workshop.

Step 1: Deep Research (5-10 hours per university)

There are no shortcuts. To write an authentic “Why us?” essay, you truly need to get to know the university. Here’s what to read:

• Program/department website – read course descriptions, not just names. Find 2-3 courses that genuinely interest you and explain WHY
• Professor profiles, find researchers whose work connects with your interests. Read their publications (at least the abstracts)
• Student clubs and organizations – find organizations you’d like to join OR ones that are missing and you could start
• Student newspaper, you’ll learn about the culture, issues, and initiatives on campus
• Webinars and virtual tours – many universities offer online sessions for applicants

Step 2: Create a list of “connection points”

A connection point is a specific element of the university that links to your profile. You need at least 3-4 connection points per essay:

Step 3: Writing – A Formula That Works

An effective “Why us?” essay connects your experiences with specific university elements into a cohesive narrative. Here’s the structure:

1. Hook (1-2 sentences), a surprising opening that grabs attention
2. Connection 1 – a specific university element + how it connects to your profile
3. Connection 2, another aspect (e.g., courses, if the first was about research)
4. Connection 3 – community, campus culture, student organizations
5. Closure, how all of this forms a picture of your ideal university experience

Example (do not copy – this is a template):

“When I read Professor Chen’s paper on neural network interpretability last summer, I realized that the questions keeping me up at night – Can AI explain itself? Should it? – are the same questions her lab has been exploring for five years. At MIT, I would not only have the chance to work with her team but also to bring my own perspective: a dataset I’ve been building since my junior year, tracking how Polish teenagers trust (or distrust) algorithmic recommendations on social media…”

Step 4: Authenticity Test

Before submitting, ask yourself: if I swap the university’s name for another, does the essay still work? If so – the essay is too generic. Go back to step 2 and add more connection points.

Short Answer Questions: Every Word Counts

Many universities ask questions with 50-150 word limits. These are not “less important” questions – they are tests of precision and authenticity. In 50 words, there’s no room for an introduction, body, and conclusion. There’s room for one memorable sentence.

Strategies for Short Answers

Be specific, not abstract:

• Weak (50 words): “The biggest challenge facing society is climate change, which threatens our planet and future generations. We need to work together to find sustainable solutions through innovation, policy change, and individual action.”
• Strong (50 words): “A grandmother in Kraków told me she hasn’t seen snow in December since 2019. Climate change isn’t an abstraction, it’s a stolen white Christmas, a farmer’s ruined harvest, my cousin’s asthma attacks on smog days. The data is global; the suffering is always local.”

Show personality:

• Stanford asks: “What five words best describe you?” – don’t write “hardworking, intelligent, creative, passionate, determined.” Write something memorable: “Borrows-dad’s-telescope-every-Friday” or “Makes-pierogi-explains-thermodynamics-simultaneously”

Don’t waste a single word:

• Remove phrases like “I think,” “I believe,” “In my opinion” – it’s obvious that it’s your opinion
• Remove adjectives that add nothing: “very,” “really,” “quite”
• Every sentence should carry new information

How to Leverage Your Polish Background as a Strength in Supplements

As a Polish candidate, you have something 95% of applicants don’t: a unique perspective. Don’t hide it – use it as your greatest advantage.

Themes that Resonate with Admissions Committees

Systemic Transformation: You are growing up in a country that, within a single generation, transitioned from communism to the European Union. Your grandparents stood in lines for bread. Your parents experienced the shock of privatization. You are growing up in one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies. This isn’t an ordinary story; it’s a story of resilience, adaptation, and hope.

Bilingualism and Navigating Between Cultures: You study within the Polish system, but you’re applying to the American one. You think in Polish, you write in English. You know both Mickiewicz and Fitzgerald. This isn’t a problem – it’s a superpower. In an essay about “community” or “diversity,” you can describe how navigating between two cultures has shaped your thinking.

Polish Academic Tradition: Academic subject Olympiads (Olimpiady przedmiotowe) in Poland are a serious matter: a multi-stage, nationwide competition that requires years of preparation. If you are a laureate or finalist, explain the context: “A national-level competition with 5,000+ initial participants, three elimination rounds over six months.”

Growing Up in a “Smaller” Country: Most candidates for Harvard or Stanford come from the USA, China, India, or the UK. Poland is a “smaller player” – and this is your chance. The committee sees hundreds of essays about growing up in Manhattan and Shanghai. An essay about growing up in Kraków, Gdańsk, or Lublin is a breath of fresh air.

Social Initiative in the Polish Context: If you led an educational project, volunteered, or ran a social campaign in Poland, explain the context: what problems you’re solving, why it’s important in the Polish reality, and how it connects with your global ambitions.

Word Count Strategy – 250 Words vs. 650 Words

Different word limits require fundamentally different approaches. A 250-word essay is not a shortened version of a 650-word essay; it’s a different literary genre.

50-100 Word Essay

• One idea, one key sentence
• No introduction – start directly with the point
• No conclusion, end with a strong sentence
• Every word must work – if you remove a word and the meaning doesn’t change, the word shouldn’t be there

100-250 Word Essay

• One anecdote + one conclusion
• A short, specific hook (1-2 sentences)
• One story or example (3-5 sentences)
• A closing that ties the story to the question (1-2 sentences)
• No “development” in the school essay format; every sentence is new information.

250-400 Word Essay

• One story + 2-3 connection points
• Room for a bit more context and depth
• Still no unnecessary introductions – start with action or an image
• Ideal format for “Why us?”, enough space for 3-4 specific connection points

500-650 Word Essay

• Full narrative with a dramatic arc
• Room for character development (yours), context, reflection
• Can have a more literary character – metaphors, imagery, dialogue
• But still: precision > volume. 650 words is still a short form

Golden Rule

Write the first version without looking at the limit. Then cut mercilessly. An essay that was 400 words and cut to 250 is almost always stronger than an essay written directly to 250, because in the cutting process, you retain only what truly matters.

Mistakes That Eliminate Polish Candidates

After years of observing applications from Polish students to top universities, here are the most common mistakes in supplemental essays:

Mistake 1: Generic “Why us?”

“I am deeply passionate about attending your prestigious university, which is known for its world-class education, distinguished faculty, and vibrant campus life.” This sentence fits any university in the world. An admissions officer will read it and put your application in the “no” pile.

Fix: Replace every general statement with a specific fact. Not “distinguished faculty” – but “Professor Sarah Kim’s research on CRISPR gene editing in agricultural applications, published in Nature Biotechnology in 2025.”

Mistake 2: Repeating the Personal Statement

Supplemental essays are meant to expand on your image, not repeat it. If your Personal Statement is about hospice volunteering, and your “activity that is meaningful” supplement is also about hospice volunteering, you’re wasting space.

Fix: Treat all essays as a portfolio – each should showcase a different aspect of your personality, interests, or experiences.

Mistake 3: Listing Instead of Storytelling

Polish students, accustomed to the expository essay (rozprawka) format, tend to list things: “Firstly, Stanford offers X. Secondly, I value Y. Thirdly, I want Z.” This isn’t an essay; it’s a list. Admissions officers are looking for narrative, not bullet points.

Fix: Tell a story. Instead of “Firstly, I’m interested in artificial intelligence,” write: “At 3 AM last March, I was debugging a neural network that was supposed to classify Polish regional dialects. It kept confusing Silesian with Kashubian. That frustration – that beautiful, stubborn frustration – is why I want to study CS at Stanford.”

Mistake 4: Copying and Pasting Between Universities

Yes, it happens. And yes, committees see it, especially when someone forgets to change the university’s name (that’s not an anecdote; it really happens every year). But even if you change the name, generic text is generic.

Fix: Each “Why us?” essay must be written from scratch for a specific university. You can recycle themes (if you’re interested in AI, you can write about it in every “Why us?” essay) – but the connection points must be unique.

Mistake 5: Overly Modest Tone

Polish culture values modesty. American admissions culture values confidence backed by specifics. Don’t write: “I think I could perhaps contribute to your community.” Write: “I will bring my experience in building educational platforms that served 2,000 students to Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning.”

Mistake 6: Ignoring Short Answers

35-50 word questions might seem unimportant. They are not. A Yale admissions officer reads your short takes with the same attention as a 250-word essay. A trivial short answer (“I love reading books”) is a wasted opportunity.

Supplemental Essay Writing Timeline

Supplemental essays are a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re applying to 8-10 universities, you have 30-50 miniature essays ahead of you. Here’s a realistic timeline:

Summer Before Senior Year (June-August)

• Write your Personal Statement, that’s priority number one. More: how to write a college application essay
• Research your universities – conduct research for each university you plan to apply to. Take notes
• Identify question types, check which supplemental essays your universities require (prompts are usually available from August)
• Start writing drafts – 1-2 universities per week. Don’t perfect – just write

September-October

• Finalize supplements for Early Decision / REA, if you’re applying early (November 1st deadline), your supplements must be ready by mid-October
• Have someone read them – a mentor, an English teacher, a native speaker. Don’t ask “is it good?”; ask “after reading it, do you know why I want to study at this specific university?”
• Edit mercilessly – every word must work

November-December

• Write supplements for Regular Decision, deadline January 1-15
• Don’t put it off until the last week – a supplement written at 3 AM on December 31st will NOT be as strong as one written in advance
• Recycle wisely, if you have a strong anecdote, you can use it in supplements for different universities, but adapt the connection points

Key Rule: Quality > Quantity of Universities

It’s better to apply to 8 universities with excellent supplements than to 15 with generic ones. Each additional university means 3-5 extra essays – and your energy and creativity are not infinite. Plan strategically with the help of our timeline for applying to universities abroad.

Help with Writing Supplements: College Council, Prepclass.io, Okiro.io

Supplemental essays are where professional support makes the biggest difference. It’s not about someone writing for you – it’s about feedback, strategy, and perspective.

• College Council, our mentors work with Polish students on every essay: from brainstorming, through drafts, to final editing. We help research universities, identify connection points, and ensure your Polish experiences are presented in a way that is understandable to an American admissions committee. Schedule a free consultation.
• Prepclass.io – a platform for TOEFL preparation. Strong English is the foundation of good essays – if your TOEFL Writing is below 27, start by improving your language skills (e.g., on prepclass.io), and only then sit down to write your essays.
• Okiro.io – a platform for Digital SAT preparation. Your SAT score provides the context in which the committee reads your essays; 1500+ gives you credibility that strengthens every sentence.

Also read our detailed guides on essays for specific universities: essays for Stanford and essays for Yale 2026.

Read Also

If this guide was helpful to you, here are articles that will assist you in further steps:

• College Application Essays for US Universities – A Comprehensive Guide, a full guide to Personal Statements and supplements
• How to Write a Perfect College Application Essay for US Universities – narrative techniques, structure, writing process
• Common App Step-by-Step Guide – how to fill out each section of the application platform
• Extracurricular Activities: How to Build a Candidate Profile – strong supplemental material starts with a strong profile
• How to Get into Harvard: A Guide for Polish Students – including details on the Harvard Supplement

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Supplemental Essays

Article updated in February 2026. Essay prompts developed based on official university requirements for the 2025-2026 application cycle and the experience of College Council mentors working with Polish candidates.