by Ian Fisher, former admissions officer at Reed College

Last week, the Common App announced it will add a short COVID-19-themed essay question for students applying to college this fall. This came as little surprise to those of us at Bright Horizons College Coach, where one of our more prescient educators even had a dream about this addition, way back on April 10. We have long anticipated that colleges would offer a way for students to express how this global pandemic has upended the ordinary parts of their lives, and the question below will give them an opportunity to do exactly that:

by Lauren DiProspero, former admissions officer at Columbia University

As I spend time speaking with families, I notice that many are missing the cultural experiences they had before stay-at-home policies were established. Some love museums, no matter how small and quirky. Some miss the popcorn at their local movie theater. Some are yearning to learn new things at lectures. And, honestly, many didn’t have regular access to these experiences within their community before this.

The College Board made a splash a few months ago with its new Adversity Score. After some negative backlash and bad press, they scrapped the score and replaced it with their new Landscape tool. Tune in to find out what all the fuss is about and if the name is the only thing that’s really changing. Breaks from college can wind up being quite expensive for students depending on what they choose to do and how far they travel to do it. We have some thoughts on how not to break the bank during the upcoming winter break. Finally, in Office Hours, we’re breaking down the supplements for Virginia Tech and Santa Clara.

The Coalition Application is similar to the Common App in that it is one application students can fill out that is accepted at multiple schools. While some of the essay prompts overlap with the Common App in theme and approach, others are quite unique to the application. We will discuss the options and approaches to these topics. In Office Hours, we’re answering listener questions related to college finance and admissions.

The Bowdoin supplement asks applicants to first identify which of the lines from “The Offer of the College,” a poem written in 1906 by Bowdoin president William DeWitt Hyde, most resonate with them. Applicants are then invited to provide an optional short essay of 250 words to reflect on their chosen line and how it has meaning for them.

The first time I read over Smith College’s supplemental essay question, my response was, “Wow! This one is different!” See for yourself:

We know that colleges ask a lot of hard questions on their applications. This one is not so hard and we promise, there is no hidden agenda – just have fun! If you had a theme song – a piece of music that describes you, what would it be and why? Please include the name of the song and the artist. (200 words)

You know you love Harvey Mudd, but now it is time to articulate why by clearly showcasing the synergy between you and the college and providing the admissions committee with a holistic picture of who you are and what you will bring to their community. 

While many might think of Carleton College when they hear “Northfield, Minnesota,” there’s another fabulous school in this small town—St. Olaf College. Like its neighbor, St. Olaf is a small, liberal arts college. But if you’re planning to apply, you’ll want to be sure you demonstrate deeper knowledge of the college and its culture in your supplemental essay responses than that! So let’s look at what those questions are and how you might answer them.

Over time, I have had a number of students struggle with writing their responses to the Emory University supplemental essay prompts, and this year they seem to be equally, if not more perplexing.  The difficulty of writing something really illuminating in 150 words or less makes it even more challenging, and having multiple prompts to choose from doesn’t seem to mitigate student’s stress very much.

Over the years, I’ve found it hard to articulate the response that past students have had to Chapman University in Orange, California. My brother used to live down the street from campus, and I once spent a week there for a conference, enjoying the sunny weather and brunching in their cute little downtown. It’s a beautiful campus in a part of Southern California that students don’t often consider, and it has a really strong program in film and screenwriting. It’s small but not too small; big but not too big, at just under 10,000 students. But the most striking aspect of Chapman, from where I sit, is that there are some students that go to visit and come back to proclaim that they just love it there.