university of washington personal statement reddit

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Writing Your Personal Statement

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Main Content

You are required to complete a Personal Statement as part of your application. This is a critical part of your application, both for admission and scholarship consideration. Content, as well as the form, spelling, grammar, and punctuation will be considered. When you write your personal statement, tell us about the aspects of your life that are not apparent from your academic record.

Personal statement

Freshman applicants will choose one of the following prompts (400-600 words):

1.) Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

2.) Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.

3.) An essay topic of your choice. If you have written another admissions essay that captures what you want the UW Tacoma Admissions Committee to know about, feel free to share it with us. Be sure to include the topic or question you answered. 

Transfer applicants are asked to address the following writing prompt:

Describe how personal, professional or educational experiences have shaped your academic, career and/or personal goals. How will UW Tacoma help you attain these goals? (650 words)

Other comments (optional)

If there is anything else you think we should know, you can include that in the "Other Comments" section of the application.

Tips for Success

• Tell us who you are. We encourage you to share those aspects of your life that are not apparent from your transcripts. Be concise, but tell the whole story even if you need a little more space. All of the information you provide in your application and statement will remain confidential.
• Be specific. Personal Statements too often include sentences such as "I've always wanted to be a Husky" or "My whole family attended the UW." Though this may be important to you personally, such statements are not particularly valuable to the Admissions staff. Why? Because they don't tell us anything distinctive about your experiences and ultimate goals.
• You are a college student. Your Personal Statement should reflect the experience and maturity of someone who has already attended college. It should reflect your understanding of the components of an undergraduate education, such as general education and the major. We want to read how your academic and personal experience to date fits into your academic, career and personal goals and how UW Tacoma can help you attain these goals.

Write your statement first in a word processing program (such as Word). Then copy/paste your work into the application text box.

Here are some tips on  how to write a great college essay .

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Impressing: Personal Statement

The best personal statements are memorable. They paint a picture in the mind of the reader and tell a story about who you are, how you got here, and where you want to go. The personal statement is vitally important because it is frequently used to help determine who gets interviewed and ranked. Overarching theme: Look over your CV and think about the experiences before and during medical school that inform what kind of family physicians you will become. Often there is a common thread that holds together even the most disparate of experiences – this common thread is usually one of your core values as a person. Identify this theme and write your personal statement so the reader could easily verbalize this theme in one sentence after reading your statement. Experiences to highlight: Use your experiences to give programs an idea of who you are. Be specific – talking about the aspects of care that you like in Family Medicine is good, but it’s even better when programs can see how your personal experiences reinforce aspects of family medicine that resonate with you as a person. It’s okay to include patient vignettes and talk about your accomplishments, but be sure to relate it back to yourself. How did the experience impact you? What did you learn about yourself? How will the experience make you a better family physician? What about the experience demonstrates your commitment to the discipline of family medicine, your ability to work with others, your ability to work with patients? Choose one experience and tell a story. This is a good way to open your statement, to develop your theme and make it memorable. Commitment to specialty: Talk about why you are choosing family medicine. Programs want to know why your’e attracted to a career in family medicine. What experiences convince you that this is the right field for you? Strengths that you bring: What do you bring to a program? What are you naturally good at? What specific skills do you have that will serve you well in residency? Future plans/what you are looking for in a residency program: At the end of this long road of school and training, what kind of work do you see yourself doing? What types of training do you want during residency to be able to accomplish this goal? Organize your statement: There are many ways to organize your statement to get these points across. One common way of organizing the personal statement is a three paragraph form reminiscent of those essays you had to write in high school. To use this approach the first paragraph tells a story to open the theme, the second paragraph fleshes out other experiences that highlight the them and discuss your commitment to family medicine, and the third paragraph reviews your strengths and future plans/training desires. However, this is a personal statement and you are free to write and organize it as you desire. Do:

• Write in complete sentences.
• Use the active voice.
• Make your writing interesting – use a thesaurus and vary sentence length and structure.
• Have other people read your personal statement and give feedback.
• Give yourself plenty of time to work on your statement and revise it based on feedback.

Don’t:

• Rehash your CV or write an autobiography.
• Use abbreviations – spell things out.
• Violate HIPPA.
• Start every sentence with an “I.”
• Make it longer than one page, single spaced, 12 point font.
• Have spelling or grammatical errors.
• Write a statement that could be used for several different specialties (i.e. one that talks about wanting a primary care career but not specifically family medicine). If you are still deciding on a specialty and applying to different fields, write two different statements.

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5 University of Washington Essay Examples by Accepted Students

What’s covered:, essay example #1 – diversity, cripplepunks, essay example #2 – diversity, community in difference, essay example #3 – diversity, food, essay example #4 – diversity, dinnertime conversations, essay example #5 – interdisciplinary studies, where to get your university of washington essays edited.

The University of Washington is a selective school, so it’s important to write strong essays to help your application stand out. In this post, we’ll share essays real students have submitted to the University of Washington. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Read our University of Washington es say breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

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

Prompt: Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington. (300 words)

The first time I looked up the term cripplepunk I was in ninth grade, almost bedbound with severe hip pain. It took half a second for the page to load, and another half a second for me to process what I was seeing. There before me, against the muted grey of my phone’s dark mode, is the community I thought I would never have. I could have scrolled for hours, absorbing the images of models in powerchairs wearing ornate gowns, snarky patches on guide dog vests, and decorated canes. I kept coming back to the page, enchanted with the movement. Although the term cripplepunk wasn’t used until 2014, the spirit of the movement is present in most disabled people, from Frida Kahlo to the participants in the Capitol Crawl. The cripplepunk movement is intentionally subversive, fighting against the ableism and pity that disabled people encounter at every turn. Cripplepunks take a “so what if I am?” approach to ableism, refusing to be ashamed of symptoms, accommodations, or mobility aids. It’s a diverse movement too, where a 60-something veteran dealing with decades-old injuries can guide me through the process of buying and decorating my first cane. In cripplepunk circles, a deafblind Black woman can teach the world that disabled people can have dreams for their futures. The cripplepunk movement is a movement where I can offer sympathy, advice, and support to the same people who helped me through otherwise isolating moments and new cripples alike. That work doesn’t just happen online though. My work as a cripplepunk happens everywhere, classrooms and grocery stores alike, by being visibly and unashamedly disabled, vocally confronting ableists, and campaigning for greater accessibility.

What the Essay Did Well

One of the primary strengths of this “Diversity” essay is its writer’s enthusiasm about the cripplepunk movement, which helps readers feel connected to them. At the very beginning of this response, we are introduced to the term ‘cripplepunk,’ but just like the student, we are not exactly sure what it means. We go through the process of learning about the movement with the student as they bring to our minds “images of models in powerchairs wearing ornate gowns, snarky patches on guide dog vests, and decorated canes.” By bringing us along to their first introduction to cripplepunk, this student forms a connection between themself and the reader. We get “enchanted” alongside them.

At the same time, we get enchanted by the student, who positions themself as mature and insightful. As they describe how the cripplepunk movement wasn’t labeled until 2014 but “the spirit of the movement” existed long before, they address the ways that community doesn’t need to have a name to exist. They position community as anything that makes individuals not feel alone, then follow that description up with a definition of community as “people who help others through otherwise isolating moments.” This deeper reflection displays this student’s insightful-nature and maturity.

Finally, this essay’s structure works very nicely. It is simultaneously anecdotal and reflective, and, to top it all off, the student provides an image of them in “classrooms and grocery stores alike” showing off their diversity and their pride. The anecdote draws the reader in, while the reflection reveals this student’s personality and perspectives. Combined, the reader gets a good idea of who this student is and how they would fit into the campus community.

What Could Be Improved

The one thing this essay didn’t address was how this student will add to the diversity of the University of Washington. Although we get a good sense of the unique community this student came from and how it shaped them, we still want to know how they will contribute to their campus community. This student could have easily revised the last few sentences to say something along the lines of this:

“I intend to bring the cripplepunk movement with me to the University of Washington. I’ll proudly display myself on campus so I can teach my fellow classmates about disabilities and encourage other disabled students to be unashamed of who they are.”

Reworking the conclusion to discuss how they will take the lessons they have learned from being part of the cripplepunk community and share those lessons with a new community would show admissions officers exactly what this student would bring to campus. It doesn’t have to be an extensive response, but the essay should include some reference of University of Washington. 

In my youth, I found solace in communities of my peers who shared portions of my identity; from speaking the same second languages to sharing similar tastes, I was quick to bond with those I was similar to. 

When I moved to Oregon, I found myself miles away from these connections. My fragmented identity found little to attach to my peers. Inkling connections uprooted as I attended three different middle schools throughout my years. “Community” felt like a bubble I was floating upon, inherently a part of yet never fully immersed. 

At the end of math class towards the middle of eighth grade, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A tall girl with glasses and a tooth gap stood behind.

“Do you want to sit with us at lunch today?”

Stemming from this small invitation, I found myself part of a community of peers with whom I never thought I could relate. Our interests diverged and collided in all regards; we were of different gender identities, sexual orientations, and ethnic backgrounds. While I was the only person of color in our friend group, I cherished the different experiences we brought to the table. I recounted my struggles accepting my culture while I heard the stories of my friends who were dealing with gender dysphoria. 

In the following years, I wholeheartedly applied this multifaceted outlook to my sense of community. I engaged with peers both different and similar to me; I found community at Indian festivals with my fellow South Asian peers and community with my closest friends with whom I can form strong emotional connections, despite our dissimilar backgrounds. 

This ever-growing sense of community has helped me thrive and will better help me engage within the student body at the University of Washington

As this student explores the struggle of finding community, their essay not only reads like a Diversity essay but also like an Overcoming Challenges essay . 

The main strength of this essay is the arc it presents. We learn about their background (moving around a lot) and we learn that community didn’t always come easy for them. The sentence “‘ Community’ felt like a bubble I was floating upon, inherently a part of yet never fully immersed” articulates their isolation particularly well. At the same time, this sentence shows their profound awareness of the true meaning of community. They understand that being a part of a formal group like a school organization, an ethnic group, or a sport does not necessarily mean one feels community.

As the essay progresses, the student comes to understand that community does not have to exist within any formal bounds at all. You can find community with people completely different from you. Through their reflection, this student clearly shows an understanding of the importance of diversity. Not only is this essay able to demonstrate the meaning of community to this student, but it also displays how diversity is an integral part of community, which is exactly what admissions officers want to see.  

The beginning of this essay is a little slow, so the whole essay would benefit from reordering it and changing the structure a bit. Essays tend to start off with an anecdote to hook the reader and then go into more elaboration. However, it takes a few sentences before this student gets to their anecdote. We learn about this student’s experience feeling part of (or isolated from) a community prior to middle school, but the essay isn’t overly engaging before the anecdote.

The anecdote livens up the essay and brings a renewed sense of excitement and engagement to the reader, so opening the essay with the story of getting invited to lunch would spur that interest from the beginning. After the quick anecdote, the student could explain why it was so meaningful to be invited to lunch and find a community at that table because they had felt that they were missing a community throughout middle school. Restructuring the essay like this would mean it wouldn’t be told chronologically, but a deeper emotional connection with the student, and interest in their story, would be established off the bat.

“Beta, food is ready,” Amma yells as I quickly traverse her words.  She made dosas and aloo curry, my favorite. I followed the strong, flavorful scent to the kitchen, the same place where I subsequently got serenaded by hymns sung by Amma.  I helped set up the table, decorated with a box of misplaced cheerios and a bowl of Gulab jamun Appa set out for us before he left for work.   I watched my brother go into the garden to collect one of our banana leaves, acting as plates for the eight guests arriving soon for lunch. The natural grassy smell that emanated from the leaves signaled Amma that guests would be coming soon. She laid out the dosas on the table and aloo in a bowl, exerting an ounce of pride from the squint of her eyes.  The aroma of dosas and aloo curry has followed my family for generations. Every generation that was taught the art of making a dosa assimilated a new idea, evolving my family’s South Indian cuisine. My appreciation of my community lies within its versatility for the continuation of traditions and beliefs, passing them down for generations to come.   Guests started coming in for lunch, holding their food, seasoned with the stories of their lives. Despite the incredible array of foods on the table, the box of cheerios remained in sight to the public. Like me, it didn’t align with the norms of its environment, but remained firm. Its bright yellow color pervaded, attracting many. However, it had its own stories and journey that couldn’t hold comparison to others. This “ambiguity” represents diversity within culture. Its multidimensional perspective allows for cuisine and culture to bring a multitude of stories together, creating a home for all, including me.

This essay exemplifies how to respond to the Diversity prompt, an essay archetype used by many colleges. Effective responses do just what this essay does, by describing both a culture and the applicant’s place within it. Especially successful essays convey important, relevant aspects of the community with quick yet evocative descriptions, like of the aloo curry and hymns, that also help readers get to know the applicant better. In this essay, we see their thoughtfulness, keen eye for detail, involvement with their family and community, and appreciation for their heritage. 

One more especially powerful aspect of this essay is the vivid, descriptive language. There’s the smell of curry, the sound of singing, and the visual of the bright yellow Cheerios box, all of which draw us into this student’s world with all five senses. In particular, the metaphor of the Cheerios box standing out in the midst of the home-cooked, traditional South Indian meal is unexpected and heartwarming, and helps ensure that this rich essay will make a strong impression on UW admissions officers.

Even in a strong essay like this one, there’s still room for improvement. One thing that would make this supplement more effective would be a bit more detail on the central metaphor of the Cheerios box. Why does the author align themselves with the American breakfast cereal, instead of the food being cooked by their grandmother? 

The description of the box as “not aligning with the norms of the environment” is compelling, but not supported by details about the applicant’s personality, or reflections on their identity. While metaphors are a crucial part of many college essays, you always want to be as explicit as possible about what a metaphor is saying about you, to ensure the admissions officer reading your essay fully understands your point.

Additionally, on a structural level, this essay would benefit from being split into two or even three paragraphs, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because one big block of text is a little rough on the eyes. Secondly, because breaking up your ideas ensures each one gets your reader’s full attention–at the end of each paragraph, they can reflect on the point you’ve just made before continuing on to the next one.

At my dining table, a silent war was being waged. Each side wielded glances, smirks, and snide remarks concealed under composed postures. The discomfort was palpable. Yet, newly eight-year-old me moved obliviously between my grandmas. To me, they were nearly the same person wh o loved me and, on this delightful occasion, had provided me with considerable compensation for lasting another year. 

My first call to battle came sitting in the passenger seat of my grandma, Judy’s Toyota. As we rolled through the hills of Idaho, she spoke to me about a recent election and her opinions on various healthcare issues. Moved from a place of deep sorrow, she described my Aunt’s struggle to obtain insurance due to a pre-existing condition. She suggested her solutions, and I listened attentively, curious about her ideas since I had yet to form my own.  

Months later, I found myself in a hammock under a sweeping eucalyptus, engaged in a similar discussion with my other grandma, Teresa. As a healthcare worker, she was very involved with the issue, yet her ideas fell completely opposite Judy’s. 

This was when I discovered the origin of the hushed hostility afflicting my family. 

The family I come from may seem divided with their vastly different views, but together, these women taught me the importance of being a listener. I learned that to understand an issue truly, you must first consider all thoughts and opinions, no matter how much you may disagree. The animosity I observed resulted from closed minds and echo chambers; from their discomfort, I’ve learned that progress can only be made through compromise and communication. At UW, I hope to contribute my distinct perspective on problem-solving alongside my engineering knowledge to collaborate with others through programs like Engineers Without Borders to create impactful solutions to universal problems. 

In this essay, which is another strong response to the “Diversity” prompt , the student does a great job of explaining how being around different opinions has shaped their own perspective, as well as capturing the role they play within their family. The response highlights what the student has learned not just about their grandmothers’ opinions, but about listening in general and forming opinions of their own.

This essay is also a good reminder that writing a strong response to this kind of prompt doesn’t require you to focus on a distinct culture–you can write effectively about aspects of your identity, like the conversations at your family dinner table, that aren’t typically associated with diversity. So long as your growth and character are at the center of the story, like they are for this student, the essay will do a great job of demonstrating who you are to the admissions committee. 

The other especially effective part of this essay is the end, where the author connects their theme to a specific program and future at UW. This detail goes above and beyond what the prompt asks for, to show admissions officers exactly how this student plans to participate in the University of Washington community. Although quick, this line drives home the relevance of this student’s skills and experience to UW’s values as an institution, which helps admissions officers picture them on campus.

While this kind of concrete connection to the school can take your essay to the next level, you want to be sure that you make the connection in a way that feels natural. The majority of your essay should focus on some aspect of your identity and what it reflects about your broader character–only mention something specific about the school if you have extra space, and it’s directly connected to what you’ve discussed. It’s always nice to have a cherry on top of an already strong essay, but ultimately the most important thing is always to answer what the prompt is actually asking.

What Could Be Improved 

Overall, this is a super strong essay, with very little to improve. The only thing that we would consider changing is the time periods the student chooses their examples from. While the anecdotes are strong and paint a vivid picture of a conflict that goes back years, stories from when the author was eight may seem less relevant to an admissions committee that is looking to admit that student ten years later. 

If you have a story that dates back to your childhood, you should weigh the benefits of starting at the very beginning of the story against the benefits of including anecdotes that show how you behave in that community now. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule here: simply be conscious about the choices you make with your essay, to ensure you communicate your key points as effectively as possible.

Prompt: Consider two very different subjects you have previously studied; tell us how you imagine bringing those together at UW to engage with a pressing societal concern. This could be a local, national, or global concern.

In my youth, my mother helped instill a curiosity about the natural world in me. Her work in consulting regarding climate change and environmental systems made me question my direct and indirect impact. I delved into these interests further in high school by taking broad coursework in the sciences. In AP Biology, I was baffled by the reactions and transformation that occurred with simple manipulation. In AP Environmental Science, I was able to apply these biological processes to environmental concepts I noticed on the daily.

In my junior year, I took AP Economics, a class on the polar opposite spectrum from biological and environmental sciences. However, while studying economics, I was able to establish connections between economic and environmental concepts. My father, who has a grounded education in economics, helped me understand the links between these seemingly disparate subjects. The subjects were foundationally interlinked; simple ideas coincided, such as the tragedy of the commons and its relation to marginal analysis. 

As I noticed these intersectional ties, I saw that addressing the impending climate crisis through an economic lens was necessary for implementable, impactful change. There were opportunities for the government to impact climate action— these included economic incentives and regulations to influence the market price, changing producer and consumer behavior to be environmentally friendly. These policies helped protect the welfare of not only the environment but also of individuals who are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. 

My interest in communication studies links to this; I hope to thoroughly understand these subjects in an interdisciplinary context to provide the means for others to do the same.

  At UW, particularly in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, I hope to conjoin my interests in economic policy, science, and communications to gain the leverage and sound academic foundation necessary to address these concerns.

One of the best things this essay did was make use of a simple structure. This prompt asks for a lot from students: discuss two interests, identify the relationship between the two interests, show that the relationship relates to a pressing societal concern , and describe how you will engage with that concern at UW. While it is possible to answer all of these questions with a creative structure, this student’s use of a simple structure helped keep all of the parts of the essay organized. The essay followed the same format as the prompt: two paragraphs about their interests and relationship between them, a paragraph on a societal concern, and two final paragraphs on how they will tie everything together at UW.

Utilizing this structure allowed the student to fully establish both of their interests as unique entities before combining them. Going into detail on what excited them about environmental science and economics in the first place made their genuine love for the topics shine through. Also, including specific concepts like biological reactions and tragedy of the commons shows this student’s knowledge in these respective fields, in addition to their passion.

This student also does a good job of explaining the relationship they see between environmental sciences and economics. Explaining how they were “foundationally interlinked; simple ideas coincided” gives some insight into how this student thinks. We learn that they used logic to connect seemingly different topics that share common ideas. Establishing this logic-based link helps us understand how they devised solutions to address the pressing issue of the climate crisis in the third paragraph. The reader is left with the impression this student is genuinely fascinated by these two topics and has an interest in continuing to combine them in the future.

This student struggles with the transition to discussing their future goals. Since they devoted a large portion of their allotted word count to their interests in science and economics, they were left with very few words to discuss their interest in communication and how all three fields can be tied together. This leaves the essay feeling rushed and less genuine at the end.  

If they cut down on some words earlier in the essay—perhaps only mention their interest sparked from their coursework or their parents, rather than delving into detail on both—they could devote more space to their interest in communication studies later on. Then, this student could add more depth to the sentence “ My interest in communication studies links to this,”  by replacing it with something like:

“As I have seen the importance of science and economics for saving our planet, I have realized that interdisciplinarity is what will save the world. Disparate fields must join together for change to occur. I plan to join the inherently interdisciplinary communication studies program to show the world the importance of communication between disciplines.”

Do you want feedback on your University of Washington 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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Essay Questions For Each Major

Provided below are the personal statement prompts used for each specific engineering major. Students are encouraged to use these prompts to begin drafting their personal statements.

Aeronautics & Astronautics

Aeronautics & astronautics question.

The personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) should describe your interest in Aeronautics & Astronautics. Explain why you would like to study in the department, your goals while in the undergraduate program, and some ideas of what you would like to do after graduation. Our department strives to understand prospective students in a holistic manner. Please include any experiences (e.g., work, internship, research, leadership, or extracurricular activities) that will give us a better understanding of your academic interests, professional goals, and personal experiences. If your experiences have given you a unique perspective that you believe will add to our student body you may choose to include that in your statement. Similarly, if you have encountered any unusual or extenuating circumstances that have affected your education, you may wish to include that information as well. The information you provide in your personal statement will help the A&A Undergraduate Admissions Committee learn about you. We look forward to receiving your application.

Bioengineering Question #1

Please write a brief personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced for all prompts) addressing the following questions:

1. Tell us what aspect of bioengineering you are most interested in pursuing. How have you explored this interest, and how has this led to your decision to apply to the bioengineering major?

Bioengineering question #2, 2. tell us more about your personal and academic journey and how you have grown during your college career. describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, have contributed to the social good and a better world and/or will do so in the bioengineering program and in your career., bioengineering question #3, 3. additional materials (optional): applicants may petition the admissions committee for consideration if they are missing one or two prerequisite courses or if they plan to add bioengineering as a second degree. if you have been approved to apply with missing admission requirements or if you are interested in pursuing a double-degree, please provide additional information here., bioresource science and engineering, bioresource science & engineering question.

Personal Statement Write a brief, 1 page personal statement that will give the Bioresource Science and Engineering departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your background. Your statement must include your reasons for choosing Bioresource Science and Engineering, and your career objectives. You may also include other factors such as personal, family, economic and educational circumstances. Honors and Activities Please include a list of school, work or community honors and activities if applicable. Please indicate your most significant contribution, the organization name (if appropriate), and dates of service/award.

Chemical Engineering Question

Write a brief personal statement (approx. 1 single-spaced page). Formatting will be removed, so do not use special characters, italics, or other formatting. Proofread. Be concise.

We suggest you respond to the first question in the list, regarding your interests and goals. You can choose to address any combination of, including none or all of the additional topics in your personal statement - the admission committee uses this statement to better understand you as a person, your academic record, and your interest in chemical engineering:

• Discuss your academic and personal interests and goals.
• Discuss how your personal experiences prepare you to solve problems in diverse teams, and for a diverse world.
• Discuss any activities/extracurriculars you are particularly committed to (ChemE-related or not), why you are involved in these activities, and the skills or insights you gained that you will bring into your future work.
• Describe any challenges or hardships you have overcome in pursuing your education. For example: serious illness; disability; first generation in your family to attend college; significant financial hardship or responsibilities associated with balancing work, family, and school. Include how you persevered, and how the experience(s) impacted yourself or your education.

Additionally, please address the following if they are applicable to you:

• If you have applied to ChemE before, please discuss what has changed or improved since your last application.
• If you plan to complete more than one major, please provide an intellectual or career justification for the double-degree.
• If you will take more than 4 years to graduate, please briefly explain why and discuss your plan for graduating efficiently.

Civil Engineering Question

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering The purpose of the personal statement is to give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. Write a brief statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) telling us about your motivation for majoring in Civil Engineering, the experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that are important to you, and your future goals. If you have faced unusual or extenuating circumstances, you may wish to discuss this in your personal statement. For example, if you have had to overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you could describe how these challenges affected your education and impacted your academic record. If you are requesting to apply conditionally with a missing application or enrollment requirement, please review the process for a Conditional Application and complete the request form at your earliest convenience. Applicants who are approved to apply conditionally must address it in their personal statement when and where the outstanding course(s) will be completed.

Environmental Engineering Question

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering The purpose of the personal statement is to give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. Write a brief statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) telling us about your motivation for majoring in Environmental Engineering, the experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that are important to you, and your future goals. If you have faced unusual or extenuating circumstances, you may wish to discuss this in your personal statement. For example, if you have had to overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you could describe how these challenges affected your education and impacted your academic record. If you are requesting to apply conditionally with a missing application or enrollment requirement, please review the process for a Conditional Application and complete the request form at your earliest convenience. Applicants who are approved to apply conditionally must address in the personal statement when and where the outstanding course(s) will be completed.

Computer Science & Engineering

Computer engineering question #1.

Please address all the required topics below. The response under each heading should be no more than 250 words.

• Tell us about your college career to date, describing your performance, educational path, and academic choices.
• Share what led you to choose to study Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
• Explain any situations that may have had a significant positive or negative impact on your academic progress or curricular choices. What happened, and what was the impact for you?
• Transfer applicants only: What are the specific reasons you wish to leave your most recent college/university or program?

Computer Engineering Question #2

• Tell us about your future academic goals in college and your career and/or post-graduation plans.
• How will the Allen School help you achieve your goals?
• If you plan to pursue more than one major, tell us why both majors are important to you (if applicable).
• If you will take more than 4 years to graduate, please briefly explain why and discuss your plan for graduating efficiently (if applicable).
• Transfer applicants only: Why do you want to transfer to UW?

Computer Engineering Question #3

• Tell us about any significant communities that you are actively involved with or have recently been a part of within the past two years, and your role in them.
• Why are you involved in these communities?
• How did these communities benefit from your involvement? Emphasize in particular any leadership roles or impact you have had in these communities.
• What perspectives, skills, or insights will you bring to the Allen School community or future work as a result of your participation in these communities?

Computer Engineering Question #4

• Tell us about how any of your identities, perspectives, or life experiences would help you contribute to the Allen School community and the computing field. This could include but is not limited to: race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, ability/disability, age, socioeconomic background, academic experience, and veteran status.
• Describe any significant responsibilities you may have in addition to being a student (e.g. parenting responsibilities, work, familial responsibilities). What impact has this had on your college experience?

Computer Science Question #1

(Same as Computer Engineering above)

Computer Science Question #2

Computer science question #3, computer science question #4, electrical & computer engineering question.

Prior to applying to the ECE major, please review the ECE Admissions page. Prospective students are also strongly encouraged to attend an information session prior to applying to the ECE major.

The personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) should describe your interest in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Explain why you would like to study in the department, your goals while in the undergraduate program, and some ideas of what you would like to do after graduation.

Please include any experiences (e.g., work, internship, research, leadership, extracurricular activities, community, personal, etc.) that will give us a better understanding of your academic interests, professional goals, and personal journey.

If you would like to address or clarify anything particular in your transcripts/academic record, such as challenges or hardships you have overcome that have impacted your education, you have the option to use the “Additional Comments” section to briefly explain this.

Human Centered Design & Engineering Question

Prior to applying to the HCDE major, please review the HCDE BS admission FAQs . NEW: The HCDE BS admission personal statement rubric is now available on the HCDE website. See the FAQs for Transfers and Interest Changers on our HCDE BS admission page . Prospective students are also strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with an HCDE peer adviser prior to applying to the HCDE major.

Please provide a personal statement that will give the admissions committee an understanding of how you have explored HCDE and determined that majoring in HCDE will be the best fit for your goals. Your personal statement should include numbered responses to each of the 3 following prompts: 1. Please describe the specific activities you have engaged in to learn more about HCDE, including, but not limited to: involvement in student organizations, research, internships, projects, volunteer work, courses, or personal experiences that have helped you identify HCDE as the best fit for your interests and goals for the future. 2. Share instances from your past academic experiences that best show your ability to learn and succeed. What about these experiences contributed to your success, and how will you build on those experiences in HCDE? Please do not share information of a sensitive, traumatic, or private nature. 3. You should also discuss how your personal experiences prepare you to work successfully in diverse and interdisciplinary teams, and toward a more human-centered world. How will your identities, perspectives, and life experiences help you contribute to the HCDE community and the field?

Juniors/seniors only: Please note that the HCDE curriculum takes a minimum of 2 years to complete. If you will be applying to the HCDE major at the end of your junior year or later, please use the “Additional Comments” box in the application to briefly share why you are deciding to change your major, add another degree, or do not yet have another major in progress. Describe the reasons why you will need to extend your graduation timeline beyond 4 years/12 quarters and why this is the best path for meeting your individual academic and career goals.

Your application will be read by the HCDE B.S. admissions committee, which is composed of HCDE faculty and staff members. We suggest using specific examples in your statement and limiting it to approximately one page, single-spaced; this comes out to be roughly 750 words.

Industrial Engineering Question

Write a brief personal statement (approx. 1 page) that will give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. You may wish to describe your experiences (e.g., work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that have been important to you. Also, you may wish to discuss any unusual circumstances that may contribute to a better understanding of your record, or any personal hardship or barriers you have faced, and explain how they affected your education.

Materials Science & Engineering Question

MSE has removed the personal statement requirement for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. Please write, "N/A" in the essay submission box and complete the rest of the application and documentation requirements.

Mechanical Engineering Question

Write a brief personal statement (approximately one page, single-spaced) that will give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in this program. You may wish to describe your experiences (e.g. work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) that have been important to you. You may also use the personal statement to discuss any unusual or extenuating circumstances that may contribute to a better understanding of your record. For example, if you have overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you may describe them in the essay.

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Writing a Strong Personal Statement (Fall 2022)

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Academic Support Programs

• Applications & personal statements

Application materials like personal statements, resumes, and cover letters are an integral part of packaging your experience, academics, and interests in a meaningful way. The UW Career and Internship Center is a great resource to support you through the brainstorming, writing, and completion processes of your application materials. Here are some additional tips for telling your story for programs at UW and beyond!

Personal Statements

Since most majors at the UW require an application, many students are required to turn in personal statement essays and/or short answer responses to get into their major. For example, every application for the College of Engineering requires a short answer question that asks them to share the unique perspective that they can bring to the engineering classroom. 

Applications are not restricted to UW though — they are required for scholarship essays, internships, and jobs! That being said, here is an overview about how to organize an application like this:

• Section 1: What do I want to do and why? E.g. Why is this your field of interest, and what led you to explore this major?
• Internships, coursework, and special projects that contribute to the student’s learning
• Highlight specific things about the university/place/program in question
• Section 4: What will I do with this in the future?

The personal statement is a place to describe motivations and provide insight about the perspective you'll bring to the program, which could be related to your academic interests, identity, or past research/internship experience.

Although resumes can be personalized or designed based on the student’s area of study/conventions of the discipline, there are some tips that will apply to every resume:

• Keep it short and relevant to the job : Resumes should (typically) fit on one page, and the top part should include your name and contact information (at least your phone number and email address). Feel free to add links to your portfolio, LinkedIn, GitHub, or other outlets that are relevant to your discipline of interest.
• Break it up : Choose relevant section headings to break up your experience (e.g. Education/ Projects Leadership Experience / Working Experience / Skills). Try to incorporate buzzwords from job description into the resume.
• Keep is consistent : The headings should be in the same font size and style to improve readability for a recruiter. Leave some white space above headlines to improve readability.
• Use action verbs : Instead of saying “Helped organize event for office party,” try, “Proactively organized an annual donor event and interacted with professional staff, caterers, and attendees.”

Cover Letters

Typically, cover letters include information about how you found out about the job (this is a good place to name drop references/job fair recruiters/etc.), the extent of and reasons for your interest in the job, and a few examples of experiences that have prepared you for the job. Here are two great videos from the UW Career and Internship Center that can help you structure your cover letter and guide you through what to include in your cover letter .

Cover letters are not a reiteration of the resume. Instead, hey are meant to highlight relevant experiences that convey how you’d be an asset to the company, project, or internship you want to join.

Here are a few general tips for cover letters:

• Include your contact information : Your resume and cover letter might get separated during the recruiting process, and you want to make it easy for them to reach you!
• Provide signposts for reader:  e.g. “I’ve had X, Y, and Z experiences that will prepare me for this job/internship”
• Switch passive voice to active voice:  Don’t give the project so much credit – take ownership/agency of the skills you develop”
• Address a specific person:  e.g. “Dear (recruiter name)” vs. “To whom it may concern”
• Explain how your current skills translate in the context of the job (these are often called transferable skills)
• End by thanking the person for their time.
• Include a signature.

Things to Remember

Writing about yourself can be difficult, especially if you are more accustomed to the conventions of academic writing. Use the application as an opportunity to discuss your skills, motivations, and experiences.

• If you've applied to a program of opportunity before, see if you can get feedback about what could be improved about your past application.
• Keep the prompt in mind – it might be helpful to paste the guiding questions at the top of the document and check in about if you're answering every part of the prompt.
• Keep application deadlines in mind!

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Students admitted to the UW now have until June 1 to commit, a result of FAFSA delays. We anticipate that financial aid offers will be sent in late April or early May.

Transfer application

Follow this checklist to make sure you have everything you need to submit a complete application for transfer admission.

• Review major requirements
• Personal statement
• Send transcripts
• Application fee
• Sending test scores

Are you interested in applying as a transfer applicant for spring quarter? Be sure to review these guidelines .

Make sure you also know what’s not considered .

1. Review major requirements

The process of applying to a major can be complex. Some UW programs require that you enroll at the UW before applying to the major, while others require a separate application in addition to the UW application. Use the MyMajor tool to determine what your major requires.

2. Personal statement

Your personal statement should be a comprehensive narrative essay outlining significant aspects of your academic and personal history, particularly those that provide context for your academic achievements and educational choices. Learn more about format, required and optional elements and tips for writing your personal statement .

3. Send transcripts

A high school transcript (if less than 40 quarter credits of transferable coursework) and official college transcripts are required components of your application file. Learn more about sending your transcripts , including what makes them official .

4. Application fee

U.s. transfer students.

The application fee is nonrefundable, and must be submitted each time you apply. It cannot be transferred to another quarter, to another campus of the UW or to another student.

• Application fee: $80
• Fee waivers are available for U.S. applicants (including undocumented students) with confirmed financial hardship. 

Learn more about the application fee and applying for a fee waiver .

International transfer students

• Application fee: $90
• Fee waivers are not granted to international applicants.

Learn more about the application fee .

5. Sending test scores

U.s. transfer students — sat/act.

The UW no longer requires SAT or ACT scores (read the  June 11, 2020 announcement for more information) for transfer applicants. Students who have taken the exams are welcome to send their scores, however, there is absolutely no advantage or disadvantage in doing so . Learn more about test scores and how to request them .

International transfer students — English proficiency

International students must submit English proficiency test scores that meet the minimum requirement for admission to the Seattle campus of the UW. SAT and ACT exams are not required for international students. Learn more about English proficiency .

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No interviews/demonstrated interest.

The UW does not conduct formal interviews or consider demonstrated interest in the admission decision.

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We ask that you not to send letters of recommendation or other supplemental materials such as drawings, CDs, DVDs, books or other portfolio type items. We will learn everything we need to know about you through your application and essay responses.

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Writing the Statement of Purpose: General Advice

Excerpts from an article on statement of purpose writing by Dr. Steven Olswang, University of Washington Provost, written for the Fulbright Commission:

Applying to Graduate Schools in the US: The Statement of Purpose

Copyright © The US-UK Fulbright Commission, used by permission of the author:

Steven G Olswang, JD, PhD Vice Provost and Professor, University of Washington; Fulbright Academic Administrative Fellow

"Perhaps the most difficult part of the application process for admission to graduate school...is the composition of a Statement of Purpose. It may be helpful first to understand a little about graduate education...before undertaking to write this Statement.

Graduate Education Overview " ...Faculty at institutions of higher education in the United States take their work with graduate students very seriously. Faculty take strong personal interest in their graduate students (after all, they will work with those students for many years), and expect their students to complete their programs once admitted. Faculty expect their students to go on after graduation to important positions in academia, industry, or government. Therefore, the work of graduate students affects the reputation of the Faculty. As a result, the selection of the right graduate students is very important to both the faculty and the long term reputation of the department and university.

Why the Statement of Purpose? " Faculty want to know as much as they possibly can about all applicants. This is especially true today because most graduate programs have only a limited number of admission slots available. Test scores, grades and degrees, institutions of previous study and personal recommendations are all important indicators of an applicant's future success. However, these data do not reveal much about the individual, his/her motivation, why the applicant is interested in that particular program, or whether the applicant is the kind of student the Faculty want around the department. The Statement of Purpose exists to allow applicants to convey something personal about themselves and to convince the Faculty making the admissions selection that the applicant is an especially attractive candidate.

" The Statement of Purpose should not relate a life story or flatter either the applicant or intended readers. It provides applicants the opportunity to present information that is not conveyed through objective data, in a clear, direct, and concise way, to explain their interests, motivations, goals and special talents. It must be honest.

Writing the Statement of Purpose " So with this broad understanding of the Statement of Purpose and its function, how should it be written? " The first thing to remember is that each application process for each university is different. That means that the questions asked in the application MUST be the questions answered, and answered directly. An effusive, evasive, or non-responsive answer will inevitably result in rejection. Be absolutely clear what the application instructions ask of you and tailor your statement accordingly. That may mean that each application requires that you write a somewhat, if not entirely, different Statement of Purpose, since each Statement must answer a particular question.

"As a general rule, the two generic questions that need answering, at least inferentially, in most Statements of Purpose are: "Why are you interested in this program?", and "What makes you special?". This allows applicants the opportunity to provide Faculty substantive information about themselves. This is where applicants can demonstrate that they did their homework about the program and that they thought seriously about the strengths and weaknesses they bring to graduate study.

Answer the Question! " The following are some questions that Faculty ask themselves when they read a Statement of Purpose:

Why are you interested in graduate study? " There is some personal reason that made you decide to continue your education beyond the bachelor's degree. Tell them directly why. This may be something that you have always wanted to do, or for which your parents or others were role models, or perhaps you have recently been excited by new possibilities of learning. All the Faculty had their own reasons for going on to get their graduate degrees and they will want to know that you are truly interested for a legitimate reason. Do not try to write what you think Faculty want to hear ("to advance the field"); they have heard it all already.

Why are you applying to this particular graduate program? " Is the program noted for a particular emphasis, speciality, or orientation? Is it in the same city where your sister lives, and you could get free housing that would allow you to go to graduate school? Are there particular professors with whom you want to study because of their area of expertise? Whatever the reason, explain it. This is where the Faculty evaluating your application will be able to tell if you have thought seriously about their particular program. It will indicate your interest in them and show that you did your homework, a good early sign of a serious student.

What is it about you that is special? " It is important that you explain your motivations and your goals This is what will distinguish you from all other applicants and make you memorable to the Faculty...Explain your academic background and your performance in the bachelor's degree program. If you wrote a bachelor's thesis, briefly explain its importance and what you learned from writing it. Be sure to mention any prizes you may have won. If you worked while in school, tell why, especially if it was for a Faculty member. If you had any special experiences outside the formal learning environment that directly relate to the field of study you are interested in pursuing (e.g. travel or study abroad; employment in the field) tell about those. Describe any experience that demonstrates your creativity, dependability, and independence - these are important personal characteristics that Faculty desire in their students.

Are there items that need special explanation? " Faculty will first look at the empirical data in your application: your grades, transcripts, test scores, even the recommendations, before reading the Statement of Purpose. They will spot peculiarities they want explained. Is there a gap in your years of study; did it take you more than the traditional time to finish your degree; did you leave to work to support your family, or to care for an ill family member; did you change fields; do you have related work experience? All these are questions that need to be answered. Unexplained voids in your record make you a less attractive candidate. On the other hand, honest explanations make you human and the kind of person with whom others will want to work.

Do you add diversity to the program? " American institutions of higher education are very interested in diversifying their student body, particularly at the graduate level. If you are a woman, a member of a minority group, disabled, or have another distinguishing characteristic that may be relevant, let the Faculty know in your Statement in an appropriate way. It may relate to your motivation to pursue a graduate degree. Understand that under American law, Faculty cannot ask questions about many personal topics. Since it is unlikely that many international students will interview in person at all the graduate schools where they submit applications, the Faculty will know you only by what you write in your Statement.

What to Avoid " While there are some things that a Statement of Purpose must address, there are some matters that generally also should be avoided.

Do not be overly informal. " The written Statement of Purpose for many applicants is the way they first introduce themselves to their prospective professors. The Statement should be formal, direct, and appropriately respectful in tone. Undue informality or attempts at irrelevant humour should be avoided.

Do not include irrelevant information. " Try to keep to the topics that directly relate to your qualifications and desire for admission to the graduate program. Information about hobbies, outside interests, academic pursuits that do not have any real connection to your credentials for success in your chosen field only take up valuable space and divert the Faculty's attention from what is really important in your Statement.

Do not write your life story. " If the application instructions give a specific -or maximum - length for the Statement of Purpose, do not exceed it. If there is no stated length, remember that Faculty on admissions committees may be reading hundreds of such Statements. Be brief, yet complete. Do not talk about anything in your life before you began your baccalaureate program, unless it's absolutely relevant. A suggested maximum length is four pages, three is even better.

Style & Presentation " A guide of this kind would be incomplete if it did not mention something about the presentation of the Statement. We live in an era of word processors and personal computers. Unless the directions specifically require that the Statement of Purpose be hand-written - and I doubt that any still say that - it should be typed or printed, double spaced, with absolutely no spelling or grammatical errors. It does not matter if you are applying for a graduate program in English Literature or Physics, Art or Physical Education, you are expected to be literate and to be able to communicate well. A spelling error on your application will make the Faculty evaluating your application view you as careless and not really interested enough in their program to consider you further. Many will stop reading the Statement at that point, regardless of how good your other records are. They will react similarly to errors of grammar, pronoun errors, using plural verbs with singular subjects, and the like. Proof-read your statement many times. Have someone else read your Statement critically. Run it through 'spellcheck' and 'grammarcheck' on your computer. " ...In sum, the Statement of Purpose is your way to introduce yourself personally to a group of intelligent people . In this document you are asking strangers to allow you to enter their working homes for an extended length of time to learn from them. This presents them with a major decision. In this statement you must present yourself in a favourable light, show who you are, express your interest in them and the subject they teach and tell them why you are special enough to be admitted. It must be honest in conception, accurate in detail, and direct in address. And it must look good and be error-free.

"If you are satisfied that you have given a fair and accurate picture of yourself, as seen in your best light, Faculty will be equally pleased."

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Application review process

There are always more qualified applicants than space available in our nursing programs. Therefore, our process is competitive, and we have to deny admission to some students with good academic records.

All applications are holistically reviewed by program-specific admissions committees, comprised of faculty and staff. Committee members read applications prior to a committee meeting where all applicants are discussed.

Even when taking many factors into consideration, it is sometimes difficult to provide specific feedback on why a student has been denied admission. This section provides information that may help you better understand our decision-making factors and how you can strengthen your application in the future.

What is a “holistic review”?

We use an  evaluative  rather than a  quantitative  process in our admissions review. This means our decisions are based on more than simply which applicants have the highest grades.

We form an overall evaluation based on academic background and other factors, such as outside interests and activities, evidence of leadership and a sense of direction, and life experience.

We do not expect all students to excel across the board, but achievement in relevant academic areas or evidence of overcoming hardships can strengthen an application.

What it means to be on the waitlist

The UW School of Nursing has extremely limited space in all degree programs. Competitive applicants who we do not have enough space to admit to a particular program or track will be offered a place on our waitlist.

Frequently, offers of admission are made to competitive applicants whose plans may change or they decide to accept an offer from another school. If an admitted applicant forfeits their offer of admission, we contact the next person on the waitlist.

Because we have no control over any individual’s plan to accept an offer of admission, there is no way to know if or when a space will open up for anyone who is on the waitlist. There are many considerations in addition to the instructions stated in your letter:

• The SoN makes offers from the waitlist until the last possible date where a prospective student can realistically meet compliance requirements necessary to begin the program. Sometimes, students are admitted off the waitlist up until one week prior to the beginning of the quarter the program begins.
• Waitlist lengths are limited to a number that is realistic in terms of how many spaces we think may open up any given year. In other words, we do not want to “tow anyone along.” If you were offered a waitlist slot, the faculty believe there is a possibility that space may open up and you could be offered a spot in the program.
• If a space opens up for you, we contact you immediately by email. If you do not hear from us, you can assume that there is no space at this time. If your contact information has or will be changing from what you submitted in your application,  log into the application portal to update your contact information.
• Historically, there is no consistent pattern and thus, there is no way to predict exactly how a waitlist will run for a program or track. Some years, we go through the entire waitlist. Some years, only a few spots open up. It is rare that everyone who is made an offer of admission accepts it.

If not admitted

Bachelor of science in nursing (bsn) and accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (absn) programs.

Many factors contribute to why the admissions committee may have denied an applicant. Each applicant is scored and considered in relation to their competitiveness within the entire pool of applicants.

If you were not invited to the proctored essay

• Overall academic record
• Personal statement
• Letter of recommendation
• Background and healthcare experience

If you were not admitted to the BSN/ABSN program

• Minimum requirements were not met. For example, an application was submitted despite not meeting stated prerequisite, grade, GPA, or application completion criteria. Or, if minimum requirements were met, it is possible that an applicant was denied based on a low ranking within the entire applicant pool.
• An applicant is considered an academic risk if they have repeated and/or withdrawn from several Natural Sciences courses in order to meet the minimum GPA requirement for the program. Or, there may not have been enough evidence that an applicant could adequately handle the rigorous workload. Though the applicant may have met the minimum requirement, a pattern of repeats, withdrawals, or inconsistent performance makes them less competitive within the context of the entire pool that applied at the same time.
• The applicant may have expressed minimal or less relevant healthcare experience in relation to their stated goals or in relation to the pool of overall applicants. Specifically, an applicant must clearly articulate a match between their experiences and goals as related to nursing. Please learn more about the  hands-on healthcare experience requirement .
• The applicant did not clearly articulate how their background, experience, and goals have prepared them to succeed in the program and in the profession. For example, if an applicant did not follow directions for how to format their resumes, the admissions committee was unable to ascertain information about an applicant’s health experience, community service and involvement, leadership, and training and certifications. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide evidence in the application that they are a solid fit with the program and profession.
• The applicant submitted inconsistent or inappropriate essay responses for the personal statements by not indicating a clear line of thinking with supported rationale, evidence of critical thinking and self-reflection, or problem solving. Some applicants fail to respond to the actual essay prompts. The components of the application are designed to glean whether an applicant possesses the “ Essential Qualifications for BSN and ABSN Students .”
• The overall presentation of the application did not indicate to reviewers a level of maturity, self-awareness, and/or self-reflection necessary to succeed in the program, which is academically and personally demanding.

This is not an exhaustive list, but does summarize and highlight the most common reasons for denial of admission. If you are considering applying to the program at a later date or if you seek more information about how your file was reviewed, we highly recommend that you attend and/or  listen to an ABSN/BSN Information Session .

Additionally, we go over each application requirement with the aim of transparently informing applicants exactly how and why the admissions committee weighs an application fairly within an extremely competitive pool.  Visit our information session web page  to find ways to improve upon your application should you decide to reapply.

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Application

This page outlines general requirements and provides a specific checklist of required materials that must be included with your application.

Optional Pre-Application Review Service

For the 2023-24 academic year, we are launching a pre-application review service (PARS) initiative to provide support and mentorship to PhD applicants from historically marginalized groups, including but not limited to racial and ethnic minorities, women, first-generation students, indigenous students, LGBTQIA+ students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families. Learn more

General Requirements

We must receive all application materials by the deadline to consider you.

Applications for the MS Thesis and PhD programs are due December 1. MS Capstone applications are due January 15. We admit for Autumn quarter only. All required materials, including official test scores and minimum three recommendation letters, must be received by the deadline in order for the application to be considered. Please begin your application early, allowing for enough time for your test scores and letters to be received. We begin reviewing applications immediately after the deadline. Note an $85 application fee is required to submit your application. A limited number of financial need-based fee waivers are available for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents only. See details at the  UW Graduate School website .

Submit Finalized Documents, and Track Receipt of Test Scores and Letters

You may submit your application after you have uploaded all required finalized documents, and before or after official test scores and recommendation letters are received. Once you submit the application, you cannot make any updates to your application materials except for your Applicant Profile and designated recommenders. Make sure that your statement of purpose, personal statement, CV, and transcripts are final versions. We cannot make changes to these documents.

After submitting your application, you are responsible for checking your application status page to track receipt of test scores and recommendation letters. It will take several business days for the system to link your official test scores with your submitted application.

Note, the UW is closed on the U.S. holiday Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday in late November). If you submit your application during this time, you may not see a status update until the following Wednesday. In addition, if you need assistance with your online application, the UW Graduate School is busy assisting many applicants near the December 1 deadline for MS Thesis and PhD applications. Please plan your submission date accordingly.

Submit Your Application Online

Apply through the UW Graduate School website . The online application will ask you to select a program to apply to, and allow you to save your progress and complete the application over multiple sessions. Do not mail application materials to the department. Please disregard any instructions stating otherwise in the UW application. Please upload PDF files only.

Only Apply to One Biostatistics Program

As an applicant to the UW Graduate School, you may apply to multiple department programs at the University of Washington. However, for the Department of Biostatistics programs, you must choose a single program - either the MS Capstone, MS Thesis, or PhD. Please choose the one best suited to your goals.

There are two pathways for the PhD degree (standard pathway or statistical genetics pathway), but the admissions application is the same for all applicants. Applicants who opt for the statistical genetics pathway may declare their selection of the pathway after they are enrolled.

Applicants to our PhD program are not automatically considered for the MS. On occasion when we have many highly qualified PhD applicants, a few of these applicants may be offered admission to the MS due to limited space and funding, but this is rare. Please note that we are unable to accept petitions from denied PhD applicants to be reconsidered for the MS program.

Applicants to our MS program who designate "doctoral” as the ultimate degree goal may be considered for both programs, but will be considered primarily for admission to the MS program.

Only Submit Required Materials

We do not accept supplemental materials such as publications, certificates, or other similar types of documents. You may wish to mention them in your CV, but these materials should not be included in your application. Applicants are evaluated equally based on the same required materials and selection criteria.

Required Materials

Submit the following required materials with your application. Carefully review instructions for each item as you complete your application. 

Unofficial transcripts

Statement of purpose

Personal statement (optional)

Curriculum Vitae (CV) / resume

Test scores*

Three letters of recommendation

Application fee

Unofficial Transcripts

Include all prior institutions attended and upload unofficial transcripts onto the online application. Applicants will be required to submit official transcripts once admitted; do not mail them until requested.

For information on GPA calculations for the reported GPA, see the Graduate School website . However, you may estimate your GPA and it does not need to be precise; we will look closely at your course grades on your transcripts instead and view your institution's grading scale.

Verify that all uploaded transcripts are legible (course titles and grades can be read). If you have trouble uploading a large file, try the following:

• In Adobe Acrobat, Save as Other, and save the file as a Reduced Size PDF.
• Use a PDF compressor tool available online.
• Scan the transcript as a document and not an image.
• Scan in black and white.
• Scan each transcript as a separate file.

International students: Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation. See the Graduate School website for details. We do not accept evaluations from the WES credentialing service; however, we will accept WES certified English translations of transcripts only if the report states that the translator is fluent in the native language (e.g., fluent in Chinese if the transcript is in Chinese).

Regarding autumn grades: We do not accept updated transcripts after the application deadline. If we need to see grades for any courses you are taking in the autumn, we will follow up with you. If you are in the process of completing a prerequisite, make sure that the transcript you upload indicates this (or mention it in your statement of purpose).

Statement of Purpose

Submit a 1-2 page statement which includes your reasons for pursuing graduate studies in the field of biostatistics and at our program specifically, your area(s) of interest, relevant experience, and goals.

Personal Statement (Optional)

A personal statement is optional but strongly recommended. Consistent with our goal of enhancing the intellectual excellence of the department and University of Washington community, we actively welcome students from diverse backgrounds and students who have worked with diverse groups. We encourage all applicants to submit a personal statement (maximum 1 page) that details experiences related to your socioeconomically disadvantaged, disability-related, and/or culturally varied background, and/or experiences working with such groups. The statement should address the ways your experiences have affected the development of your intellectual interests, career plans, future goals, and how you may have overcome various obstacles or aided others in surmounting such challenges.

While admission decisions are made mainly on the basis of academic performance, applications will be reviewed with consideration of the applicant's background and experiences. We also use the information in such statements to report aggregate data to funding agencies and to apply for funding opportunities for eligible students.

The personal statement is not required, and you may include a simple sentence such as "I have not yet had these kinds of diverse experiences." Such a statement does not negatively affect your chances for admission.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) /Resume

Your CV/resume should include all relevant academic and professional experience such as degrees, research experience, publications, posters, presentations, awards, and skills.

Test Scores

Report GRE/TOEFL scores to UW institution code 4854. There is no department code. For the optional GRE, you may use 5199 ("all other departments"), and for the TOEFL, you may use 99 ("any department not listed"), but it does not matter what you enter as long as the institution code is correct.

Tests must be taken in time for the scores to arrive by the deadline (at least 18 days prior- - it takes ETS 10-15 days to deliver scores after the test date, and the UW Graduate School 1-2 business days to link scores to your application). Please plan for potential delays and take the tests well in advance.

If you took a test multiple times, we will review all scores that you choose to report.

If you are applying to multiple programs at UW and entered a department code, your test scores will be matched with all applications, including your Biostatistics application.

If you sent your test scores to the University of Washington in a previous year, you do not need to resend them if they are still valid. If the scores were sent for another program's application, they can also still be used and the system will link them to your new application.

If you do not have scores for any reason, simply leave the self-report field blank. If you are an international student who is exempt from the TOEFL requirement due to having a degree from a U.S./English-based institution or other reason, disregard any application status note indicating that the scores are missing or incomplete. You should select your reason for exemption under question 10 of the first application page "Indicate how you intend to satisfy the English Language proficiency requirement."

Three Letters of Recommendation

In the online application, submit the names and contact information for a minimum of three recommenders (maximum five). The system will then immediately email them a request to complete a letter of recommendation and an online evaluation by the application deadline. The message will direct them to the online system where they can choose to submit the letter online (by typing directly or uploading a file) or mail the letter to us.

Recommendations should be written by individuals who can speak to your academic, professional, and/or personal strengths, and potential to succeed as a biostatistics graduate student.

Contact your recommenders prior to submitting their information online so they can expect the email request, and verify that they have received it; occasionally some email systems may block the email or treat it as spam. If for any reason a recommender does not receive the email, withdraw the request and resubmit it with an alternate email address such as their personal address.

Please encourage your recommenders to submit the letter online. Mailing hard copy letters may delay the processing of your application.

Since recommenders need to complete an evaluation along with their letter, the application system cannot accept letters from recommendation letter services such as Interfolio.

All letters must be received by the application deadline. Recommenders can submit their letters both before or after you submit your application. Allow ample time for the letters to be completed.

Application Fee

An $85 application fee is required to submit your application. A limited number of financial need-based fee waivers are available for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents only. See details at the UW Graduate School website .

Writing Personal Statements

What is personal statement?

The personal statement (also known as a statement of purpose) is an essential piece of your application to graduate or professional school.   It usually consists of a brief history about yourself while addressing your academic and career goals. It offers the admissions committee to hear your “voice” and portray relevant experiences that showcase your strengths and preparation.

How to I get started?

• Use clear organization and the mechanics of an academic essay by including a strong opening or thesis, details to support your claims, and a clear summarization.​
• Read each prompt carefully and make every effort to understand and respond to it.​
• Remember that this isn’t a research paper, it’s a personal essay—using clear, easy to understand language is more important than trying to sound “academic.” The committee is trying to get to know YOU so be as authentic as you can.

What should I write about?

Here are some questions  to help you shape your composition (allow yourself some time to free write and get your ideas flowing):​

• What are your career goals?​
• When did you originally become interested in the field?​
• What people or life events shaped or influenced your goals?​
• How have you learned about and explored the field?​
• What work or volunteer experiences contributed to your knowledge?​
• Are there gaps or discrepancies that should be explained?​
• Have you overcome any unusual obstacles or hardships?​
• What personal characteristics enhance your performance?​
• What skills and traits do you bring to the program?​
• Why are you interested in “x” school?

What are some other writing tips?

Be selective and don’t bore the reader with too much detail 

Capture attention but do not use quotes.

Show the committee that you have thought carefully about your application and have specific experiences and reasons why you are   applying to this   particular program .

For example, medical school applicants saying they are good at science or statements such as “I like working with people.”

Readers may have differing opinions from yours—such as religion and politics.

See how it flows; remember that admission committees will read   many   of these, so make yours compelling and easy to read. 

DO NOT rely upon spell-check. Have others review your statement. 

• Your first draft   doesn’t   have to be perfect initially. Seek feedback and  be prepared to edit .  ​
• Useful resources include professors, friends, family, professionals   you have   worked with.  ​
• You can also connect with the   Hacherl   Research & Writing Studio , located in Wilson Library’s Learning Commons area.

We are here to help!

As you develop your personal statement, remember that we are here to help!  Ensure that your resume will earn you an ​interview by scheduling an appointment with a graduate school advisor or requesting written feedback via email.​

Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short. Henry David Thoreau

Duke students walk out of Jerry Seinfeld's commencement speech amid wave of graduation antiwar protests

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was met with a wave of boos Sunday when students at Duke University in North Carolina walked out just before his commencement speech, the latest in a wave of antiwar protests at college graduations across the country this weekend.

Not only was Seinfeld, 70, delivering the speech at the school’s football stadium, but he was also receiving an honorary degree from the school, where his son is enrolled and from which his daughter graduated. As he was being introduced, boos could be heard on the official commencement livestream .

At least one person in a mortar hat could be seen walking in front of the camera before the stream switched to a different side view. Videos on social media showed a group of students with Palestinian flags walking down an aisle on the stadium field.

Other students and some attendees in the bleachers also stood up from their seats and began walking out of the stadium.

It’s unclear whether the booing was intended for Seinfeld or the student protest or both, but chants of “Jerry” were heard shortly after. Seinfeld was later able to deliver his speech uninterrupted.

“We’re excited and delighted for the Class of 2024 and their families. We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventing graduates and their families from celebrating their achievement,” Duke spokesperson Frank Tramble said in a statement.

Seinfeld, who is Jewish, has been vocally supportive of Israel, and he visited the country after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. More than 1,200 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, and more than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza in Israel’s subsequent counteroffensive in the Palestinian enclave.

Officials say 132 hostages remain captive in Gaza, including at least five American citizens. At least 37 of the hostages are believed to be dead, Israeli authorities have said.

Emerson College in Boston also had protests at its commencement Sunday. Some students ditched their graduation gowns, leaving them onstage, after they collected diplomas, while others emblazoned their graduation caps with "free Palestine." A student shouted "free Palestine" while accepting a diploma, and another crossed the stage with raised hands, "free Gaza" written across the palms.

Some students showed off Palestinian flags as they crossed the stage, and a number of graduates donned keffiyehs with their graduation garb.

Throughout the ceremony, speakers had to take long pauses during their speeches or speak loudly over chanting students.

Last month a wave of antiwar demonstrations began to take root on college campuses after students at Columbia University set up an encampment on their university’s lawn. The organizers cited previous university protests as their inspiration, including demonstrations against the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa.

Students demanded their universities divest from companies that profit either from war or from the occupation of Palestinian territories and cut ties to Israel, with many also asking their schools to call for an immediate cease-fire.

A crackdown by Columbia’s administration in the first week of the protest resulted in 108 arrests on campus. News of the arrests drew national attention and soon inspired solidarity protests all over the U.S. and at some international universities, as well.

Some universities also used police force to end the encampments, while others negotiated peaceful ends to the demonstrations with student leaders.

Columbia officials called police back to campus to disperse the protest after students took over Hamilton Hall , which student protesters also took over in the 1968 demonstration that inspired organizers. The university later canceled its commencement ceremony .

This weekend, graduations across the country were marked by their own antiwar demonstrations.

At the Virginia Commonwealth University ceremony Saturday, students walked out of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's commencement address. Though the school said disruptions would not be tolerated, the VCU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized the silent walkout in protest of Youngkin’s policies, as well as his role in the arrests of pro-Palestinian student protesters last month .

Protests also erupted at different ceremonies at the University of California, Berkeley, on Friday and Saturday. During Friday’s law school graduation, students removed their gowns to reveal white shirts that read “UC Divest.” The school addressed the protest in a statement that said graduation was able to continue regardless.

The next day, chants of “Free Palestine” erupted as the student speaker tried to deliver her address at a different ceremony. A group of about 20 students stood up and waved Palestinian flags, as well, the San Francisco Chronicle reported .

About 300 others stood up and moved to a different area of the venue, according to the Chronicle, as counterprotesters chanted, “Kick them out.”

Over the past week, a new wave of concern for civilian life in Gaza has taken hold as Israeli forces took over the Palestinian-controlled area of the Rafah border crossing shared with Egypt. Airstrikes have frequently taken place in Rafah, killing many people over the course of months, but the Israel Defense Forces had not deployed troops there before last week.

President Joe Biden has warned against an intensified Israeli operation in the border city, where more than 1 million people have taken refuge. Cease-fire negotiations also took place last week after Hamas announced it would agree to a framework for a hostage exchange, but Israeli officials said that proposal was unacceptable.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of his government have insisted that a full assault on Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas, describing it as the militant group’s final stronghold in the Palestinian enclave. He accused Hamas of trying to sabotage the Rafah operations with its statement that it had agreed to a cease-fire.

Civilians were again told to evacuate areas of Rafah on Saturday , and the IDF published a map showing that sectors of the city were now considered a “dangerous combat zone.” The military warned civilians that it would “act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your area of ​​residence.”

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Arts & Sciences

Washington University Fellowships Advising

• Personal Statement

The personal statement is an essay designed to give the reader a sense of who you are and how closely your goals and strengths match the ideals of a specific fellowship. While such writing offers a great deal of compositional flexibility, it should clearly address some basic points:

• your qualifications for the given fellowship
• how the fellowship fits in with your personal, academic and/or professional goals

The most effective statements focus on:

• an issue or experience that you feel strongly about, or one that has helped to shape who you are
• a significant accomplishment or contribution you have made to your field or community

What is the Selection Committee Looking for in Your Statement?

A selection committee generally reads hundreds of applications in a short period of time. Readers are looking for essays that:

• clearly answer the prompt
• make sense—logically, grammatically, thematically
• engage their attention

provide substantive and relevant information

Tips for Getting Started

Write down two or three experiences that have shaped who you are. Write down two or three significant problems you have faced and how you solved them. Then look for patterns.

• what values keep popping up
• what interests
• what strengths and skills

Now take a look at your transcript.

• how does your coursework express your interests and talents
• how has it developed them

The Writing Process

Consult with a fellowship advisor for essay writing tips.  Try several different approaches until you find the right fit.    Revise, revise, revise!   If you need help with structure, visit a mentor in the   Writing Center .  As you draft your essay, share it with people who know you well and ask if it captures you accurately. Be sure to show your essay to faculty advisors and recommenders before submitting a final version.

Before soliciting feedback, however, make sure to review the policies of the scholarship for which you are applying.  Some programs, such as Rhodes and Mitchell, do not allow students to receive outside feedback on their application materials.

Some Common Pitfalls

Weak essays generally share one or more of the following characteristics:

• melodramatic or self-congratulatory statements
• vague, abstract ideals
• laundry lists of achievements
• jargon and specialized vocabulary
• misspelled words
• poor grammar
• convoluted syntax
• Interest Form
• Project Proposal
• Letters of Recommendation
• The Interview

In commencement speech, Chiefs kicker targets ‘diabolical lies’ told to women

Harrison Butker tells Benedictine College men to “fight against the cultural emasculation of men” while also criticizing Pride Month and President Biden.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, one of the top specialists in the NFL, branched out from football over the weekend, taking aim at “diabolical lies told to women” and “dangerous gender ideologies” as well as gay pride and President Biden ’s stance on abortion in a commencement address at Benedictine College in Kansas.

The former industrial engineering student at Georgia Tech said he is leaning into his “vocation as a husband and a father and as a man” and went on to tell graduates of the Catholic liberal arts school that “… part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.”

The 28-year-old described himself as “an introvert” who is now “an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur.” He urged male graduates of the Atchison, Kan., college to “be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy.”

Butker, whose team attracted the attention of increasing numbers of women and girls during a 2023 season in which Taylor Swift frequently attended games to cheer on tight end Travis Kelce, also had a message for female graduates.

“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he said. “… Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.

“I’m on this stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me. But it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”

Butker spoke of what he said were the dangers presented by the “church of nice” when it comes to issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion . He also criticized “dangerous gender ideologies,” citing a recent Associated Press article on “an immense shift” in the Catholic Church in the United States, with many who had “embraced the modernizing tide sparked in the 1960s” giving way “to religious conservatives who believe the church has been twisted by change.”

Butker said the AP intended the story to create anger and, instead, Catholics took pride in it — “Not the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the holy ghost to glorify him.” He also brought up diversity, equity and inclusion , arguing “the world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.”

He called out “bad leaders who don’t stay in their lanes” and criticized the nation’s response to the pandemic.

“While covid might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” Butker told the graduates. “The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.”

He criticized President Biden, the nation’s second Catholic president, for being pro-choice, “delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally” and for supporting LGBTQ protections.

“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” Butker said.

Butker has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Chiefs, winning three Super Bowls as the franchise became one of the most prominent in the league. He connected on better than 94 percent of his field goal attempts last season, one of the top rates among qualified kickers, and made all 11 field goals he attempted during the playoffs.

A previous version of this article incorrectly said Taylor Swift frequently attended Chiefs games in 2003. She attended games in 2023. The article has been corrected.

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Sudden Resignations. A Leaked Letter. What’s Happening Inside Miss USA?

Noelia Voigt’s announcement this week that she was stepping down as Miss USA set off a string of departures and prompted larger questions about the inner workings of the organization.

By Madison Malone Kircher

When the reigning Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, announced this week she would be resigning from her position, she cited her mental health and wrote about her gratitude for the opportunity.

“As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday.

But an internal resignation letter by Ms. Voigt to Miss USA leadership and the Miss Universe Organization, obtained on Friday by The New York Times, presented a much darker picture.

In the eight-page letter, Ms. Voigt, who represented the state of Utah and was crowned in September, described “a toxic work environment within the Miss USA Organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment.” She also complained in her letter that the organization had delayed making good on her prize winnings.

The Miss USA Organization did not respond to request for comment.

Ms. Voigt’s departure has spurred at least two other resignations. UmaSofia Srivastava, Miss Teen USA, announced she was stepping down from her role on Wednesday. Arianna Lemus, who represented Colorado at Miss USA in 2023, said on Friday she was resigning in solidarity after seeing Ms. Voigt’s post.

“That was a call to help,” Ms. Lemus, 27, said in an interview.

The sudden departures have touched off wider speculation in the pageant world that crowned winners are legally barred from speaking freely about their experiences with the Miss USA Organization. Many of Ms. Voigt’s past competitors, including Ms. Lemus, shared a statement demanding that she be released from any nondisclosure agreements.

In her resignation letter, Ms. Voigt said she experienced an incident of sexual harassment when, during a Christmas parade last year in Sarasota, Fla., a driver made inappropriate comments toward her.

She said in her letter that the organization failed to support her when she reported the incident.

Ms. Voigt went on to write that serving as Miss USA took a toll on her health, adding that she now struggled with anxiety and took medication to manage her symptoms.

She said she had begun experiencing “heart palpitations, full body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair and more.”

Some people believed Ms. Voigt’s Instagram post announcing her resignation contained a secret message. The first letter of each of the first 11 sentences of the statement spell the phrase “I AM SILENCED,” which some have interpreted as a signal that Ms. Voigt is unable to speak openly about her experience.

Just a few days after Ms. Voigt’s announcement, Ms. Srivastava, who was crowned Miss Teen USA in 2023, also resigned from her post .

“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization,” Ms. Srivastava, who represented the state of New Jersey at the Miss Teen USA pageant in September, wrote on Instagram.

Her post included a quote from the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth.”

“I know all of us who love the program want to rush out and do something,” Laylah Rose, the president and chief executive of the Miss USA Organization, wrote in an email to The Times earlier this week, regarding Ms. Voigt’s and Ms. Srivastava’s resignations. “My goal is to provide truly helpful steps we can take together.”

“Our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women,” Ms. Rose added, saying she was taking “these allegations seriously.”

Through a representative, both Ms. Srivastava and Ms. Voigt declined to comment, citing a nondisclosure agreement. (A copy of the 2023 Miss USA contract obtained by The New York Times appears to bar signees from disclosing any information about Miss USA while employed by the organization.)

After Ms. Voigt’s announcement, several of her fellow Miss USA 2023 competitors posted a statement on Instagram demanding that the Miss USA Organization release Ms. Voigt from any such agreement.

Juliana Morehouse, who competed at Miss USA representing Maine and lives in South Carolina, said in an interview with The Times that the letter originated in a group chat of 2023 participants who were “shocked and saddened” to hear of Ms. Voigt’s resignation. On a Zoom call, they hashed out the message they wanted to share in support of Ms. Voigt.

(Ms. Morehouse did not provide an exact figure but said the number of women who wrote and shared the letter comprised a majority of the 51 competitors at Miss USA in 2023.)

Claudia Michelle Engelhardt, who stepped down from her role as social media director for Miss USA this month, said she felt the Miss USA participants were unfairly pressured into signing their contracts.

“It was pretty much, ‘You have to sign this or you’re not going to compete,’” Ms. Engelhardt, 24, said. “You just worked your butt off to get here. You won your state. What, are you not going to go because you don’t want to sign a contract? They are basically holding you hostage, for lack of a better term, to sign this contract.”

Ms. Morehouse said she was given “a little over 24 hours” to review the contract.

“I don’t think any of us sought legal representation to review it with us,” she said in an interview with The Times. “We had never heard of such an ironclad NDA being implemented in previous years, because this was the first year of the new leadership.” (Ms. Rose became president of the organization last year.)

She emphasized that while her personal experience with Miss USA was a positive one, she hoped speaking out would ensure that was the case for all participants in the future.

Ms. Lemus, the former Miss Colorado USA, said she saw some irony in how Miss USA appeared to be operating.

“This is an organization that preaches women’s empowerment,” she said.

Madison Malone Kircher is a Times reporter covering internet culture. More about Madison Malone Kircher

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