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College Essays

Yale admits just over 4% of their total applicant pool every year. If you want to be one of those admitted students, you'll need to write amazing Yale essays as part of your Yale University application.

In this article, we'll outline the different types of essays you need to write for your Yale University application and teach you how to write a Yale supplement essay that will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants.

What Are the Yale Essay Prompts?

Yale University requires you to submit multiple short answer questions and one essay, depending on whether you are submitting the Common Application , QuestBridge Application, or Coalition Application .

You will choose from a selection of topics for the longer Yale supplement essay questions. The prompts are the same for both the Common and the Coalition application, but the number of prompts you'll choose to answer is different depending on which application you use to apply.

You'll also complete short answer questions regardless of which application you're using. It’s important to note that Common, Coalition, and QuestBridge applications all require short answer questions, but only Common and Coalition applications require a second set of short answer questions and a supplemental essay.

The short answer questions for the Yale essays range in word limit from 35 words to 250 words. These essays are specific to the Yale application—you won't find them on any other college or university's application.

Although they are short, the Yale supplement essays are just as important as the longer essays.

The Yale supplemental essay questions offer you plenty of opportunity to show off your qualifications as an applicant and wow the admissions committee.

2023-2024 Yale Essay Questions

Applicants who fill out the Common Application or the Coalition Application will answer one of the following three prompts:

Essay Prompt #1: Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful? (400 words or fewer) Essay Prompt #2: Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you’d like. (400 words or fewer) Essay Prompt #3: Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you? (400 words or fewer)

Yale Supplement Essay Prompts Analyzed

Now that you've read through the Yale supplemental essay prompts, let's take a closer look at how to answer them. 

Essay Prompt #1

Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful? (400 words or fewer)

This essay asks you to reflect on your ability to engage with opposing ideas and to modify your own —or to hold firm, if need be! It's a tall order, but a very, very important subject. Whether you changed your mind a little, a lot, or not at all, this prompt asks you to explain why the discussion, itself, was meaningful to you. 

Yale admissions officers want to know that you can participate in a healthy exchange of ideas with others without compromising yourself or shutting down the conversation. This is very important , as it's a huge part of collegiate life!

For this essay, you'll need to think of a pretty specific scenario. Maybe you had a class conversation about a controversial subject, or maybe you talked to a parent, relative, or friend about a subject you disagreed on. Did you know going into the conversation that you disagreed? How did that affect the way you spoke? What was the tone of your conversation? How did it resolve (or did it)? Most importantly , what did you take away from the experience and how did it impact you?  How has it shaped your belifs and the way you interact with others who do not share them? 

Essay Prompt #2

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you’d like. (400 words or fewer)

This essay provides a great place to let the committee see a side of you that has nothing to do with academics. There are so many possible answers here: family, sports teams, religious school, AV club, and even virtual communities are viable options to write about. Whatever community you choose, be sure to pick one that has made an impression on you and to which you feel connected.

Have fun with this Yale essay. Don't feel pressure to talk about how much charity work you do—chances are a lot of applicants will go that route and it will seem inauthentic. (Unless charity work is actually your jam. If that's the case, go for it!)

You also have the opportunity to define “community” on your terms here. If you have a unique experience with a group of people that may not look like a traditional community to outsiders, writing about that experience can help you stand out in the admissions process. For instance, if your football team came together with a rival team to provide hurricane relief and bonded in the process, that would be an out-of-the-box take on community connection to highlight in your essay. 

However you decide to define “community,” make sure to explain why the community you choose is meaningful to you . Before putting pen to paper, consider making a list and reflecting on why this particular community holds meaning for you. What values, traditions, or shared experiences within the community are special to you? How has this community impacted your personal growth? Your beliefs? Your worldview? Answering these questions about your community is a great place to start!

Let your voice shine through in this one and don't be afraid to be creative. Since you have a larger word allotment you can show off some of your prosaic chops. Don't try too hard though! Be yourself—the committee will appreciate you for it.

Essay Prompt #3

Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you? (400 words or fewer)

This essay gives you an opportunity to consider your past, explore what you learned and how you grew, and explain how it will help you bring value to Yale . Just like with the last prompt, you have the freedom to pick from a wide range of experiences. This could be an event, a relationship, a passion, or even a challenge you faced.

Once you’ve picked the “element” you want to focus your essay on, take some time to think about how the experience impacted you. Did you learn a lesson from it? Were you able to build any valuable skills? Did it change or help you develop important personal values? You don’t want to choose just anything to write about, here—you want to choose something that had a profound effect on you and who you consider yourself to be.

Last but definitely not least: you’ll need to explain how Yale and its community will benefit from having you on campus . Draw connections between what you learned from your experience and how you’ll encounter classes, peers, teachers, and others on campus. Whether it’s contributing to academic discussions, participating in extracurricular activities, or fostering a positive campus culture, show how your experience will impact your time at Yale in a positive way.

2023-2024 Yale Short Answer Questions

There are three required Yale short answer questions.  Every student applying to Yale must answer these three prompts:

• Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.  

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Yale Short Answer Questions Analyzed

The longer short answer prompts listed above are required of all applicants. The prompts are the same for both applications. Remember, all three prompts are required.  

We’ll break down how to respond to each Yale short answer prompt next.

Yale Short Answer Question 1

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

First off—follow the directions here exactly. ONLY use areas of study from the list provided in the above link and be sure to mention no more than three.

Here, Yale is giving you the opportunity to show some range in your interests, but keeping your writing brief and honest is key.

Less is more here—don't be afraid to only list one interest. Although it may be unrealistic to choose a major before you enter college, there is no harm in expressing what excites you right now. You will not have to stick to this major throughout your Yale career, unless of course you want to. Since you're just listing one to three subjects from the list provided and nothing more, this "short answer" question is just that: short! 

Yale Short Answer Question 2

This prompt asks you to show that you have independent intellectual interests and take the initiative to connect them to your academic goals. Your answer to this question should showcase the curiosity, passion, and drive that you’ll contribute to the Yale community!

A good answer to this question will include the following elements: 1) a topic or idea that you're curious about, 2) how you engage with that topic or idea, and 3) which major(s) you think will best help you pursue your topic or idea.

So, start out by describing your topic of interest or idea. For example, say you're interested in how tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons promote key education skills like literacy and mental math. Think about what excites you most about your topic or idea and explain those things in your response.

You'll want to briefly explain how you engage with your topic or idea as well. For instance, maybe you play Dungeons and Dragons at a local gaming store every weekend, and you notice lots of middle-schoolers are dropped off by their parents to play games. These observations could have sparked your questions about literacy learning and tabletop gaming! Including some of the context will help ground your response in a story that admissions counselors can connect with.

You also need to explain why you're drawn to your idea or topic. If it's the tabletop gaming we discussed above, maybe you'll talk about how you struggled with reading as a young student and playing tabletop games helped you develop your skills. Including an explanation of why you're drawn to your topic or idea is an important component of your response.

Finally, make sure you connect everything back to Yale. How will Yale help foster your commitment to studying tabletop gaming and literacy? Which major(s) or minor(s) would best support your intellectual endeavor? How will your curiosity help you make a significant impact as a Yale student? And why is Yale the only school that can foster your creativity and turn it into success? At the end of the day, admissions counselors want to better understand why Yale is the best place for you to explore your interests!

Yale Short Answer Question 3

This short answer question seems simple at first glance—and if you know how to hack it, it can be! Known as the “Why Yale?” essay, the question above is asking you to show Yale admissions why you’re a perfect fit for their school . Essentially, this is Yale's version of a "Why This College?" essay!

So how do you convince Yale that you absolutely belong there in 125 words or fewer? You do your research, take inventory of your future goals, and use your best writing skills to convey that your values are aligned with Yale’s values. 

To write an effective response to the “Why Yale?” question, start out by learning everything you can about Yale . You’ll want to focus your research on discovering things about Yale that really spark your excitement and feel truly meaningful to you. Doing your research on Yale’s identity and traditions will help you explain why you belong there!

Once you’ve done your research, think about the places where your values align with Yale’s values . Your answer needs to show that you and Yale make a perfect match—that you’ll play off of each other’s strengths, and that you’ll bring that missing piece that Yale needs to be complete. 

While you want to be honest and genuine here, the purpose of this essay is for you to convince Yale admissions that you’re prepared to support Yale’s mission and that Yale is the perfect place for you to grow and flourish. So pick a couple of specific, unique-to-you reasons why you want to go to Yale, and explain them in your best, error-free prose in this short answer response. This is your big opportunity to show why Yale is the only school for you!   

Are you using the Common App or Coalition App? There are additional short answer questions for you!

2023-2024 Yale Short Answer Questions (Common and Coalition Applications

Every applicant must respond to four Yale-specific short answers if you're using the Coalition or Common App.

The Yale short answer questions are just that: very short. Some only require 35 word answers. We will talk about how to answer these questions later. For now, let's take a look at the prompts themselves:

What inspires you? (35 words or fewer)

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (35 words or fewer)

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (35 words or fewer)

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (35 words or fewer)

All of these short takes must be 35 words or fewer and 200 characters (letters, spaces, and symbols/numbers) or fewer. That means you'll have to think hard—and edit harder!—to make word count.

2023-2024 Yale Short Answer Questions Analyzed (Common and Coalition) 

In this section, we'll be looking at the short answer Yale supplement essays in depth.

Remember, every applicant using the Coalition or Common Application must answer all essay prompts, so you don't get to choose which essay you would like to write. It is important that you answer each of the Yale essay prompts strongly as they are all of equal importance.

Let's take a look at each Yale short essay question and see how to write something meaningful for each.

Caution! Due to its small word requirement here, you may be tempted to be witty or sardonic in your answer. Resist the urge! Again, go with authenticity rather than cleverness. If something charming or funny arises from your answer naturally, check with your guidance counselor, English teacher, or another trusted editor before turning it in. Humor can read as flippant and the application committee could think that you are not taking your application seriously.

Good answers to this question range from inspirational people, to remarkable landscapes, to fine dining. There is no correct answer, so have fun answering!

Think about what this prompt is asking: what inspires you? What gets you excited and motivated? Avoid trite answers at all costs. Don't say how inspired you are by "the world in all its vastness." Instead look inward, and think about when you have felt the best about yourself, and most energized to do the things you love. What made you feel that way? Who? And how did you act on that inspiration?

Another fun one! Once again: no cliches, no obvious answers, and no comedy.

Here’s a chance to show off something you feel you have mastery over. Instead of projecting into the future when you are a famous playwright and have the chops to teach a class or write a book about fantastical realism in modern theater, pick something that you know about right now.

Maybe you speak a second language. Maybe you collect insects or press flowers. Maybe you are an expert at self-care for busy students. This question is not designed to get a better sense of your ambitions or goals. Here the committee wants to learn about the abilities and passions in which you already feel confident. 

This short answer is a snapshot into your character and the meaningful connections that have shaped your journey. There are two key limitations here: your response has to be 35 words or fewer, and you have to focus on someone you’re not related to. Think hard about influential people outside of your family: mentors, teachers, friends, or even people from your larger community.

For the best response, pick someone who has had an important impact on your life and who you’ve become. Focus on a quality this person has, a lesson they taught you, or an experience you had together that you can use to talk about how they’ve influenced you in an important way. Nothing is off the table here—this could be a piece of advice your academic advisor gave you, a hard-working coworker you modeled your work ethic off of, or a shared experience with your best friend that formed an unbreakable connection.

Whoever you choose to write about, remember to keep it short, authentic, and insightful!

Yale Short Answer Question 4

This question gives you the opportunity to (briefly!) share a part of yourself that you wish had made it onto your application. Maybe it's an event you coordinated that didn't quite fit into any category on the app, or maybe it's something you're deeply passionate about. Resist the urge to say something goofy or lighten the mood, and, instead, dig deep to think of an example that makes you quintessentially you.

How to Write a Great Yale Essay

Regardless of which Yale short answer question you're responding to, you should keep in mind the following tips for how to write a great Yale essay.

#1: Use Your Own Voice

The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person.

You should, then, make sure that the person you're presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don't try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you're not.

If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Yale wants you to be.

#2: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases

When writing your Yale essays, try to avoid using cliches or overused quotes or phrases.

These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Strive for originality.

Similarly, avoid using cliches, which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work.

#3: Check Your Work

It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Yale essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Yale application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays.

Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your Yale essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be.

Recap: The Key to Yale Essays That Work

The Yale essays cover a wide range of topics. Regardless of the question you're answering, remember to follow these basic dos and don'ts as you're writing:

• Be authentic and honest
• Be specific when citing people, places and things
• Strive for brevity and simplicity; less is more!
• Be yourself, and do your research—both will shine through in your essays!
• Base your essays on what you think the Yale application committee wants to hear
• Use cliches or broad sweeping statements
• Try too hard to be funny and original—be genuine and your positive attributes will be visible to the committee.

What's Next?

Trying to figure out what to study in college? Have no fear— our guide will help you choose the best major for you, one step at a time .

Really want to get into Yale? Using an acceptance calculator will help you figure out your chances of getting into the schools at the top of your list so you know how to up your odds.

It's a great time to start researching scholarships . It's never too early to start thinking about how you're going to pay for college!

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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How To Write The Yale Supplemental Essays (2021-2022)

Adrianne is a college admissions consultant and TV/film director, producer, writer, and actress currently based in LA. She uses her experience in multiple disciplines to help students achieve their personal and academic goals.

From “What inspires you?” to describing your own Yale course, we’ve got you covered when it comes to answering the Yale supplemental essays this year.

Welcome to the Yale supplemental essay prompts for the 2021-2022 application cycle! Here’s everything you need to know. You can refer to the Yale University website if you want to see how exactly they’re presenting their essay prompts for this year.

Short Answer Questions

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

Why do these areas appeal to you? (125 words or fewer)

It’s funny that Yale goes out of its way to acknowledge that many kids change direction in college… and then they ask you to speculate on a potential major and justify your choice in your Yale supplemental essay.

So you need to give them something. Pick what makes the most sense—what “fits most comfortably.” Discuss your qualifications. Normally, I would say that you need to make it clear how the school you’re applying to—Yale, in this case—fits your interests, but don’t spend too much time on Yale, since the next question is going to ask you: “Why Yale?” You don’t want to repeat yourself.

Even if you’re not completely sure about the major you’d like to study, use specifics from your research to flesh out your Yale supplemental essay, whether it’s about why you’re interested in a certain topic or your experience.

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

You know the drill—this is the fairly standard “Why College?” essay. Your first priority is to do your research. Be specific and mention professors you’d like to work with, classes you’d like to take, clubs you’d like to join, etc. As always, don’t waste any time talking about the beautiful knave in Sterling Memorial Library—get straight to the point, and straight to specifics.

With highly, highly selective colleges, like Yale, it’s more important than ever to avoid trite expressions like, “I am impressed by the excellent economics faculty.” They know how great they are—they’ve got dozens of Nobel Prizes for Pete’s sake.

Since this is your Yale supplemental essay, focus on the specifics that matter most to you (rather than to The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences). Focus on how Yale is uniquely suited to encourage you as you continue to pursue your ambitious goals both in and outside the classroom. (Remember, you’ve already discussed your major: don’t repeat yourself. The last question was about you. This one is about Yale.)

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in 35 words or fewer:

First off—35 words! You’ve got to get straight to the point here. No fluff. Plan these four questions out in advance. As I always say, supplemental essays are about providing as complete and coherent a picture of yourself as possible. Make sure these short responses provide meaningful information about your unique qualities and quirks. Make sure your answers are complimentary, but that there’s no overlap. (So, for the first question, don’t say that what inspires you is animal rights, and then for the third question say that you’d teach a class called “Animal Rights.” See what I mean?)

What inspires you?

It’s always a good idea to avoid sounding predictable. Even though it’s a very short response, spend some good time thinking about this. Don’t say “the prospect of world peace” (this isn’t Miss America), and don’t say “long walks on the beach.” Also not a good idea to list your prospective major (“literature,” “physics,” etc.) since you’ve already talked about that. If possible, come up with something that inspires you that probably doesn’t inspire many other people out there. Fulgurites? Fly fishing? Stir-fries? Frampton Comes Alive? Get creative.

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss?

Fun question, but this needs to be authentic—don’t make something up to sound smart. Do your best, once again, to avoid being predictable, and to show a new dimension of your personality. So if you said you want to major in English so that you can write an undergraduate thesis on Maya Angelou, don’t say you’d invite Maya Angelou—it’s repetitive.

When it comes to the question that you’d ask your speaker, be careful. The point here is not to demonstrate just how knowledgeable you are about the speaker you’ve invited in this imaginary scenario. Remember that you’re making this all up. There’s no way to make yourself look like a genius in a situation that you yourself invented. So make sure it’s a real, humble question that you actually want to know the answer to.

You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called?

See above: don’t repeat yourself. Say something new.

You probably wouldn’t do this anyway, but don’t say you want to teach a class that Yale already offers. It’d be a good idea also to keep in mind that you aren’t really qualified to teach at the college level, so have some self-awareness. Come up with a creative title for your class, since the question is really asking what the name of the course is, and a great title can say a lot.

Yale students embrace the concept of “and” rather than “or,” pursuing arts and sciences, tradition and innovation, defined goals , and surprising detours. What is an example of an “and” that you embrace?

This prompt is open to interpretation, specifically the interpretation of the word “and.” One thing is for certain: you want to have a positive spin on the concept. Reflect on where your passions, skills, and interests overlap. Maybe the sportsmanship you learned in field hockey makes you a better team player in group projects or the critical thinking skills you learned in debate make you an excellent English essay writer.

You don’t necessarily have to be a “well-rounded” student with experience in many disciplines to write a great answer to this question. You could write about a time when your interests changed, and you used the talents you had previously developed to succeed in your new endeavor. Use the abstract meaning of “and” to define it to your benefit.

1. Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words or fewer)

The tricky thing about answering this question is that you don’t want to write about your senior project, volunteering at that lab, or anything else that’s already on your activities list. Come up with something new here. And don’t forget to answer the “why” question.

As always, avoid saying that the “idea” or “topic” that motivates you is some massive geopolitical issue. Try to think smaller.

Make sure that you can demonstrate your involvement with the idea or topic you choose. Don’t say the primary problem that gets you out of bed in the morning is climate change unless you can say what you’ve done to work on it. Don’t repeat yourself, but make sure you’re building on your narrative.

2. Respond to one of the following prompts (250 words or fewer):

2A. Reflect on a community to which you feel connected. Why is it meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

2B. Reflect on something that has given you great satisfaction. Why has it been important to you?

This prompt was likely modeled after Princeton’s, which usually reads “Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.” This one is more specific, asking just how this person has helped you grow. Honestly, I don’t like prompts like this that ask you to write about others. It’s great to acknowledge the role your parents, teachers, friends, and others had in your success, but too many students get caught up and make the other person the sole focus of the essay. See our previous advice regarding How to Write about Someone Else in supplemental essays.

Otherwise, the best advice I can provide is to be conscious of how your writing reflects on you. Spending too much time listing nonspecific praise for someone says little about you other than how much you like them. Writing an essay where a short piece of simple advice from a coach to push through the challenge of football practice or believe in yourself made a fundamental change in your life may seem overly dramatic. Pick something nuanced and meaningful if you choose to tackle this prompt.

As always, we’re here to help. Schedule a free consultation with one of our expert college admissions consultants today to make sure your Yale supplemental essays are as polished as possible.

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How to Approach Yale's Supplemental Essays, Including "Why Yale?"

Our best advice for writing spectacular yale supplemental essays (2020-2021)..

Hey Yale! What’s up with all these pesky essay extras?

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by Yale’s writing requirements beyond the personal essay, read on. We have some secrets for you, based on our long experience helping people succeed on college essays at Prompt .

In fact, if you’d like a guide to nailing Yale’s supplements, check it out here .

We’ll give you the full prompts (and more helpful hints) below. But first, a summary of the questions to give you the flavor:

All applicants: Two required short answers of125 words or fewer:

• Your likely major.

Coalition/Common App applicants:

Four super-short answers (200 characters or less; about 35 words):

• What inspires you?
• What person, past or present, do you want to talk to?
• Course you’d teach at Yale?
• Will you be a cool roommate?

Two short essays (250 words or less)

• Explore one of your intellectual interests.
• Choose one:
• Your membership in a community.
• Changing the world.
• Your relationship with a mentor.
• Coalition applicants: Upload anaudio file, video, image, or documentthat you created, and that adds to one of your responses above.

Engineering majors (250 words or less): what led you to engineering & why engineering at Yale?

Three secrets to Yale essay supplement success:

• Think broad: Each of your answers is one piece of a larger puzzle. Read altogether, they will answer one big question:Will you succeed in Yale and beyond?In other words, will you contribute something exciting to the world? Are you a fundamentally good person?
• Have one big theme about your intellectual motivations: Most of these questions concern your academic or intellectual interests. Make sure each essay is a different facet into one cohesive idea about those interests. This isn’t about flattening and simplifying. Rather, it’s about digging deep so you can make a stronger statement about what makes you tick.
• Get feedback. Find a few people you respect, and get them to look over how you’ve presented yourself. They have valuable insights for you. And if you like the idea of personalized guidance from people who’ve done this thousands of times, get started here .

Yale short answer questions for 2020-2021

All applicants: Two required short answers of 125 words or fewer:

• [Your likely major]: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided. Why do these areas appeal to you?
• [Why Yale?]: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?
• Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask?
• You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called?
• Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six students. What do you hope to add to your suitemates’ experience? What do you hope they will add to yours?
• [Intellectual interest]: Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it?
• Respond to one of the following prompts:
• [Community]: Reflect on your membership in a community. Why is your involvement important to you? How has it shaped you? You may define community however you like.
• [Change the world]: Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international significance. Discuss an issue that is important to you and how your college experience could help you address it.
• [Mentor]: Tell us about your relationship with a role model or mentor who has been influential in your life. How has their guidance been instrumental to your growth?
• For Coalition Applicants — In addition to responding to the prompts above, upload an audio file, video, image, or document you have created. The upload should complement your response to one of the prompts. Above your response, include a one-sentence description of your upload. Please limit uploads to the following file types: mp3, mov, jpeg, word, pdf. Advanced editing is not necessary. Uploads provided via the Coalition Application will be reviewed by the Admissions Office only. Review the Supplementary Material instructions for material that may be evaluated by Yale faculty.

Engineering Essay (250 words or fewer) — Coalition/Common App applicants who select one of Yale’s engineering majors will also respond to the prompt below:

• Please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in engineering, and what it is about Yale’s engineering program that appeals to you.

The Admissions Strategist

How to write the yale supplemental essays 2020-2021: the champion’s guide.

Yale University has an acceptance rate of 4.4% and is one of the most recognized names in education , and for good reason. Founded in 1701, the private Ivy League university is a hub for innovative research and has produced countless notable alumni.

Among these notable alumni are 58 Nobel laureates, 20 living billionaires, 19 Supreme Court justices, five United States presidents, numerous heads of state, diplomats, and members of Congress, and recognizable names like Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, and Angela Bassett.

Want to be the next great Yale alumnus?

First, you’ll have to make it past the competitive admissions process .

Fortunately, we’re here to guide you through one of the most challenging pieces of Yale’s application: the Yale Supplement. We’ll give you all the info and tips you need to successfully complete the Yale-specific Questions, increasing your chances of becoming the next great Yalie!

What Are the Yale-specific Supplemental Essays?

Yale accepts three different applications: the Coalition Application, the Common Application , and the QuestBridge National College Match Application.

As you complete these applications, you’ll also need to answer the Yale-specific Questions. Depending on which application you submit, the questions you need to answer will vary slightly.

Students who submit any of the three applications will respond to the following short answer questions:

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list Why do these areas appeal to you? (125 words or fewer) What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

If you submit the Common App or Coalition App, you’ll also respond to these questions:

What inspires you? (35 words or fewer) Yale’s residential colleges regularly host intimate conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? (35 words or fewer) You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? (35 words or fewer) Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six people. What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite? What do you hope they will add to yours? (35 words or fewer)

Students who submit the Common App are required to respond to TWO questions: the FIRST is required, the SECOND is a choice from three prompts. Both essay questions must be written in 250 words or fewer. If you submit the Coalition App, you’ll instead respond to ONE of the following questions in 300 words or fewer:

The required question is:

Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it?

Then choose from one of the following three questions:

1. Reflect on your membership in a community. Why is your involvement important to you? How has it shaped you? You may define community however you like.

2. Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international significance. Discuss an issue that is important to you and how your college experience could help you address it. 

3. Tell us about your relationship with a role model or mentor who has been influential in your life. How has their guidance been instrumental to your growth? 

Students who submit the Coalition App are also expected to upload an audio file, video, image, or document (created by the student) that is meaningful and relates to the essay.

• Above your essay, you’re required to include a one-sentence explanation of the document you’ve submitted.

And if you select one of the computer science or engineering majors, you have the option of responding to the following question in 300 words or fewer:

If you selected one of the engineering majors, please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in engineering, and what it is about Yale’s engineering program that appeals to you. Please respond in 250 words or fewer.

As with all “optional” essay questions, we highly recommend responding to this essay topic if it applies to you. The more chances you have to help admissions officers get to know you, the better!

General Tips for the Yale-specific Supplemental Essays

As you answer each of Yale’s questions, there are a few key tips to keep in mind:

• Be yourself. Instead of trying to impress admissions officers, focus on helping them get to know you. Answers that best represent you will be far more unique and memorable.
• Discuss topics that you haven’t already mentioned in your application. The short-answer questions and essays are an opportunity to fill in gaps in your application and share new information with admissions officers.
• Be sure to proofread, edit, and ask for feedback from others before submitting. (At the same time, remember that you have the final say and that your essays should sound like you.)

Here’s what the university itself has to say about the essays:

• “We encourage you to take the writing of the essays seriously and to write openly and honestly about activities, interests, or experiences that have been meaningful to you. What is most important is that you write in your own voice. If an essay doesn’t sound like the person who writes it, it cannot serve him or her very well as a personal statement. As with every document in the application, we read essays very carefully and try to get a full sense of the human being behind them.”

The rest of your application will be littered with numbers and lists of achievements, but the essays will help Yale “get a full sense of the human being” behind these statistics.

As you write your essays, keep this goal in mind. Does your voice shine through? Will these essays help you introduce yourself (the human being, not the numbers) to admissions officers?

What Is Yale Looking For?

Of course, in order to know which aspects of your personality and character to showcase, it’s helpful to know what Yale is looking for in prospective students.

According to the university’s website, two main questions guide Yale’s admissions team:

• Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?
• Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?

These questions are answered using transcripts, recommendations, test scores, and—of course—essays. If you can show that you’ve engaged in the opportunities and resources available at your high school, it’s likely you’ll do the same at Yale.

The university also values “the desire and ability to stretch one’s limits.” You may wish to highlight qualities like determination, love of learning and challenges, resilience, persistence, etc.

The main focus of your essays should still be honesty and openness, but incorporate these key characteristics if you get the chance.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of the Yale-specific questions.

Get personalized advice!

Yale short answer supplemental 1.

Short Answer #1: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

Why do these areas appeal to you? (100 words or fewer)

All Yale applicants will answer this question, regardless of which application you decide to complete.

Although you’re allowed to choose up to three majors from the provided list, keep in mind that you only have 100 words to explain why these areas appeal to you.

Due to the limited amount of space, it’s best if you can choose one major and explain your interest more in depth.

• Because your space is so limited, you’ll want to dive right into the specifics of what interests you about your intended major. For instance, if you hope to major in psychology, what branch of psychology are you interested in? Why?

(NOTE: The three short paragraphs above total 106 words, so you need to be as specific and concise as possible.)

There’s no need (or space) for a formal introduction or conclusion, but you may want to close with a sentence or two connecting your interests to your future goals.

• What do you plan to do with this major?
• How will you use this major to contribute to society?

Yale Short Answer Supplemental 2

Short Answer #2: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

This classic “Why Yale?” question must also be answered by all applicants.

Again, you have very few words to answer this question, so specificity is key .

• Instead of writing a laundry list of everything you love about Yale, try to choose one particular characteristic or opportunity that excites you.
• At most, focus on 2-3 qualities. You may also focus in-depth on one main topic, then include a couple of sentences about additional opportunities that interest you.

Avoid discussing vague concepts like, “Yale is a prestigious institution,” or, “There are many opportunities available at Yale.”

• Perhaps there’s a particular class, program, or research opportunity that’s piqued your interest.
• Or maybe you visited campus and something stood out to you.
• You may need to do a bit of research in order to answer this question concretely.

If you’re having trouble finding elements that attract you to Yale, use this list as a backstop to help your research. You can talk about one of these elements:

• Internships
• Departments

Once you’ve chosen your topic, feel free to provide vivid, sensory descriptions to bring it to life. You should also explain why this characteristic or opportunity is meaningful to you, and how you plan to take advantage of it.

Common/Coalition App Question 1

What inspires you? (35 words or fewer)

In addition to the two short answer questions above, applicants who submit the Coalition or Common App must answer four more (very) short answer questions. Students who complete the QuestBridge National College Match Application will not answer this question (or the questions that follow).

You only have 35 words here. The paragraph above is 44 words, so understand that your answer to this question must be very brief, probably 1-2 sentences.

Start by brainstorming. This is the best college essay brainstorming guide available.

• What motivates you?
• What drives you?
• Why do you invest time and effort in your schoolwork or other activities ?

Once you’ve jotted down as many ideas as you can, read over what you’ve written. Do you notice any patterns or key words? Use your ideas to create a sort of mission statement.

• What is the guiding mission that connects your accomplishments and your future aspirations or goals?

Try to avoid cliché answers like, “My mom.” And as always, steer clear of vague generalities, like, “I want to be a better person who contributes to society.”

• In what way do you want to be better?
• How will you contribute to society?

Common/Coalition App Question 2

Yale’s residential colleges regularly host intimate conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? (35 words or fewer)

Yale presents students with many unique opportunities, and they want students who are curious and driven enough to benefit from them. This is your chance to demonstrate these qualities.

In most cases, your essay questions should convey something new about you, your personality, and goals. But with only 35 words, it can be useful to choose a person who fits well with the rest of your application.

If you’ve written about your enthusiasm for science or technology, find someone who’s on the cutting edge of the latest advancements in these fields.

• Consider the major(s) you’re interested in, and then find a person who’s an expert in that area.

You probably want to avoid obvious choices like Einstein, Obama, Gandhi, etc. Choose a more surprising answer that admissions officers won’t see over and over.

Next, choose a specific question that demonstrates why you’re interested in this individual.

The question should be directly related to the person you’ve selected, rather than a general question like, “What’s your greatest achievement?” or, “What motivates you?”

Common/Coalition App Question 3

You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? (35 words or fewer)

This question is creatively asking you, “What are you interested in?” or, “What is your area of expertise?”

Try to think outside the box and go beyond traditional academic subjects. Perhaps you could teach a course on gardening, cooking, or even breakdancing.

Your answer to this question doesn’t have to be extremely serious. This is a fun, creative question and a fun, creative answer is appropriate.

And, we hate to sound like a broken record, but the key here is to be specific . If you look through Yale’s course listings, you’ll notice highly specific titles, such as:

• Biology of Malaria, Lyme, and Other Vector-Borne Diseases
• Orientalism in French Literature and Art
• Sustainable Development in Haiti
• Truth and Media, Information, Disinformation, and Misinformation

Try to create an equally specific title for your own course. So instead of Music 101, you might call your course History of Drumming in Rock and Roll.

You may also want to combine a few different interests to come up with a unique course title. For instance, let’s say you’re interested in both women’s studies and art history. Maybe you’d like to teach a course on The Portrayal of Women in Classical Art.

Brainstorm a list of your interests, be specific, and get creative!

Common/Coalition App Question 4

Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six people. What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite? What do you hope they will add to yours? (35 words or fewer)

This question is all about your personality, and like Question #3, your response doesn’t have to be particularly serious.

• You may choose a role you think you’d play in your suite, and then briefly dive into some details.
• Alternatively, you can generate a list (both silly and serious) of what you would bring to your suite: your grandma’s delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe, supportive friendship, your fantastic movie-selecting skills, etc.

Yale Common App Supplemental Essay 1

A quick reminder about the essay questions: If you’re completing the Common App, you’ll complete this question, then choose a second question from a list of three. Respond to each question in 250 words or fewer. If you instead complete the Coalition App, you’ll select one of three topics and respond in 300 words or fewer.

Coalition App applicants are also expected to upload a file or document (that you’ve created) related to the essay, along with a one-sentence description of what you’ve submitted.

For the first question, think about:

• What’s a subject that you constantly want to learn more about? One that you explore outside of school, in your free time?

Show admissions officers how you engage with this subject.

• Do you eagerly participate in class discussions? Talk more with your teacher after class?
• Order books online?
• Obsessively watch TED Talks on this subject?

Use vivid details to convey the joy you feel when learning about your selected topic.

You may also want to talk about how your interest in this subject was sparked, or why it’s more meaningful to you than other academic topics.

Additionally, don’t forget to explain your connection to the topic and what inspired your attraction to it. You can quickly add this part in the beginning of the essay and then add how you involve yourself in the subject.

All told, you don’t need to pick an academic subject. As long as you can write about a topic with zeal and detail, it should work for this essay.

Yale Common App Supplemental Essay 2A

Essay Topic 2A: Reflect on your membership in a community. Why is your involvement important to you? How has it shaped you?  You may define community however you like.

You can view this essay topic as “the leadership essay.”

• In ways big or small, how have you been a leader in your community?
• Your community may be your family, neighborhood, church, team or club, school, etc.

Perhaps you organized a canned food drive or had classmates donate prom dresses for students in need. Or maybe you did something on a smaller scale, like resolving a dispute between members of your chess club or spending time with a lonely older neighbor.

Whatever your contribution, start by briefly discussing the issue you resolved, or the state of your community prior to your involvement.

Then explain the specific steps you took to address the problem, as well as the results. How did your community benefit from your actions? Did you mature or grow from this experience? Learn any valuable lessons?

If you want to talk about a broader leadership role, such as “captain of the swim team,” come up with a specific anecdote that illustrates your overall contribution as a leader.

Yale Common App Supplemental Essay 2B

Essay Topic 2B: Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international significance. Discuss an issue that is important to you and how your college experience could help you address it.

When thinking about a topic for this prompt, be sure to follow these two guidelines:

• You truly care for a problem and have read about cogent solutions for it.
• The issue you choose is broad enough for an outside reader to understand. Don’t choose a minute problem for the sake of irony.

For the most part, thinking of a problem you want to solve shouldn’t be difficult. Open up the Wall Street Journal,  Foreign Policy, or Politico , and you’ll find a number of problems you can choose from.

• Additionally, you can peruse a copy of your local newspaper and select a problem from there.

What will make or break or essay is your ability to describe how your college experience will help you address it. For starters, don’t describe a quintessential experience in a response that can be used for any school.

Instead, do your research of Yale’s campus and pick departments, professors, projects, and clubs that will help you gain knowledge to deal with the issue you named.

For example:

• Are you concerned about the rise of “fake news”?
• Describe a journalism project or program at Yale that will heighten your journalist senses.
• Moreover, describe what you will do as part of the program. You want to be an active player in your essay.

All in all, this essay is straightforward. An effective essay will execute properly. That means you should demonstrate how you will take advantage of resources at Yale to help you solve or alleviate the issue you describe.

Last, don’t spend too much time describing the problem. Name it, give a little background, and then go right into how you will take action.

Yale Common App Supplemental Essay 2C

Essay Topic 2C: T ell us about your relationship with a role model or mentor who has been influential in your life. How has their guidance been instrumental to your growth?

This essay is similar to the short question “What inspires you?” but instead, who inspires you. And again, be creative and specific with your answer. This is not someone on a national stage, but someone close to you with whom you have built a relationship.

Start with a list of people in your life who have provided you with guidance. Family members are always important and offer plenty of direction in our lives, but who else might you aspire to be like? Consider:

• A teacher or coach
• A friend overcoming adversity
• A neighbor you’ve befriended who shares stories and guidance from their youth
• Someone unusual but admirable who you have befriended over the years (during the pandemic, plenty of children shared their love and admiration for the regular postal worker or front-line worker)

Once you have identified the person who you admire and look up to, think about why. How has this person influenced your life? What actions or words have they shared that makes you want to be like them or has guided you in a certain way? Have they helped you determine your career path, inspired you to serve others, sparked a desire to advocate for a cause?

Finally, explain how you have grown personally as a result of your mentor’s guidance. What action or steps have you taken as a result of their direction? Or how has your outlook or perspective changed with their influence? Provide clear examples.

Yale Supplemental Engineering Essay

If you selected one of the engineering majors, please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in engineering, and what it is about Yale’s engineering program that appeals to you. Please respond in 300 words or fewer.

Although this essay is “optional,” we highly recommend you write it if you’ve chosen one of the computer science or engineering majors.

Once again, it’s important to be specific here.

• What got you interested in computer science or engineering?
• If there’s a particular anecdote or moment you can share, great!
• If not, give vivid, concrete details about what captured your interest.

What experiences have you had in this field? Have you taken relevant AP courses? Have you conducted research or experiments on your own? Grown up with a parent or close relative in the field? Spent time on your own learning more about your area of interest?

Finally, what interests you about Yale’s program?

• Are there any courses, professors, or opportunities you’re especially excited about?

Convey passion for both computer science/engineering and Yale University, and be as specific as possible when outlining your experiences and interests.

Brainstorming the Yale Supplemental Essays

We wrote this section to give a friendly push to students having trouble finding a topic.

Think about your journey and story. Find a story that cannot be explained by a standard college essay.

• For instance, perhaps you want to discuss a major life experience that has shaped or influenced you in significant ways.
• Or maybe there are extenuating circumstances in your life that admissions officers should know about, and you can explain how you approached and overcame these challenges.

You may also want to think about a more creative essay here, as long as you can connect it to an important aspect of your identity.

• Is there a funny story you’d like to share?
• A family tradition that’s extremely meaningful?
• Something surprising that you’d like admissions officers to know? Here’s your chance to talk about it.

Try to find a major theme that connects you to these topics. Are you passionate about a problem? Is there a reason you’re drawn to a particular field?

Conclusion: The Yale Supplemental Essays

Yale estimates that over 75% of applicants are qualified to study at Yale. The majority of admitted students “stand out from the rest because a lot of little things, when added up, tip the scale in their favor.”

These Yale-specific questions are among the best ways to “tip the scale in your favor.”

Start early , and write essays that are honest, specific, and memorable.

View this as an opportunity to show admissions officers what unique background, skills, interests, and qualities you’ll bring to Yale’s campus.

In a few months, you just might find an acceptance letter in your mailbox!

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6 Awesome Yale University Essay Examples

What’s covered:.

• Essay 1: Immigration Reform  
• Essay 2: Artificial Intelligence
• Essay 3: Shaping Education Systems
• Essay 4: Biomechanics
• Essay 5: Why This Major
• Essay 6: Why Yale
• Where to Get Your Yale Essays Edited  

Yale is one of the top universities in the country, and a member of the prestigious Ivy League. Earning a spot at this highly coveted university is no easy feat, but having strong essays is one step in the right direction.

In this post, we will share six essays real students have submitted to Yale. We will also be covering what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement. Hopefully, you will have a better idea of how to write your Yale essays after reading through these!

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. 

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

Essay #1: Immigration Reform

Prompt: Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international importance. Discuss an issue that is significant to you and how your college experience could help you address it. (250 words)

A chaotic sense of sickness and filth unfolds in an overcrowded border station in McAllen, Texas. Through soundproof windows, migrants motion that they have not showered in weeks and children wear clothes caked in mucus and tears. The humanitarian crisis at the southern border exists not only in photographs published by mainstream media, but miles from my home in South Texas.

As a daughter of immigrants, I have heard countless stories of migrants being turned away by a country they desperately seek to love. After seeing the abhorrent conditions migrants face upon arriving in the U.S., I began volunteering with Loaves and Fishes, an organization that shelters and provides necessities to undocumented immigrants. This year, my experiences collecting donations and working at pop-up soup kitchens have made me realize that the communities in South Texas promote true American values of freedom and opportunity. The U.S. government, however, must do better.

During my university career, I aspire to learn how our immigration system can be positively reformed by considering the politics and economics that shape policy-making. Particularly, classes such as Institutional Design and Institutional Change will prepare me to effect change in existing institutions by analyzing various methods to bolster the economy. 

Additionally, I hope to join the Yale Refugee Project that volunteers at the southern border and prepares asylum cases for court. With the numerous opportunities offered by YRP, I will be part of a generation of activists and lawmakers that builds a more empathetic immigration system.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay draws its strength from its roots in the applicant’s personal experience and its connections to Yale-specific opportunities. Here, we learn a bit about the applicant’s story, values, and fit for Yale, all well-encapsulated within the 250-count word limit. 

The essay starts off with a fantastic imagery-rich anecdote, a strong way to draw your reader in. The student quickly establishes not only the problem’s dire extent but also a personal connection; this issue resides in her own backyard. Here, she establishes that immigrant mistreatment is more than a faraway crisis to her, offering crucial background behind her passion for it.

Her attitude towards getting things done is evident through her concise writing. She succinctly describes the steps she has taken like “ volunteering with Loaves and Fishes ” and “ collecting donations and working at pop-up soup kitchens. ” She then goes on to plainly explain the classes and organization at Yale that closely align with her goals, making it quite easy to imagine the role she would play on campus. Being concise and intentional with your ideas maintains the reader’s interest as they grow to trust that each sentence will carry interesting content that differs from that within the sentence before it.

This essay is wise in that it honed in on very specific opportunities at Yale that align perfectly with the student’s passions. Notice how YRP’s mission mirrors that of Loaves and Fishes in their shared goal to better southern immigrant communities. YRM’s opportunities for helping immigrants through the world of law offer an almost “grown-up” version of the work this student has already completed; here, she shows a willingness to build upon her experience and to push herself even further.

What Could Be Improved

If there is one area of this essay that could be strengthened, it is the conclusion. As the word count is tight, this student doesn’t have space for an entire paragraph, so at the moment she used this sentence: “ With the numerous opportunities offered by YRP, I will be part of a generation of activists and lawmakers that builds a more empathetic immigration system. ” 

This sentence is more a conclusion for her discussion about the Yale Refugee Project, although alluding to a “generation of activists and lawmakers” and building a “more empathetic immigration system” suggests a forward-looking conclusion statement. That being said, it could be made stronger by separating the conclusion from the Yale Refugee Project and possibly tying back to previous ideas like the situation at the border or her call for the government to improve. 

Essay #2: Artificial Intelligence

Prompt: Think about an idea or topic that has been intellectually exciting for you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words) 

Her name is Sophia. Described by many as compassionate, sexy, and a witty twitter icon, Sophia embodies success and holds a level of intelligence humans can only dream of. Sophia is not your average girl. In fact, she’s not a girl at all. Created in an artificial intelligence lab in Hong Kong, Sophia is the most famous android in the world. 

When I first read about Sophia the Robot and its apparent ability to feel emotions, I was intrigued yet perplexed. For years, A.I. has revolutionized technology, enabling tasks to be performed rapidly and skillfully. But the single characteristic I long believed separated humans and A.I. was humans’ ability to express emotions. Today, with emotional A.I. undergoing expeditious development, I find myself wondering what actually makes us human. Can only humans have a mind with consciousness and thought? Will machines be able to imitate the human mind or can they perceive emotions only through algorithms? How do humans learn to feel emotions? What is the mind? 

As a philosophy enthusiast, I am fascinated by the potential for A.I. to recreate the human mind. From Descartes postulating that the mind is identified by a self-awareness to early monists arguing that the mind is a purely physical construct, philosophical theories seek to understand the mysterious minds of humans that science cannot fully explain. In college, I hope to study the Philosophy of Mind and Artificial Intelligence in order to better understand our minds and the technology that is increasingly resembling them. 

This is an amazing essay because not only do we see this student’s fascination with AI, but we see the effect it has had on their outlook on the world. By the end of the essay we are left wondering “what is the topic that intellectually excites this student?” Is it AI or the philosophy of the mind? Seamlessly intertwining these two topics is quite impressive.  

So how did this student convince us of their fascination for two ideas? They showed us. Although they tell us “ I was intrigue d” about AI, we see their interest in their discussion of Sophia. Describing Sophia as “ compassionate, sexy, and a witty twitter icon ” makes the AI appear on a pedestal. Using cliche phrases like “ Sophia is not your average girl ” emulates a discussion you would have about a real person you are in love with, which becomes all the more humorous when we are told right after Sophia isn’t human. 

While this student employs descriptive writing, humorous cliches, and subverted expectations to demonstrate their fascination with AI, we see their interest in philosophy through the use of rhetorical questions. Similarly with the topic of AI, the student plainly states their interest in philosophy by referring to themself as a “ philosophy enthusiast. ” But we see that enthusiasm jump off the page when they ask four consecutive philosophical questions. Bringing the reader into their head is such an effective way to convey your inner-most thoughts without losing the reader’s attention. We are a part of this inquiry and suddenly become just as curious to the answers as the student is.

Through these varied writing techniques—another way to keep your essay interesting—both of this student’s fascinations are well-represented. The last line brings everything together in a neat package, explaining how they can explore both topics as one in college.

There is honestly very little this essay needs to improve upon, but one suggestion would be to include Sophia in the latter half of the essay. Since Sophia epitomizes the fusion of AI and the human mind, this is such a perfect symbol for this student. Adding a rhetorical question about Sophia (ie “ Does anything separate me from Sophia? “) or referencing their hope to understand Sophia’s role in humanity after a Yale education in the conclusion would be easy ways to keep the idea sustained throughout the essay. 

Essay #3: Shaping Education Systems

Each time we handed homework back, our primary school students would anxiously start counting and comparing the number of corrections. The warning that “ a mistake on the Gaokao will cost you thousands of places to your dream university! ” had already been drilled into their heads. 

The combined efforts of generous government spending and unreserved sacrifices of parents have guaranteed education for most Chinese children. After two summers of teaching English in rural Chinese schools, I’ve realised that the problem isn’t funding, but a redundant system.

My friend and I founded Project Take Flight to propose learning driven by curiosity rather than pressure, earned by exploring rather than memorising. After two weeks with quirky essay prompts, vocab games, improvised debates and a lesson titled ”How to Fail”, students’ creativity flowed and the stigma of making mistakes seemed forgotten.

But there’s a limit to the impact of two high-school students; education systems around the world need nation-wide policies that do not just provide the resources but also ensure they are used effectively. Putting students in school might equip us with the skills necessary in the “world of tomorrow”, but education at its best – the type I hope to experience at Yale – enables us to have a say in what that world will look like. I want to understand the processes of curricula development and policymaking through taking courses in Educational Studies alongside my major so I can contribute to shaping an education system where every student can learn for causes greater than themselves.

The prompt asks for an issue that is significant to you, and this student certainly did that! Although education reform is a fairly general topic on its own, the focus is on the work this student has done through the club they founded and the problems they have observed because of their hands-on experience. This is a good example of making a broad idea personal and therefore successful.

The student is able to show the difference between the traditional education system and the innovative approach they implemented with concrete examples. The mantra they include about every mistake affecting your chances of college echoes the sentiments of stressed high school students, but the fact it has been adopted by kids in primary school is this student’s way of demonstrating how broken the system is. They contrast the old with the new by showing how they made learning fun and stress-free with “ q uirky essay prompts, vocab games, improvised debates and a lesson titled ‘How to Fail’ .”

Although this essay hints at how this student wants to reform the education system, we are largely provided with very little about their actual plans. We have seen their ingenuity at starting Project Take Flight in high school, but we want to know how they will expand on their passion with a Yale education.

Rather than telling us “ I want to understand the processes of curricula development and policymaking through taking courses in Educational Studies, ” this student should have 1) included more resources at Yale and 2) described their idea to improve the education system. Admissions officers know you are young and can’t accomplish much yet, but they also know you have dreams—tell us about them!

Something like this would have accomplished both point more effectively: “ I want Project Take Flight to spread its wings and touch students all over the globe. Through the course Money in American Politics I will learn the tools needed to lobby Congress to adopt a student-focused curriculum. Working under Professor Nancy Close, I will acquire an expertise in child psychology to reform my proposed curriculum to best suit the needs of children from the New York city public schools to the rural villages of China that started it all.”

Essay #4: Biomechanics

Prompt: Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it? (250 words)

My heel strikes the pavement, calf muscles flexed to brace for the mechanical load of the impact. As my weight shifts forward, I imagine horizontal velocity vectors extending directly ahead. The angle created by my knee increases as I hit the propulsion phase of my stride, and with a final drive of force, I push off from my forefoot.

I discovered my fascination with sports biomechanics in the USC Biomechanics Research Lab. In my research project, I apply scientific principles to running to prevent stress-induced injuries in athletes. By analyzing video frames of PAC-12 athletes in motion and linking them to force plate data, I seek to understand the forces behind running. Comparing these conclusions to the data of athletes after a stress fracture, I can deduce the tangible differences that increase susceptibility to injury. To accomplish this goal, I have learned to use Python and MATLAB to sync the video and force plate data to create graphs for analysis. I have also used sports analysis programs to identify the locations of joints in individual frames and create videos overlaid by force vectors. Through this work, I hope to use my passion for sports biomechanics to improve the health of athletes.

My interest in sports biomechanics also extends outside of the lab, where I see my knowledge in motion. Neighborhood runs are scientific feats where I analyze my movements with principles of physics. With every step, I seek to improve my performance, putting sports biomechanics into action as an athlete.

This is a very detailed essay that is able to convey complex academic ideas in a manner that is easily understood by the reader. Not only that, but the high level of detail also demonstrates the passion this student has for sports biometrics.

Right off the bat, the hook at the beginning brings a high level of energy and excitement to the essay: “ My heel strikes the pavement, calf muscles flexed. ” However, the introduction isn’t just for sheer shock value; they introduce the intellectual aspect of running. Details about “ horizontal velocity vectors ,” the “ angle created by my knee ,” and the “ propulsion phase ” immediately demonstrate the depth of knowledge this student has.

Their intellect only grows in the second paragraph with the multitude of details they use to describe their research project. Breaking down their process step-by-step allows the reader to appreciate all this student has accomplished, even if we know nothing about sports biometrics. We walk away from this essay blown away with this student’s abilities and a clear understanding of their intellectual vitality. 

This essay does an excellent job explaining how this student has explored their passion for sports biometrics, but a key detail is missing: why are they passionate about it.

They tell us about how their goal of pursuing sports biometrics is to “ prevent stress-induced injuries in athletes, ” but how did this become this student’s purpose? Maybe this student sustained an injury when they were younger that prevented them from playing for two seasons and made them feel like they had lost a part of themselves. That would have made a great introductory anecdote. Or perhaps organization is a cornerstone of their personality which led them to fall in love with charts and data analysis and sports biometrics allows them to combine the thrill of sports with their detail-oriented side. Whatever the reason is, this essay needed to include details that demonstrate why this student chose sports biometrics.

Essay #5: Why This Major 

Prompt: Why do these areas appeal to you? (Biomedical Engineering; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Neuroscience) (125 words)

Tearing past layers of wrapping paper, I blink twice at the box in my hands: The Squishy Human Body. Little did I know that this strange seventh birthday gift would inspire a curiosity in biology and a desire to pursue medicine. Snapping open the plastic head, I would seek to understand the brain’s inner workings. Squeezing the rubber heart would turn into countless questions about the molecular properties of its tissues. Using the tweezers to remove the small intestine, I would perform my own surgeries, each time with improved equipment that I designed to fit the patient’s needs. I hope to continue my exploration of biology at Yale, working to understand functions on a cellular level while applying my knowledge to the field of medicine.

While this essay is short and sweet, it works! Focusing on a singular moment in time, a singular object, allows this student to tell us a lot about their passion for biology and medicine in a very limited amount of space.

The reader is taken on a journey through the human body—via the toy—and at each stop along the way we learn another detail about the student. This is a clever way to convey information, especially when you are tight on words. Using symbols and giving each sentence a specific focus helps the reader quickly take away the main point so we finish the essay feeling like we’ve learned a great deal about what this student wants to learn and do with their degree.

Additionally, this essay is a breezy read because of the use of action verbs keeping the reader in the moment. The repeated structure of beginning sentences with -ing verbs (“Tearing,” “Snapping,” “Squeezing,” “Using,” etc) suggests that these actions are currently taking pace. This is a nice trick to draw your reader in without wasting any space.

This essay could be even better if it told us more about this student in detail. Using the head, heart, and intestine as symbols for what they will learn and do in the future good, but including concrete details would make it great. We could see research projects they conducted, volunteer work at a hospital they engaged in, or clubs that they joined at school to demonstrate their hands-on experience with medicine. The whole point of  The Squishy Human Body is to give kids hands-on experience, so let’s see it!

Reworking sentences to be more like these would have made the essay stronger: “ Snapping open the plastic head, I found the brain I performed countless CT scans on to locate tumors. Squeezing the rubber heart, I see my report on addressing high rates of female cardiovascular disease.”

Essay #6: Why Yale

Prompt: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Coin collector and swimmer. Hungarian and Romanian. Critical and creative thinker. I was drawn to Yale because they don’t limit one’s mind with “or” but rather embrace unison with “and.” 

Wandering through the Beinecke Library, I prepare for my multidisciplinary Energy Studies capstone about the correlation between hedonism and climate change, making it my goal to find implications in environmental sociology. Under the tutelage of Assistant Professor Arielle Baskin-Sommers, I explore the emotional deficits of depression, utilizing neuroimaging to scrutinize my favorite branch of psychology: human perception. At Walden Peer Counseling, I integrate my peer support and active listening skills to foster an empathetic environment for the Yale community. Combining my interests in psychological and environmental studies is why I’m proud to be a Bulldog. 

A strength of this essay is how it acts like this student is actively a student at Yale, subconsciously tricking the reader into thinking that they belong. While many students in a “ Why School? ” essay say things like “ I want to ” or “ I would “, being quite literal in the sense they are viewing attending Yale as a future possibility. However, this student employs present verbs and specific locations to make Yale a current reality, for example: “ Wandering through the Beinecke Library, I prepare for my multidisciplinary Energy Studies capstone. ” While this approach requires more confidence, it can help you stand out from other applicants who approach Yale as a hypothetical.

Another positive aspect is how this student explains what Yale resource they are taking advantage of and how they will benefit from/contribute to it. Incorporating both of these is what gives your “Why School?” essay meaning. Admissions officers need to see you have done your research and found opportuniites that relate to you, but they also want to see what you will do on campus and beyond. This student applies this method of description to a class, professor, and organization to thoroughly demonstrate how Yale uniquely aligns with their goals.

One issue with this essay is it tries to cover too much, ultimately leaving many things unsaid. Take the introduction for example. While the notion of embracing “and” not “or” is a good way to demonstrate all the possibilities they can pursue at Yale, this student shares details about themselves that pique the reader’s interest, but unfortunately aren’t expanded on. We want to know about their coin collection and their Hungarian and Romanian roots, but they are never referenced again.

Although the Yale opportunities are slightly more focused around the idea of the environment and psychology, the essay lacks a clear link between the two topics until the last sentence. This makes the essay feel disjointed and overwhelming for the reader because we can’t process how all of this information relates.

To overcome this issue, the student could present the idea of the environment and psychology as their end at the very beginning, cutting out the other identities they present. Not only would this make the entire essay more streamlined, it would make the second paragraph far more manageable because the reader would go into knowing this student’s two interests. Yes, some interesting facts would need to be sacrificed, but when you only have 125 words you need to prioritize the main idea of your essay.

Where to Get Your Yale  Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Yale 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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Yale Supplemental Essay Examples

A most important puzzle piece to your application are the supplemental essays, and the use of Yale supplemental essay examples is one of the best ways to prepare for writing your own perfect piece.

Don’t let the term “supplemental” fool you into thinking that these are throwaway or optional – supplemental college application essays contribute to your chances of being accepted into a program at one of the top schools in the world, so treat them as absolutely required.

Learning how to write a college essay can be done with tips and instructions, but there are excellent insights to be gained from reading sample college essays as well.

This article will give you sample essays for all of Yale’s supplemental essay prompts, as well as a small overview of additional writing and essay requirements in the supplemental section of Yale’s application – short answer questions and additional requirements for the coalition application.

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Article Contents 11 min read

Yale supplemental essay #1.

For: Coalition Application or Common Application

Prompt: Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it?

Word Count: 250 words, or fewer

Sample Essay #1:

Programming is a language I longed to learn and understand, so I bought the C++ programming language when I was fourteen to program my own video games. My lofty aspirations were stymied quickly: I couldn’t program a window with a button that closed the window.

Computer science classes in high school helped me progress. As I continued to learn coding, I began to become interested in AI. Artificial intelligence has kindled human imagination since before we even had the word “robot”, the Golem, for instance, or Frankenstein’s monster.

Computers think very differently than we do. An AI will go about accomplishing tasks very differently from a human. Machines are, unsurprisingly, more linear thinkers than we are. So, it is unsurprising that speaking with them is still impossible, if you’re looking for a real conversation.

But we have Siri and Alexa. Talking to machines has become an obsession of mine. I spent four hours in one session alone speaking with chatbots online. I believe that, within our lifetimes, we will take computers further, perhaps even to the point where we can “hang out” with them, and just chat. At that point, programming language will become “language”, and then the future will be now. As for me, C++ is only the beginning. Soon, we will be able to genuinely talk with artificial intelligences.

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Sample Essay #2:

Triple threat performer is a term for a theatre artist who can sing, dance, and act. With all three skills on their resume, they can easily perform in any show and be an asset to any theatrical production. Right?

That’s only if we accept theatre as a static discipline with a confined set of rules and skills needed to perform it. I don’t think that it is static, or confined, and I don’t think it has rules, either. Any skill can be used.

We live in a world of ever-expanding technology, and we are also painfully aware of how the “rules” of social interaction can change – both in the positive sense, such as through communications media, and the negative sense, such as isolation.

In these strange times, I am exploring what I call integrated performance techniques: not just triple-threat, but how to integrate any skill into a performer’s art. Integrated performance combines live art with video technology and other disciplines, including fine art, technology, cooking, and anything else.

I have been trying, and mostly failing, to experiment with theatre performances that don’t look like normal theatre performances. Every attempt is basically a weird, messy showcase of a variety of skills and approaches that don’t work together. But I’m having fun and learning a lot while failing. And I think, if I fail enough, I’ll start to succeed, and maybe open up a whole new way of looking at what performance is.

I read an article, published in Nautilus by an astrophysicist, that scares, thrills, and excites me. It posited that the universe’s very laws of nature might be extremely advanced alien intelligence.

He cited Arthur C. Clarke, talked about dark matter, and opened up the idea that the cliché of the fabric of reality might be the real truth at the center of everything, or at least the next phase in discovering that truth.

We think of physics as “how” the world works and philosophy as “why” the world works. If the very laws of nature might be life forms, as per the article, it’s possible that the how and the why are the same.

Very few people are talking about this idea, but I formed a group at my school to talk about the limits of science – if there are any – and it has grown into a large collective. The most exciting day was when a couple of teachers at my school showed up to a meeting, having heard of the heady concepts we were tackling, and wanting to participate. We have started thinking of ourselves as a think-tank.

I believe that studying natural law can give us insight into moral law, and that we don’t have to think of intellectual achievement and moral advancement as separate. I think a lot of our troubles as a species have arisen from this separation.

Questions are all I have at this point, but they are exciting questions that could change the world.

For: Coalition Application or Common Application – respond to either 2a or 2b.

Prompt: Reflect on a community to which you feel connected. Why is it meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

Word Count: 250 words or fewer

I play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D. Thanks to popular shows like Stranger Things, it’s a more accepted hobby than it used to be, but it’s still seen as pretty niche, and I’ve been called some pretty unflattering words as a result.

Every year, I go to as many conventions as I can. These fan conventions, or cons, are places where people who play D&D, watch anime, read Lord of the Rings, and debate the philosophical implications of video games go to, meet their sci-fi-fantasy heroes, and “geek out” as much as possible.

This community is so welcoming, and I can’t describe it any better than seeing a person dressed in a demon monster costume talking with a middle-aged man dressed as Sailor Moon like it was the most natural thing in the world.

It’s a place for the outliers to go and realize that we aren’t so strange after all. Through connections I’ve made at cons, I have built an online community that I can go to for help, for answers, for support, and for friendship. We’re all very into online connectivity, so staying in touch is a breeze, and always fun.

Through this community’s support, I have increased my self-confidence, made some contacts in industries that I’m interested in, such as gaming and comics, and learned how to be more accepting of myself and others.

The smells of cinnamon and nutmeg come along every holiday season for a lot of people. They are associated with autumn’s apple pies and Christmastime’s hot chocolate. I associate it with Three King’s Day in January, because my family are Latvian Orthodox. But I also associate it with chilis and molasses, because my family are also Jamaican and we eat jerk chicken on Three King’s Day. My family are weird, and I love them.

As my mother told me, she was on Spring break down in Jamaica, and came back raving about her new boyfriend – the man she would marry, bring to the US, and start a family with. She said the two families came from radically different places, but none of that mattered; they were brought together through my parents’ love.

.... . .-.. .-.. ---

I’m saying “Hello”.

My father owns a HAM radio set and frequently communicates with other amateur radio enthusiasts. I wanted to know what all the beeping was about, and dad started to teach me. I knew how to send messages in Morse code by the time I was a teenager.

There is a whole group of people who communicate with each other only by Morse code over HAM radio, who have never seen each other’s faces or heard each other’s voices, only a constant series of long-and-short bursts of beeps.

I’ve started talking to them and gotten to know some of the other HAM operators on my dad’s network, and it’s such a warm, friendly group of aural tones.

To me, this is such a brilliant, shining microcosm of humanity and our achievements. We are the animals with tools, who have abstract reasoning, and can find a friend in a series of beep-beep-beep-beeps. Very few people choose to communicate this way these days, and there is a specialness in sharing something so unusual with people. It’s like a secret club.

To be able to reach out with a signal and interpret that signal as a strange friendship is what is so special about our technological place. We live in the communication era. These days we’re all firing signals into the dark, whether as a series of tweets, or Morse code beeps, or texts.

--. --- --- -.. -... -.-- .

Yale Supplemental Essay #2b

Prompt: Reflect on something that has given you great satisfaction. Why has it been important to you?

I’ve never considered myself to be a very physical guy – I'm the classic tech-dweeb type – and I mostly spend my time studying mathematics and statistics. I stay indoors, I’m sedentary, and I have no sports or athletics in my hobbies.

Or, at least, I didn’t use to. My buddy Rod got sick about three years ago, and a lot of it had to do with malnutrition. I didn’t realize that you could get that sick with poor diet and exercise. I knew it was bad for you, but I never pictured it.

That’s when I read up on how to be healthier and started jogging. Of course, I continued to do calculations. “If I jog at 6 m/ph for 30 minutes, I’ll have covered 3 miles, and over the course of four weeks…” and on and on like that.

I found my love of statistics could fuel my jogging, letting me keep track of achievements and set goals.

Last summer I ran my first marathon. Well, by “ran” I mean I mostly walked it or jogged, but I completed it. I’m not going to the Olympics, but I finished a marathon. It’s important to me because it represents perseverance and attaining goals, and because I broke out of a set path to become somebody new. I don’t have to stop being a tech-dweeb to love athletics, or vice-versa, and opening up my world means a bigger horizon – one I’m jogging towards right now.

I was lying in my coffin, waiting for the beginning, and I had to keep quiet or those in attendance would hear me. The problem was that I was so excited to have made it there.

We were performing my first self-made show at an outdoor theatre festival. How did I end up here with so little experience?

In theatre class at school, a guest speaker once advised, “Book a space,” meaning that if you spend money and book a space for your show, you commit; there’s no backing down. I signed up for a theatre festival the next day.

Time seemed to warp over the next months as I tried to fit in the challenge of self-producing, writing, casting, and rehearsing the show, and building a prop coffin that I was going to be mock-buried in.

Nothing went smoothly. A cast member dropped out and had to be replaced, we couldn’t afford rehearsal space, so backyards and garages were used instead. Every challenge seemed too much, but we had to keep going. Learning to produce a show has taught me about administration, scheduling, creativity, and management, and grew my confidence and artistic ability.

Getting to hear and see the crowd reaction once I was out of the coffin made all the problems go away. I got to tell a story and learn about all aspects of theatrical production, and my love of this art form was taken further than ever before. I wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere else.

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Sample Essay #3:

My father is a professor of English literature. I am somebody who doesn’t consider herself to be particularly “bookish”. I read non-fiction, and I’ve always felt like there’s a chasm between my father and myself – we have had a hard time bonding.

Last year, I set a goal to read James Joyce’s Ulysses – one of my father’s favorite books, and one of the most infamously-difficult books in the English language.

At 730 pages, I figured I could read Joyce’s monolith in a little over a week – 100 pages a day, two weeks if it was hard going.

I read 100 pages quickly before realizing that just reciting the words in my head would mean nothing; I had to understand it. So, I started again, slowed way down, and tried to crack the tome.

Two months in and I wasn’t half-way through – frustrated, almost to the point of tears. I chewed onwards, studying it for almost five months. That in itself was an accomplishment, but that’s not why I’m proud of this. Punishing myself with reading isn’t the treasure.

The next week, dad was talking about a student struggling with Ulysses in his class, and I said, “Cut him some slack, it’s a hard book.”

“You’ve read it?” he asked me.

When I nodded and started talking to him about the plot points and themes – the stuff of the book that I had struggled with – we had a great conversation.

I didn’t read a book – I built a bridge across a chasm.

Supplemental essays are a great way to stand out in the application committee’s minds, so put extra effort into them; you’ll never regret doing your best.

Note that, in addition to these prompts, those submitting under the Coalition Application are required to upload an audio file (mp3), video (mov), image (jpeg), or document file (word or pdf) of their own creation. Whichever method chosen, this file should complement one of the prompt response essays. Only the indicated file types are accepted. Yale’s application says that “advanced editing is not necessary”.

Furthermore, all applicants, whether applying through the Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application, will respond to short answer questions – three in total. These questions are:

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer) "}]">

These are the three ways to apply to Yale as a first-year applicant. No preference is given between the three, so the choice of which application type to undertake is left with the prospective student to decide for themselves.

The Coalition Application is an application platform, allowing prospective students to create an application that is used by 100 colleges and universities in the US. The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success is geared to give needs-based financial aid, and grants access to other resources: an online “locker”, a collaboration space, and a MyCoalition Counselor. Coalition applicants through Yale are required to send in an additional supplemental file (document, audio file, video, or image file) which is meant to directly relate to one of their essay prompt responses.

The Common Application, or Common App, is an application platform, used by 600 colleges and universities worldwide. This allows you to upload applications to up to 20 of those institutions. It is a central platform, but Yale still requires the Yale-specific supplemental questions and essays answered.

The QuestBridge Application is for low-income applicants and is designed to help those applicants through the process of application as well as with navigating the procurement of financial aid at Yale. It is used by 42 partner institutions (including Yale).

They are required at Yale.

Applicants have the option of choosing between writing essay 2a or 2b, but they must write one of them.

We also encourage applicants to consider no essay to be truly optional. If the form says you have a choice, the only real choice is to give yourself every point in your favor possible: write the essay.

The only exception is if essays are optional with specific conditions. For example, if a school requires an essay from international students and you are not international, you won’t write that essay.

Anything that applies to you, whether it is officially optional or not, you should do.

With such low word-counts, brevity is required, so get immediately to the point.

The first question is about what you want to study. Yale asks you to select up to three from the list provided.

The second question asks why the areas of study, those you picked in the first question, appeal to you. Focus on why you’re passionate about that subject. Connect it to you on a personal level, show why it’s imperative that you study it, and maybe site some aspirations of what you’re going to achieve by entering that particular field.

The third question is about why you want to study at Yale. What you want to do is look up faculty of note in your field(s) of choice, any interesting research being done, specific courses offered that are unique to Yale, and information on syllabi that you can site to show that Yale, above all others, is the place for you. If you have clearly researched course offerings and Yale’s research, the committee will understand that you know about the school and value its uniqueness.

You can also highlight values that the school holds – their core, foundational principles.

Don’t site its prestigious status. Don’t site its location or how beautiful the campus is.

While this is only a short answer question, reading up on why this college essay will give you some good insights into how to create your own answer.

The main subject is yourself, and what makes you unique.

You should choose to accentuate your best traits, but also how those traits will relate to Yale and the courses you would like to take.

Good qualities include perseverance, growth, skillsets, and unusual experiences that helped you grow (positive or negative).

If you can mention an area of research or a particular, singular aspect of Yale while you do so – so much the better.

It depends on how much shorter. You don’t have to hit the word limit exactly, but if you’ve only written fifty words out of two-hundred and fifty, you’re likely not going in-depth enough on your topics.

Concise writing is good, but you also need to make sure you’re accomplishing your goals of showing your abilities and standing out for the admissions committee.

If you have any doubt, it’s good to use college essay advisors to check your work. In fact, to ensure optimal results, essay advisors are a good idea anyway.

They are very important.

Every aspect of your application should be treated as though it is of utmost importance. You want only your best work to be submitted, because that’s your best chance for admission.

Essays let you show yourself off in ways that pure numbers won’t, so take extra advantage of the opportunity.

Yale’s international applicants follow the same procedures and forms as a US student, for the most part.

You do need to make sure that any transcripts or documents that are not in English are translated, and if you are a non-native English speaker, you will be required to take an English language test.

Getting college admissions counselling for international students is a great way to make sure you haven’t missed anything and you application is the best it can be.

Up to three times, yes, but three is the limit. This includes first-year applicants, transfer students, non-degree applicants, and students who are applying through the Eli Whitney students’ program.

Studying up on Yale university can prevent you from needing to reapply at all, of course.

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September 15, 2023

Tips for Answering the Yale University Supplemental Essays and Short Answer Questions [2023-2024]

Not surprisingly, Yale University is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world. It accepts the Common Application, Coalition Application, and QuestBridge Application. All three applications require a personal statement essay, and to apply to Yale using any of them, candidates must also submit additional Yale-specific short answers and a writing supplement. This prestigious Ivy League school prides itself on providing undergraduates with an exceptional foundation in liberal arts education that focuses on cultivating knowledge and leadership skills. The supplemental writing responses are a chance for you to convey how the Yale experience might augment your passions and perspectives in terms of learning, living, and preparing for the future. 

If Yale is your first choice, it offers a Single-Choice Early Action program (also known as Restrictive Early Action) for freshman applicants that has a November 1 deadline. Check the Yale admissions website for details. Under this program, Yale will notify you of its admissions decision in mid-December. The deadline for submission of applications for regular action is January 2. 

Before you begin writing your essay(s), thoroughly research all Yale has to offer and consider how those opportunities bolster your objectives. This is the time to get excited about the prospect of attending Yale! Visit the website and/or campus, speak with students and alumni, and envision yourself as a part of the school’s exceptional learning community. The curriculum at Yale is designed to provide both breadth and depth of study as the foundation for students to pursue inspired lives and careers. The university strives to foster independent critical thinking. Yale is one of the only universities that allow you to try your classes before you finalize your schedule. The first ten days of each semester are an opportunity to visit a number of classes to determine which are most interesting to you! Also, keep in mind that applicants are not admitted to a specific major, and students do not declare a major until the end of their sophomore year. 

Located in the small town of New Haven, Connecticut, in an urban setting that is primarily a residential campus, Yale offers a supportive community feel through its system of 14 residential colleges. This configuration, complete with its own residential deans and masters, creates a sense of intimacy within the larger university. Residential deans serve as primary personal and academic advisors. Masters work with students to shape the residential community. This is a powerfully dynamic way of bringing together students and faculty. Think about how this structure can support your intellectual growth. 

Short Answer Questions– Applicants submitting the Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application will respond to respond to the following short answer questions:

Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

This is not a trick question. With approximately 80 majors to choose from, Yale is trying to gauge your unique interests. Indicate a maximum of three of your top academic areas of study.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

This prompt allows you to explain how your academic interests relate to the fields of study available at Yale. The challenge in this response is to discuss your rationale for your selected areas in less than 200 words. Consider your experience thus far in these areas. What sparked your interest? What burning question or issue motivates you? How might these concentrations support your long-term goals? Provide some context to support your interests and convey your enthusiasm.

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer) 

Here again, you are under significant word limitations. Don’t underestimate this prompt. It is extremely important to demonstrate good fit in your discussion – what unique aspects of an education at Yale attract you? This is an opportunity to convey your enthusiasm for a potential Yale experience.  Sometimes making a list can help you get started. Then review your list and make sure each reason relates specifically to Yale. Consider both what Yale has to offer you and what you might be able to offer the Yale community. 

The Yale site notes that QuestBridge applicants will complete these short answer questions via the Yale QuestBridge Questionnaire, which candidates can access through the Admissions Status Portal after their application has been received.

Additional Short Answer Questions– Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words): 

What inspires you?

This response touches on what motivates you as well as what you find valuable. Discuss something that makes a difference in your way of thinking and subsequently influences your actions and/or behavior. Think about what your response might convey about your character. 

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be?

Use your imagination! Consider a creative title to set the tone for your course, book, or art piece. This is a chance to infuse some fun and creativity into your response. Do you have a unique set of skills or interests that might contribute to some expertise on a particular topic? What is your specialty? Be careful to avoid any controversial statements. You never know how your suggestion might be interpreted, so try to steer clear of potentially offensive topics.

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? 

You can select just about anyone, other than a family member! This could be someone famous (dead or alive) or your next-door neighbor. The essential component is explaining how they influenced you and the extent of their impact. Is there something you admire about them? Did/do they motivate or inspire you in some way? Have they changed or encouraged you in some way? Keep the focus on you and the result(s) of their impact. Remember to consider what your response might reflect about your values and character.

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Before you respond, take some time to review your overall application materials for Yale. You should share something meaningful about yourself that you didn’t mention elsewhere. Your response provides a glimpse into the sort of person you might be within the Yale community, so consider what you might contribute and what you hope to gain. You might mention something you always wanted to explore or learn how to do – perhaps something you are not very good at but love to do. Whatever you select will reflect something about your character. How might what you shared relate to attending Yale? 

Essay 

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer.

• Reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. Why did you find the experience meaningful?

This prompt asks you to reflect on a time when you dealt with conflicting views. This discussion might have made you feel vulnerable expressing your viewpoint. How do you engage in a civil exchange about controversial or emotional issues? What was the issue, and why was it important to you? Explain both your position and that of the other person involved. What was at stake? How did you work through the conflict and come to an understanding of the other person’s perspective? Were you able to convey your perspective? What was the outcome? Did you change your stance or clarify and strengthen your position? Most importantly, why was the experience you shared important to you? What did you learn from this process? Your response to this prompt helps to shed light on how you learn, the topics you are drawn to, how you interact with others with diverse perspectives, and how you process the world around you. 

• Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

This prompt asks you to place yourself within the context of a particular community. What is this community? Consider how being a part of this community shapes or supports you. The focus is on why you feel connected to this community. This is an opportunity to discuss your role in just about ANY community and the impact you had on it and vice versa. It also allows you to demonstrate your ability to reflect on your community from different perspectives. Topics can vary from a school club to a larger cultural or religious community to the global community, but community is however you define it. Your goal is to EXPLAIN your relationship to the community and convey WHY that community is valuable to you. What did you learn about yourself through your connection to this community? How might this community inspire, support, or ground you and vice versa? What might this reflect about your character or place in the world? How might these experiences prepare you for this next stage of your life?

• Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

If you haven’t already done so, take a detailed look at Yale’s residential college system. The 14 residential colleges strive to create a more intimate living and learning atmosphere that fosters a stronger sense of community connection. Incoming students are assigned to a college and remain affiliated with that college for the duration of their time at Yale.  As stated on the school’s website, “each college is a microcosm of the larger student population.” Identify something about your personal experience that might provide a different or unique perspective to enhance your college community. Then discuss how what you shared shaped you, motivated you, influenced your sense of identity, or reflects something essential about you.

The tone of your essays should convey your drive and enthusiasm for learning in general and at Yale in particular. Share your perspectives in your own voice. Be thoughtful and reflective. 

Applicants to Yale have an exceedingly competitive profile. Yale received 52,250 undergraduate applications for the Class of 2027. Overall, only 2,275 or 4.35% of applicants were admitted, and 95% of them ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. Although Yale continued to offer test optional admissions for the Class of 2027, you can consider the test scores from the Class of 2024 – average SAT scores over 1500 and average ACT scores of approximately 33 – to get a sense of your likely cohort. 

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the numbers. At this point, it is heartening to bear in mind that Yale is dedicated to a holistic application evaluation process for admission. Your short answer responses and supplemental essay(s) facilitate a more comprehensive review of you as a prospective student at Yale. The admissions committee takes the time to read your responses carefully. Make sure you allow yourself appropriate time for thoughtful reflection and effective writing. Use your writing supplement to set you apart from your peers. The best approach is to be true to yourself and communicate your thoughts, experiences, hopes, and dreams in a way that highlights your genuine enthusiasm for the extraordinary educational journey at Yale!

Marie Todd has been involved in college admissions for more than 20 years. Marie has counseled applicants to top colleges and evaluated more than 5,000 applications for the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts; College of Engineering; School of Kinesiology; School of Nursing; and Taubman College of Architecture. Want Marie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch .

Related Resources:

• Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your College Application Essays , a free guide
• Common App and Supplemental Essay Tips
• Make the Most of Your Common App Activities Summary

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Supplementary materials.

You should think carefully before submitting supplementary material with your Yale College application. Most successful applicants submit only the required application materials. Because the Admissions Committee gives greatest weight to the required documents, it is recommended that you focus your energy primarily on those elements of the application.

If you have a substantial and well-developed talent that cannot be conveyed adequately in the rest of your application, you may consider submitting an audio recording, musical score, art samples, writing samples, scientific research paper, film, or dance video. Please do not contact faculty to request an audition or review of your work. 

How to submit supplementary material

• Audio recordings, musical scores, art samples, film samples, and dance videos should be submitted through  SlideRoom . See detailed instructions below.
• Science or engineering research should be submitted via the STEM Research Supplement Form. See detailed instructions below.
• Other academic work, including creative writing should be submitted via the application or application update. See detailed instructions below.

Using SlideRoom - visual art, music, film, or dance

SlideRoom  is an online platform that facilitates the submission of digital files to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. If you are considering the possibility of submitting material, create a SlideRoom account before submitting your application .  Once your application is submitted you will not be able to access the SlideRoom program. To submit art, music, dance, or film as a supplementary material, you must send your material through SlideRoom by the appropriate application deadline: November 1 for Single-Choice Early Action candidates ; January 2 for Regular Decision candidates; March 1 for transfer candidates.

When submitting material to Yale through SlideRoom, first select the specific category that corresponds with your chosen application platform (Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application) and application round (Single-Choice Early Action or Regular Decision). Next, select the program that corresponds with the type of material (e.g., music, art) you plan to submit. Applicants who are eligible for an application fee waiver through the Common Application or Coalition Application, and applicants who are QuestBridge Finalists, will have the SlideRoom fee waived.

Before submitting materials through SlideRoom, review the detailed instructions for visual art, music, film, and dance below.

Optional Arts Supplement Questionnaire

Students who indicate their intention to submit a visual art, music, film or dance supplement with their application will have the option to complete the Arts Supplement Questionnaire. The form allows applicants to provide additional context for their submission. The optional form will appear on an applicant’s  Yale Admissions Status Portal . Information provided on the Questionnaire, like other parts of the application, are subject to audit and verification. Review our Frequently Asked Questions for more details. 

The deadline to submit the Optional Arts Supplement Questionnaire is November 8 for Single-Choice Early Action applicants and January 9 for Regular Decision applicants.

Supplementary materials - visual art

Whether or not you wish to major in art as an undergraduate, if you are an advanced visual artist, you may consider submitting an art portfolio as part of your application. Please bear in mind that Yale School of Art faculty members review selected portfolios, not admissions officers. You should only consider submitting work if your artwork is a strong and important part of your application and demonstrates a high level of ability for a high school artist. You should limit the submission to between 5 and 8 pieces.

Supplementary materials - music

Whether or not you wish to major in music as an undergraduate, you may consider submitting a recording of your playing, or a musical score, if it demonstrates a high level of musical ability. Yale College does not conduct auditions. Please bear in mind that Yale music professors review selected audio recordings and scores, not admissions officers. You should consider submitting work only if your playing or composing is a strong and important part of your application and demonstrates a high level of artistry for a high school musician. Additional guidelines about music submissions can be found on the  Department of Music  website.

Yale offers a B.A./M.M. program for students with exceptional abilities in performance who are also interested in a liberal arts education. Students may apply to this program during the same admissions cycle in which they apply to Yale College. (Yale College students also have the option to apply after their junior year.) The auditions held by the Yale School of Music for admission to the B.A./M.M. program are not related to the submission of supplementary music material as part of a Yale College application. Please follow the instructions above if you would like a music recording or score to be part of your Yale College application. Additional information can be found on the Yale School of Music website .

Supplementary materials - film

Whether or not you wish to major in Film and Media Studies as an undergraduate, if you are an advanced filmmaker you may consider submitting a sample of your work as part of your application to Yale. Please bear in mind that Yale film faculty review submissions, not admissions officers. You should only consider submitting work if your filmmaking is a strong and important part of your application and demonstrates a high level of ability for a high school filmmaker.

Supplementary materials - dance

Whether or not you wish to concentrate in dance studies as an undergraduate, you may consider submitting a dance video as part of your application. Yale College does not conduct dance auditions for applicants. Please bear in mind that Yale dance faculty review selected dance recordings, not admissions officers. You should consider submitting work only if your dancing is a strong and important part of your application and demonstrates a high level of ability and artistry for a high school dancer. The video should be no more than fifteen minutes in length and may contain a single work or excerpts of different pieces. 

Supplementary materials - science or engineering research

If you have been engaged in advanced science or engineering research, you may consider submitting a Science or Engineering Research Supplement. To submit a Science or Engineering Research Supplement follow these steps before and after submitting your application:

• Indicate your intention to submit Science or Engineering supplement when completing the application by responding Yes to the question, “Do you wish to submit an arts or science/engineering supplement as part of the admission process to Yale University?”
• After your application has been submitted and received by the admissions office, activate your  Yale Admissions Status Portal . You will receive a confirmation email with a personalized link and PIN.
• Complete the STEM Research Supplement Form, which will appear in the “Forms” section of your status portal. 

The deadline to submit the STEM Research Supplement Form is November 8 for Single-Choice Early Action applicants and January 9 for Regular Decision applicants .

The STEM Research Supplement form will allow you to attach a research paper or abstract. It also includes the option to invite a research mentor to submit a letter of recommendation electronically or via mail or fax to the admissions office. Full research papers are generally more helpful than abstracts. If your research incorporated work from many individuals or was part of a larger project, please indicate your specific contributions when completing the form.

Supplementary materials - academic work

If you are a creative writer whose work has been recognized at a regional or national level, you may consider submitting a sample of your work as part of your application. A carefully chosen short piece, or a collection of four or five poems, is preferable to a long manuscript or a large number of poems. Bear in mind that the required application essays are the most important “writing samples” in an admissions file. You should insert your creative writing sample into the Additional Information section of the Common Application or Coalition Application. If you are unable to include the creative writing sample with your application, you may also upload your work through your Yale Admissions Status Portal using the Update Application form. 

Supplementary materials - extra recommendations

The vast majority of successful applicants submit only required letters of recommendation. If you feel the need to submit extra information, you may ask one additional recommender to write on your behalf. The most useful extra recommendations provide new information and dimension to a candidacy, rather than repeat the strengths and qualities found elsewhere in the application. The recommender should know you well personally or have mentored you closely in some capacity.

Please ask the person writing a supplementary letter of recommendation to send their letter via to the admissions office via postal mail (PO Box 208234 New Haven, CT 06520) or use the document upload tool available via the counselor information page . Please ask the person writing the letter to include the following in the document: your full, legal name as it appears in your application, the name and location of the school you currently attend, and your date of birth.

If you have been engaged in advanced science or engineering research, you should consider requesting a letter of recommendation from a research mentor who has been involved personally with your work. Follow the instructions in the science or engineering research section above to submit your research via the STEM Research Supplement Form and invite a research mentor to submit a letter of recommendation. 

Prompt's How-to Guide for Yale's Supplemental Prompts, Including "Why Yale?"

The yale supplemental essay prompts, and how to nail them (2020-2021)..

There’s no way to simplify Yale’s writing requirements — they’re pretty complex. But we do have some secrets for getting through them, from our long experience helping people succeed on college essays at Prompt .

In fact, if you’d like a step-by-step guide to nailing Yale’s supplements, check it out here . We’ll give you the full prompts (and more helpful hints) below. But first, here are the questions in a nutshell:

All applicants: Two required short answers of 125 words or fewer:

• Your likely major.

Coalition/Common App applicants:

Four super-short answers (200 characters or less; about 35 words):

• What inspires you?
• What person, past or present, do you want to talk to?
• Course you’d teach at Yale?
• Will you be a cool roommate?

Two short essays (250 words or less)

• Explore one of your intellectual interests.
• Choose one:
• Your membership in a community.
• Changing the world.
• Your relationship with a mentor.
• Coalition applicants: Upload anaudio file, video, image, or documentthat you created, and that adds to one of your responses above.

Engineering majors (250 words or less): what led you to engineering & why engineering at Yale?

Our three big pieces of advice:

• Think globally: Think about each of your answers as pieces to the puzzle. When read altogether, they should answer one fundamental question:Will you succeed in Yale and beyond?Do they add up to show that you’re going to contribute something exciting to the world, while also being a good person?
• On the intellectual side, have one big theme: Talking haphazardly about all your disparate interests is easy, but it won’t make much of a mark on admissions officers. Unearthing the larger motivation behind your intellectual curiosity will pay off with a stronger, more impressive set of answers.
• Get feedback. There’s so much going on here, you need reinforcements. Find a few people you know well and respect, and get them to take a look at how you’ve presented yourself. They will have valuable insights for you. In addition, if you like the idea of personalized guidance from people who’ve done this thousands of times, get started here .

Yale short answer questions for 2020-2021

• [Your likely major]: Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided. Why do these areas appeal to you?
• [Why Yale?]: What is it about Yale that has led you to apply?
• Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask?
• You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called?
• Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six students. What do you hope to add to your suitemates’ experience? What do you hope they will add to yours?
• [Intellectual interest]: Yale’s extensive course offerings and vibrant conversations beyond the classroom encourage students to follow their developing intellectual interests wherever they lead. Tell us about your engagement with a topic or idea that excites you. Why are you drawn to it?
• Respond to one of the following prompts:
• [Community]: Reflect on your membership in a community. Why is your involvement important to you? How has it shaped you? You may define community however you like.
• [Change the world]: Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international significance. Discuss an issue that is important to you and how your college experience could help you address it.
• [Mentor]: Tell us about your relationship with a role model or mentor who has been influential in your life. How has their guidance been instrumental to your growth?
• For Coalition Applicants — In addition to responding to the prompts above, upload anaudio file, video, image, or documentyou have created. The upload should complement your response to one of the prompts. Above your response, include a one-sentence description of your upload. Please limit uploads to the following file types: mp3, mov, jpeg, word, pdf. Advanced editing is not necessary. Uploads provided via the Coalition Application will be reviewed by the Admissions Office only. Review the Supplementary Material instructions for material that may be evaluated by Yale faculty.

Engineering Essay (250 words or fewer) — Coalition/Common App applicants who select one of Yale’s engineering majors will also respond to the prompt below:

• Please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in engineering, and what it is about Yale’s engineering program that appeals to you.

Why Yale Essay Examples

Why yale essay examples – introduction.

Are you wondering how to get into Yale? If you’re planning on filling out a Yale application, then you are probably searching for some Why Yale essay examples to help you begin drafting your Yale essay prompts.

Any college applicant will be familiar with supplemental essays and personal statements . But what about the “Why Yale” essay? By reading some Why Yale essay examples, you can get a sense of what’s worked for past applicants.

Before we dig into our Why Yale essay examples, let’s take a quick look at the facts. Yale University is an elite institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. It consistently ranks among the top U.S. universities alongside schools like Harvard and Princeton. Correspondingly, the Yale acceptance rate sits at just 5% as of 2022.

With the Yale acceptance rate so low, you’ll want to maximize your chances of getting in. That’s where our Why Yale essay examples come in. When considering how to get into Yale, arguably the heart of the Yale application is the Yale supplemental essays. And among the Yale supplemental essays, the “Why Yale” essay is especially important. In this article, we’ll read some “Why Yale” essay examples and discuss parts of those Yale essays that worked.

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements

There are several different Yale supplemental essays, ranging from 35 to 400 words. In fact, the Yale essay prompts may be better divided into short answers and actual essays. The Yale supplemental essays required will vary based on how you submit your Yale application: through the QuestBridge, Common, or Coalition Application. Those completing a Yale application through the Common and Coalition Applications have a few additional Yale supplemental essays.

Also, the Yale essay prompts can change from year to year. In recent application cycles , all applicants have had to write three Yale supplemental essays, including the Why Yale essay. Furthermore, Yale applications through the Common and Coalition Applications present four additional short answer questions and a 400-word essay.

Yale Supplemental Essay Prompts

Although we’re focusing on Why Yale essay examples in this guide, you should know the Yale essay prompts from the several application cycles. The following three Yale supplemental essays required of everyone are:

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements- Short Essays

• Students at Yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.
• Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)
• What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

In addition, Common Application and Coalition Application users must answer the following in up to 200 characters (about 35 words):

Yale Supplemental Essay Requirements- Short Answers

• What inspires you?
• You are teaching a new Yale course. What is it called?
• Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What would you ask them to discuss?
• What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application?

Finally, Common Application and Coalition Application users must answer one of the following in fewer than 400 words :

Additional Yale essay requirements for Common App and Coalition App

• Yale carries out its mission “through the free exchange of ideas in an ethical, interdependent, and diverse community.” Reflect on a time when you exchanged ideas about an important issue with someone holding an opposing view. How did the experience lead you either to change your opinion or to sharpen your reasons for holding onto it?
• Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

If you find yourself nervously staring at these prompts and at the Yale acceptance rate , don’t worry! We’re here to help. For a more detailed guide on some Yale supplemental essays, check out our guide from last year (2021). Keep in mind that some prompts are different, however, the key points are the same.

Furthermore, while other Yale essay prompts may come and go, there’s always a “Why Yale” essay. As you tackle this prompt, looking at some Why Yale essay examples can be helpful.

The “Why Yale” essay examples we’ll see later are from past application cycles. As a result, the Yale essay prompts may be worded a bit differently. In any case, you can still use the Why Yale essay examples we present in this guide as a model as you begin crafting your Yale supplemental essays for this year.

While the Yale essays may change from year to year, there are certain things you should come to expect from the overall application process. Take our quiz to find out just how much you know about college admissions!

Does Yale have a “Why Yale” Essay?

For those wondering how to get into Yale, you’ll obviously ask if there’s a “Why Yale” essay. The answer may or may not surprise you… yes, there is! There is a “Why Yale” essay, and it’s a crucial part of any Yale application. Ideally, you noticed it among the essay prompts above. What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? No more than 125 words. Easy, right?

If your heart is hammering in your chest, take a deep breath. A “Why School” essay is essentially saying , “I know about your school, and we’re a great fit.” The “Why Yale” essay is a chance to show the Yale admissions committee that you’re ready and willing. That you’ve done your research on Yale and know that you’re the kind of student Yale looks for. And, more importantly, that Yale is a match for you and your values.

Yale essays that worked added depth to the personal narrative , connecting the writer and their background with the school. After all, you’re more than your GPA : beyond just academics, why did this school make your list ? In the course of evaluating universities, why did Yale stand out? Think beyond the Yale acceptance rate and ranking —why do you want to enroll at Yale? You can show some part of yourself that isn’t anywhere else on your Yale application.

Now, let’s look at how to get into Yale with a knockout “Why Yale” essay. First up, we have some “Why Yale” essay examples. Following each, we’ll look at parts of these “Why Yale” essays that worked.

Why Yale Essay Examples Version #1

Let’s start with the obvious “Why Yale” essay examples. That is to say, “Why Yale” essay examples that answer the classic “Why School” essay prompts. These Yale essay prompts directly ask for something like these “Why Yale” essay examples in several ways:

• Why Yale and not any other school?
• What about Yale appeals to you?
• What is it about Yale that led you to apply?

As we’ll see, these “Why Yale” essay examples go beyond facts and figures from the Yale admissions website. Like all Yale essays that worked, they are both specific and personal in their points. Expressing personal stake in concrete details shows the Yale admissions team that you already see yourself in Yale.

Why Yale Essay Examples #1: No Need to Name-Drop

At Yale, I would be able to immerse myself in interests I harbored but never had the opportunity to explore. With incredible resources from some of the best professors in the country, I would be able to learn directly from the best and use this advantage to further myself in my future career plans and goals. The quality of my education, though attributed to the institution, would be the most highly enriched from the students. Although from diverse backgrounds, all the students share the same thirst for knowledge and drive to make a difference. Having such classmates will push me to reach my highest potential and as a result, increase my vitality in any field of work or practice.

Why This Essay Worked

The first of our “Why Yale” essay examples discusses several qualities of Yale’s academic and campus life. Not all Yale essays that worked necessarily name-drop clubs and courses! While yes, it’s usually recommended, you can see from this “Why Yale” essay that it’s not always required. Note that this “Why Yale” essay focuses on community and how Yale’s environment will support their future. Looking at the big picture is usually a good thing in Yale supplemental essays.

Effective “Why Yale” essay examples reference certain aspects of the university that interest the author. This writer clearly values education and community: not only professors, but also fellow students will enrich their learning. Despite the low Yale acceptance rate, the campus is incredibly diverse. Yale essays that worked demonstrated an understanding of Yale’s core value of diversity, not just rigorous academics.

Why Yale Essay Examples #2: Painting a Picture

No problem in this world can be solved by a single person: whole communities are what drive innovative solutions. Thus, what draws me to Yale is its research opportunities and collaborative community. Whether it’s the STARS II program, Women in Science at Yale, Yale Scientific Magazine, or peer mentoring, the prospect of extending my research experience while collaborating with my peers in Yale’s scientific community seems very fulfilling.

I find myself excited by the opportunities Yale has to join communities that can impact campus and beyond. I’m particularly intrigued by the Yale College Council, Yale Arab Students Association, Yale Refugee Project, and Women’s Leadership Initiative. I’m excited by the prospect of joining the academically-driven, collaborative, and passionate community of Bulldogs at Yale.

On the flip side, some Yale essays that worked go all in with naming particular offerings at Yale. This can also make for a great “Why School” essay; it shows you’ve dug deep in your research. With that said, you have to be strategic in reeling off clubs and courses.

Now, look more closely at this “Why Yale” essay. What can you infer about the author from the facets of Yale they chose to highlight? We know they are interested in science, identify as a woman, and want to mentor others. Furthermore, we can see they identify as Arab and are interested in working with refugees.

Although this writer doesn’t say exactly how they identify or want to study, the reader still gets it. That is to say, we understand how the author’s background influences how they’ll participate in campus life. If you’re struggling to include all these amazing things at Yale in your Why Yale essay, follow this example! By being very intentional with the interests you write about, you can still paint a full picture.

From a structural perspective, this “Why Yale” essay works well by connecting the introduction and conclusion. Yale essays that worked sometimes close the loop by addressing a similar point at the beginning and end. These “Why Yale” essay examples will be tied up in a neat package that leaves an impression on the reader. Like most things, this structure isn’t strictly required, but it can definitely strengthen “Why Yale” essay examples.

Why Yale Essay Examples #3: It’s the Little Things

Following my time volunteering for a mental health charity, the Cognition and Development Lab, amusingly nicknamed the Panda Lab, piques my interest with research like that of one Yale professor concerning mental disorders and depression among children. I am fascinated with the connection of biology and behavior. Among students, academic competition seems deemphasized; undergrads instead emphasize their connections forged, for example, through acapella groups like Proof of Pudding (I Won’t Say I’m in Love a favorite of mine from Hercules). Finally, the Residential College system is reminiscent of my high school magnet program’s Harry Potter House sorting – but Yale’s includes College Teas! 

The third of our “Why Yale” essay examples is perhaps a bit more typical. There’s a bit of the writer’s resume in the opening line about volunteering. That experience flows into the writer’s academic interests and a professor’s research area—and the lab’s nickname. From there, this “Why Yale” essay seamlessly swivels to non-academic offerings, specifically a capella. In particular, the author indicates they’ve researched the group, too, by naming an arrangement they liked. The conclusion ties the author’s school with Yale’s residential system.

Like our other Why Yale essay examples, this essay highlights particular details about Yale’s programs. It’s clear from the little details of this “Why Yale” essay that the author has really done their research. They point out the Panda Lab’s cute nickname, a particular a capella performance, and College Teas. Above all, they’re not just thrown in there; these details connect logically with the writer’s interests and pursuits.

Our Why Yale essay examples also aren’t all the same. You can paint in broad strokes with campus culture or intense spots of color with groups meaningful to you. There are as many Yale essays that worked as there are admitted students . How you approach your “Why Yale” essay is up to you and your reading of the “Why Yale” essay prompts. But did you know another one of the Yale essay prompts is a second “Why Yale” essay in disguise?

Why Yale Essay Examples Version #2

Take another look at that list of Yale essay prompts. Aside from the obvious “Why Yale” essay prompt, another is subtly asking for a kind of “Why Yale” essay. Can you find it?  If you picked the second one, you’re correct!

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected [in the first prompt]. Why are you drawn to it?

What? This? A “Why School” essay? Well, not exactly.

This and similar Yale essay prompts ask about an academic interest, so they aren’t typical “Why School” essays. But they are asking, secretly, how you’ll pursue that thing at Yale. Think about it as a “Why Major” essay with an opportunity to answer “Why School” as well. For this essay prompt, you select a subject you’re interested in on your Yale application. The very next question asks not simply why you’re interested, but how you might pursue it at Yale and beyond. In other words, why do you want to explore these areas at Yale?

With that said, let’s look at some more Yale essays that worked for different Yale essay prompts. Namely, “Why Yale” essay examples that talk about academic interests. Again, these past prompts were slightly different—their word limit was 100 words, not 200.

More Why Yale Essay Examples

Why yale essay examples #4: solving big problems.

I’m fascinated by the chemical processes that drive life, which has led me to find opportunities to gain hands-on research experience. Biochemical sciences provide an explanation for disease-driven problems as well as the capacity to find creative solutions for these problems. For all four years of high school, I performed biochemical research at various labs. Ultimately, these experiences helped my find my passion for applying biochemistry and the scientific method to problems we face, whether it’s hunger or leukemia. Through biochemical sciences, I hope to continue to tackle the biggest problems facing humans today using a creative, scientific approach.

Yale essays that worked, regardless of prompt, are as particular as they can be. What do you like, and what do you want to do with it? This author details both their interest in biochemistry and their experience with it. With Yale’s reputation for research, it hardly needs saying that this student will continue their work at Yale.

But when reading Yale essays that worked, you’ll also find a lot of big-picture thinking. How can experiences at Yale help you explore your interests in impactful ways? The second of our “Why Yale” essay examples highlighted work with refugees. The third briefly mentioned mental disorders in children. And this author is clear about their intent to face big problems.

Yale supplemental essays don’t need a 12-Step Plan to End World Hunger. Don’t compare yourself to Why Yale essay examples that seem to solve everything. You can dream big and be vague about how exactly you’ll tackle these issues. What matters in Yale essays that worked was genuine passion for Yale and the doors it’ll open.

Why Yale Essay Examples #5: Personal Aspirations

With plans to attend medical school after my bachelor’s degree, I want to study something that not only interests me, but would come as a great asset in the medical field. Neuroscience and how the brain makes decisions has been a long standing interest for me growing up as a Ugandan moving from place to place. Witnessing the thought processes of people in various locations made me realize that the mind is a complex puzzle that I would like to solve. Combined with an ability to speak multiple languages, communication with patients will be much more efficient and diagnoses accurate.

Of our five “Why Yale” essay examples, this final one is perhaps most specific about future plans. This “Why Yale” essay opens with the writer’s post-grad plans for medical school, which connects with their interest in neuroscience. While not necessarily a make-or-break in “Why Yale” essay examples, post-graduation goals can show Yale admissions that you’re thinking ahead.

This writer also personalizes this “Why Yale” essay by linking their interest in the human mind with their background. Introspection reveals the root of their interest in the mind in their past. Although this kind of reflection isn’t in all Yale essays that worked, it can speak volumes when used appropriately. Remember that Yale essays that worked were personal and show some (or a lot!) of your interests or background. And the best “Why Yale” essay examples relate all of that to Yale and the world at large. 

While this writer doesn’t explicitly mention Yale, it’s clear that they’re interested in complex problems. With their lofty ambitions and dreams of medical school, it’s clear that they want the rigor of Yale. Although this essay is perhaps not a conventional “Why Yale” essay, it’s still effective. It conveys the author’s academic interests and makes clear that Yale’s rigorous academic environment is a good fit.

How do you answer “Why Yale”?

We hope those five “Why Yale” essay examples and our discussion of their strengths were helpful. As you embark on your college application journey and draft essays, it’s always good to refer to essay examples. But remember they’re just a guide—try to find your own voice and style as you respond to Yale essay prompts.

There are endless ways to write “Why Yale” essays, just like there are endless answers to how to get into Yale. Some great Yale essays that worked talk about post-grad goals, while others focus on Yale’s campus life and offerings. Other strong Yale supplemental essays may directly address the writer’s experiences or background. Then again, more implicit mentions of the author’s life might make up other Yale essays that worked.

Even so, there are a few constants in the Why Yale essay examples. Each of the essays had elements that were:

We’re all guilty of copy-pasting a few lines from one essay to another. However, a “Why School” essay is not one you’ll want to copy-paste. When looking at “Why Yale” essays that worked, you’ll usually see several Yale-specific features, courses, and organizations. Yale essays that worked showed Yale admissions that the author knows more than just the Yale acceptance rate. By being specific, you prove that your decision to apply to Yale is well-informed.

The Yale admissions committee wants more than just smart people: they want dynamic, critical thinkers. Good “Why Yale” essay examples show this side. In particular, they illustrate how they’ll contribute both to Yale and to the world. What goals do you have that Yale can help you achieve? How will those goals inform your time on campus and once you’ve graduated? While you don’t have to be super specific about post-grad plans, you should show you’re already thinking ahead.

We know, we know, everyone says this—but it’s true! Firstly, although Yale is indeed a prestigious institution, its programs or campus life may not be for everyone. If you’re only applying because the low Yale acceptance rate obviously means it’s the best school, maybe reconsider. If you’re dead set on studying economics or architecture or business , look for schools strong in that area. 

Secondly, assuming you’ve decided Yale is your dream school , be honest about what excites you. If you want to know how to get into Yale, the answer is to be true to yourself. Don’t try to write about what you think Yale admissions wants to see. They want to see you and your interests!

What other schools have Why School Essays?

Short answer: many!

Long answer: schools like Northwes t ern University , the University of Chicago , and New York University , just to name a few. The “Why School” essay is one of the most common college essay prompts, and for good reason. “Why School” essays are where you can explain why the school is on your college list . 

Especially for reputable colleges, “Why School” essays can really elevate your application. Did you see the Yale acceptance rate and think you should apply just because it’s selective? Or maybe you read somewhere that Northwestern was pretty good and are applying based on that? Ideally, you did your due diligence reading the school’s website—maybe even visiting—before applying. Trust us, when you do your research, it really shows.

Tips for other “Why School” essays are the same for how to get into Yale: be specific, thoughtful, and genuine. Why do you personally want to spend the next several years at this school? What particular opportunities on campus resonate with you, your interests, and background? At the same time, many prompts have different wording that will inform your approach to the essay.

Let’s take a look at UChicago’s essay prompts for some more inspiration.

Writing to the Prompt: Why UChicago?

For instance, UChicago asks:

“ How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago. ”

Here, they’re asking you to answer in regards to learning, community, and future. You’ll want to speak directly to UChicago’s curriculum and social life while also establishing future goals. When planning this “Why School” essay, look into UChicago’s student life, both in and out of the classroom. Are there any unique features of academic life at UChicago, like an emphasis on collaboration or experiential learning?

Of course, you can also rely on pointing to distinct offerings both extracurricular and curricular. But make sure you address the prompt by drawing clear links among these things and your long-term goals. Finally, pull them all together by directly stating how the institution will facilitate all of these experiences.

Writing to the Prompt: Why NYU?

Next, let’s look at NYU .

“ We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? … We want to understand – Why NYU? ”

Remember how we said that an academic interest essay can be a “Why School” essay prompt in disguise? Some “Why School” essays are framed around your area of study, like this one. In these cases, many will focus more on the academic side of things. You don’t have to eliminate any mention of non-academic activities, of course. The prompt asks about campuses and schools, so feel free to mention campus traditions or social events.

If you’re zeroing in on a major, program, or college, you can absolutely bring up faculty, courses, and research. With that said, keep in mind that “Why School” essays should still be personal. Try to ensure your excitement for that subject area shows through. For example, you could use a personal anecdote or quality that threads through your academic history. Again, there are no limits to the ways you can approach a “Why School” essay.

How Important Are Essays For Yale?

When thinking about how to get into Yale, essays are front and center. Given that there are so many Yale essay prompts (however short), you can bet they’re important for your Yale application. As stated above, Yale is a highly esteemed and world-renowned institution. It follows that it gets a ton of applicants—why do you think the Yale acceptance rate is so low?

With so many applicants, the Yale admissions team needs to be able to distinguish the most qualified ones. By reading Yale supplemental essays, they learn about you not only as a student but also as a community member. Imagine if every admitted student had a 4.0 GPA but never joined any clubs or student organizations. Yale student life would probably be pretty boring! So these Yale supplemental essays help the Yale admissions committee choose students who’ll enrich Yale even beyond their undergraduate years.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale—as well as many other schools—is test-optional for the 2022–2023 admissions cycle. While this policy is doubtless beneficial for many, it also means there’s some information missing. Especially while Yale admissions is test-optional, essays are considered very important on every Yale application.

Even once test-optional policies expire, essays will be incredibly important for college applications. It’s getting harder every year to stand out in college admissions, so make sure you start early and edit often. So don’t skimp on any of the Yale supplemental essays if you’re serious about overcoming the Yale acceptance rate. That means the 35-word ones, too!

More Yale Essay Resources from CollegeAdvisor

In this guide, we only looked at “Why Yale” essay examples, but there are several other Yale essay prompts. Luckily for you, CollegeAdvisor.com has several other Yale supplemental essay resources. We even have more general guides on how to get into Yale!

College Panel: Yale University

We have a webinar panel with Yale students. Watch this if you’re still wondering whether to apply to Yale. If you’re set on applying but looking for material for Yale supplemental essays, this is also a good resource.

Linked above was our Yale supplemental essays guides from 2021 . We also have more advice in our 2020 guide. These guides cover each Yale essay prompt, what it’s asking, and how to approach it. If you’re more into webinars, take a look at this Yale supplemental essays workshop .

Yale Supplemental Essays Workshop

Lastly, we have our general How to Get Into Yale guide . This has advice on every part of the Yale admissions process, from Yale supplemental essays to recommendation letters . If you’re applying to Yale and want advice on the application as a whole, this guide is for you.

CollegeAdvisor.com also hosts webinars and releases new resources all the time. Keep an eye on our blog for more college essay guides and examples .

Why Yale Essay Examples – Final Thoughts 

It’s never easy to put into words exactly why you want what you want. “Why School” essays ask you to do just that. Your “Why Yale” essay needs to be finely tuned to maximize your odds against the low Yale acceptance rate. Successful “Why Yale” essay examples show the Yale admissions team why you and Yale are a good fit. They’re both specific to the school and personal for you, tying together you and the school.

Here are some reflection questions as you leave this guide and start drafting your “Why Yale” essay:

Why Yale Essay Examples Reflection Questions

• Why are you and Yale a good fit for each other?
• Are you knowledgeable about and committed to attending Yale?
• How will experiences and opportunities at Yale help you achieve your goals?

Readers of your “Why Yale” essay should be able to answer all three of these questions. You can always read more Yale essays that worked to find areas for improvement in your own work. Additionally, you should use examples that show you’ve done your research, whether they’re classes or labs.

There’s a lot of pressure in trying to craft the strongest Yale application possible. It can feel like there’s too much Yale to fit into the word count. Nevertheless, if you’re strategic with your details and concise in your wording, and use the Why Yale essay examples above to help guide you, you can do it. And if you’re still unsure after reading our resources on Why Yale essay examples and other Yale essays that worked, you can always connect with our team for personalized admissions help.

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

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How to Approach the Yale Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

Padya Paramita

July 17, 2020

As you embark on the road to writing your Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 , it’s important to think about why you’ve chosen to apply, beyond the obvious fact that Yale is consistently one of the highest ranked schools in the country. Is it the chance to combine your two favorite subjects through the “ Mathematics & Philosophy ” major that resonates with you, or is it the once-in-a-lifetime shot at studying reefs and rainforests for a semester in Australia that you can’t stop thinking about? Whatever it is about the home of the Bulldogs that calls your name, there’s no better way to let admissions officers know than through your supplemental essays. 

Yale highly values knowing what motivates your academic pursuits, and the supplemental essays provide the opportunity to show the school that you're curious, ambitious, and intellectually driven. To frame your aspirations in a way that highlights you as an impressive applicant, you need to take advantage of the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021. To guide you through them, I’ve outlined each of the prompts, how best to approach them, and additional tips to make sure that you write outstanding essays that separate you from the particularly tough Yale applicant pool. 

Prompts for the Yale Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge Application will respond to the following short answer questions: 

Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably? Please indicate up to three from the list provided.

This question is your chance to show your focus directly. So, emphasize areas of choice that make sense alongside other parts of your application. The three majors you choose should definitely be connected. Within your major, try to be as specific as possible. Don’t just automatically say “biology.” Look through programs that match your aspirations and consider options such as “Biology (Ecology & Evolutionary),” “History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health,” and “Biomedical Engineering.” Don’t choose a topic just because you think it sounds impressive. Admissions officers aren’t looking for any specific answers beyond what legitimately reflects your interests and goals.  

Why do these areas appeal to you? (100 words or fewer)

Now we get to why these areas appeal to you. Again, there’s no specific boxes that your reasons need to check. 100 words is a very restricted limit, so don’t run around in circles. If you picked three areas in your first answer, you’ll have around 33 words to explain each choice of major. 

Don’t talk in general terms such as “studying Environmental Engineering can help scientists understand the world’s issues better.” The question asks why the areas appeal to you . If you’ve picked three areas that seem random at first, such as English, Economics, and Gender Studies, explain why the overlap is more than what meets the eye and how they all connect in helping you get where you want. You could use a short anecdote to drive your point home. Focus on what an ideal undergraduate academic experience looks like for you, and how Yale’s programs are suited for you. 

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

Now we get to the classic “Why Yale” question in the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 . When reading your responses, Yale wants to know two things : “Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?” and “Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?” The key to answering this question is to keep it simple and specific while making sure your knowledge of the school comes through. You want to be presented as a one-of-a-kind candidate. Since the word limit is tight, you must pinpoint one or two things that makes Yale special - not in general, but in connection to your interests.

Are you excited by the chance to explore your love for film and media through courses such as FILM 233: Children and Schools in Global Cinema and FILM 320: Close Analysis of Film, while becoming an active member of the Yale Film Society? Or are you more drawn by the chance to enrich your advocacy for global health care through the Health & Community: Globalization, Culture, and Care comparative study abroad program across five different countries?

Keep your scope narrowed to features that can only be found at Yale so the reader knows you’ve done your research and are applying for the school itself, and not just the Ivy League name. 

Download Every Supplemental Prompt Here!

Short answer questions.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in 35 words or fewer:

• What inspires you?
• Yale’s residential colleges regularly host conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask?
• You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called
• Most first-year Yale students live in suites of four to six students. What do you hope to add to your suitemates’ experience? What do you hope they will add to yours?

Based on your answers to these four very short questions, admissions officers hope to gauge how you think and who you are. There’s no need to spend hours coming up with the “perfect” response, because it’s all about painting an authentic picture of your personality. For any of these responses, you should avoid the most basic or common answers such as inviting Bill Gates or Barack Obama to be the guest speaker or wishing to teach a course called “19th Century Literature.” Your goal is to stand out and 19th Century Literature courses already exist in every university. They won’t make you memorable!

“What inspires you?” is an extremely broad question. With 35 words in your hand, you cannot get too elaborate. Don’t mention random disconnected things that are all over the place. It is easiest to stick to one answer here - for example, a piece of media such as a song or movie, or a goal such as achieving success in the future.

For the second prompt, you should spend more time thinking about your question rather than about the guest’s identity. This is a good chance to show admissions officers where your interests lie, what you’re curious about and whether you have the ability to ask a good question. 

In answering the third question, think about something more niche within your area of interest. You aren’t locked within traditional boundaries of academics - you could teach a social media course or poster making class!

For the fourth question, remember that Yale not only wants strong students, but students who are personable. The reader wants to know whether you’re a candidate who is a friendly and considerate human being. Plus, nobody wants a selfish suitemate. Admissions officers want to know how you would engage with others and what you would share with your community. 

Essay Questions

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to the prompt below in 250 words or fewer:

Think about an idea or topic that has been intellectually exciting for you. Why are you drawn to it?

Note that this question from the longer Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021  has asked for a topic that’s “intellectually exciting” as opposed to academically interesting. So you can extend beyond subjects that you’d study at school, and talk about pretty much any idea that causes you to sit up and engage in lively discussions.

What topics do you enjoy thinking about in school or in your extracurriculars? It could be related to sports, theatre, a mathematical equation. A good way to narrow down your options might be to ask yourself, “What can I give a five-minute presentation on right now?” 

In answering the why part of the question, think about how the topic is relevant to you. Do you have a personal connection with the concept? Is there a historical or cultural relevance in the subject that’s beyond what meets the eye? Show the reader your perspective on why everyone should pay attention.

Applicants submitting the Common Application or Coalition Application will also select ONE of the two prompts below and respond in 250 words or fewer:

Reflect on your engagement with a community to which you belong. How has this engagement affected you?

When answering this prompt in the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 , think about a group or place that has impacted you - it could be your ethnic or religious community, or it could be a club at school, or an organization outside of school that matters to you. Think about the role you’ve played in the community, how it has shaped your perspective, and how you’d be different without it.

The heart of this prompt lies in clarifying the role you have played in this community. Were there situations where you had to lead the community? Have there been any changes that you’ve successfully implemented? Since the prompt doesn’t specify whether your engagement with the community should be positive or negative, you can take a nuanced route and talk about both - factors that you love about the community, and issues that you didn’t like and worked to change. 

Yale students, faculty, and alumni engage issues of local, national, and international importance. Discuss an issue that is significant to you and how your college experience could help you address it.

If you write about a local or global issue broadly, with no obvious relation to you, admissions officers will see through you. Your choice of issue could be something you’re affected by, or it could be a cause you want to work to advocate for or against in the future. 

Finally, you should tie your answer back to Yale in answering the second half of the question. Is there a course where you hope to learn more on the issue? Is there a student organization where you can meet like-minded peers to partake in ongoing discussion around the subject? Choose this prompt if you have a direct connection to it. If it’s something that doesn’t actively affect or concern you, or you’ve just Googled it to answer this prompt, pick the other option!

Engineering Essay

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application who select one of Yale’s engineering majors will also respond to the prompt below in 300 words or fewer:

Please tell us more about what has led you to an interest in this field of study, what experiences (if any) you have had in engineering, and what it is about Yale’s engineering program that appeals to you. 

This question has three parts, so start by understanding exactly what it is looking for:

• What has led to your interest in studying engineering
• What engineering experiences have motivated you 
• Why have you chosen Yale specifically to pursue this major

This leaves you only about 100 words to dedicate to each sub-topic. Ideally, the three parts would have a connection between one another. For example, if you wish to concentrate in Mechanical Engineering based on a childhood interest taking toy cars apart and your experiences have revolved around participation in mechanics competitions or interning at local labs, talk about how Yale can help you fuel your skills and enthusiasm around the subject. Don’t say you’re interested in Biomedical Engineering and then talk about how you wish to study Computer Engineering at Yale with no connection back to the biomedical aspect. That won’t make any sense.

The core of the essay lies in knowing why Yale is the place for you to hone your engineering skills. There are many other undergraduate engineering programs in the country - don’t just write an essay that could apply to Duke’s or Princeton’s engineering school as well. Do your research on Yale and let the reader know you’ve done so. Are you excited to engage with the wider New Haven community through programs such as Yale Funbotics and introduce robotics to underrepresented youth? Are you keen on Yale because of courses such as MENG 472, which would allow you conduct your own independent project under the mentorship of the Mechanical Engineering faculty? 

Don’t go off-base and talk about the wider importance of engineering in the world or what is great about Yale in general. The engineering portion of the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021  should demonstrate your capabilities as a prospective engineer and demonstrate the fact that you’ve actually done your homework when it comes to understanding the exceptional undergraduate offerings at Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 

Additional Tips for Writing the Yale Supplemental Essays 2020-2021

As you brainstorm and jot down ideas to compose your Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 , keep the following tips in mind:

• Be succinct but confident - None of the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021  have a significantly high word limit. The word limit for the longer essay questions is only 250 words. So in a matter of 100-200 words, you have to confidently answer questions by convincingly telling a story, providing a clear picture of yourself, and outlining your goals in relation to the programs at Yale. Don’t beat around the bush. Get straight to the point and go through multiple drafts while actively reflecting on how Yale is the right school for you.
• Don’t misrepresent yourself - For questions that ask about your academic interests or ideas that you find exciting, it might be tempting to try and guess what Yale wants to hear. Definitely avoid that, as it’s neither fair to you nor your reader. Yes, there comes a lot of pressure with applying to a school as selective as Yale, but if you try too hard, you’re going to put a lot of effort into an application that is dishonest. You want the admissions officers to evaluate you based on your real interests. 
• Make sure to talk about YOU - For a few prompts in the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 , such as the “Why Yale?” question, you might be misguided to list things straight from the Yale website to prove that you have done your research. Except, the website exists for everybody and if admissions officers wanted to read it, they’d pull it up on their web browser. Don’t just copy and paste cool features - tell the school something about yourself that they don’t know in connection to how you’d benefit from Yale’s resources. The goal of these essays is to see how you’d fit within the campus environment. Why do you think Yale is the best place for you ?

The best way to stand out from your peers in the Yale supplemental essays 2020-2021 is to emphasize qualities and experiences that are unique to you. If admissions officers come away from reading your responses knowing you’re making a well-informed decision, they’re more likely to go to bat for you. Ultimately, make sure your responses have highlighted the perspective you’ll bring and why Yale’s resources can help you achieve your goals. Best of luck!

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Yale University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Action: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Feb 15

You Have: 

Yale University 2023-24 Application Essay Question Explanations

Short Answers dominate the Yale application. So, in brief, they’re looking for confidence. When an essay must clock in at under 100 words, you don’t have time to waffle. There’s no room for you to circle your main idea with broad statements. You’ve got to get straight to the point, and clearly. The successful applicant will choose precise words that can do double — even triple duty — telling your story (literally), bringing vivid details to life, and highlighting your overall intelligence.

The Requirements: 1 list; 6 short answer questions; 1 additional short essay of 400 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s):   Why ,  Short Answer , Community ,  Oddball

Short Answer Questions

Students at yale have time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. as of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably please indicate up to three from the list provided..

There’s only one trick to generating a straightforward list of your academic interests: be honest. If you already know what you want to major in, or have it narrowed down to a few departments, you’re set! Don’t waste time trying to strategize. Choosing anything other than your true interests would be a misrepresentation of who you are and a disservice to you and the admissions office. This assignment will no doubt be most challenging for the undecideds, but to help you narrow your focus, try to tell a story with your choices. How can you use this to reveal something about what you value and what excites you intellectually? You could try to illustrate a general inclination (art history, studio art, and American studies). Or if you really feel like you could go any direction, try to show a balance, picking majors across domains that link to each other in a way that still makes sense (biology, psychology, classics)—you’ll thank yourself when answering the next question.

Tell us about a topic or idea that excites you and is related to one or more academic areas you selected above. Why are you drawn to it? (200 words or fewer)

You’ve only got 100 words, but if you chose wisely (and honestly) in the previous question, answering this one should be a cinch. Whether you listed one or several interests, your goal is to tell a cohesive story about your intellectual curiosity. Ideally, you should try to recount an anecdote that illustrates your engagement with your chosen field, or demonstrates your ability to link seemingly disparate fields. Perhaps you’re interested in both religion and astrophysics because each offers a way for you to contemplate our place in the universe. But while you may be tempted to wax philosophical, you should beware of veering into overly abstract territory. This is a great opportunity for you to explain how your intellectual interests relate to who you are as a person. Don’t waste it!

What is it about Yale that has led you to apply? (125 words or fewer)

This is a short version of the Why essay, the mini Why. Yale wants to make sure you are psyched for the full college experience at their school. So, we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. As a top school, Yale attracts many applicants based on its reputation alone, so it won’t do you any good to go on and on about the world-class education you will receive. Yale admissions officers know — and they know you know. Locate specific opportunities within your department and related programs and centers that really make your heart sing with excitement.

And make sure you talk about yourself! Yale doesn’t need a summary of its website (even if you write about a forgotten page deep in the Math Department website). Talk about your academic and professional goals and how Yale will help you achieve them. What unexpected classes might you want to take to sate your curiosity? How will you drive yourself to succeed? Don’t forget to include details about personal growth. If you think you can accomplish this and that on campus, what experience do you have to back up those claims? What about the Yale experience will enrich your life overall? Which extracurricular activities and organizations will you take advantage of? Do they offer quidditch ? If so, you should definitely play. Figure out why you’re applying to Yale over all the other schools out there – and then deliver it with eloquence and confidence.

Applicants applying with the QuestBridge Application will complete the questions above via the Yale QuestBridge Questionnaire, available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal after an application has been received.

Applicants submitting the coalition application or common application will also respond to the following short answer questions, in no more than 200 characters (approximately 35 words):, what inspires you (200 characters or fewer).

200 characters is not a lot of characters, especially when it comes to a concept as broad as inspiration. You don’t have time to describe what the word means to you, and admissions officers don’t have time for vague answers (“nature”) or trite ones (“my mom”). First and foremost, have fun with this prompt. Think of the 200 character challenge as a game. Then, get specific. What experiences have launched some of your best ideas? Although you won’t have time to relate the whole story, you can draw upon your personal experience for a hyper-specific, memorable answer like “the color of fresh drosophila eggs” or “Goldie Hawn’s crazy eyes in Death Becomes Her .” You get the idea.

If you could teach any college course, write a book, or create an original piece of art of any kind, what would it be? (200 characters or fewer)

The previous question asked you what inspires you, and this one is asking you what you can do. What are you good at? It’s time to show your stuff. Reach beyond the traditional academic areas and toward skills you may have cultivated on your own time (e.g., gardening, rock climbing, baking, etc.). Then, think about how you might share this talent with others, whether that be through a course, book, or artwork. Maybe you’ve been making TikToks reviewing your favorite YA novels for some time now. Would you teach a class on the politics of the modern heroine in YA fiction? Perhaps you could talk about marine life for hours on end. Would you write a book on the idiosyncrasies of giant isopods? There is no right or wrong answer here, so write about the subject that interests you the most!

Other than a family member, who is someone who has had a significant influence on you? What has been the impact of their influence? (200 characters or fewer)

Since you have so much to say in so few words, our advice is to summarize this person’s accomplishments succinctly and leave room to offer admissions deeper insight into their influence on you, what you value, and the kind of person you aspire to become. The person you choose to write about can be someone in your local community—a friend, a teacher, a community leader—or someone you haven’t yet had the chance to meet IRL. Maybe there is a renowned scientist who inspired you to pursue your chosen field. Perhaps an artist or thought leader has altered your understanding of what it means to be human. No matter who you choose, remember that this should say more about you than it does about them, so stay the course!

What is something about you that is not included anywhere else in your application? (200 characters or fewer)

This is one of the hardest prompts! What do they want to know?! Where do you start? Birth? School? Puberty? First, take a breath and calm down. Think about why they’re asking you this question and it will all fall into place. While many applications look similar, with impressive grades, extracurriculars, and teacher recommendations, this essay makes it so you can stand out from the crowd with your personality. Do you have a very sarcastic sense of humor? Do you make more dad jokes than your own father? Do all of your friends refer to you as the “artsy” one? Yale wants to know that you’re more than your transcripts, so take this opportunity to share a piece of yourself that they wouldn’t otherwise get to see. This prompt also lends itself to recycling previously written essays for other schools quite well, so you might want to consider revisiting it once you’ve made a dent in writing your supplemental essays for other schools.

Applicants submitting the Coalition Application or Common Application will respond to one of the following prompts in 400 words or fewer. 

1. reflect on a time you discussed an issue important to you with someone holding an opposing view. why did you find the experience meaningful.

Engaging with others in meaningful conversations about important issues can be intimidating and challenging, and the Yale admissions committee knows this. Nevertheless, we have all experienced standing up for our beliefs in some capacity, so scroll through your memory to identify a time when you had an uncomfortable conversation with friends, family, or even mere acquaintances. Maybe you engaged your grandparents in a conversation regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Were you able to clearly communicate your perspective? What did you take away from the discussion? Perhaps you learned that one of your friends was a passive supporter of an organization that you vehemently disagree with. How did you broach the subject and what was the outcome of your conversation? You don’t need to have changed someone’s mind (or your own!) to impress admissions here. You just need to show that you’re not afraid to engage with those who may have different opinions than you. College will present you with a plethora of opportunities to meet and interact with people who are very different from you, so show Yale that you’re game to learn, listen, share, and grow.

2. Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. Why is this community meaningful to you? You may define community however you like.

“A community to which you feel connected” could be anything: your family, a club at school, your dance troupe, women in STEM… you get the idea. If you’ve been wanting to spin your 8-bit video game obsession into an essay, this prompt is offering you the opportunity to describe your community of old-school gamers. Whatever community you choose, remember to define your place within it. Who are you to your fellow community members? How does being in this community add to your life or identity? Why is it meaningful? As always, try to be as concrete as possible as you develop your story, giving examples as you go. Just brainstorming your topic may remind you of a video you made or photo you took that you can use as a jumping off point. You might even consider digging through old photos and notebooks as a way to brainstorm!

3. Reflect on an element of your personal experience that you feel will enrich your college. How has it shaped you?

This is a fabulous prompt because it’s just about as open-ended as it gets. If the other two essay prompts didn’t speak to you, this one is here to save the day! Yale wants to know what has made you into the person you are today. What you focus on here can really run the gamut, but it should be something that you feel will help you to contribute to Yale’s community in a unique way. Is there anything you can teach your classmates about your hometown, traditions, culture, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? What has influenced your identity? What do you believe and how will your worldview bring something of value to the community at Yale?

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12 graduates awarded library prizes for best senior essays

Each year, the library invites Yale College seniors to submit their senior essays for consideration to win one of three prizes for excellence: the Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award, the Diane Kaplan Memorial Prize, and the Yale Library Map Prize. The winners are selected by librarians or faculty members, and the prizes are funded by Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

The prizewinners are each awarded a cash prize in the amount of $500 (honorable mention recipients receive $250), and all winners’ essays are published on EliScholar, Yale Library’s digital platform for scholarly publishing. As is the tradition, students receive their awards at their residential commencement ceremonies.

The Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

The Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award recognizes a student whose senior essay or capstone project substantially draws on national government information or intergovernmental organization (IGO) information, including documents or data. Yale Library has been a designated federal depository library since 1859.

The Applebaum award was presented to Henry H. Carroll , Davenport College, for the essay “Ship Shaping: How Congress and Industry Influenced U.S. Naval Acquisitions from 1933—1938.” Read Henry Carroll’s essay .

Honorable mention was awarded to Nina Grigg , Benjamin Franklin College, for the essay “Surveyor: Scratching for a Wild Moon.” Read Nina Grigg’s essay .

The Diane Kaplan Memorial Prize

The Diane Kaplan Memorial Prize recognizes prizewinning students’ excellent use of research materials from the library’s diverse collections and also the high quality of their writing.

Three students received the Diane Kaplan prize this year:

Leo Egger , Trumbull College, for the essay “‘Living Its Strange Life’: A Literary Biography of Margery Latimer from the Archives in 18 Scenes.” Read Leo Egger’s essay .

AJ Laird , Benjamin Franklin College, for the essay “Whaling Logbooks: Colonial Knowledge Acquisition in the Pacific World.” Read AJ Laird’s essay and visit the related exhibit in Sterling Memorial Library exhibition corridor.

Shira Minsk , Pauli Murray College, for the essay “Steady through Time: Ella Barksdale Brown and the Perception-Based Politics of Black Women’s Racial Uplift in 20th-Century America.” Read Shira Minsk’s essay .

The Library Map Prize

The Library Map Prize recognizes students whose senior essays or projects make use of one or more maps or charts in substantive ways. Students may either create the maps or refer to maps found online or in the library’s special collections.

This year the Map Prize was awarded to two seniors:

Lisa Dong , Pierson College, for the interactive StoryMap essay “So, Where Are Your Really From?: A Digital Humanities Repository Mapping ‘Home, Identity, and Belonging’ within the Intimacies of the Fuzhounese Experience.” View Lisa Dong’s web-based essay .

Nick McGowan , Pauli Murray College, for the essay “Rebirth: Investigating Industrial Gentrification and the Land Use Policy in Chicago’s West Loop.” Read Nick McGowan’s essay .

The Department of History Prizes

The library also stewards the funds for three American History prizes, selected by faculty members in the Department of History. This year, five prizes were awarded for best senior essays.

Julia Aerin Hornstein , Ezra Stiles College, won the Howard R. Lamar Prize for the essay “Charles ‘Minnie’ Dole: The Peak of Masculinity and the Frontier of Western Snow”; AJ Laird , Benjamin Franklin College, won a David M. Potter Prize for “Whaling Logbooks: Colonial Knowledge Acquisition in the Pacific World”; Sydney Zoehrer , Silliman College, won a David Morris Potter Prize for the essay “Adobe: Material Histories at a Crossroads in Marfa, Texas; Hilary B. Griggs , Branford College, won a Walter McClintock Prize for the essay “Does a Man’s Word or a Nation’s Word Ever Become Obsolete?’: Fighting the Floodwaters on the Fort Berthold Reservation”; Teanna Hart (Sicangu Lakota), Silliman College, won a Walter McClintock Prize for the essay “Reconciliation Is Not Enough: Looking and/as Speaking Back at Portrayals of the American Indian”; and Taylor Rose won the Frederick W. Beinecke Dissertation Prize for the essay “Battle Born: Mining, Militarization, and Native Lands in the Nevada Desert, 1860–1990.”

Read more about the three Library Prizes and other Undergraduate Student Prizes. Read more about the History prizes.

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