washu supplemental essays

Undergraduate Admissions

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We have all the components of the application process outlined below.

To apply, use either the Common Application or Coalition Application. Both applications open on August 1 and must be completed by the appropriate application deadline.

Common Application

Students who apply via the Common Application will complete both the basic application and the Washington University-specific questions while logged in to their Common Application account. If a student plans on applying to the Signature Scholars Programs or the Howard Nemerov Writing Scholars Program, they will need to complete the optional Writing Supplement portion of the Common App as well.

Coalition Application

Students who apply via the Coalition Application will complete their profile while logged in to their Scoir account. Upon submitting their profile, students will be taken into the WashU Pathway to complete the Washington University-specific questions. After submitting both parts of the application, students will be able to apply for our Signature Scholar Programs and the Howard Nemerov Writing Scholars Program via the WashU Pathway.

What you need to know for the WashU-specific questions:

• What term do you intend to enroll?
• Which WashU school or interdisciplinary program are you applying to?
• What are you interested in studying in college and why?
• Are you applying Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision?
• Are you applying for need-based financial assistance?
• Are you applying for any of WashU’s Signature Scholar programs?

Within a few days of submitting your application for admission, you will receive login instructions for the WashU Pathway.

In the WashU Pathway, you will see: • A checklist showing the status of each piece of your application • A link to your financial assistance account • Instructions for submitting an optional 90-second video Admission decisions will be posted in the Pathway as soon as they are released.

WashU meets 100 percent of demonstrated need for admitted students.

When filling out your application for admission, indicate your intent to apply for need-based financial assistance. Once you submit your application—we will create an account for you with Student Financial Services, and your application for assistance begins!

Your WashU Pathway will include a current checklist of your support materials:

• School Report and Official Transcript
• Teacher Evaluation
• Counselor Recommendation
• Optional – Self-reported or official SAT or ACT scores.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test for students whose first language is not English
• Portfolio (required for students applying to the College of Art, strongly encouraged for students applying to the College of Architecture.) The portfolio should be submitted using SlideRoom. 

This optional question allows you to add another dimension to your application – something that the admissions committee might not learn by reading your transcript or your personal statement.

If you like, you may focus your optional 90-second video submitted through the WashU Pathway on addressing one of these three questions. (Students who choose to submit a written response to one of these questions may still opt in to sharing an optional video).

WashU is a place that values diversity of perspectives. We believe those perspectives come from a variety of experiences and identities. Respond to one of the following prompts to help us understand “Who are you?”:

• Discuss a fresh perspective or opinion you brought to a collaborative setting or project.
• Describe a community you are a part of and your place within it.
• Tell us how your life experiences have impacted the way you view or interact with your community.

If you’re submitting via the Coalition Application, you may submit the optional Writing Supplement through the WashU Pathway after you’ve submitted both your profile and the Washington University-specific questions.

Optional supplements are due January 10, 2024, for EDII and RD applicants.

If you don’t want to submit a supplement, that’s OK. Applicants will not be penalized for opting out of submitting a supplement. It is truly optional .

The scholarship committee(s) will review the required Counselor and Teacher letters of recommendation submitted with your Common or Coalition Application. To better understand you, the scholarship committee(s) also requires a third letter of recommendation.

The optional Scholarship Writing Supplement serves as our application for our Signature Scholar Programs – the Danforth, Ervin, and Rodriguez Scholars Programs – as well as the Howard Nemerov Writing Scholars Program for applicants to the College of Arts & Sciences.

If you’re submitting via the Coalition Application, you will apply for our Signature Scholar Programs and/or Nemerov Writing Scholars Program through the WashU Pathway after you’ve submitted both your profile and the Washington University-specific questions.

Transfer applicants should use the Common Application. The application must be completed by the application deadline.

Complete the general application questions and the section that is specific to WashU. Your support materials can be completed at a later date.

What you need to know for the WashU section of the Common Application:

• Which WashU school are you applying to?

Within a few days of submitting your Common Application, you will receive login instructions for the WashU Pathway.

In the Pathway, you will see: • A checklist showing the status of each piece of your application • A link to your financial assistance account

Admission decisions will be posted in Pathway as soon as they are released.

When filling out your application for admission, indicate your intent to apply for need-based financial assistance. Once you submit your application—we will automatically create an account for you with Student Financial Services, and your application for assistance begins!

International applicants for transfer admission are not eligible to apply for financial aid from Washington University.

Your Pathway will include a current checklist of your support materials:

• College Transcript
• High School Transcript
• College Instructor Evaluation
• College Report
• Mid-Term Report for Spring 2024 applicants who are in their first semester of college
• Optional – Self-reported or official SAT or ACT scores
• Portfolio (required for students applying to the College of Art or College of Architecture.) The portfolio should be submitted using SlideRoom. 

Visit WashU

In an effort to share the WashU experience first-hand, we send our admissions officers all of the country to meet students at schools and in other settings. We also love to welcome students to our beautiful campus and introduce them to our diverse and supportive community. We hope you’ll make the choice to visit us in person.

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• Application Guidelines
• Application Dates & Deadlines
• Application Fee
• Decision Plans
• English Testing Requirement
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• Optional Writing Supplement and Video
• Portfolio Reviews
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WashU Supplemental Essays 2023-24 Prompts and Tips

September 12, 2023

For the Class of 2027, the WashU acceptance rate remained low at just 12%. As Washington University in St. Louis appears to be marching toward the single-digit admit rate club, it’s critical that prospective applicants realize the need to make a uniquely compelling case for admission, even if they already possess elite academic credentials. After all, the average SAT for an incoming freshman is well above a 1500 and 88% placed in the top 10% of their high school class–incredibly, such credentials are necessary but not sufficient in this hypercompetitive environment. This brings us to the topic of the moment – the WashU supplemental essays.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into WashU? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Washington University in St. Louis: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Given this high level of competition, WashU’s supplemental section offers applicants a critical opportunity to showcase their writing ability by generating detail-rich essays that will stand out to an admissions officer.

2023-2024 WashU Supplemental Essays

Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why. (200 words)

Undecided about your academic interest(s)? Don’t worry—tell us what excites you about the academic division you selected. Remember that all of our first-year students enter officially “undeclared” and work closely with their team of academic advisors to discover their academic passions. You can explore all of our majors and programs on our website.

Washington University in St. Louis wants to know about the academic discipline(s) in which you are most interested (or current leanings, if you’re undecided). They also want to know why you desire to pursue your studies at their institution. Answering both components of this question in less than 200 words is no easy task. This one is going to require a fair amount of school-specific research and a good deal of editing in order to tighten up your essay enough to stay under the word count.

For a deeper dive, let’s examine a list of characteristics of a winning WashU “Why Us?” essay:

• How did your interest in your major of choice begin and how has it matured over the years?
• While pursuing your majors(s)/interest(s) of choice, how will you take advantage of the university’s immense resources both inside and outside of the classroom? Be sure to cite specific  academic programs ,  professors ,  research opportunities ,  centers & institutes , and  study abroad programs . Discuss why they pique your interest.
• Feel free to touch on  student-run organizations  related to your field of study that you would like to join.

WashU Supplemental Essays (Continued)

As you enter the prewriting stage, you’ll want to avoid some common pitfalls that we observe applicants fall into when attacking the WashU “Why Us?” essay. We don’t want to label these as “mistakes” (there is nothing inherently wrong with them); they just don’t add any needle-moving value, which is the only goal here!

Common components of a generic “Why WashU?” essay .

• According to  US News , Washington University in St. Louis is a top-15 school.
• Too much attention to the prestige/reputation of the Olin School of Business or McKelvey School of Engineering.
• Recycled statements from your other “Why Us?” essays that come across as stale, impersonal, or worst of all–irrelevant/inaccurate.
• An itinerary of all the things you plan to do in St. Louis.
• Statements about how WUSTL feels like home, you know it’s the right place for you, or you’ve wanted to attend since kindergarten;  show  this through specifics instead.

Big-picture thoughts on the “Why Us” essay

In any “Why Us?” composition, you need to show that you’ve done your homework on a given school, but you don’t want it read like a rote list of items that you Googled an hour prior to writing the essay (even if the timing of the Google search is roughly accurate).

In addition to the pure research element, a lot of the time and skill required in creating a stellar WashU essay will involve connecting the classes, professors, opportunities, etc. of interest that you have uncovered to your distinct values, talents, aims, proficiencies, and future goals.

This optional question allows you to add another dimension to your application – something that the admissions committee might not learn by reading your transcript or your personal statement.

If you prefer, you may focus your optional 90-second video submitted through the WashU Pathway on addressing one of these three questions. (Students who choose to submit a written response to one of these questions may still opt in to sharing an optional video).

WashU is a place that values diversity of perspectives. We believe those perspectives come from a variety of experiences and identities. Respond to one of the following prompts to help us understand “Who are you?” (250 words)

Discuss a fresh perspective or opinion you brought to a collaborative setting or project.

Describe a community you are a part of and your place within it., tell us how your identity has impacted the way you view or interact with your community..

While this essay is technically “optional,” we advise every single applicant to WashU to opt in. Remember, WashU is one of those rare schools that rejects students with near-perfect (or even perfect) academic credentials. It is essential that you showcase the characteristics and skills that make you one-of-a-kind.

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of each prompt:

The U.S. presently finds itself in an extreme state of polarization. There seems to be little agreement even as to what constitutes “truth” or “facts.” Within this divided world, it can be hard for individuals with competing viewpoints to engage in civil and productive dialogue. Here, WashU is giving you the chance to show that you are an open-minded, intellectually curious, and collaborative young person. Illustrate how you are willing to engage in conversations and voice opinions to others, whether it was your lab partner or a ten-person team at your summer internship.

Furthermore, note the wording here: fresh perspective. This means that your perspective or opinion was different from that of the others in your group. As such, how did you present your opinion? How did others react? How did you handle their reaction? What was the ultimate outcome? What did you learn from the entire experience? One key thing to remember when addressing this prompt is that you don’t have to be the hero of the anecdote. In fact, you may be one who learned to expand their thinking.

“Community” can be defined in myriad ways: it could be large-scale, like an ethnic, religious, or neighborhood community, or small-scale, like a group of individuals who gather for a club, sport, or service project.

Most applicants to WashU are involved in at least one “community.” You may be the captain of a team, the editor-in-chief of your school paper, a member of your town’s trail clean-up team… but don’t just rest on those laurels—instead, bring your involvement to life. Use your writing ability to  show  what type of community member you are rather than merely  telling . What is your role within your chosen community? Within that role, how do you lead, guide, or interact with others? What have you learned and how have you grown? Strive for personal detail here rather than re-hashing your resume.

Finally, draw on past evidence of your commitment to being a positive force in your community and speculate how that is likely to manifest on WashU’s campus. It’s a great idea to research and cite WashU student-run organizations and/or local nonprofit groups.

Take note of the wide-open nature of this prompt. You are essentially invited to talk about any of the following topics:

• A perspective you hold
• An experience you had
• A community you belong to
• Your cultural background
• Your family background

Although this prompt’s open floor plan may feel daunting, a good tactic is to first consider what has already been communicated within your Common App personal statement, activities list, and “Why Us?” WashU essay. What important aspects of yourself have not been shared (or sufficiently discussed)? The admissions officer reading your essay is hoping to connect with you through your written words, so—within your essay’s reflection—be open, humble, thoughtful, inquisitive, emotionally honest, mature, and/or insightful about what you learned and how it has impacted the ways in which you communicate or interact with others. No matter what type of story you tell, the goal is to have the reader come away saying, “I can definitely see this applicant as a contributing member of our talented and engaged student community.”

How important are the WashU supplemental essays?

WashU designated 8 factors as “very important” to their applicant evaluation process. These are: essays, recommendations, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, GPA, test scores, class rank, and the rigor of one’s curriculum. Clearly, the essays are among the most important factors in this holistic process.

Want personalized assistance with your WashU supplemental essays?

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

• College Essay

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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College Essays

All applicants to Washington University in St. Louis have to submit a supplemental essay as part of their application packet. That means that in addition to the essays you write as part of your Common Application or the Coalition Application (WashU accepts either one), you'll have to submit a third essay that you write specifically for Washington University in St. Louis.

Because WashU's acceptance rate is highly competitive —only 13% of students are accepted every year!— you'll need to write a stellar WashU supplement to give yourself the best shot at getting in. But what does a good WashU supplemental essay look like?

This article is going to explain everything you need to know about the Washington University supplemental essay, including:

• Explaining what the WashU supplemental essay is and how to choose the correct essay prompt
• Separate walkthroughs of both the general supplemental essay prompt and the Beyond Boundaries supplemental essay prompt
• Tips and tricks for writing an excellent Washington University supplemental essay

So without further ado, let's dive in!

What Are the Washington University Supplemental Essays?

You only have to submit one 200-word essay as part of your WashU supplement. The exception is if you're applying to WashU's Beyond Boundaries program, which is a special two-year interdisciplinary program. Beyond Boundaries has an additional WashU supplemental essay prompt all program applicants must complete.

The WashU general supplemental essay is what most students will write and submit as part of their application packet.

Washington University General Supplemental Essay

Here's the general WashU supplemental essay prompt that every applicant must answer:

Undecided about your academic interest(s)? Don’t worry—tell us what excites you about the academic division you selected. Remember that all of our first-year students enter officially “undeclared” and work closely with their team of academic advisors to discover their academic passions. You can explore all of our majors and programs on our website.

You're limited to 200 words in your response, which isn't very long! That's why it's important for you to really understand the prompt before you start working on your essay.

What's This Prompt Asking, Exactly?

This is a classic "Why Us" essay prompt. Many schools ask some variation of it, and what they're all trying to learn is, why are you applying to this school specifically? What about it makes you think it'll be a good fit for you?

"Why Us?" essays may look as if they're asking a simple question—why do you want to attend this school—but there's more to it than that. These essays are also often asking one of two questions: "why us?" or "why you?"

In essence, these essays want you to describe why they're the right school for you . Paying attention to how the question is framed will give you a better sense of what kind of answer they're looking for, which will help you shape your essay.

How Should You Answer This Prompt?

To craft a good response to this essay, you need to understand the prompt. It's not about listing a school's qualifications or discussing how beautiful the campus is—a good essay will explain not just why the school is good, but why the school is good for you .

This essay is a common one at many schools. Colleges want to know what brings you to them specifically, including what interests you and how you'll contribute to the student body. Though the question of "why" may feel simple, it's a lot more complex than it appears at first glance .

First of all, the college admissions office wants to know what sets their school apart from others. In WashU's case, that could be their balance between research and teaching, a particular major they offer, a positive experience you had while touring the campus ...

Use the question of "why" as a starting point . Don't stop at, "because I like that I can study engineering and English." Develop that idea further—What does that mean to you? Why does it matter?

The "Why This College?" essay also invites students to think about how they'll fit into the academic environment. Schools want to know that you're a good fit—it's to their benefit to recruit students who are passionate and committed to getting the most out of their college education.

But it's not just about whether you'll fit in—it's also important that WashU is a good fit for you. That doesn't mean having your major or whatever clubs you might want to join, but also that your goals align with theirs. Having a clear idea about your goals as well as theirs will help you excel, and WashU will appreciate the clarity .

As you're thinking about your WashU essay, you might learn things about the school that may not be a good fit, and it's better to learn that now than six months after you've moved onto campus. Though one or two missed checkboxes in your dream school criteria isn't necessarily a reason to pull your application, having realistic expectations for your college experience will set you up for a more positive time at the school of your choice.

What Topics Might Work Well for This Essay?

There are a lot of directions you can choose for this prompt. Here are some potential ideas you could write about:

• Majors, minors, certificates, and/or classes WashU offers that you're especially interested in. 
• WashU professors whose work you admire and with whom you'd like to study or conduct research.
• Clubs or sports teams that you'd be interesting in joining.
• Research opportunities you'd like to have (the more specific you can be, the better).
• Internship opportunities WashU offers.
• WashU students or alumni you've met who you admire.
• Financial aid opportunities WashU offers that make it possible for you to attend.

In your response, you should choose about one or two reasons why you think WashU is the best school for you. For each reason, you should describe what WashU offers and connect it back to your interest and skills to show how you're a good match for the school.

What Should You Avoid Talking About?

We've talked about how to write a killer Washington University supplemental essay, but there are some things you should definitely avoid doing.

First, avoid anything superficial, like how pretty WashU's campus is, or that you really like their sports teams. These aren't particularly meaningful reasons to attend a school, and since they don't relate to academics, it may cause Washington University admissions counselors to wonder how committed to your classes you'll be.

Additionally, avoid very general topics that could apply to any school. For example, saying you like WashU's majors, research programs, or internship opportunities isn't enough. All schools have those. What is it  specifically about WashU's that make them stand out and make you feel confident they're the right school for you.

If you're applying to the Beyond Boundaries program, you'll write and submit a different supplemental essay. But don't worry: we have your "passport" to essay success! (We love a dad joke.)

Washington University Beyond Boundaries Supplemental Essay

The Beyond Boundaries essay prompt is only for students who are applying to the two-year Beyond Boundaries program. 

Here's the Beyond Boundaries prompt:

Tell us what great challenge you might want to understand and tackle leveraging two or more of WashU's schools and how you would pursue an interdisciplinary path of study that explores that challenge or an aspect of that challenge in a unique and innovative way.

Just like the general Washington University supplemental essay, the Beyond Boundaries essay is limited to 200 words. Let's take a look at how you can go about answering this prompt.

This one is definitely a different prompt from the general supplemental essay. Unlike the general essay, which is asking you to talk about your own passions, in this essay WashU admissions wants you to discuss a big, real-world challenge that you want to solve as part of your academic study at WashU.

More importantly, you'll need to explain how to combine two approaches from two different schools in order to solve that challenge. Put another way, this prompt is asking you to demonstrate your ability to come up with innovative solutions for tough problems.

Once you do that, you'll have to explain how "you would pursue a path of study in an interdisciplinary way." In other words, you'll need to explain what classes you would take (and why!) in order to gain the knowledge and skills you'd need to tackle the problem you've chosen.

Because Beyond Boundaries is an interdisciplinary program , admissions counselors want to make sure that students admitted to this program are prepared to embrace different perspectives. Interdisciplinary programs like Beyond Boundaries one value innovative approaches to problem-solving , and admissions counselors want to see that you're outside-the-box thinker that can draw from multiple disciplines in order to come up with new solutions.

Writing a good answer to this prompt, one that will impress Washington University admissions, is going to take some research. First, you need to figure out a big problem that a diverse team of thinkers can solve. Then you need to learn more about Washington University's five undergraduate divisions so that you can talk about them specifically in your essay.

This might seem like a daunting task, and it kind of is: Beyond Boundaries is very selective, so admissions counselors want to make sure that admitted students are a good fit for the interdisciplinary nature of the program. But the good news is that the admissions committee isn't expecting you to come up with the perfect solution to a gnarly problem. Instead, they want to see that you're capable of bringing together people from different fields to tackle problems that are facing both your community and the world.

There are three things a great Beyond Boundaries supplemental essay will have to address. First, you'll have to pick a problem that you're passionate about solving as part of your academic studies or future career. Next, you'll need to talk about which schools/disciplines you think can work together to solve this problem. Finally, you'll need to talk about what classes you would take in order to prepare yourself to solve this problem in the future.

The trickiest part of this essay will be choosing a topic that lets you create a compelling course of study.

First, think about your future career goals. What do you want to do when you get out of college? That provides a good jumping off point for picking a problem to discuss in your essay. Then you'll have to make sure that you can bring together at least two of Washington University's four academic divisions in your response.

Let's take a look at how an applicant might go about choosing a topic for the Beyond Boundaries supplemental essay. For instance, Lola wants to go to medical school in order to become an orthopedic surgeon. She's applying to the Beyond Boundaries program, so she starts researching some of the challenges current orthopedic surgeons are facing. She learns that one of the issues facing her field is that they are seeing more and more catastrophic sports-related injuries in kids and young adults , and she decides to write about that in her WashU supplemental essay.

This is a great challenge to focus on in a Beyond Boundaries essay because it a) is impacting Lola's future field, and b) will allow her to talk about specific schools and classes in her response. For example, Lola can write about how her interdisciplinary course of study will include plenty of biology classes from the College of Arts & Sciences t o teach her about medicine.

But to really solve this problem, she'll need to learn about the business side of sports to understand the economic system that's pushing people to enroll their children in pro-style training academies at younger and younger ages. That means taking classes in the Business of Sports program in the Olin School of Business , too!

Remember: the goal here is to demonstrate your creative, interdisciplinary problem-solving abilities by suggesting a course of study that can help you solve a big problem . Spending some time picking a topic and brainstorming your response will be an important factor in writing a great Beyond Boundaries supplemental essay.

So what are the pitfalls with the Beyond Boundaries essay?

The biggest issue to avoid is not fully answering the prompt. Like we mentioned earlier, this essay prompt is complex: you need to identify a problem, figure out how to bring different WashU academic areas together to solve it, then propose a course of study that can prepare you to solve the problem in the future. It's easy to miss one of these response areas, so you'll need to spend lots of time researching and planning your response before you actually begin writing it.

Additionally, you want to make sure you're being both thoughtful and specific as you put together your course of study. Take a look at Lola's example again. Not only does she come up with an innovative way to figure out how to address a pretty big problem in her field, she has enough information that she can call out specific schools and programs by name in her response.

Remember: WashU admissions counselors want to see that you've done your research into the university and its offerings!

Expert Analysis of a Real-Life WashU Supplemental Essay

Now, let's look at a real-life example WashU supplemental essay and break down how it works. This essay was written in response to an older prompt ("Tell us about something that really sparks your intellectual interest and curiosity and compels you to explore more in the program/area of study that you indicated"), but the lessons apply equally to the current prompts.

Here's the sample essay:

I unlock the door and turn the knob. The fifty-year-old door opens with a groan. A narrow, dark hallway leads me to a stairway, and after climbing the stairs to a small landing above the hayloft, I find myself in a shaft of sunlight where dust motes dance in the darkness. I feel the sun on my face and feel that I have entered a space that is sacred.

This is my earliest memory of feeling connected to architecture. From that one in the loft of my grandfather's barn when I was six years old until the present day, I've tried to find an explanation for how my interaction with a physical space was able to create such a feeling of transcendence.

In his essay, "Building Dwelling Being," Martin Heidegger discusses the idea of dwelling , of "staying in a place." In English we use the word dwelling not only to signify a building or a structure in which one lives, but also to "dwell upon," meaning to pay close attention to. In this moment I was both dwelling upon and dwelling in my grandfather's hayloft. Although perhaps I couldn't express it so eloquently at the time, the notion came to me then that a space can be both physical and philosophical. I believe that Sam Fox School's College of Architecture will give me the training to achieve my greatest goal: to someday create physical spaces that allow the same potential for reverie.

We think this is a pretty good example of an essay response to the WashU general supplemental essay prompt. But it's not perfect!

Let's talk a little more about what this essay does well, and where it can improve.

What This Essay Does Well

This essay really embraces the idea that the best way to showcase your personality is with a story. The writer helps bring the reader into her essay by painting a picture in her first paragraph. The description of walking through a staircase and seeing dust in the air hooks the audience—you want to keep reading to see where the author goes next!

Additionally, this writer shows that she's been passionate about her field of study (architecture) from a young age . The things she notices in her memory have to do with the building and its space...which are definitely things architects have to pay attention to!

Finally, the student's reference to "Building, Dwelling, Being" shows that she's so enthusiastic about studying architecture that she's already begun digging into the field on her own. More importantly, she has connected the lessons she's learned with her own experience. The writer's knowledge and passion will help her essay stand out to Washington University in St. Louis admissions counselors!

Where There's Room for Improvement

While this essay is extremely well-written, it takes a while for the author to get to her point, which is that she's inspired to study architecture at WashU. In fact, she doesn't mention the Sam Fox School's College of Architecture until the last line! To make this essay better, the author should start referencing the school and program of study in the second paragraph. That way, the writer focuses her essay specifically on WashU's architecture program rather than architecture in general.

Additionally, the writer forgets to discuss specific professors, classes, and programs that she's interested in taking advantage of as a WashU student. Admissions counselors want to see that you've done your homework into what their university has to offer. This essay could be even better if the writer mentioned specific electives like Architectural History & Theory or Environmental Studies that would allow her to explore her fascination with how architecture brings together philosophy and physical space. The goal is to be as specific as possible to show that you've thought a lot about how Washington University can help you pursue your passions, interests, and career goals.

3 Tips for Writing Great WashU Essays

Now that we've looked at an example essay and have examined how the author approached writing it, let's apply these lessons in three tips that will make your Washington University supplemental essay shine!

Tip 1: Set the Scene

Good writing is about bringing moments to life for your reader. Instead of being vague and abstract, use your five senses to place your reader within a scene. Pay attention to how authors of prose fiction create a sense of placing the reader inside someone else's perspective. This will make your essay vivid and memorable, and that the very best supplemental essays will give their readers a sense of a narrative moment. This is also your chance to show that you are willing and able to foster the discipline to put in the hard work of creating a well-written supplement.

Tip 2: Look at the Bigger Picture

Next, show your readers why this beautiful piece of prose you've created matters . Try to connect your own experiences to larger concerns and contemporary issues. Show that you aren't just interested in your own benefit, but also how your dedication can benefit society. Keep in mind that there are two parties involved in any application or admissions process, and show that your admission to WashU could as much benefit WashU as it could benefit you!

Tip 3: Make Them Feel Wanted

One of the worst things you could do would be to write an essay so vague that you could use it for almost any school's admissions essay. You want your essay to speak to how WashU is specifically the best fit for you. Reference specific classes, professors, and experiences that only WashU can provide. You want admissions counselors to realize that WashU is the only school for you!

What's Next?

If you're worried about how to write a great application essay, that's okay. It can be pretty intimidating! We have tons of expert writing sources that can help you out. First, check out this step-by-step guide to writing college admissions essays. Once you're done there, you can read through more real-world examples of college essays and get expert analysis on what they do well and how they can improve. Finally, let us help you overcome your fear of the dreaded first sentence !

If you've done your research into Washington University in St. Louis, then you've probably realized that tuition isn't cheap . Don't worry: we have a guide that can help you figure out how to afford to go to WashU.

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A Wonderful WashU Essay Example from an Accepted Student

Washington University in St. Louis is perhaps best known for its superb medical school and corresponding intense pre-med track. However, the school also has a wide range of other academic offerings, in addition to community-building traditions and strong DIII sports teams, which make it an attractive option even to students who don’t dream of one day donning a white coat. 

Since you’ll be competing against other strong applicants, it’s important that your essays help your application stand out. In this post, we’ll share an essay that helped a real student gain acceptance to WashU, and outline its strengths and areas for improvement. 

(Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges is beneficial to get inspiration for your essays, but 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 plagiarize. 

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

Example 1 – Why Major?

I am one to psychoanalyze; whenever a difficult decision is made, I ponder what lived experiences and perspectives caused that choice. In working with youth through camp counseling, tutoring, and umpiring, I became fascinated with sensing and processing emotions; this obsession flowered into a lofty mission: to accommodate my emotions and those of my peers at all times. However, except for an engaging AP Psychology self-study, I acknowledge my lack of experience and knowledge of psychological processes to actualize my goal. I would love to expand upon this goal and passion in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at WashU, learning with an emphasis on cognitive, developmental, and social psychology.

High school has been incredibly formative in discovering and embracing my racial identity. After exploring Black literature through CPS English classes, I hoped to learn more about how Black Americans have subverted dominant narratives. Through my Black Society and Culture class, I learned about the impact of prominent Black figures and how the broader community has pursued cultural connections throughout the African Diaspora. I aspire to continue exploring the breadth of my culture through African and African-American Studies, and I would discover a specific field of study with WashU’s department advising.

What the Essay Did Well

One of the most popular essay prompts is “Why This Major?” . Colleges use this prompt to determine whether an applicant is genuinely passionate about their academic interests, or whether they are motivated solely by grades. 

The key to showing that you are the first kind of student is to describe how your academic interests developed, outline your goals, and explain how those goals connect to the school — all things that this student does! Additionally, they do a great job of backing up their points with specific examples, which helps readers understand their interest in psychology on a deeper level.

For example, their first sentence, “I am one to psychoanalyze; whenever a difficult decision is made, I ponder what lived experiences and perspectives caused that choice,” immediately tips us off that this essay is going to be about something related to the brain, while maintaining enough intrigue that we want to keep reading. Then, they connect their psychoanalyzing to their experience “camp counseling, tutoring, and umpiring,” which gives us a clearer sense of how their interest in psychology has grown organically over time. 

The student uses this same general structure, of introducing a compelling topic, then connecting it to a specific past experience, throughout the essay. For another example, in their final paragraph they start off by telling us that they have learned a lot about their racial identity in high school, then give an example of a class that helped them do so.

This last paragraph also addresses the third and final purpose of a “Why Major?” essay listed above–connecting your potential major to the school–by citing a specific department at WashU they hope to study in. That shows admissions officers this student has already spent time thinking about how they would fit into the WashU community, which suggests they would be ready to hit the ground running after arriving on campus.

What Could Be Improved 

There are a few moments in this essay where the student’s writing feels muddled due to their long sentences. While writing is not a science, the essay would flow better if its sentences were trimmed into more manageable bites. For example, the sentence:

“However, except for an engaging AP Psychology self-study, I acknowledge my lack of experience and knowledge of psychological processes to actualize my goal” could become   “Apart from the things I learned through AP Psychology self-study, I had no idea how to actualize my goal.”

Similarly, “I would love to expand upon this goal and passion in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at WashU, learning with an emphasis on cognitive, developmental, and social psychology” can become “The Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at WashU is where I can achieve my goals. I’ll learn everything there is to know about cognitive, developmental, and social psychology.”

While there’s no one rule for how you should structure your sentences in your college essays, remember that one of the strange realities of these essays is that, while you spend many hours writing and revising them, admissions officers have no choice but to read them extremely quickly, because they have so many to get through. That means you want to make your points as easy to understand as possible, and generally speaking, shorter sentences allow ideas to come across more clearly, as your reader doesn’t have to figure out how a bunch of different things are supposed to connect.

Secondly, while this student does tell us about their racial identity, their tone could be more personal. They do not reflect on their racial discoveries, address their emotions, or tell us any stories. One simple fix would be for the student to tell us about a specific book they read in class and how it was formative in their academic development, or a specific experience they had connected to their racial identity that their class helped them understand.

Lastly, and most importantly, the student needs to connect their two academic interests, or at the very least, connect their two paragraphs. Without a designated transition sentence, the shift of subject is jarring and disturbs the essay’s flow.

One way to connect the paragraphs would through a personal reflection like:

“I firmly believe that individual psychology is affected by group psychology, culture, and life experiences. I have spent four years discovering and embracing my racial identity, and my psychology has shifted substantially in the process.”

Alternatively, a connection could be facilitated by:

• Psychoanalyzing a character in a book or a character in history
• Referencing a historical figure who was interested in Black culture and psychology (Franz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, W.E.B Du Bois)
• Recognizing that the student’s interest in the human experience comes from an interest in both research and humanistic inquiry

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay 

Want feedback on your WashU essay before you submit? 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!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the WashU supplemental essay?  CollegeAdvisor.com’s  guide will show you exactly how to write an engaging WashU supplemental essay to stand out in the admissions process.

Need help crafting your WashU supplemental essay? Create your free  account  or  schedule a free consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

Washington University in St. Louis  (WashU) Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• Washington University in St. Louis has an acceptance rate of 16% —  U.S. News  ranks WashU as a  most selective  school.
• We recommend answering the WashU supplemental essay comprehensively and thoughtfully to maximize your chances of admission.

What is WashU in St. Louis known for?

Washington University in St. Louis is a community-driven institution boasting 77 diversity-related student  groups  on campus. With a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio, its motto Per Veritatem Vis (Strength through Truth) has produced 4 Pulitzer Prize winners, 10 National Medal of Science honorees, and is associated with 25 Nobel laureates.

Additionally, WashU’s location makes it particularly attractive to applicants. After all, who wouldn’t want to attend an elite school in bustling St. Louis?

Interested in attending WashU? This guide to the WashU supplemental essay will give you the tools you need to write a strong WashU essay that will stand out among the WashU supplemental essays submitted by other applicants. Keep reading to learn more about this year’s WashU supplemental essay and WashU scholarship essays.

Does Washington University in St. Louis Have Supplemental Essays?

Yes. Instead of completing multiple WashU essays, all applicants will complete one WashU supplemental essay.  All students interested in applying will submit WashU supplemental essays in addition to the  Common App  and  Coalition App  essays.

Need some help writing your Common App essay? Get some great tips from our Common app essay  guide .

Additionally, students interested in a scholarship at WashU should review the  Signature Scholarships  page, as well as the general  scholarships  section of the website. With general WashU scholarships, there is no need to complete additional WashU scholarship essays — your Common App personal statement is also your application for the scholarship. However, if you are applying for one or more of the Signature Scholarships, then you’ll need to complete additional WashU scholarship essays in addition to the main WashU supplemental essay.

Don’t worry about missing out on applying for the Signature Scholarships. While completing the Common App and uploading your WashU supplemental essay, you’ll be prompted to select any additional scholarships you’ll be applying for. Once you’ve selected a particular scholarship, the additional WashU scholarship essays will appear on the page. Though we won’t be covering these WashU essay prompts in this WashU supplemental essay guide, you can use our WashU supplemental essay tips to help you write your additional WashU essay prompts.

How Many Essays Are Required for WashU?

As stated above, there is only one WashU supplemental essay. This doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t take the WashU essay seriously. In fact, with applications like WashU where there is a single supplemental essay, you’ll want to make sure that your answer is as strong as possible to give the best impression to admissions officers. Unlike other applications where there may be room for a weak prompt response, your WashU supplemental essay should be well-edited and fit within your application’s personal narrative.

Unsure of how to craft a personal narrative in your applications? Our expert’s  deep dive  into the personal narrative will help you create a compelling story to leave a lasting impression in the admissions process.

Also, remember that in addition to the required WashU supplemental essay prompt, if you are applying for the WashU Signature Scholar Programs, you will be prompted to complete additional WashU scholarship essays for the program. Again, the prompts for the additional WashU scholarship essays are on the WashU website, but those WashU essay prompts will not be covered in this guide.

How to write the Washington University in St. Louis Supplemental Essay (Required):

Please tell us what you are interested in studying at WashU and why. (200 word max.)

Outside of the WashU essay prompts required for the WashU Signature Scholarships, there is only one WashU supplemental essay. In the absence of multiple WashU essays, you want to answer the WashU essay prompt clearly and concisely. Why? For example, if there were multiple WashU essays, you may be able to bolster a weaker prompt response with other stronger answers. However, since there aren’t multiple WashU essays, your single WashU supplemental essay response stands front and center for admissions officers.

Another reason to give this WashU supplemental essay the focus it deserves: demonstrated interest. Demonstrated interest is how you show a school that you are knowledgeable about what they offer potential students, that you are interested in attending, and that the school figures prominently in your goals. In other words, this WashU supplemental essay is asking “Why WashU?”

What is the prompt asking?

Let’s review exactly what this WashU essay is asking. Successful WashU supplemental essays will include the following:

• What a student is interested in studying.
• Why the student wants to study this particular topic.
• Why the student wants to study this topic at WashU.

In other words, it’s not enough to write an essay explaining that a service trip to Ecuador in 2019 led to a burning desire to pursue  environmental studies . You also need to explain that your desire to work with students at Tyson Research Center’s summer program is a part of your larger goal to eventually bring environmental studies to the next generation. In this brief WashU essay topic example, you can see that the student clearly identifies what they want to study (environmental studies) and they also have a clear “why” for pursuing the program (service trip to Ecuador). Finally, we touch on the “Why WashU?” question by mentioning an aspect of the environmental studies program that is unique to WashU (the Tyson Research Center).

Let’s break this WashU supplemental essay down further to help you start your draft.

Choosing an area of interest

First, you need to identify an area of study at WashU that interests you. At this point, you may not be sure of your major in college, and that’s okay! This WashU supplemental essay gives you a great opportunity to explore your interests and consider what you’re interested in studying. Picking a major can feel like a daunting task, but it can also be a lot of fun and a great way to begin thinking about what you hope to experience at WashU. Also, it’s helpful to remember, the major or interest you discuss in your WashU supplemental essay is not necessarily what you have to study once you’ve been admitted.

Need help choosing a college major? Check out CollegeAdvisor’s articles on  choosing a college major  and the most popular majors for  Gen Z students .

Before you begin drafting the response for this WashU essay, you should explore their  offerings . As you are exploring, make note of the programs that pique your interest. This WashU essay asks you to elaborate on your interest, so make sure that there is a significant reason for your wanting to pursue a certain major or course of study.

Explaining your interest

As explained previously, successful WashU supplemental essays will answer the following: a) why you are interested in studying the major that you’ve named, and b) why you want to study this major/topic at WashU. The first portion of your WashU essay response is an opportunity for your personality to shine. Can you demonstrate intellectual curiosity here? Can you make a personal connection to your interest in your program of study? Does your interest in this area of study connect to your career plans? Dig deep and avoid superficial responses when crafting your WashU supplemental essay.

Managing word count

With a 200-word limit on this WashU supplemental essay, every word counts. Avoid overly descriptive text, filler words, and tangents. Save your words for writing about what interested you in WashU — instead of cramming SAT vocabulary words into your response.

When you’re writing your WashU supplemental essay draft, however, do not concern yourself with the word count. While this feels counterintuitive, an essay prompt’s word limit may cause anxiety and prevent a natural flow of ideas.  To avoid this, allow your ideas to spill out onto the page before you begin shaping your response. Approaching your WashU supplemental essay in this manner may be helpful if you struggle with writer’s block. Also, you may find that your draft takes an interesting turn and your topic/interests may shift if you give yourself the space to create a messy first draft.

Telling a story

As opposed to starting with “I am interested…” consider telling a story that leads to your connection for that area of interest. Is there a brief anecdote you can share that will show interest to your reader?

Let’s look at the following examples:

Ex 1. I am very interested in the law program in order to change immigration law in the US.

Ex2. It was a sweltering 118 degrees in Tucson that day.  I wondered if the plastic gallon bottles that I placed on the desert floor would even survive the heat. Could plastic sweat? Would these help the coyotes lead migrants to safety? I did what I could, and I knew that the Border Action Network’s activism was saving lives. Immigration laws need to change in the US. So, it became clear — my activist journey could not end with water bottles. Instead, I want to study immigration law with the WashU Department of Political Science.

Now you can continue your story of legal interest and how WashU provides the education that you are looking for regarding your personal passion.

Answering “Why WashU?”

Finally, the WashU supplemental essay is asking you to explain why you want to study at Washington University in St. Louis.

Consider the  values  that Washington University in St. Louis expresses — do they resonate with you? What about the surrounding area does the setting of the school and its location in St. Louis have any bearing on why you want to attend? Part of your reasoning may be practical — perhaps Washington University in St. Louis is your nearest in-state university. However, you don’t want proximity to home to be the focal point of your WashU supplemental essay. Instead, try to answer the following question: how will WashU set me up for success, both academically and in my future career? The answer to that question can help you craft your response for the WashU supplemental essay.

Let’s look at the following example:

Ex. My experience last year volunteering for a local alderman awakened a desire to learn more about the political ideas, ideologies, and perspectives that shape this nation. Washington University in St. Louis’s 77 diverse student groups and strong emphasis on community values make this institution the perfect place to study political science.  What better place to learn more about multiple experiences and viewpoints than an environment that celebrates so many different identities?

In this example, there is a clear connection between the student’s volunteering experience to their choice to study political science. The final piece is the connection between the major and the school. Successful WashU supplemental essays will be specific like the example above.

Editing your WashU Essay response

Once you’ve finished your draft, you’ll want to edit your WashU essay carefully. Successful WashU essay prompts will not only answer the question, but also use dynamic language that is concise and grammatically correct. Check your word count. Make sure you haven’t exceeded the 200-word limit for your WashU essay. While it’s okay to be few words under your limit, be wary of a shorter-than-average essay. If your essay is only 125 words, you’re leaving 75 words on the table. These can be used to add more description to your WashU essay.

Next, evaluate your sentences.  This WashU essay is a short response, however, you have an opportunity to demonstrate both your style and voice.  Are you varying sentence structure? Do your sentences sound repetitive? Often, it can be helpful to read your essay aloud. Hearing your words can help you find weaker points in your WashU essay response that your eyes have ignored.

WashU Supplemental Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Does your response identify a specific Washington University in St. Louis area of study or program?
• Does your response explain your interest in this program?
• Does your response explain your interest in studying that program specifically at Washington University in St. Louis?

How Important is the Washington University in St. Louis Supplemental Essay?

The WashU essay is extremely important. Since this is the only opportunity that you have to demonstrate your specific interest in WashU, you must make it count—in 200 words or less. While your academics may meet the requirements for admissions, high grades alone will not guarantee admission into WashU.

In an effort to create equity in their admissions process, WashU is not allowing campus visits, connections with alumni, connections with faculty, or other similar factors as considerations in admissions. A brief, yet powerful response to the WashU essay is the best way to show admissions officers that WashU is the right place for you.

Remember, WashU is a competitive school — with an average of 30,000 annual applicants and only 1,800 students enrolling in the fall — opportunities to introduce yourself to (and impress) admissions officers should not be wasted.

Finally, if you applying to the Signature Scholarship program, extend that same level of focus to the additional WashU essays that you’ll complete. The WashU supplemental essays required for the scholarship applications are your chance to help remove a portion of the financial burden that families juggle when they send their children to college. Do your research on the donating bodies behind each of the scholarships and use the WashU essay prompts to demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for what you plan to study.

Additional Washington University in St. Louis Supplemental Essay Tips

The WashU essay should be well-edited. Consider the fact that thousands of WashU supplemental essays will cross the desks of admission officers. Poorly thought out and executed WashU essays communicate to your reader that you couldn’t be bothered to edit your piece or didn’t have the writing skills to do so. To maximize the impact of your WashU essays, you’ll want to ask someone else to help you edit. This is also true for the WashU scholarship essays.  After all, once you’ve written the drafts for your WashU essays, you may be unable to see where edits are needed. If you want additional help editing your WashU scholarship essays, CollegeAdvisor.com can help!

Another tip: write your WashU essays in short sittings. Draft your initial ideas for each WashU essay in one sitting. This may be a bulleted list or a free-write. Let your WashU supplemental essays sit for a day or two. Then, evaluate the ideas you’ve generated for your Washu essay prompts.  Be honest — does your initial idea suit whichever WashU supplemental essay you’re writing about? If not, back to the freewriting/idea generation stage. However, once your ideas align with your passion and what each of the WashU essay prompts is asking, then you should move on to producing your drafts.

WashU Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

The WashU essay prompts—including the WashU scholarship essay prompts—may seem overwhelming. However, don’t let that discourage you! The WashU supplemental essay and the optional WashU scholarship essays are an opportunity for you to both introduce yourself to the admission team at WashU, and a chance to win a scholarship that will lessen your family’s financial burden when you attend school. With these tips, you can write engaging WashU essays sure to stand out in admissions.

This 2021-2022 essay guide on Washington University in St. Louis was written by Sasha Litzenberger. If you need help crafting your WashU supplemental essays or WashU scholarship essays, visit app.collegeadvisor.com to create your free  account  or  schedule a no-cost advising consultation  by calling (844) 343-6272.

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Washington University in St. Louis 2020-21 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

Washington University in St. Louis 2020-2021 Application Essay Question Explanation

The Requirements: One 250 word essay 

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Activity

Tell us about something that really sparks your intellectual interest and curiosity and compels you to explore more in the program/area of study that you indicated. It could be an idea, book, project, cultural activity, work of art, start-up, music, movie, research, innovation, question, or other pursuit. (250 words)

This prompt reminds us a lot of the Common Application’s prompt #6 , which asks about a topic, idea, or concept that captivates you. So, our advice is the same: give admissions insight into not only what makes you tick, but also what piques your interest to dig deeper. Maybe it’s a book that you read over and over again, an artist who makes you see the world in a new way, or the court documents that you scour for new information. Admissions wants to better understand what intrigues you and why. The goal is to write an essay that reveals something new about you and demonstrates your thirst for knowledge. So, sharpen your pencils, it’s time to geek out!

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, help with washu supplemental essay.

Hey, I need some help with the WashU supplemental essay. I want to make my application stand out, but I'm not exactly sure what they're looking for. Can anyone who has been through this process give me some advice?

Absolutely, I'd be happy to help! Writing a strong supplemental essay for Washington University in St. Louis can be an important aspect of your application. The key is to make sure your essay is personal, focused, and answers the prompt directly.

1. Answer the prompt: Make sure to address the specific prompt that WashU provides. Admissions officer are asking this question because they think it's relevant to understanding who you'd be as a WashU student, so you don't want to sidetrack into something totally different.

2. Personalize your response: Share your personal experiences, such as your background, passions, or challenges you've overcome, that have influenced your growth. This will help make your essay more memorable and demonstrate your unique perspective.

3. Show your passion: Don't be afraid to express your excitement about your prospective major or how WashU's offerings align with your goals. This will showcase your genuine interest in the school and help admissions officers understand why you would be a good fit.

4. Connect your experiences: Whenever possible, show how your talents, achievements, or setbacks have helped shape your academic interests and overall goals for college. For example, if you're passionate about environmental science, you might discuss a service trip you took where you worked on sustainability projects and how this inspired you to study environmental policy at WashU.

5. Proofread: Don't forget to edit your essay for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. A polished essay will demonstrate your attention to detail and commitment to putting forth your best effort.

6. Take advantage of CollegeVine's resources: CollegeVine's blog contains a breakdown of all WashU supplemental essays, including those that are specific to particular programs: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-washu-essays. CollegeVine also offers both a free peer essay review tool and paid reviews by expert college admissions advisors, if you want to hear a more objective perspective on how well your response is working.

Overall, the goal is to write a thoughtful, focused response that showcases your passion, your unique perspective, and your understanding of Washington University in St. Louis. Best of luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

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

The Ultimate Guide to the WashU Supplemental Essay 2023-24

We won’t sugarcoat it: writing the WashU supplemental essay is hard.

Simply put, WashU is a prestigious T15 school . To be competitive among other applicants, you need high-quality writing. Yet, it must be impossibly short enough for a tiny word limit. In other words, you’re given a nearly improbable task.

That’s why, despite its short length, the WashU essay demands a lot more brainstorming and drafting than you think.

So, expect to rewrite, rewrite some more, and rewrite again.

It’s going to be painful.

Fortunately, we’ve provided a comprehensive guide that answers some of the most important questions about the WashU essay including our deconstruction of its importance, essay examples, and how to write the WashU essay in a way that stands out!

Ready? Let’s go!

Table of Contents

How Important is the WashU Essay?

Washu supplemental essay prompt., washu supplemental essay example that worked., washu common app essay example that worked..

• Short is Sweet.
• Connecting to Your Overall Application’s Theme.
• Don’t Underestimate Personality.
• The Power of Subtlety.

The WashU supplemental essay is very important.

This includes both the supplemental essay and the Common App essay. Both are going to be used to provide you with a fair assessment of your fit with the campus.

However, a lot of our students ask us whether the WashU essays are going to be more important than the GPA. Or, the other way around.

Well, we’ve posted this chart we sourced from Washington University’s Common Data Set below. It contains how WashU ranks college admissions factors in importance.

As you can see, the application essay is actually equally as important as your academic rigor, class rank, academic GPA, test scores like SAT/ACT, and letters of recommendation.

Washington University in St. Louis does not hold one academic factor as more important than another, according to their Common Data Set.

By holding all these factors equal in value, we come across a rather problematic situation.

The WashU’s supplemental essay is very deceptively catastrophic.

How? Well, it’s in the essay prompt itself and its rules. We’ll explain this further in depth in the next section.

“Please tell us what you are interested in studying at college and why. Undecided about your academic interest(s)? Don’t worry—tell us what excites you about the academic division you selected. Remember that all of our first-year students enter officially “undeclared” and work closely with their team of academic advisors to discover their academic passions. You can explore all of our  majors and programs  on our website.*” 200 Words Max WashU in St. Louis Supplemental Essay Prompt; Common App

When you read WashU’s supplemental essay prompt, you’ll notice 2 things: this is a rather simplistic essay prompt, and you’re not given much room to write what you want.

This is very devastating for a lot of students because of the importance of the essay in conjunction with other factors like GPA and standardized tests.

WUSTL weighs the supplementary essay equally to GPA, class rank, class rigor, and test scores. Nonetheless, the essay takes far less time to complete than the years of dedication that come with earning high academic marks, beating everyone else in your class, struggling through advanced courses, and preparing for the SATs/ACTs.

This is what makes Washington University’s supplemental essay so devastating: despite consisting of only 200 words, the essay has equally as much of an impact on your admissions rate as does 4 years of academic performance.

You could easily undo years of work just by carelessly answering the WashU supplemental essay in a manner that doesn’t stand out from the rest of the admissions pool.

With that said, let’s take a look at some successful WashU supplemental and Common App essay examples that you can draw inspiration from.

“Look, one word: speed. It’s no secret that speed makes our world go round. Developments in finance, real estate, food, design, art, and many other disciplines are evolving at a faster rate than we can imagine. Gastronomy is ever-changing. New financial strategies lift businesses into success. Creative artistic styles and productions flourish faster now than ever before. And, we have our educators to thank for that. But, we don’t. In fact, our educators get little to no support from communities around. Being a teacher means being the “bottom of the barrel” in career notoreity. Yet, they take the brunt of labour to polish and shine our future financial analysts, chefs, game designers, and more. That includes computer scientists. Can we make self-driving cars? Yup! And streamline businesses to maximize efficiency? You bet! But, the teachers get no support. That’s why I’m so compelled to make the world of teaching easier through the use of artifical intelligence. If our world is evolving so fast, what if we helped our teachers work better, faster, and stronger? Well, who knows? I don’t. Not unless I figure out for myself at WashU!” WashU Supplemental Essay Example That Worked –WUSTL Computer Science Essay

“ Charlotte, NC.  White picket fences. American flags. Girls giggling about something. And, of course, “boys being boys” —connotation varying depending on whether the Panthers or the Hornets won that season. It’s the same everlasting charm of North Carolina. There’s an underbelly. It’s not physical; but, it certainly feels that way. I can’t articulate it in one fell swoop of intellectual conciseness. But, I can show it. My scoutmaster, upon discovering his son was gay, disowned him and hasn’t seen him since. Now, in his late fifties, when the ceremonial lighting is just right, I see the wrinkles on his face twisted from nights of grief and mourning for his son. That overwhelming prideful shame carved his face. Even during those ceremonies when he exclaims how proud he is, we know he wishes his son were on that stage.  My business: [Redacted] . Despite how fulfilling a challenge it is, I’ve seen the self-improvement industry subtly denigrate one’s confidence. It’s ironic. The stronger I see influencers get, the weaker they feel. The bigger they get, the smaller they feel. The more they lift, the heavier their internal load.  I do believe I can explain it: North Carolina’s underbelly of boys being boys and anti-homosexual boyscout rituals and powerlifting… things.  As a boy, a man, an Asian man living in a conventionally masculine community, it’s an unending internal scream. Why a scream? Well, what other way is there to communicate when no one will listen?  It’s the feeling that something — some abstract problem too difficult to define— is wrong about the way we think about masculinity.  It’s that feeling of trying to speak up for once about how tiring it is to act out manliness only for other men, women, their brothers, and their sisters to sweep it under the perfect “welcome” rug and say, “well, y’know; that’s just how them boys are…” or “you’re just insecure” or, if they may be so facetious as to use this excuse, “we don’t talk about them negative stuff in the house of God.” The very word “masculinity” can’t be introduced into polite conversation without resurrecting the exhumed cacophony of horrible emotional reactions. Husbands getting angry. Wives sweeping under rugs. Daughters feeling threatened. And… of course, boys being boys.  One must curse, or scream, upon hearing the word escape through uncomfortably pressed lips. But, I can’t scream. No one can. We may only let our yearning screams for acceptance, validation, frustration, fear, insecurity, and every spectrum of human experience boil within each muscle fiber of our being.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my years of having to be smart enough as an Asian male, big and “natural enough” as a powerlifter, cool enough, and all the enoughs, it’s that my soul internally yearns to be treated as an individual with a beating heart. I’m not numbers on a chart, or stats on a sheet.  Yet, fighting this dehumanization taught me how to be human again: by sacrificing my intrinsic desire for men to be… anything. True masculinity transcends societal “oughts” and “shoulds”. So, I lifted without the expectation of getting bigger. I accepted if friends wanted to split bills. I demonstrated vulnerability and emotional openness.  And, well, it was hard.  Letting go of toxic masculinity in a patriarchal white community was brutal. My peers in Charlotte all agreed that, “We need to smash the patriarchy! You go girl… er, bro.”  But, when I do exactly that, my community’s patriarchal head reads once more. “Find the most obtuse and inefficient methodology!” “Lift heavier weights than reasonably manageable!” It’s not perfect; but, it’s a journey. It’s the Asian male journey through a white picket fence community where the American flags wave and the girls giggle about stuff and the Panthers must defeat the Hornets and where, one day, hopefully, the boys can truly —in the most genuine and meaningful sense— be boys. “ Example Common App Essay That Worked –Accepted Into WashU in St. Louis.

How to Write the WashU Supplemental Essay.

Before we get to the meat of the guide, we want to cover the “ideal WashU candidate.”

Take a look at this .

As you can see, Washington University in St. Louis has listed on its website the kinds of students they have on its campus. Like other prestigious universities, they’re quite proud of how their students have large ambitions and goals for societal change.

In addition, there is a seemingly startup-like and entrepreneurial streak at WUSTL that may influence the kind of impression you want to give the school. Note their statement on their official website.

“Beginning in early 2021, Washington University in St. Louis is launching an 18-month strategic planning process to develop a roadmap that will guide the university’s direction over the next decade. We seek to be bold, transformative and collaborative as we consider our next steps, building upon the university’s already strong foundation.” WUSTL Strategic Priorities –What Washington University is Hoping For in Future Students.

Now, does that mean you need to develop projects vying for VCs and seed funding? Nope! It’s not mandatory. However, if you’re someone with an entrepreneurial self-starter streak, you may be more likely to appeal to WUSTL’s future goals.

1. Short is Sweet.

This goes with any college essay, whether it’s 200 words or 1,000.

Short is sweet.

Though, of course, there are stylistic moments when longer descriptions are going to be more appropriate than curt straightforward ones.

As a general rule, the WashU supplemental essay should keep descriptions short enough that they can be easily read in one read without being confusing. Easy readability is key. Additionally, you should be keeping your wording sophisticated by using the right diction.

In other words, the balance between sophistication and shortness.

This is not exactly easy, though.

To be both short and sophisticated, we actually recommend starting your WashU supplemental essay by answering the question in approximately 1,000-1,200 words. Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is; but, it’s also the best way to get ALL your ideas on paper.

Often, our students have A LOT more reasons why they want to pursue the major they’re applying for than they think. They may have initial surface-level reasons such as interest and financial stability.

But, if they truly take the time to write down all their reasons for applying for a certain major in 1,000-1,200 words, they will discover a lot more about their passions for the field than originally intended.

Is it far above the word count? Sure. But, the coming ideas will be worth it.

Once you have a solid 1-1.2k word essay, you can reduce your ideas into condensed and concise words that best encapsulate your ideas in 200 words.

2. Connecting to Your Overall Application’s Theme.

Note: you’re not obligated to do this step if you believe it’s not possible with your application. Some applicants don’t have a general them in their resume or background history. And, that’s fine! This section is just for students who can and are willing to implement a general theme into their application and bind it to their essays.

Sometimes applicants will have an overall “theme.”

They’re more like constant elements that pop up in previous experiences, work, projects, and other parts of the resume.

For instance, let’s say you’re an applicant applying to WUSTL for computer science. Maybe you had the following:

• Competed in a robotics competition that you narrowly won but struggled due to unexpected emergencies like manufacturing custom parts that are impossible to make.
• Family emergency regarding a rare disease.
• Having an upward trend in academic performance during your junior year after meeting and speaking with a personal mentor.
• Creating your own computer science blog and suddenly ranking on Google’s first page for a few articles.
• Finding creative ways to teach students how to code in your “Learn 2 Code” club without having to bribe them with candy.

There are a lot of themes hidden between the lines in these 5 items. However, one can infer that one big theme is “unexpected change.”

Things can change for both better and worse in ways we don’t expect. Yet, we can make the most of the situation and perhaps even make disadvantages into advantages.

This theme would be a great one to write about in your WUSTL supplementary essay. And, it would make your entire application feel more “complete.” In comparison, an essay with an unrelated theme that doesn’t align with your previous experiences could seem rather arbitrary, random, and ultimately not conducive to your original impression.

3. Don’t Underestimate Personality.

This is a bit of a complex concept to explain. But, it’s important to note when writing your WashU supplemental essay.

The personality and character you portray in your essay are going to make a massive difference in the quality of your application.

This is because the essay is the primary medium from which WUSTL measures this dimension.

Take a look at Washington University’s Common Data Set in Section C7 once more.

Notice how the only other factors that are judged as “very important” just like GPA and test scores are the two factors: talent/ability and character/personal qualities.

Ask yourself this: how can WashU even know what your talents and character are? They can know your talent to “some” degree if it’s tangible talents such as solving a Rubix cube or licking your elbow.

But, most of your true talent and personality are going to shine through the WashU supplemental essay and Common App essay.

These are the only qualitative factors outside academic performance that use words. So, your admissions officers will be screening your essays very carefully to determine what your talents and personal qualities are like and how they fit in their campus.

Before you start writing your WashU supplemental essay, we would actually recommend you write out a few things first in a bullet point list:

• Skills/abilities you earned through great effort.
• Personal character traits.
• Philosophies you’ve developed with experience.

Make a great list of these. Then, from the list, choose which ones you think would fit your character best.

Once you have an element to choose from, try to incorporate it into your WashU supplemental essay as a draft. As you edit it through revisions and rewrites, try to consider whether the admissions officers are going to pick up on your talent, skill, character, or philosophy.

Of course, you can’t just say that you’re stoic or that you have strong grit and determination. Instead, you’ll need to show and not tell.

This can be achieved through writing subtly. And, we’ll show how to do that in the next section.

4. The Power of Subtlety.

“But, I’m a nice guy! Trust me!” –Not a Nice Guy

Ever had a person tell you they were nice? Often, it’s a bit awkward that they even have to tell you that to begin with.

Why do I need your reassurance? Why try to convince me that you’re nice?

Of course, the men who say “I’m a nice guy” often weaponize their “niceness” to try to woo the opposite sex.

It doesn’t work very well.

Now, men being entitled to a woman’s heart is not the same as trying to get into Washington University. But, the principle still stands: if you’re trying to directly tell the WUSTL admissions officers that you’re kind, talented, hard-working, etc, they’re going to have a hard time REALLY believing you.

So, what gets people to truly believe that you’re talented, kind, hard-working, and every other characteristic that would “woo an admissions officer?”

Well, it’s the art of subtlety!

When you’re writing the WashU supplemental essay, let the admissions officer come to the conclusion themselves. They must infer that you’re kind/determined/hard-working, etc. You don’t just directly tell them.

This can be done by writing your experiences, ideas, and beliefs in a light that frames you as someone who is the characteristic you’re aiming for.

Here’s an example:

“I was no stranger to mistakes. And, having grown up from a family knee-deep in the finance industry, I was made aware from an early age of just how many mistakes businesses made in their everyday operations that as my parents put it: “it’s a miracle anything in this world operates at all!” I was let out of the details of course, what with client-confidentiality at all; though, it wasn’t like my 12-year-old mind would comprehend “fiduciary liability” and other finance “stuff.” Nonetheless, I recognized mistakes were everywhere. And, I wasn’t exempt. I could have done my assignments earlier. I could have earned more points during the basketball game than I did. There were even mistakes I knew I could easily avoid that I still did anyway! “Don’t eat a chocolate cupcake for breakfast. That’s not healthy. Don’t put it in your mouth. Have a salad. Don’t. Do. It. Gosh darn it, why did you eat the muffin Joey?” So, bad news: I’m full of mistakes because I’m human. Good news? I’m full of mistakes because I’m human. There’s a… [cont.]” Example of Subtlety in WashU Supplemental Essay.

In this example, we could have mentioned that we recognize our own mistakes and are humble enough to learn from our own shortcomings. However, we don’t really do that.

Instead, we show the admissions officers that we’re humble through the mindset and attitude we take toward mistakes. We show them what we believe in without actually telling them the kinds of characteristics in and of themselves. That way, admissions officers can come to their own conclusions about you.

If you implement these 4 elements into your WashU supplemental essay, you’ll be writing leagues ahead of other students.

Of course, if you still need help with the WashU supplemental essay, the Common App essay, or college admissions consulting and advising services in general, we recommend you work with us. Schedule a free phone consultation with us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours! Our expert college admissions advisors and editors have helped students craft fantastic essays that got them accepted not just into WashU but other prestigious universities like Rice, Duke, UPenn, Brown, NYU, GT, Harvey Mudd, and more!

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How to Approach the Washington University Supplemental Essay

The washington university in saint louis supplemental essay prompt, and how to nail it (2020-2021)..

Help! Writing is hard. And Washington University in St. Louis is asking you to do it — to crank out a supplemental essay, in the form of a diabolically-short 250 extra words, that you need to somehow get from out of your skull, into their application box.

Not to fear. We’re here for you. Based on our long experience at Prompt helping applicants get in, we’ve written you a complete guide to nailing the Wash U supplemental essay .

And if you’d like personalized guidance from people who’ve done this thousands of times, get started here .

Wash U supplemental essay for 2020-2021

In about 250 words , tell us about something that really sparks your intellectual interest and curiosity, and compels you to explore more in the program/area of study that you indicated. It could be an idea, book, project, cultural activity, work of art, start-up, music, movie, research, innovation, question, or other pursuit.