barnard college essay examples

Barnard College Columbia University

Barnard Writing Supplement Questions

In addition to the personal essay which you will submit through the Common Application or QuestBridge, Barnard asks first-year applicants to respond to institution-specific Writing Supplement questions. We recommend spending time to thoughtfully consider these questions and your responses. Your answers to these questions, in conjunction with the rest of your application, will help the Admissions Committee understand how you may contribute to our community both academically and personally.

Below are the Barnard Writing Supplement questions for first-year students. Please note that the questions may change from year to year.

• Required: Our backgrounds and experiences shape how we navigate the world and see ourselves. Tell us about when, where, or with whom you feel your most authentic, powerful self. How might Barnard College further cultivate this version of you? (250 words max)
• Required: Barnard College celebrates intellectual risk-taking, and we believe that academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What questions do you have about the world around you, and why do they matter to you? (250 words max)
• Optional: As a college for women, “Barnard embraces its responsibility to address gender issues in all their complexity and urgency to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.” How have you thought about gender in your academic life thus far and how has it shaped your learning experiences? (250 words max)
• Optional: Barnard College’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission statement says “Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity has the potential to disrupt and transform entrenched practices and thinking.” In what ways have you challenged ideas, practices, or spaces? What did you learn from these experiences? (250 words max)
• Optional: Pick one woman — a historical figure, a fictitious character, or a modern individual — who you’d like to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. Why does this person intrigue you? What would you talk about? What questions would you ask her? (250 words max)

Barnard Supplemental Essays 2023-24

One of the key steps to getting into Barnard is writing your Barnard College supplemental essays. Like many top schools, Barnard uses supplemental essays to learn more about their applicants during the admissions process. Before we start our discussion of the Barnard supplemental essays, let’s learn a bit more about Barnard.

In this guide to the Barnard supplemental essays, we’ll go over Barnard’s essay and application requirements. Mainly, we will discuss the required Barnard college essays, like the Why Barnard essay, along with the optional Barnard essays. Throughout, you’ll find tips on approaching the Barnard College essays and advice on how to get into Barnard.

Ready to get started? First, let’s review some quick facts about the Barnard College application process.

Barnard Essays: Quick Facts

Barnard college supplemental essays quick facts.

• Barnard Acceptance Rate: 11% – U.S. News ranks Barnard as a highly selective school. 
• Why Barnard essay
• Intellectual curiosity essay
• Gender essay
• Challenging ideas essay
• One woman essay
• Barnard Application: Students must submit their application through the Common Application or Questbridge . Be sure to have your Barnard supplemental essays and all other required materials ready when you submit your application.  
• Early Decision: November 1
• Regular Decision: January 1
• Barnard Supplemental Essays Tip: The Barnard acceptance rate is highly selective, so your Barnard College supplemental essays must be pristine if you want to gain acceptance. Give yourself plenty of time to rethink and revise your drafts to make sure your ideas are clear and compelling. Then, make sure you do a close, proofreading edit of your final draft – pristine essays don’t have typos!

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.

More info on Barnard

Barnard College is a private, liberal arts women’s college located in New York City. Founded in 1889, Barnard was the first college in NYC to offer degrees to women. Barnard consistently ranks highly among women’s colleges and is currently ranked #11 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News.

The college is affiliated with Columbia University , another highly prestigious school in New York. This partnership allows Barnard students to share academic resources with their Columbia student counterparts across the street. So, it should be no surprise that Barnard, like Columbia, is quite selective. That means you’ll need to ace all parts of your application, especially the Barnard College supplemental essays, to gain admittance. Let’s get into it.

Does Barnard have supplemental essays? 

Yes, Barnard College has supplemental essays, which are incredibly important. They contribute greatly to the overall impact of your application and are vital to crafting your personal narrative . Your Barnard College essays, in combination with the rest of your application, should paint a picture for Barnard Admissions. Who are you, and how will you contribute to the Barnard community?

The Barnard supplemental essays give you the perfect opportunity to stand out among other competitive applicants. Some of the Barnard supplemental essays, like the Why Barnard essay, are required, while others are optional. Whichever prompts you choose to answer, be sure to address the questions with thoughtful and unique responses.

When choosing how many Barnard essays to submit, consider the writing process. You’ll want to brainstorm , plan, edit, and revise your Barnard supplemental essays several times before submitting them. Consider your Barnard supplemental essays as critical personal reflections – there are no shortcuts to achieving depth and cohesion in your essays.

As previously mentioned, there are required Barnard essays and optional Barnard essays. Let’s start with the most important: the required Barnard essays.

How many essays does Barnard require? 

In addition to your Common Application or Questbridge essays , first-year applicants must submit responses to the Barnard supplemental essays questions. Currently, Barnard requires two Barnard supplemental essays and allows students to write responses to three optional prompts. For the best shot at overcoming the Barnard acceptance rate, we recommend submitting responses for all five Barnard supplemental essays.

Currently, each of the Barnard supplemental essays allows responses of no more than 250 words. So, while completing all five Barnard essays sounds like a lot, they do not require long responses. The goal of the required Barnard supplemental essays is to demonstrate your intellectual curiosity, interest in Barnard, and personal values.

One of the required prompts is a Why Barnard essay, while the other pertains to curiosity. Both the required and optional essay prompts are outlined below.

What are the Barnard essay prompts? 

Barnard’s application provides prompts for two required Barnard supplemental essays and three optional Barnard supplemental essays. Below are the Barnard Writing Supplement questions for first-year applicants. (Remember, the Barnard supplemental essays may change from year to year, so be sure to visit Barnard’s Admissions website.)

Why Barnard Essay

The Why Barnard essay requires you to explain why you want to attend Barnard College. Many colleges and universities ask students to write a Why This College essay as part of their application. A Why This College essay should include the specific details that have drawn you to the school. Additionally, it should demonstrate how you would fit into the campus community. The Why Barnard essay is no different!

The Why Barnard supplemental essay prompt is as follows:

Why Barnard College Essay Prompt

Our backgrounds and experiences shape how we navigate the world and see ourselves. tell us about when, where, or with whom you feel your most authentic, powerful self. how might barnard college further cultivate this version of you.

This prompt requires you to explain to the admissions team why you think Barnard is the best college for you. Specifically, they want to know how the college will impact your personal growth and future goals. While the Why Barnard essay may seem simple, you’ll want to make your answer as rich and detailed as possible.

Your Why Barnard essay should be specific to Barnard’s academic experience and offerings. To best prepare your response to the Why Barnard essay, research Barnard’s curriculum, location, campus culture, and values. Being informed about Barnard will help you craft a more compelling Why Barnard essay.

Focus on the qualities that set Barnard apart from other colleges and universities. If you want the experience of living and learning in New York City, tell them why Barnard specifically. Be specific and purposeful when answering the Why Barnard essay prompt. And, rather than writing a long list, focus on only the most important details.

Remember, the Why Barnard essay is a required component of the Barnard application. Be sure to invest adequate time and energy into writing a compelling response. Want to read more about Why This College essay prompts and other college essay prompts? Check out our 8 College Essay Topics guide! You can also find Why Barnard essay examples and other Barnard essay examples here . 

Barnard Supplemental Essay #2: Bold Questions

We’ve talked about the Why Barnard essay. Now, let’s talk about the second of the two required Barnard supplemental essays:

Barnard College Supplemental Essay Prompt #2

Barnard college celebrates intellectual risk-taking, and we believe that academic inquiry starts with bold questions. what questions do you have about the world around you, and why do they matter to you.

The key to this prompt is in the wording. Make sure your interest is framed as a question/questions in the context of academics. If your topic doesn’t relate to an academic area of study, it probably isn’t a strong topic for this essay.

This prompt is a great place to touch on something the admissions team may not know about you yet. Or, you could elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities that relates to a topic you are curious about. However, be sure to focus on the framework of the prompt. For instance, don’t just state that you are interested in robotics and are on your school’s robotics team. Share the questions your experiences have prompted in you, and why you are driven to find answers to them.

Even though this isn’t a Why Barnard essay, it’s still an opportunity to show you are a good fit for Barnard. Barnard values critical thinking, openness, engagement, and diversity. How can you embody these values in your approach to your chosen topic?

Because the choice is yours, you get to set the narrative. Be sure to choose something you are genuinely passionate about or that is thought-provoking for you. An uninspired essay may fall flat and won’t give admissions the same idea of you that an inspired essay will.

Optional Barnard Supplemental Essays

There are three optional Barnard supplemental essays. However, just because they are optional doesn’t mean you should skip them. The highly selective acceptance rate requires you to stand out in every way possible. So, you should take advantage of all the optional Barnard supplemental essays. 

The three optional Barnard supplemental essays cover a spectrum of topics. This is valuable because they allow you to demonstrate yourself as a well-rounded and culturally competent individual. To help you feel confident approaching these additional essays, let’s go over each prompt in more detail!

Barnard essay #1 – Gender

Here is the first optional Barnard supplemental essay prompt:

Barnard College Optional Essay Prompt #1

As a college for women, “barnard embraces its responsibility to address gender issues in all their complexity and urgency to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.” how have you thought about gender in your academic life thus far and how has it shaped your learning experiences”.

In developing your response, you’ll want to demonstrate how gender has played a role in your studies so far. While not explicitly asked in the question, you’ll also want to consider how it’s ultimately impacted your desire to attend Barnard. Women’s-only colleges offer a unique academic experience, which you may want to touch on in your essay. 

A successful essay will reflect on your personal experience with concrete support. It may be helpful to ground your essay in a specific anecdote or situation you’ve found yourself in. Maybe there was a moment when you felt gender was somehow an obstacle to your learning. Or, maybe you’ve noticed patterns or made connections between gender and different topics you’ve studied.

While technically optional, writing a reflective, insightful, and motivated response to this prompt can significantly strengthen your application. This is a great opportunity to connect to Barnard’s values, especially given gender is highlighted in Barnard’s mission :

“As a college for women, Barnard embraces its responsibility to address issues of gender in all of their complexity and urgency and to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.”

Barnard supplemental essay #2 – Challenging ideas

The prompt for the second of the optional Barnard supplemental essays is as follows:

Barnard College Optional Essay Prompt #2

Barnard college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion mission statement says, “our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity has the potential to disrupt and transform entrenched practices and thinking.” in what ways have you challenged ideas, practices, or spaces what did you learn from these experiences.

Barnard is looking to enroll in a class that is culturally competent and shares the same values and mission. This essay requires you to demonstrate your relationship with cultural diversity. How has it shaped your identity and what have you learned from it? This Barnard College supplemental essay prompt requires the student to be personal, specific, and vulnerable.

Your response can be broken up into two parts. First, you’ll need to detail the specific experiences you’ve had challenging others. Maybe you’ve had discussions in your church group or with your family where you question the status quo. Or, maybe, you’ve created opportunities to hold space to discuss conflicting and challenging ideas. Whatever your experience, make sure to touch on what you learned from it. How did this particular experience help you grow, and what lessons will you take with you into the future?

Barnard essay prompt #3 – One woman

Finally, we have the fifth Barnard College supplemental essays prompt:

Barnard College Optional Essay Prompt #3

Pick one woman — a historical figure, a fictitious character, or a modern individual — who you’d like to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. why does this person intrigue you what would you talk about what questions would you ask her.

Prompts in this style are common across college applications. If you could pick anyone, who would you invite to dinner or coffee? Since Barnard is a women’s college, it makes sense that this prompt is interested in knowing which woman you would choose. 

This Barnard College supplemental essays prompt really gives you free rein. Use the opportunity to develop yourself beyond your academic accomplishments. This Barnard College supplemental essays prompt presents multiple questions. Be sure to answer all components of the prompt entirely. It is important to remember there is a 250-word count max, so you will have to balance being clear and succinct in your response with addressing all three questions. 

Start by brainstorming a list of women you would be interested in writing this essay about. Just as with any of the prompts, you should not pick a woman to write about with the sole purpose of sounding impressive. Remember, there is no right answer. Be sure to write about a woman you are truly curious about and explain your reasoning. The admissions team should be able to feel the inspiration behind your choice. 

Are these Barnard essays really optional? 

The optional Barnard College supplemental essays are not a technical requirement of the application, so yes – they’re really optional. If you don’t feel like you have something to say that speaks to your character or values – don’t worry. You won’t be penalized for not writing all five essays. However, if you’re truly excited about attending Barnard, you’ll certainly have something valuable to speak on in response to these prompts.

If you’re passionate about attending Barnard, show admissions you’re invested by writing all five essays. The more essays you write, the more the Barnard admissions team gets to know about you. Not only that, but the essays allow you to control the narrative of your application. Taking the opportunity to write the optional Barnard College supplemental essays demonstrates your willingness to go above and beyond!

Choosing which essays to write 

There are many reasons to write optional Barnard College supplemental essays, but let’s start with some reasons why you should not. When choosing which optional essay prompts to respond to, you should consider your passions, strengths, and weaknesses. Don’t write optional Barnard College supplemental essays just for the sake of writing. Admissions officers will be able to spot this misguided and uninspired attempt from a mile away. Only craft a response to an optional essay if it is purposeful and passionate.

With that being said, the more essays you write, the better chance you have of letting Barnard get to know the real you. Use the optional Barnard College essays prompts as an opportunity to elaborate on yourself and your interest in Barnard College. These essays are especially useful if you feel like your academic portfolio is not an accurate reflection of who you are as a student and a person. 

When choosing which Barnard College essays to write, read the prompts carefully so you can answer the question fully. Barnard College supplemental essays provide you with an opportunity to provide additional information to the admissions committee. However, avoid repeating yourself or recycling information found elsewhere in your application. Writing about different topics demonstrates that you are a well-rounded applicant who will contribute to various aspects of Barnard’s community.

5 Tips for writing outstanding Barnard essays

Tip #1 – start early.

Writing outstanding essays that beat the highly selective Barnard College acceptance rate requires ample time to plan, write, and revise. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the application deadlines and current supplement questions, especially the Why Barnard essay. Most importantly, make sure you have budgeted enough time to write both required and all three optional Barnard supplemental essays.

Tip #2 – Show, Don’t Tell

Use the Barnard supplemental essays as an opportunity to show the admissions team who you are beyond your academic achievements. The best way to do so is by painting a vivid picture and engaging the reader with stories. If you claim to have certain traits, qualities, or values, you should demonstrate these with specific anecdotes and actions. Use this technique to make your application come alive and your essays shine . 

Tip #3 – Write authentically

We’re sure you have heard it before, but the most vital aspect of any successful college essay is being yourself. Your Barnard supplemental essays should accurately reflect your experiences, values, and interests. Don’t write what you think the admissions team wants to hear. Being true to yourself has the power to demonstrate your unique perspective and strength of character. 

Tip #4 – Be clear and concise

Your Barnard supplemental essays are limited to 250 words. So, you have to make every word count and showcase your ability to communicate effectively. Narrow your thoughts down to your strongest arguments and most valuable experiences and only elaborate on these. This will make it easy for you and the admissions team to follow your reasoning and connections between points!

Tip #5 – Leave time to proofread and revise your essays 

Your Barnard essays are evaluated for content as well as writing style and grammatical skills. When you think you have finished your Barnard College essays, you should:

• Proof-read for spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Edit out unnecessary words or phrases
• Ensure you have responded directly to the prompt and have answered all parts of the question.

Before you submit, it’s a good idea to get input from trusted sources. While you should consider external input, it is vital that you maintain your own writing style and voice. That way the admissions team gets to know the real you. 

Be sure to use these tips to help you plan your own Barnard essays! And, feel free to refer to this guide when you begin your Barnard College essays writing process.

Barnard Supplemental Essays: Final Takeaways 

If you’re looking for a final takeaway, it’s this: prepare careful and thoughtful responses to all of the Barnard supplement questions. While your grades and test scores are important parts of your application, they aren’t enough to gain admission. Your Barnard essays have the power to round out your application and help you stand out in a competitive application process. Use your supplemental essays to tell the admissions team who you are beyond your academic achievements. Wow them by showing the Barnard admissions team something they won’t see anywhere else in your application.

If you want more advice pertaining to Barnard College, check out this guide on how to get into Barnard College. And, take a look at past Barnard essay examples for inspiration while writing your own. Want to learn more about going to school in Manhattan? Get the inside scoop on what it’s like to attend NYU, Columbia, and Barnard by watching this webinar . 

We hope this guide has helped you better understand the Barnard College essays and how to get into Barnard. Whether you’ve just started your college list or you are already working on your application – CollegeAdvisor has tips for you. Happy writing!

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

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Barnard Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

By Eric Eng

When it comes to applying to the top schools in the country, your application is vitally important. In order to give yourself the best chance of gaining admission, you need to make sure all aspects of your application are top-notch. In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive into how to write Barnard supplemental essays and everything you need to keep in mind as you write.

Barnard uses the common app, and this means that you will be asked to answer essay questions contained in the common app. But like many top schools, Barnard also requires that you complete a few short essays about your personal or intellectual growth. The Barnard supplemental essays 2022-2023 allow applicants a certain amount of freedom when choosing their supplemental essay topics, but we’re going to look at each essay prompt and discuss the best way to respond to each topic.

Barnard Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022-2023

So, let’s start by looking at each supplemental essay prompt, and then we will discuss how to approach each one individually.

When it comes to answering the Barnard supplemental essays 2022, there are some things to keep in mind. First, these essays are in addition to the personal statement found in the common app. Second, all of the Barnard supplemental essays 2022-2023 are required. The Barnard supplemental word limit for each essay is 300 words, so you will have enough space to fully develop your essays. Let’s take a look at this year’s prompts, and then we’ll discuss how to approach them.

What factors encouraged your decision to apply to Barnard College and why do you think the college would be a good match for you?

At Barnard, academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What are some of the bold questions you have pondered that get you excited and why do they interest you? Tell us how you would explore these questions at Barnard.

Pick one woman — a historical figure, fictitious character, or modern individual — to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. Why does this person intrigue you? What would you talk about? What questions would you ask them?

While the third essay is technically optional, we don’t consider any essay to be optional. Barnard is giving you the opportunity to tell them more about yourself. Take it! Now, let’s look at each prompt individually.

How to write the Barnard supplemental essays?

Applicants often wonder how to write Barnard supplemental essays because they are somewhat different from the supplemental essays you will see on other applications. Despite that, these essay prompts are still asking you to reflect on your personal academic journey, and where you see yourself in the future. Let’s take a look at the first prompt.

The first Barnard supplemental essay 2022 is a fairly straightforward prompt. It asks you to elaborate on why you have chosen Barnard, but the key is to focus on specifics. There’s a good chance that you are applying to a number of schools, so what are the factors that attracted you to Barnard, specifically?

In reality, there are plenty of reasons to apply to Barnard, but you want to make sure that your response focuses on some key points. Are you attracted to the idea of an all-women’s college? If so, why? What are your feelings about living in New York City? Are you an experienced city-dweller or will this be your first time living in a big city? What programs have attracted you to Barnard?

The key to writing this essay is research. Then, once you’ve learned all you can about the school and its surroundings, you can work on your personal story, and how it relates to your decision to apply to Barnard.

This is a highly personal question because it asks you to think about the questions that define your academic pursuits. This is a chance for you to highlight your intellectual curiosity, which will demonstrate that you take your studies seriously. But this essay doesn’t have to be solely about your academic interests.

Because the subject of this essay is fairly broad, you can talk about any kind of “big” question that you ponder. Once you’ve spent some time thinking about the topics and questions that are on your mind, it’s time to explore how your education at Barnard will be relevant to your interests. The most important factor is demonstrating your passion. Barnard wants students who have more than a casual interest in subjects. They’re looking for people who are truly driven by their intellectual curiosity, and that needs to be evident in your essay.

As a member of the Seven Sisters, Barnard is one of the world’s top all-women’s colleges. This prompt, while technically optional, is a great way to explain how women—either real or fictional—have played a part in your life. The best way to approach this topic is by making a list of women who fascinate you. Making separate lists of real and fictional women may make this easier.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, think about the woman you would most want to talk to for an hour. It doesn’t need to be the most famous or historically significant person on your list, but it should be someone with whom you feel a particular connection. Is there a life experience that you have both shared? Do you have common backgrounds or struggles? Do you draw inspiration from this woman in a specific way? These are the kinds of questions you can ask yourself to narrow your list even further.

Finally, think about the specific questions you would ask this person. Consider how their answers would impact your life. Think about the insight this person could give you based on their experiences.

At AdmissionSight, our goal is to help you with every step of the college admissions process. The Barnard supplemental essays 2022 can seem daunting at first, but our experience and expertise will help you navigate the entire process with confidence. Hopefully, this guide to the Barnard supplemental essays 2022-2023 has been helpful, but if you want more information about how AdmissionSight can help you realize your dreams, set up your free consultation today.

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Barnard College: 2017-2018 Supplemental Essay Prompts & Examples

• college application essays
• supplemental essays
• essay topic
• women's college

Want to attend a small liberal arts college for women in a big city? You find the best of both worlds in Barnard College.

Barnard College, located in New York City, is a private women’s liberal arts college, affiliated with Columbia University. For students who can’t decide between a liberal arts college and a large coeducation university, Barnard College might just be the perfect school. Students are allowed cross-enroll in classes and in student clubs, expanding the diversity and network of students you’ll meet during your 4 years on campus.  If you’re interested in applying to Barnard, the college applications includes 3 additional writing supplements.

Here are Barnard’s 2017-2018 Supplemental Essay Prompts

A. what factors influenced your decision to apply to barnard college and why do you think the college would be a good match for you (100-250 words).

General Essay Tips:

Why do you want to be a Barnard Woman? Just like any other “Why Us” school-specific essay, the prompt is asking you to explain why you’re applying to Barnard and why do you think you’re a good fit for the school. To reiterate, it’s important you’ve done your research into the academic programs Barnard offers, what’s unique about the campus, and what the student body is like. What are some characteristics or interests of yours align with what they offer?

Here are some Why Barnard supplemental essay examples:

1. Why Barnard Supplement Example: STEM Majors

Essay Excerpt from Ramisa125, Barnard College ‘21

“But at Barnard, I see myself surrounded by hundreds of other brilliant young women, all working towards a common goal: to better the world while doing what we love. We’re not hindered by our gender; we’re empowered by it. Barnard is perfect for STEM not only because of research opportunities like the Beckman Scholars Program, but also because of the community of motivated women creating possibilities out of the impossible.”

Essay Analysis:

Ramisa125 incorporates what Barnard offers as a women’s college and the STEM opportunities the college offers. Earlier in her essay, she explains a past image she grew up with, something she hopes to be free of by being in a supportive environment, where she is surrounded by like minded women. By doing so, she was able to share a personal anecdote about herself, highlighting her interests and quirks, and demonstrate how she fits into Barnard’s student body.

Unlock her full Barnard College profile to read her full application essays and advice!

2. Why Barnard Supplement Example: Barnard Student Body

Essay Excerpt from MeganChang97, Barnard College ‘19

“While standing in front of the Diana Center, I was surprised to see how friendly and diverse the students were. When I returned to California, I continued to keep in touch with several students who would all gush about Barnard. By talking to the students, I began to love the idea of going to a women’s college and what it means to become a Barnard Woman.”

MeganChang97 focuses on student body as a primary reason for wanting to attend Barnard College. In her supplemental essay, she talks about her conversations with her aunt, a Barnard alumna, and other Barnard women, and how she identified with them. In this particular excerpt, while she doesn’t explicitly mention her conversation details with current students at Barnard, she demonstrates her interest in the college and her compatibility with current Barnard students.

B. Pick one woman in history or fiction to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. What would you talk about? (100-250 words)

Take some time and brainstorm. Write down some female figures you look up to as they come to mind. They can be family members, writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, or even fictional characters! Next to the names you’ve written down, jot down 3 characteristics you like about each of them. Look at your options: Is there any that you can link back to your own personality? Or perhaps about a subject you’d like to pursue?

While you’re writing a supplement about a woman you look up to or are interested in, you are also sharing something about yourself. Who you choose to talk about will indicate your interest, but it’s up to you to demonstrate your thought process and motivation behind it. They want to know how you uncover stories, how you engage with someone, and what you’re interested in (academically or not!).

Here are some supplemental essay examples:

1. Barnard Supplement Example: My Grandmother

Essay Excerpt from Ccg32, Barnard College ‘19

“In China 50 years ago, women were expected to conform to their gender roles and if they strayed from their given paths, they could easily be seen as “unwanted” when trying to find a husband. Despite the fact that she would have been looked down upon, my grandmother decided to unbind her feet at a young age and attend college.”

Choosing a family member can be a good choice for this essay topic if family background is an important of who you are, and you haven’t been able to touch on that in your application so far. In this essay excerpt, Ccg32 touched on her family heritage and goes on to explain how that has impacted her. More importantly, she does on to express how she wishes to get to know her grandmother better for further guidance and inspiration for her own future.

2. Barnard Supplement Example: A Neurosurgeon

Cjjo96, Barnard College ‘18

“The author, Dr. Katrina Firlik, has been my inspiration ever since. One of the few women in the neurology field, her wit, intellect and drive are distinct, impressive, and the reason she has been so successful. Much like me, she is passionate and strong in her opinions. She doesn’t comply with gender constructs and she has built a life in which she is insistent upon balancing her family and career.”

In Cjjo96’s supplemental essay excerpt, she does an excellent job of talking about the woman she is interested in, relating that back to her own interests and character. She was not only able to share her interest in neurology, but was also able to highlight her own characteristics.

C. Barnard women seek to make a difference in their community, whether through the residence hall, classes, clubs, volunteer work or a part-time job they hold. Describe how you make a difference in your community and what you have learned from that experience. In what ways do you see yourself contributing to the community at Barnard, inside or outside of the classroom? (100-250 words)

This is a new prompt! Last year’s prompt asked students to recount a time “when you majored in unafraid.” They have switched it up this year to focus more on community—what you’ve done so far, and what you plan on doing.

This is a great opportunity to touch on any volunteer work you’ve done, or any extracurriculars you participated in. Why were you dedicated to those efforts? The admissions office wants to know what motivated you to be a part of give back to your community, and if that dedication extends past your time in high school.

It also give you a chance to dive further into how well you know Barnard, and how well you fit in to Barnard’s student body. Admissions officers are not just looking to understand your values and beliefs, but also how your creative thinking and growth. How can you take the contribution you’ve done so far in your community and do more given Barnard’s resources and network? It’s your chance to show your potential.

Hope this was helpful for those of you finishing your Barnard applications! Interested in reading these students’ full personal statements in addition to their full responses to the Barnard supplemental prompts? Unlock all of them in one go with our  Barnard Essentials Package ! 

Our  premium plans  offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. Unlock any of our  packages  or search our  undergraduate profile database  to find specific profiles that can help you make an informed choice about where to apply! We have 60,000+ successful college application files uploaded by college students. See how they got in, and how you can too!

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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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How to Respond to the 2023/2024 Barnard Supplemental Essay Prompts

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Barnard College is a private women’s liberal arts college that is found within Columbia University. It is located in the heart of the city that never sleeps, New York City. Barnard is extremely selective as its acceptance rate lies around 11%. So, how do we help make you a part of that 11%? In order to apply, students must complete two Barnard supplemental essays and one optional Barnard supplemental essay.

Before you begin answering the Barnard supplemental essay questions, it is important to do your research. Find out what parts of Barnard excite you and differentiate from other colleges. Here’s our guide for how to ace the Barnard College supplemental essay questions!

Before answering the essay questions 

All Barnard College applicants have to respond to two required 250 word maximum Barnard supplemental essays. There are also three additional optional Barnard supplemental essays that also have a 250 word maximum, 

250 words is not a lot. Therefore, it is best to be direct and concise with your responses! To ensure you do not drag on, brainstorm! This will allow you to plan out responses carefully to fit your personality into your response without it being over the word count. 

If your response ends up being too long, try to get rid of filler or transition words. Give your essay to someone you trust to read it over to help get fresh eyes to eliminate words as well! Doing this will make your Barnard supplemental essay responses stand out from the rest! 

Required: Essay question #1 

“Our backgrounds and experiences shape how we navigate the world and see ourselves. Tell us about when, where, or with whom you feel your most authentic, powerful self. How might Barnard further cultivate this version of you? (250 words max)”

Barnard recognizes that everyone is different and comes from different walks of life. So, this is your opportunity to describe your unique qualities, background and experiences. However, it is important to note that the second part of this prompt “How might Barnard further cultivate this version of you?” is the real question Barnard is asking! Draw connections between where or how you feel your most authentic, powerful self and qualities Barnard demonstrates. For example, if your Latina heritage is an important part of your identity, you should discuss your interest and excitement about joining the Mujeres club for Barnard Latinas . 

The way you should format your response to this prompt is by first telling a story about a background, experience, identity, etc that demonstrates your authentic self! Then, describe 1-2 aspects of Barnard you are looking forward to participating in or being a part of that connects to this identity. If you cannot find an aspect of Barnard that completely matches your identity, then you can even discuss a club or idea you have that you hope to bring to the Barnard community! 

Questions to consider

• What makes you unique? Can you describe a story that demonstrates important parts of your identity or culture? 
• Who or what makes you feel like your authentic and true self?
• What aspects of Barnard are you excited to discover or join? Is this a specific club, a class, a piece of equipment on campus? Describe it in detail to demonstrate your interest! 

Required: Essay question #2

“Barnard College celebrates intellectual risk-taking and we believe that academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What questions do you have about the world around you, and why do they matter to you? (250 words max)”

This prompt is essentially asking you to describe what interests you. Barnard wants to get to know its applicants. 

Choosing just one or two “bold” questions is a difficult task. Therefore, you must brainstorm before answering this essay prompt. Write a list of questions that you have always wondered about. You can approach this prompt by choosing two to three broad issues or one in-depth question. 

Once you have selected what question or questions you want to dive into, make sure to connect these back to Barnard’s resources. How will Barnard be able to help you explore these questions? Is there a particular class or club offered that will allow you to quench your curiosity? Remember, Barnard wants to see applicants who have done their research and are serious about attending their college. 

• How have you been challenged in the past? 
• Have you ever changed your mind on a topic? Why or why not? 
• What is a topic you are passionate about? If you had to give a TED Talk on a specific topic, what would it be about? 

Optional: Essay questions 

Although this essay is optional, no essay is truly optional when it comes to the college admissions process. Be sure to complete each of the Barnard supplemental essays, as you want to take advantage of any presented opportunity to reveal more about your personality.

Optional Essay #1

“Barnard’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mission statement says “Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity has the potential to disrupt and transform entrenched practices and thinking.” In what ways have you challenged ideas, practices, or spaces? What did you learn from these experiences? (250 words max)”

This prompt is interested in getting to know the core beliefs of students and how far they’ve gone to uphold these beliefs. Ultimately, Barnard wants to invite students to campus who act to make change. So, if this prompt sounds up your alley, respond to it! 

Try and think of a time in which you disagreed with some sort of regulation, rule, statement, etc and what you did to disrupt or transform these entrenched practices and thinking. This example can be as big or as small as you would like! Remember, Barnard knows that you are just a high school student, so they are not expecting you to have organized a huge uprising! For example, you can discuss a time you stood up to your principal over an unfair and sexist dress code or how you attended a local politician’s rally to protest their want to shut down a local business. Whatever your experience, a strong response will feature a story about the experience and then most importantly a reflection that shows what you learned from this experience and what you will take with you to Barnard in order to make some changes there. 

• What are some core beliefs you hold? 
• Have you ever challenged an idea, practice or space? Why? How did you go about doing so? Would you do anything differently? 
• Why is disrupting unfair practices important? 

Optional Essay #2

“ As a college for women, “Barnard embraces its responsibility to address gender issues in all their complexity and urgency to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.” How have you thought about gender in your academic life thus far and how has it shaped your learning experiences? (250 words max)”

Barnard is an all-women college which is an important part of their identity and values. Therefore, they unfortunately understand and recognize that women are typically a marginalized community in a lot of aspects. Barnard is interested to hear about how being a woman has influenced your learning experiences thus far. So, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to discuss any challenges you have faced. For example, perhaps in your engineering elective class in high school you are the only girl which has unfortunately come with some snide comments in class. Or perhaps you had to work hard to get your voice heard during an English presentation in which 2 boys were paired with you. Be sure to be as specific as possible while writing your response! And remember, no challenge is too small of a challenge to write about! All Barnard wants to hear in this response is that you have worked harder to become the smart and amazing woman you are today. 

• How has being a woman brought challenges in your academic life? 
• What have you learned about yourself from these challenges? 
• Why do you want to attend an all-women college? What differences in your education do you believe there will be, if any? 

Optional Essay #3

“Pick one woman — a historical figure, fictitious character, or modern individual — to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. Why does this person intrigue you? What would you talk about? What questions would you ask them? (250 words max)”

Barnard is an all-women college. This means that your answer should reveal how much being surrounded by strong women appeals to you. This essay provides you with a lot of creative freedom. 

To begin, you should pick a woman who means something to you. You can spend a few minutes writing down a list of women who are important to you or have inspired you in some way. Then narrow down this list to one woman you should love to talk with for an hour. Some women you can choose from are Taylor Swift, Hermonie Granger, or your grandma! The limits are endless. 

Remember that this essay is about you and not the woman that you are choosing to write about. Therefore, make sure to tie all of your statements back to yourself. Be sure to reveal pieces of your personality that you have not already in this application. 

Choose someone that you genuinely admire! Do not pick someone that you think the admissions officers want to hear. Rather, be true to yourself and your heroines. 

• Who is the most inspirational woman in your life? 
• Who is the strongest woman you have learned about? 
• Who is your favorite woman in a television show or book? 

Should I answer the optional Barnard College questions? 

Even though some of these questions are optional, responding to as many questions strongly should be a priority if Barnard College is a top-choice for you! Try to think about your application as a whole, if there are some aspects of your background or academic progress you feel need to be reiterated, then taking advantage of the optional essays might be a good idea! 

Additionally, optional essays are a great opportunity to showcase your unique qualities and experiences that will make you a valuable addition to Barnard’s community. So, if you have something exceptional to share that hasn’t been covered by the required supplemental essays, definitely consider using the optional essays for this purpose! 

Overall, keep in mind that it’s better to submit a strong, well-written essay than to submit an optional essay that adds little value to your application. Do not feel compelled to write an optional supplemental essay just for the sake of responding to it! Rather, respond to the optional essays in order to enhance your application and increase your chances of being accepted into Barnard. 

So long story short, respond to as many Barnard optional supplemental essays as possible as long as they are still strengthening your application and providing valuable information not covered elsewhere. 

Next steps after applying to Barnard College

Congratulations! You are now done with the Barnard College supplemental essays! It is time to submit your flawless application! 

The next step after you submit your application would be to continue to show demonstrated interest in Barnard so they know you are committed and prioritizing their school (even if you have a few other top choices.) 

How can I show demonstrated interest in Barnard College? 

• Apply Early Decision
• Interview, if offered
• Attend a campus tour
• Complete any optional essays
• Contact an admissions officer

Essentially, by taking advantage of one of the above suggestions, Barnard will see how committed you are to their college. This will give you a leg up above the competition. 

Additional resources

As you are in the middle of the college application process, it can be stressful. There are a lot of tough decisions you will have to make. Luckily, we have an abundance of resources to make the college process a little easier on you. 

• How many schools should you apply to?
• How to find safety, reach, and match schools
• Should you send your test scores to test-optional schools ? 

Finally, make you that you apply to all the scholarships you qualify for!

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Barnard College 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Guide

Early Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 3

Barnard College 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 3 essays of 300 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Oddball , Diversity

The Seven Sisters aren’t just women’s colleges, they’re also historic institutions that have helped carve out space for women in higher education. Barnard admissions will be looking for a commitment not just to women’s education but to the type of community they aim to create as they build each incoming class. In other words, a perfunctory application won’t cut it! The smaller the school, the higher the scrutiny. So give yourself time to brainstorm, draft, and refine before you hit submit!

Our backgrounds and experiences shape how we navigate the world and see ourselves. Tell us about when, where, or with whom you feel your most authentic, powerful self. How might Barnard further cultivate this version of you? (250 words)

Admissions is curious to learn when, where, and with whom you feel most like yourself. So, tell them a story that captures the environment in which you feel your most powerful and free. The story you tell can be about a place (the lake behind your grandmother’s house, the kitchen counter with a new recipe, behind a telescope), a person or people (your core friend group, your mom, the queer community), or an activity (playing an instrument, competing, teaching). No matter what you choose, use sensory details to pull your reader into your story and make them feel like they’re in the room with you. Then, address the latter part of the prompt by drawing connections between where/when/how you feel your most authentic and powerful to Barnard’s offerings. If you feel most yourself behind a telescope, maybe you can’t wait to observe the stars from the telescopes on the roof of Pupin, Columbia’s physics building, in between astronomy courses. If you feel most authentic surrounded by other queer people of color, perhaps you look forward to getting involved with Barnard’s Proud Colors . If you can tell admissions a story of authenticity with a vision of your future on campus, we’re sure they’ll be thinking about you long after they put down your application!

Barnard celebrates intellectual risk-taking, and we believe that academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What questions do you have about the world around you, and why do they matter to you? (250 words)

Admissions wants to invite the kinds of students to campus who aren’t afraid to think critically and challenge the status quo, so reflect on some bold questions you have about the world around you and why you believe the answers, or lack thereof, are important. What do you find particularly interesting or flummoxing? What was the last topic/idea/event that you read a five-page thinkpiece about? Admissions wants to accept intellectually curious students who are passionate about learning, enriching their understanding of the world around them, and putting what they’ve learned into practice. Pro tip: try not to fall down too many Reddit rabbit holes while brainstorming for this prompt; instead, focus on the kinds of questions that keep you up at night and what those questions show about you as a learner and seeker of the truth.

If you would like to respond to one of our optional questions, please choose from the selected prompts below (250 words):

If you’re thinking that the “optional” part of these instructions means you can pass this section by, think again. We recommend that students take every opportunity afforded to them to tell admissions more about themselves! So, let’s review your options:

Barnard’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mission statement says “Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity has the potential to disrupt and transform entrenched practices and thinking.” In what ways have you challenged ideas, practices, or spaces? What did you learn from these experiences?

This prompt makes us think of the now-famous quote from Rep. John Lewis, which reads, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Barnard is interested in inviting disruptors to campus, so if this prompt calls out to you, lean into it. Whether you confronted your school’s administration over their outdated dress codes or attended your local town hall meetings to advocate for the community’s right to clean air and water, admissions wants to hear about a time when you challenged the status quo. A strong response will feature some reflection that shows how you process new information and experiences and apply those takeaways to the future.

As a college for women, “Barnard embraces its responsibility to address gender issues in all their complexity and urgency to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.” How have you thought about gender in your academic life thus far and how has it shaped your learning experiences?

Part of growing up is realizing that the grown ups do not, in fact, have it all figured out and that the world is an imperfect place, especially for marginalized communities (which women still are in many spaces). Barnard is interested to hear about the personal strength you have had to muster as a young woman and the ways in which gender has influenced your learning experiences thus far. This could be the perfect place to talk about your experiences as a woman in STEM and how microaggressions have only lit the fire in your belly to succeed in a male-dominated industry. Or maybe you want to write about the ways in which you’ve seen gender roles play out in your everyday life and how noticing these subtle differences in class participation and chore assignments have spurred your interest in sociology and psychology. Be sure to be as specific as possible while writing your response, so that no one else could possibly put their name at the top of your essay and call it their own.

Pick one woman — a historical figure, a fictitious character, or a modern individual — who you’d like to converse with for an hour and explain your choice. Why does this person intrigue you? What would you talk about? What questions would you ask her?

You’ve probably been asked a version of this question before: Who would you invite to an imaginary dinner party? If you could summon anyone from the grave, who would it be? In this case, unsurprisingly, Barnard wants you to write about a woman. A question like this one is probing for an inkling of your interests and motivations. Who do you admire? What are your aspirations? What kinds of things drive your curiosity? When you come upon a prompt that directly or indirectly asks you to demonstrate your academic or cultural knowledge, the key is to be confident and genuine. Don’t second guess your own interests or strain to write about a topic simply because you think it will impress admissions—spoiler alert: they’ll be able to tell. It will be easier to write about someone you are genuinely interested in, and the results will be more personal and memorable!

Set a timer for five to ten minutes and jot down every person that comes to mind: Charlotte Bronte , Tarana Burke , your great-great grandma, your biological mom, Katherine Johnson , Katniss Everdeen, Hermione Granger… no idea is too absurd during the brainstorm; and historical, local, or fictional femmes are equally welcome! Once you have a solid list, you’ll be in a better position to hone in the right person. Who do you know the most about? Which person would give you a chance to reveal something new about yourself to admissions, like an otherwise unspoken interest in politics, fashion, or ancient history? What are some unknown aspects of your personal history? You could even try to put a twist on a person that might feel like a common choice. Many women interested in computer science might like to bend Ada Lovelace’s ear, but how many of them would ask her about the representation of women in the media?

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, barnard essays that worked.

Hey guys, I'm applying to Barnard and could use some guidance. Can anyone share examples of essays that worked or some tips on how to nail the Barnard supplemental essays?

Hi there! It's great to hear that you're applying to Barnard. CollegeVine has an article with three example essays submitted by real students, along with feedback on what worked well and what could be improved upon: https://blog.collegevine.com/barnard-essay-example

Also check out this CollegeVine article with tips on writing each of the Barnard essays: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-barnard-college-essays

Lastly, don't forget to proofread your essays and have someone else review them for clarity and coherence. This will ensure that your writing is polished and free of errors.

Good luck with your application to Barnard!

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.

Barnard College Undergraduate College Application Essays

These Barnard College college application essays were written by students accepted at Barnard College. All of our sample college essays include the question prompt and the year written. Please use these sample admission essays responsibly.

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College Application Essays accepted by Barnard College

Harmony anonymous, barnard college.

Entering the music room in LaGuardia Community College for the first time, I sit down before the upright piano and take out Mozart's Fantasy in D Minor. It is a simple piece, but one of my favorites. It consists of three parts, the first with a...

The Summer Volunteer Anonymous

Ping! The elevator doors opened on Floor Nine, and I was in another world. Leaving the chaos of panicking patients and bustling doctors in the floors below, I found myself walking down a deserted hallway.

This was my first day volunteering at the...

A Newfound Nostalgia Katherine Perry

Describe an aspect of your childhood/upbringing that shaped the person you are today.

In a navy blue Volvo station wagon my entire childhood evolved. Inside, memories rested alongside the hardened French fries and squashed fruit snacks that lined...

Crack & Grow Up Grace Anzalone

I firmly believe that antidrug campaigns whose values instill the “just say no” attitude in elementary school children should be extended to encompass the wretched habit of knuckle cracking. I have done it since I was a young tot, I am told, which...

A Fork Rose Tran

I have encountered a fork. Should I again submit to my father’s demands as I am sent to the kitchen to serve or should I refuse and risk tainting my role as the ideal Vietnamese daughter? I succumb, and fetch a repulsive-smelling platter of duck,...

Walking My Dog Anonymous

Every morning before I go to school, I take my dog, Buxton, on a walk around the neighborhood. It is a very mundane task, but because of the struggle I faced to finally own Buxton, the time I spend with him each morning is special to me. I had...

"We've Done It." Wong Jia Yi Geraldine

I wish I could do it all but I’m no superwoman; I’m just an ordinary girl with 24 hours a day. Deciding to write and direct for DramaFest, an intra-school Drama competition, meant sacrificing other clashing commitments including leading in...

The Backyard Anonymous

I remember when the flowers stopped blooming.

All throughout my childhood there was always one thing that would instantly make me happy. I had a beautiful backyard in my childhood home. The smell of the ripe red mango trees and the chirping of the...

Augusta, Nice to Meet You Najaad Dayib

With as much grace as I can summon, I'd begin a conversation with Augusta Savage by thanking her. I’d tell her, “Thank you. Thank you for being a warrior in the Civil Rights Movement, for following your passion and being a great educator, artist,...

Fighting Sexism with Lightsabers Loie Plautz

“This Jedi is female, so she’s not as smart.” The young man, Max, chortled this to his scene partner as our improvised Star Wars play came racing towards its climax. I stood backstage, suddenly feeling jarred. My character throughout the play had...

Feminist Photographer Anonymous

Behind the camera’s shutter, I am never calm or collected. I am, more often than not, trying to figure out my next shot, my eyes darting from my subject to the light source to a detail of the scene. However, I am perfectly content.

When taking...

A Place in the Sky Anonymous

There’s something oddly comforting about sitting in an airplane and barreling through the sky at 37,000 feet. Granted, the food could be better and the seats a little bigger, but I’ve never been able to find a place quite like this one. When I’m...

A Meaningful Place Sophie Lis

The soft reminder of warm light, the neat rows of novels and biographies and volumes of poetry against mahogany shelves back to back in a literary continuum… I walk further into Barnes and Noble. Swim in circles around the small brown tables in...

Virginia Woolf Sophie Lis

The thick aroma of yellowed pages wafting in and out the small library room, I sit on the small stool, knees hunched together nervously, my back bent over in a style that would render Rodin pleased. In the first glimpse of the tip of the large...

Majoring in Unafraid Anonymous

“There is a one percent chance of rain,” my camp counselors told us as we packed for our overnight. We threw in just what we needed, leaving our raincoats behind.

The next day, after a trek through the beautiful Yosemite backcountry, it began to...

Tea with a Trailblazer Anonymous

If given the opportunity to sit down with any woman and converse for an hour, I would select Jeanine Tesori, the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Original Score. Tesori is credited with composing the musicals Fun Home, Thoroughly Modern...

Why Barnard? Anonymous

When I was in eighth grade, during the 2012 Presidential Election, I ran to represent President Obama in my American History class’ mock election. Despite the obvious differences between the President and myself, I believed that with preparation,...

The American Dream in All Its Flavors Anonymous

My childhood included everything from waking up to my mom’s dramatic wake up calls in the mornings, eating ice cream from the carton with my siblings, rough-and-tumble play with my father, to family dinners at our Chinese restaurant, filled with...

Being the Next Generation Role Model Anonymous

Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, awed me when I first met her at Fashion Institute of Technology. Originally a politician who became the first Indian American woman to run for Congress, Mrs. Saujani had no technological skills to...

K-Pop Blooms a Thousand Stories Anonymous

It was my turn to speak.

The Korean girl across the table and I had spent the past hour in a back-and-forth of stilted conversation. Our pre-collegiate institute had demanded that all disciplines “mingle,” and the silence told a story of two...

Jaggery Shyla Singh

The alarm heralding the dawn becomes redundant as a mix of dread and excitement has kept me up all night. It’s 5 am. Today I will compete in my third Junior National Equestrian Championship in Pune at the National Defence Academy.

I’ve determined...

How Grief Helped Me Recognize My Vulnerability Anonymous

I search “how to grieve properly” in the naive but hopeful belief Google knows the answer. An article tells me “broken crayons still color.” This strikes me as not only condescending but false. I am in pain and I am healing, but I am not broken....

Barnard as a Catalyst for Self-Discovery Audrey Pettit

In childhood, amid Barbies and pink wallpaper, I had the privilege of ignorance. But when I was catcalled by a man twice my age, the uncomfortable reality came into focus. At age thirteen, I realized my gender influences how others perceive me....

The Incredible Barnard Community Anonymous

“We’re so close... We can just talk on and on,” the Barnard tour-guide said to our group, laughing. To my surprise, she wasn’t talking about a relationship with a faculty member, as was customary on college tours. She was actually talking about...

Recent Questions about Barnard College

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Barnard supplemental essay #2

At Barnard, academic inquiry starts with bold questions. What are some of the bold questions you have pondered that get you excited and why do they interest you? Tell us how you would explore these questions at Barnard. (300 words)

Am I the only one having major trouble with this prompt? I'm still also kind of unclear as to what it is actually asking...

• Made by History

How the College Application Essay Became So Important

S chool is out and summer is here. Yet future high school seniors and their families are likely already thinking about applying to college — a process that can be as labor-intensive and time-consuming as it is confusing. Students submit SAT scores, grades, references, personal essays, and more, often without a clear sense of what counts most.

The challenges facing college applicants today aren’t new. For over a century, Americans seeking higher education have had to navigate complicated admissions requirements including exams and grades as well as qualitative metrics of assessment, such as references, interviews, and essays.

Collecting so much academic and personal information has given colleges and universities greater control over the kinds of students they admit. In the first half of the 20th century, this information was mainly used to bar some applicants based on race, gender, and religion. Since the social movements of the 1960s and 70s, however, it has been used to do nearly the opposite by expanding access to previously excluded groups. In this process, personal essays have been especially valuable for the unique insights they can offer into applicants’ backgrounds and perspectives. In the context of today’s narrowing national diversity agenda, they are key to promoting inclusion in American higher education.

In the late 19th century, college admission standards were relatively low in America, even at the “Big Three” private universities, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. In an era when few Americans had more than an eighth-grade education, and even fewer could afford the cost of higher education, there was little competition for admission. Applicants needed only to pass subject matter exams, tests that were rudimentary and could be taken repeatedly until passed. Even those who failed their entrance exams might be admitted if they had elite standing and could pay tuition.

Read More: How to Talk About Race on College Applications, According to Admissions Experts

By the turn of the 20th century, however, demand for higher education was growing. Colleges worked intentionally to admit a broader range of students, dropping archaic requirements like knowledge of Latin and Greek that had previously barred all but the most privileged high school students from applying. More and more qualified applicants competed for fewer available spots, which meant that colleges and universities could be more selective. 

But with more applicants passing exams and earning entry to higher education, private universities became increasingly concerned about the demographics of their student bodies. By the 1910s, as immigration increased, and more public high schools were better preparing students of all backgrounds to meet private entrance requirements, rising numbers of Jewish students were landing spots at the historically Protestant and upper-class universities. With antisemitism on the rise, many private colleges adopted new metrics of admission that could be used to limit the number of “undesirable” students, especially Jewish ones. 

It was at this juncture that selective colleges introduced the application essay to assess students for the amorphous category of "fit." Applications in general became much more involved and intrusive. 

For instance, beginning in 1919, Columbia required prospective students to complete an eight-page form, submit a photo, list their mother’s maiden name, and provide information about their religious background. Even standardized tests could be used to screen students by cultural background. Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.

In the wake of World War II, the passage of the GI Bill created a surge in demand for higher education across the country. Between 1950 and 1970, enrollment in colleges and universities in the U.S. nearly quadrupled. 

Although public and private universities expanded in response, they still came under new pressures to bolster selective criteria that would allow them to limit the growth of their student bodies. To ensure spots for students long considered the natural recipients of higher education — especially white, middle-class, Protestant men — private colleges continued to use quotas and other forms of preference such as legacy status to effectively limit the numbers of Jewish students, people of color, and women admitted. Meanwhile, admissions were far from need blind; applying for a scholarship could damage your chance of acceptance.

Public universities like the University of California, Berkeley charted a different course. In the post-war period, the UC system admitted all students who met basic requirements — graduation from an accredited high school along with a principal's recommendation, acceptance by exam, or completion of an Associate’s degree. But public universities now also faced more demand than they could accommodate. Indeed, the 1960s California Master Plan for Higher Education acknowledged that state universities, too, might well have to introduce a selective process for choosing applicants in the face of expanded access across much wider class, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds. 

By the 1960s, a selective application process became common across major private and public universities. But the social movements of the 1960s and 70s forced private universities to drop their formal practices of discrimination and changed the use of personal essays and other qualitative metrics of evaluation in the process. 

For the first time, in the 1960s, admissions officers at historically white and Protestant universities acknowledged that applicants’ academic profiles were deeply shaped by the opportunities — educational, economic, and cultural — available to them, and that these in turn were shaped by students’ race, ethnicity, and sex. 

While special considerations about background had once been used to systematically exclude minorities, in the 1960s they were invoked for the first time to do the opposite, albeit with some striking limitations. 

By looking at applicants from a comprehensive standpoint, which included these markers of identity, even the most selective private universities made major strides in achieving racial diversity in this period. They also dropped quotas and began to admit women on an equal basis with men. Class diversity, however, was another matter — to this day private universities continue to be comparatively socio-economically homogenous despite meaningful shifts in other areas. 

Since the 1970s, the admissions system has only grown increasingly competitive, with more students than ever before applying to college. That forced universities to choose between strong applicants while building their own brands and competitive profiles. This competitive environment has turned the college application essay into a particularly important vehicle in the admissions process for learning about students’ backgrounds and human qualities.

Read More: How the End of Affirmative Action Could Affect the College Admissions Process

In 1975, a small group of mostly East Coast colleges came together to form the Common App — today used by more than 1,000 universities. The Common App led the way in formulating what we now think of as the personal statement, aimed at understanding the inner world of each student.

For more than 50 years now, universities both private and public have evaluated essays for a range of qualities including leadership capacity, creativity, service to the community, and ability to overcome hardship, as part of their admissions decisions. The kinds of questions universities ask, the qualities they seek, and the responses they receive have changed many times and have been shaped by the cultural trends of our times. 

In 2021 for example, following the spread of a global pandemic, the Common App introduced a question about gratitude for the first time. And while the prompts remained unchanged following the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. (SFFA) v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina , which formally excluded race as a factor in admissions, universities began to read them for the role of race, ethnicity, and other identities in students’ profiles. In these and many other ways, the essay has only gained value as a way for students to explain the important ways their experiences and identities have shaped their academic profiles.

Still, there have been calls to eliminate the college essay from admissions requirements from both the right and the left, as either frivolously inclusive, or potentially exclusionary. Now, at a time when there are major political constraints on supporting diversity and inclusion at the national level, personal essays give admissions committees important flexibility. They also allow colleges to evaluate students for underrated but essential intellectual and personal qualities hard to observe elsewhere, including the capacity for growth, self-reflection, and awareness of the world around them. 

The history of modern admissions shows how institutions of higher education have sought to engineer their classes, often reinforcing harmful racial, class, and gender hierarchies. There is little objectivity in the metric of “fit” that has shaped American admissions practices. But the Civil Rights era has had a powerful and long-lasting legacy in broadening access through an assessment of applicants that is attentive to identity. However flawed the system, the essay offers something no other metric can: an account of a student’s lived experience, in their own words.

Sarah Stoller is a writer and historian. She also tutors college essay writing.

Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here . Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors .

More Must-Reads from TIME

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Write to Sarah Stoller / Made by History at [email protected]

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2 University of South Carolina Essays by an Accepted Student

What’s covered:, essay example #1 – intellectual curiosity, essay example #2 – extracurricular, where to get your university of south carolina essays edited.

If you’re applying to the University of South Carolina’s Honors College, you’ll need to have more than high grades and test scores. Strong academic credentials are a must, of course, but to truly set yourself apart in a competitive applicant pool, you’ll want to showcase your intangible qualities that will allow you to take full advantage of all the Honors College has to offer.

The following essays were written by a real student who was ultimately accepted to the Honors College, so they should give you a more concrete sense of what admissions officers are looking for beyond the numbers.

Please note that while looking at examples of real essays written by other students can give you inspiration for your own essays, you should never copy from these examples. If colleges think you have plagiarized, they are likely to automatically reject you, and plus, the essay is your opportunity to tell your own story, not repeat someone else’s.

Prompt: What sparks your intellectual curiosity? How have you explored the subject in the past? How do you plan to explore it at UofSC?

When I began my true crime podcast almost two years ago, the choice for a perfect first case was simple. I would have to cover the murder of Jonbenet Ramsey. While it may sound morbid, true crime is an interest of mine, and this specific case has always fascinated me. Specifically, the fact that this case has remained unsolved for so many years is profoundly unsettling.

Jonbenet Ramsey was a child pageant queen who was brutally murdered the day after Christmas in her idyllic Colorado town in 1996. Because of the crime’s unsettling nature, and the victim’s pageantry, the American public became quickly captivated by the case. However, despite years of speculation surrounding suspects, the case has remained unsolved. I suppose this is why I have always been drawn to wanting answers in this case. I simply cannot comprehend how a case that gained sweeping media coverage and mesmerized the American public for decades has never been solved.

Over the years, this murder has had many circulating theories. Some speculate it was Jonbenet’s strangely behaved parents, while others suspect a stranger snuck in through the basement window to commit the crime. While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, there is one matter in this case that can simply not be ignored. I believe that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.

There were two major reasons why this case was handled inappropriately: Christmas and community. Jonbenet Ramsey was determined missing in the early morning hours of December 26, 1996. Because of the timing, Boulder, Colorado’s more senior detectives were out enjoying their holiday, while the officers with less experience were called into the initial investigation. Simple mistakes and miscommunications due to their inexperience complicated this already unsettling investigation. Despite this being the most shocking crime to occur in the picturesque Colorado town, it was handled by a gaggle of rookie cops that didn’t get to sleep in the morning after Christmas.

The second reason this investigation was doomed from the start is community. The Ramseys were well-recognized in their Boulder neighborhood and had many close friends come over the morning of Jonbenet’s disappearance. These neighbors helped search the house, also known as the crime scene. Jonbenet was found in the basement by her father before the cops had arrived at the scene. Not knowing what to do, her father carried her upstairs, tainting any evidence that was left with his deceased daughter.

Once a proper investigation was conducted, detectives were left with a minimal report by amateur investigators and an entirely contaminated crime scene, leaving this case as an enigma. The unsolved nature of this case has resulted in my fascination with criminology. 

At the South Carolina Honors College, I would like to research the inner workings of the criminal justice system and learn more about unsolved investigations similar to this case.

During high school, I attempted to explore criminal justice through several different facets. I conducted research about different types of true crime cases for my podcast, which expanded my knowledge of criminal investigations. Additionally, I attended a summer program at New York University that focused on criminal justice. While there, I took a college course that overviewed the different areas of the American criminal justice system. Despite these efforts, my morbid curiosity has not been diminished.

At the South Carolina Honors College, I hope to take several courses which go in-depth on different areas of criminology and public policy. I would also like to work to conduct further research in the field of criminology. Ultimately, I hope to continue exploring concepts of criminal justice while at the South Carolina Honors College.

What the Essay Did Well

This student’s thorough, immersive analysis of the Jonbenet Ramsey case is exactly the kind of thing they’ll be asked to do in Honors College classes, so the essay serves as indisputable evidence (no pun intended) that they have the genuine intellectual curiosity necessary to succeed in a more rigorous academic environment.

The structure of this essay is one thing we want to draw particular attention to, as in a long supplement, you want to be sure there aren’t any places along the way where your reader could potentially get lost. This writer starts by laying out the facts of the case, including what actually happened, the media impact, and the public’s theories, and then smoothly transitions into providing their own analysis, with the lines:

“I believe that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.

There were two major reasons why this case was handled inappropriately: Christmas and community.”

They then go on to clearly and logically explain why these two factors contributed to the case’s lack of a resolution. Again, Honors College admissions officers are evaluating your ability to think critically about a complex topic, and this writer doesn’t just tell us about a time they did that–they actually show us, in this very essay. The proof is in the pudding, in other words (pun intended).

Additionally, the student’s personable writing style makes this essay feel almost like a conversation with a friend. Your essay is much more likely to stand out if admissions officers are genuinely invested in your story, and this writer actively draws readers in with lines like:

• “While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media…”
• “I simply cannot comprehend how a case that gained sweeping media coverage and mesmerized the American public for decades has never been solved.”

These lines, along with creative phrasings like “a gaggle of rookie cops that didn’t get to sleep in the morning after Christmas” make us feel like the writer is speaking directly to us, which in turn makes us vicariously feel their excitement about this case. 

If you can get your reader genuinely excited about your story, they will remember that feeling of excitement as they’re deliberating about your application with their colleagues, and they will be more likely to advocate for your potential as an Honors College student.

What Could Be Improved

While the student’s detailed description of the Jonbenet Ramsey case grabs readers’ attention and doesn’t let go, so much of the essay is dedicated to describing the case that we almost forget this is a college essay. The point of the college essay is to teach admissions officers about who you are, and we come away from this essay knowing far more about Jonbenet Ramsey and her tragic death than about the author.

Of course, as noted above, the writer does illustrate certain key personality traits, like being attentive to detail and having a subtle sense of humor, in the way they tell the story. However, even though that sophisticated approach is effective, you don’t want almost 75% of your essay to be about something other than you, as the points that are directly about you then feel awkward and out of place–Jonbenet Ramsey seems to be missing from the last three paragraphs, even though this essay actually isn’t actually supposed to be about her.

Because of the imbalance in the essay content, the points the writer makes in response to the second part of the prompt, which is essentially a “Why School?” prompt, feel scattered. They don’t have the room to smoothly integrate them, and so we bounce around from their podcast to the summer class they took at NYU to a vague mention of courses they hope to take at UofSC.

Again, the writer’s enthusiasm about this case is genuinely infectious, but there are times in college essays where you need to “kill your darlings,” or cut content that you like for the sake of the essay as a whole. For example, take the lines:

“Over the years, this murder has had many circulating theories. Some speculate it was Jonbenet’s strangely behaved parents, while others suspect a stranger snuck in through the basement window to commit the crime. While I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, there is one matter in this case that can simply not be ignored.”

In a true crime podcast, these lines add helpful context to the story. But in a college essay, they take up a lot of words to basically say “this isn’t my main point.” The writer could have cut the first two sentences, and instead had the following short, punchy second paragraph:

“I do not necessarily want to harp on the thousands of speculations swirling around true crime media, as my personal belief is that if this case had been handled more professionally since the beginning of the investigation, it would be solved today.”

With this version, there’s still a smooth transition into the student’s personal views on this case, and the words saved could then be reallocated to the end of the essay, to build a more concrete connection between their interest in this case and their potential future at UofSC. In a “Why School?” essay, you want to be as precise as possible about why you’re applying to this specific institution , and right now this student only generally references “several courses which go in-depth on different areas of criminology and public policy” and “further research in the field of criminology.”

This last paragraph would be much stronger if the student instead cited specific Honors College courses that they’d like to take, such as “Critical Reading and Composition: The Making of Monsters,” which could teach them more about how a narrative can be constructed to skew perception. Their excitement about their future at UofSC would then be just as tangible as their excitement about the Jonbenet Ramsey case.

Prompt: We expect our students to integrate their learning with meaningful extracurricular experiences. Pick a beyond-the-classroom activity where you have taken initiative and tell us more about your involvement. Share what you have learned from your experience. How do you envision building upon this experience to contribute to UofSC and the South Carolina Honors Community?

There is truly nothing like taking the final bow. On stage, surrounded by these people that have been brought into your life by situation, but have managed to become your closest friends. Your thoughts are drowned out by the overwhelming sound of applause. While it may sound cliche, for a brief moment in time, you feel on top of the world. And, to think, it might almost not have happened this way.

At the beginning of eighth grade, a group of high school students came to my middle school cafeteria. They stood in a line, in front of a couple of hundred thirteen-year-olds, to pitch the different elective options available in high school. I listened through countless presentations, mostly bored until one pitch struck me. These two students began discussing the high school’s theater department. They were both involved with musical theater, and it reminded me of the performance I saw at the end of the previous year. The high school had just put on a production of Grease at the end of my seventh-grade year. It was my favorite musical, and probably the only musical I knew, at the time and I wanted to be a part of it so badly. So, I enrolled in the fundamentals of theater course. 

Flash-forward to the beginning of ninth grade. On my first day of school, my dream of being the queen of musical theater was crushed. My fundamentals of theater teacher…hated musicals. With a passion. At my school, the theater department divides into three separate sections after the initial fundamentals course. These sections included acting, tech, and musical theater. The teacher I had been assigned exclusively taught acting and despised musical theater. This challenge immediately diminished my hope. Every day, I was met with a teacher who would trash talk the elaborate musical productions. However, over time, I began to adore this teacher. She was passionate about theater and was genuinely invested in bettering the lives of her students. 

When it came time to pick classes for next year, I had to choose between pursuing acting or musical theater. The influence this teacher had on me was profound. I knew in my heart-of-hearts that I needed to continue with acting instead of musical theater. So, I did. However, in a strange turn of events, I also ended up taking the musical theater course during my sophomore year. So, my major theatrical decision was prolonged for another year. I continued with these courses, and at the end of the year, it was audition time. I was required to audition for both advanced acting and advanced musical theater, however, I would only be able to select one. At that point, I was doing online school, and my relationship with my acting teacher had been reduced to brief Google Meet interactions. So, when I considered my options, I chose to continue with advanced musical theater because it was my initial dream. This plan was all set by the end of my sophomore year. My junior year course requests were in, and there was supposedly no going back. But, then, everything changed.

In the last week of school, my acting teacher wanted to talk in private. She congratulated me on my acceptance to both advanced acting and musical theater and then asked me which one I was going to choose. I told her, with deep remorse, that I had selected musical theater. She nodded, but then told me how much she wished I would be in her advanced class the following year. She started to tell me all about the advanced acting course. They prepared and performed two productions each year, which involved both extracurricular and curricular involvement, and competed in a one-act play competition. As she described the exciting pursuits available in this course, I knew deep down that I had made the wrong choice. 

The second I got home that day, I sent an email to my counselor requesting my elective choice for the following year be changed. I knew I needed to be in advanced acting. And, ultimately, it all worked out. Junior year, I began the exceptional experience of being a part of the Advanced Acting Ensemble.

My first production was the one-act play, The 146 Point Flame. The entire process of production was immediately exciting. I auditioned and was cast in the role that I wanted! I committed a lot of time to this production. I was often staying after-school for rehearsals and asking my friends and family to run lines with me. This production was composed of a small group, which helped facilitate a strong bond between everyone involved. After performing one night in our school’s theater, we traveled about twenty minutes away to compete against other schools in the regional one-act play competition. The experience was thrilling. We were tasked with performing within a short amount of time, and we succeeded. After awaiting the results, the judges came on stage and announced our regional victory! We were overjoyed. At that exact moment, I knew I had made the right decision in choosing this class. 

In the spring, we began auditions for our next production. This time we would be performing the play She Kills Monsters. This show was extremely different from our prior production. It was composed of two acts, and we would be performing a total of five shows for a public audience. We began the production process again. Another serious round of auditions, memorizing lines, and rehearsals. By the end of our final performance, I felt the most extreme rush of emotions. This acting ensemble has given me many valuable things. My acting skills improved, but more importantly, I was given the opportunity to bond with some of the most amazing people that I may not have met had I chosen musical theater. Ultimately, my participation in high school theater has been irreplaceable, and I would love to continue with a similar extracurricular at the University of South Carolina. 

The most common mistake with this kind of “Extracurricular” prompt is that your response is only about the activity, and you don’t address “what you have learned from your experience” or “how do you envision building upon this experience to contribute to UofSC and the South Carolina Honors Community.” This student masterfully avoids that pitfall by describing not only their passion for theater, but also broader qualities and abilities such as adaptability, self-reflection, and a strong work ethic that will serve them well in any activity, course, or social group at UofSC.

The student also does an excellent job of following perhaps the #1 rule in college essays and showing , rather than merely telling, us how they developed these personality traits. We get to see how their initial interest in musical theater emerged, how they reacted when they were put in an acting class instead, and how they grappled with eventually choosing between musical theater and acting.

This detailed story arc, combined with the student’s friendly, personable writing style, make us feel like we’re along for the ride with them, just like in their previous essay. The point of the college essay is to explain who you are beyond your more objective academic and extracurricular achievements. But, as noted above, the very best essays go a step further and build a connection with admissions officers that gets them genuinely invested in your candidacy.

While admissions officers may seem like faceless strangers, locked in a room thousands of miles away, they were once high schoolers too, struggling to decide which path to follow as they entered young adulthood. Lines like the following openly discuss the uncertainty of adolescence, which is a universal experience that helps admissions officers relate to this student:

• “It was my favorite musical, and probably the only musical I knew, at the time and I wanted to be a part of it so badly.”
• “On my first day of school, my dream of being the queen of musical theater was crushed. My fundamentals of theater teacher…hated musicals. With a passion.”
• “The influence this teacher had on me was profound. I knew in my heart-of-hearts that I needed to continue with acting instead of musical theater.”
• “This plan was all set by the end of my sophomore year. My junior year course requests were in, and there was supposedly no going back. But, then, everything changed.”
• “As she described the exciting pursuits available in this course, I knew deep down that I had made the wrong choice.”

Being vulnerable with people you don’t know, who are much older than you and making a big decision about your future, is hard, and you definitely don’t have to bare your soul to write a strong college essay. But acknowledging there have been moments where you doubted yourself or your choices, and showing how you responded in those moments, can tell admissions officers a great deal about you.

While college applications can seem like they’re all about high grades and prestigious awards, schools know that you aren’t perfect. Reflecting honestly on the tougher parts of high school shows maturity, gives your achievements more weight by showing what you had to overcome to earn them, and proves to admissions officers that when you inevitably stumble in college, you’ll be able to pick yourself up and keep going.

There’s only one real issue with this essay. Although the author does an excellent job of showing us the intangible traits they’d bring to UofSC’s Honors College, ideally they would give more concrete examples of how they’d contribute to this community.

The line “Ultimately, my participation in high school theater has been irreplaceable, and I would love to continue with a similar extracurricular at the University of South Carolina” is generic enough that you could swap in any school’s name and still have it make sense. When you mention your excitement to attend a particular school, you always want your reasoning to be specific to that institution.

For example, this student could have mentioned their desire to take courses with Peter Duffy, a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance who does work on education in the arts, as they know firsthand the impact a teacher can have on a student’s creative pursuits. Or, they could have mentioned the student group Off Off Broadway as an opportunity for them to finally star in a musical theater production.

After all, just about every school has some sort of theater-related opportunity. This kind of added specificity goes a long way towards showing UofSC admissions officers not just that you want to do theater in college, but that you want to do theater at University of South Carolina specifically. 

Finally, on a more nitpicky, stylistic level, we do want to quickly address the use of the second person “you” in the first paragraph. This choice does create a feeling of universality, which, as noted above, is a good thing. However, remember that the college essay is ultimately about you. So, rather than speaking in general terms, take ownership of your story right away, by saying:

“There is truly nothing like taking the final bow. On stage, surrounded by these people that have been brought into my life by situation, but have managed to become my closest friends. My thoughts are drowned out by the overwhelming sound of applause. While it may sound cliche, for a brief moment in time, I feel on top of the world. And, to think, it might almost not have happened this way.”

Do you want feedback on your University of South Carolina 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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